We Don’t Need Nuclear Power We Need To Reduce Our Consumption

By Michael Welber

In a recent piece in KONK News, Jerry Rabe, who describes himself as a retired director of Strategic Technology Development for the Diageo Corporation, makes a case for how to solve our global warming problem. He points out, wisely, that global warming is an urgent issue because it is the reason for the sea level rise that will make the Keys uninhabitable in short order.

Rabe is correct about sea level rise but is simply wrong when it comes to solutions.

The key to at least slowing down global warming is, as Rabe says, to stop burning fossil fuels. Where he goes wrong is to suggest that the country launch an aggressive effort to build nuclear power plants.

Why is that wrong? We need to reduce greenhouse gases now. Right now. To develop what Rabe describes as a Manhattan project or moon launch will take far too long. President Kennedy set a goal of landing on the moon and it took ten years to accomplish his goal. We don’t have ten years. We may not even have five years.

Rabe trashes solar and wind power but solar in conjunction with conservation has reduced my power usage by more than half. That’s half the amount of greenhouse gases that my house (and car) emit. Right now. Today.

Everyone can install solar hot water. It’s affordable and pays back (if you worry about that) in five years and cuts electric usage by 15 percent. Paint your roof white, turn off appliances, don’t use fans when you aren’t in the room, walk instead of driving, buy energy efficient appliances when you need one, don’t buy things you don’t need, fly less.

There is no reason why everyone, including Rabe, can’t reduce their energy consumption by 20 percent. Tomorrow. Or yesterday.

Why haven’t we done it? Partially because our capitalist system, as Rabe points out, requires growth. And waste. No president, no senator is going to ask people to reduce their consumption. There is no public mandate to do these things.

As Rabe writes, “…we live in an economic system that is growth dependent, where large amounts of energy are essential.”

No we don’t. We live in a society where American capitalism demands that we have double sided refrigerators, multiple 50 inch TVs, giant SUVs that get 20 miles per gallon, very little public transportation, enormous houses that dwarf what we really need, and so on.

People like Bill Gates – and Jerry Rabe — are calling for more R&D. We don’t need Research and Development. We need Reduce Dummies.

Otherwise, we fry. Or drown. And take all animal and vegetative life with us.

Michael Welber is executive director of the Solar Education Association of the Florida Keys. He lives, full time, in Marathon.

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