SENTIENT TIMES Feb/Mar 2003

The Omega Point

By Finn Honoré

Writing about the environment can seem all but over-whelming, often haunted by an abiding sense of impotence, the urge to simply sit down and mourn compelling.

In other words, given the enormity of the problem, how and where to begin?

The earth is reeling from man’s careless, gluttonous presence. We consume its resources with a mindless urgency, our dependence on petroleum (transported in single-hulled tankers, whose inevitable accidents are eco-disasters, like the recent sinking of the tanker off the coast of Spain which contained 70,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil) and all its derivative products far-reaching and destabilizing.

We fertilize, spray, fill the air with carbon, pave over vast stretches of wetlands, and if we can’t see the forest for the trees, we clear cut. According to the Lovearth Network, an environmental research organization, the rain forests of the world are disappearing at a rate of 107 acres per minute, or 240 sq. miles per day. In the last year, 57 million acres of virgin rain forest were lost. By 2020, it is estimated that there will only be 5 percent remaining. Species of all types, who share the planet with us, who are an integral part of an ecosystem that binds us all together, are no match for our consumption. Countless mammals, reptiles, flora, and fauna are now in the last stages of a sad and tragic retreat, their habitat gradually eliminated or poisoned, their numbers dwindling to a point of no return. Last year alone, 211,323 species were lost (roughly 560 species per day) and according to the United Nations Environment Program report, more than a quarter of all the world’s mammals face the possibility of extinction in 30 years. The report goes on to say that the factors responsible for the extinction of species—such as deforestation and habitat degradation globally—continue to operate at an increasing intensity. It is a harrowing litany of myopic neglect and greed.

Consider just one facet: the production of electricity and global warming. One could argue that the most important invention in the last two hundred years, bar only a few (go ahead, turn on that lamp and make a list), was electricity—woven so completely into the fabric of our society, into every aspect of daily life, that to contemplate a time when it didn’t exist all but requires a suspension of our disbelief. Contemplate a time when nothing existed that could be plugged in. No conversations took place other than face to face. All communication was conducted at a pace so slow, as to be, today, unimaginable. Homes, hospitals, streets and libraries were only dimly lighted by gas, oil or candles. Most of the world went to bed with the setting of the sun. Until the advent of electricity.

And therein is the conundrum. While electricity has gradually illuminated the darkest corners of the globe, it comes, as we are finding out, with a price that may be far too high. It is becoming increasingly clear that if we continue what we now realize is a Faustian bargain with the manner in which we produce energy (in tandem with our bleak stewardship of the planet), a time may ultimately arrive when the earth’s environment will be forever altered, a line crossed from which there is no retreat. Some environ-mentalists call this the Omega Point and predict that it is fast approaching.

Based on data provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency, electricity generation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. And America leads the world in the production of greenhouse gases—every individual in America produces 22 tons per annum as compared to 6 tons per capita for the rest of the world. Further, it is the production of electricity that is our nation’s single largest source of industrial pollution: the average house is responsible for 22,000 pounds of CO2 emissions per year, almost twice that of the average car which produces 11,450 pounds of CO2 emissions. As well, it is known that transmitting energy across miles of wire is not only inefficient, but results in the loss of as much as two-thirds of the energy. The bulk of the current energy grid was designed for a time now long since past. Most providers will acknowledge, however grudgingly, that this grid is wasteful, pollutes, and is, like the internal combustion engine, anachronistic and a relic of the past.

Recent data makes an all but irrefutable case that the earth is heating up—the 1990s was the hottest decade in the 20th century, if not the last 1,000 years. If trends continue, we face the increasing prospects of drought, flooding, rising sea levels, and the northward migration of insect-borne tropical diseases. 

So, when it comes to energy use, specifically electricity, what can an individual homeowner do to conserve and thereby be part of the solution and not the problem?
The EPA suggest the following:
• Buy home appliances that feature the ENERGY STAR label, meaning the product exceeds minimum federal standards for energy consumption by 13 to 40 percent. A high-efficiency refrigerator will reduce CO2 emissions by 220 pounds per year. A washing machine by 440 pounds per year.
• If you are buying a new home, look for the ENERGY STAR label, meaning the house is rated for energy efficiency. If you live in an older home or apartment, then consider replacing all light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (this can result in a 40 percent savings in energy); insulate your home and tune up your furnace; install conservation showerheads; replace toilets with water saving latrines; lower the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees and insulate the water heater.
• Regarding the exterior of the home, e.g., the front, side and back yards, plant deciduous trees. Shade trees can reduce energy consumption as well as sequestering CO2 during photosynthesis, removing 50 pounds of carbon from the atmosphere per year. Install low-watering plants. Use a composting lawnmower. Compost all yard flotsam, cutting down on the waste stream to the local landfill. Landfills produce high quantities of methane, adding to the greenhouse effect.
• Seal all gaps around doors and windows with silicon caulk. Almost 20 percent of energy used to heat and cool a home is lost due to poorly sealed surfaces.
• If the home has good southerly exposure, install a readily available solar water heating system.
• Purchase “Green Power” where accessible, meaning sources of energy that are produced by non-hydroelectric means. Unfortunately, non-hydroelectric energy sources comprise only two percent of the electricity generated in the US. (see sidebar page 17). 

Joe Schwartz, of Home Power Magazine, a Southern Oregon based hands-on journal of home-made power, committed to exploring renewable sources of energy, points out that “the City of Ashland has operated its own municipal utility since 1908, and it’s currently one of the most progressive in the country. Ashland residents have the option of participating in the city’s Solar Pioneer program. The program adds four dollars to our monthly electric bill. The money is in turn used to help subsidize solar energy programs and systems within the city limits. The City of Ashland also has great conservation programs, which include free energy audits, zero interest loans for energy efficiency projects, and a series of rebates for home weatherization and solar systems checks.” Schwartz goes on to comment that Pacific Power, which provides electricity to most of Southern Oregon and Northern California, has “Green Power” options and the power company can be contacted for details.

America is not, historically, proactive. As a people we’ve have had some of our finest hours reacting to crises of global proportions (WWII); yet we are slow to make changes in the absence of a clear and present danger. The difficulty with the environmental crisis is that it is in so many ways a stealth issue, with an inherent disconnect between, for example, turning on a light switch and the carbon being produced to facilitate that singular act. We look at the sky and it appears still brilliantly blue. We look at our lakes and streams, at our oceans, and all seems well. Species silently go extinct, leaving not a discernible ripple (will we notice when the Short-Tailed Albatross and the Philippine Eagle are gone?). Sadly, the inextricable degradation of the ecoweb is not readily apparent, thus contributing to our collective state of denial.

So we carry on, romancing the internal combustion engine (our cars grow ever larger and less fuel efficient), lighting our homes and office buildings with energy derived from the burning of fossil fuels, depleting the resources and habitats of the planet at an alarming rate. We are a long way from internalizing the concepts of renewable and sustainable. However, it is axiomatic: we have choices. And we still have time. We know what must be done. The overriding question is can we make the green transition before we are faced with a global environmental calamity—the Omega Point.

Joe Schwartz, based on his years of experience studying renewable and sustainable energy sources, and his work with Home Power Magazine, is confident that the shift will take place. “The question is whether humans can make the transition gracefully. As a species I think we can. Though some humans tend to wait until things are in a state of crisis before they make an effort to solve problems, there are a lot of forward thinking people out there … It’s a learned behavior. Having a positive and proactive approach … is the path of least resistance.”

We’ll see.

Finn Honoré is a freelance writer living in Ashland, Oregon.

Non-Hydroelectric
Renewable Energy Sources

Non-hydroelectric renewable energy means electricity supplied from the following renewable and sustainable sources of power. While these sources of energy are growing, they still comprise less than two percent of the electricity generated in the US. Emissions from these energy sources are negligible since no fuels are combusted in the process.

Solar: Environmentalists have pointed out that the earth receives more energy from the sun in one hour than the entire world uses in one year. There are two common ways to convert solar energy into electricity—photovoltaic and solar-thermal technologies. These technologies concentrate the sun’s rays with mirrors or other reflective devices to heat a liquid to create steam, which is used to turn generators.

Geothermal: Geothermal energy is created beneath the Earth’s surface from the extreme heat contained in liquid rock (magma) within the Earth’s core. When this heat naturally creates hot water or steam, it can be piped to the surface and used to turn turbine engines to create electricity. The problem with this type of renewable energy is one of extraction.

Biomass:  The term biomass includes many different fuel types from sources such as trees, agricultural wastes; fuel crops (crops grown specifically for electricity production); sewage sludge; and manure. Biomass power plants burn biomass fuel in boilers. The heat released from this process is used to create steam which turns turbines, creating electricity. Biomass fuel sources are considered renewable because they continue to be produced by society.

Landfill Gas: Landfill gas is created when microorganisms cause organic waste, such as food wastes and paper, to decompose in landfills. Landfill gas is made up of 50 percent methane. CO2 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) make up the remainder. This gas escapes into the air unless it is collected and burned. In landfill gas energy projects the gas is captured and burned in boilers, reciprocating engines and combustion turbines are used to produce energy. Currently the EPA requires large landfills to collect and burn landfill gas with flares and destroy the VOCs.

Wind: Wind is created when the sun heats the Earth unevenly due to seasons and cloud cover. This uneven heating, in addition to the Earth’s rotation, causes warmer air to move toward cooler air. The movement of air around the earth’s surface is called wind. Wind turbines use two or three long blades rotating on a high tower, converting the energy of the wind to electricity. When a number of these windmills, so to speak, are gathered in rows it’s called a wind farm. Similar to sunshine, there are some states which are more ideally suited to capturing wind as a source: Oregon and California are two of more than a dozen states that can look to wind power as a renewable energy source. It is estimated that the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains states have sufficient wind resources to meet 10-25 percent of their energy needs.

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