Fossil Fuel Efficiency or Reduction
Independent Contributor
Look….if we were attempting to get to Net Zero from the status quo usage now, we would make some headway with solar, wind and nuclear – and they are a step in the right direction…..in a perfect world.
As this graph shows, aviation fuel usage is expected to triple in the next 10 years, and below that ‘bunker’ fuel for shipping almost doubles.
So back to my rural quote in Sustainalogic 101, current policies aren’t much better than ‘pissing in the wind’ – and the wind is getting stronger.
Electric planes?
Get real! An Airbus 280 uses 140,000L of jet fuel for a 12-hour flight, we are light years away from an alternative … and demand will triple. This completely offsets any minimal gains we make through EVs (Electric Vehicles) and one day the cobalt that kids are mining in the Congo for our batteries will run out.
Technology, on the other hand, has made internal combustion (IC) vehicles and planes a lot more efficient, as have modern coal-fired electricity plants and they will improve more. Remember half the EVs on the planet are charged with electricity generated from fossil fuels! Efficient use of fuel with hybrid vehicles a much better theory than completely stopping.
The reality is as the graph shows below: the world population and a growing middle class means the demand continues to rise at a faster rate than renewable potential grows. Clearly wind and solar are a step in the right direction but net zero is a fantasy.
It’s not Australia spending $500 billion transitioning to renewable energy that will slow global warming one bit…However, using this money wisely would help the half of the world living on less than $7/day utilise small scale hydro, solar and wind just to live sustainably and grow their next meal instead of relying on foreign aid.
The most logical mitigation is actually consuming less! We have the technology nowadays to live off the grid easily. I have a 30sqm hut I live in on the farm when I’m there. It has a solar panel and deep cell battery for lighting, this also charges computer and phones, minimal gas for cooking and hot shower, gravity-fed running water for sinks, shower and toilet….this can literally be replicated anywhere and actually is in Sri Lanka, where their carbon footprint is just 1t/person/year.