Reinventing the Energy System
Throughout history, society’s energy systems have been altered to best meet the needs of the people. In the beginning, our society had a very primitive lifestyle. The main focus was to meet the needs of the people through hunting and gathering, thus gaining energy from the land. Over time, a shift to animal power and later water power through new inventions, such as the water wheel and wind mills, can be seen. Finally, wind and water gave way to steam which was closely followed by the combustion of oil and gas. This final shift was the result of the need to meet the demands for energy associated with the Industrial Revolution. Improvements to technologies allowed for each transition, and comparing the trends of the past with the current situation, some people might say we are now in a transition to an energy source more conducive to the Information Revolution we are now entering. Factors that are influencing this current shift are resource limits and the environmental and health burdens associated with society’s fossil fuel dependence. And because of this dependence, many people have forgotten the connection between energy, human well-being, and the environment. Energy is often considered a commodity that can be purchased in whatever quantity desirable. However, many people in developing nations do not have access to oil resources, and therefore are looking at alternative technologies for the future. Therefore, renewable-resources-based energy systems are the future. Decentralizing our systems combined with new renewable energy productions could provide more accessible energy for people around the world.
Currently we have a centralized energy system, or everyone gets their energy from a few concentrated companies. Since the majority of these companies are oil and gas related, or are dependent on oil and gas corporations for funding, they are not going to be looking for alternative sources.
However, by not acting now, developed nations may soon be passed by the developing nations in energy-related technological advances. Current systems in developed nations would have to replace or retrofit current energy-producing facilities. This would require large amounts of money, time, and labour. Developing nations on the other hand, would not. Since developing countries do not currently have many energy-producing facilities, they can start from scratch and skip the in-between stage of oil produced energy and go straight to renewable-resource energy production, provided that they can get the proper funding. For countries like China and India, this funding may come sooner than later. Hence, in the near future they could advance more quickly and create a new market of alternative energy sources faster than developed nations.
As shown in “The Age of Stupid”, and echoed again in this article, the ingrained habits of societies in developed nations has prevented any major transitions thus far. Should developing nations implement new and more sustainable systems before the developed nations, however, the people of these developed nations may see the error of their hesitation and inaction. Also, they may then be faced with a decline in the markets still dependent on gas and oil. A country has to utilize the resources that are available to it, including wind and solar power. By not tapping into these renewable resources, we are not efficiently exploiting our resources.
Easton T. Classic edition sources: environmental studies. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2009. pp. 70-5.
