Green New Deal or No Deal?
Details
Should we support the Green New Deal (yes!) unequivocally (no!)?
But where and why and to what extent should we be equivocal?
That's the topic of this meeting.
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Here are some valuable resources to help the discussion.
The brilliant think-tank ReThinkX has produced well-researched, optimistic predictions of what can be achieved, summarised in this video:
Rethinking Energy 2020-2030: 100% Solar, Wind, and Batteries is Just the Beginning (20 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zgwiQ6BoLA
(Their full climate report is here - free)
But renewables come with a cost. In fact, the cost could be so great as to be counter-productive in energy terms - let alone the threats to biodiversity from mining, to ecosystems from polluting waste and to peace from geopolitical conflicts.
Some of this is explained in this excellent TED talk by Olivia Lazard:
The Blind Spots of the Green Energy Transition (20 mins).
As well as articulating the problem, she presents a 'systemic' solution based on a form of global coordination which she calls Ecological Diplomacy. The chance of that being realised is something to discuss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za6dE5JrNB0
Mark Mills uses similar arguments and suggests reconsidering fossil fuels because they have a lower cost to the environment.
What's Wrong with Wind and Solar? (5 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqppRC37OgI
So - we have the optimistic predictions of moving to renewables, and the argument for retaining significant amounts of fossil fuels.
But we cannot ignore the arguments from Nate Hagen's Great Simplification, which was our topic in November
https://www.meetup.com/humanitys-transition-oxford-discussions/events/pdqsxsydcpbfc/
He argues that, based on the idea of The Carbon Pulse, we have no choice other than to retain significant amounts of fossil fuels in the short-medium term, but in the longer term, we will be forced to massively reduce our energy consumption - resulting in the Great Simplification.
Come along and join the discussion.
How to find us in the Red Lion
Go upstairs, walk through the room at the top of the stairs and into the mysterious area hidden at the end on the right.
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General Background about Humanity's Transition
A helpful 30 minute video which others have found worthwhile
"Humanity's Phase Shift, Daniel Schmachtenberger"