Rethinking the Energy Transition: A Critical Look at Renewable Energy’s Role
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The term “energy transition” is on everyone’s lips, promising a climate-change solution through renewable energy sources. However, a leading historian argues this narrative is overly simplistic, neglecting crucial factors like overall economic scale and resource consumption.
According to Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, a historian specializing in science, technology, and the environment, “it’s more of a slogan than a scientific notion.” He points out that the current conversation often implies a straightforward replacement of one energy source with another,ignoring the complex interplay and symbiotic relationships between different energy types. New energy sources can even boost the production of existing ones.
Fressoz highlights that throughout the 20th century, despite remarkable technological advancements, raw material usage consistently increased. He states, “So, behind the appearance of great technological transformations, the material history of humanity is a history where everything only grows.” He further emphasizes “the radical strangeness of the dominant discourse, wich is to say that with technological innovation, we will solve the climate problem.”
The Case of Wood: A Historical Perspective
Fressoz uses the example of wood to illustrate the interconnectedness of energy sources. He notes, ”Energies rely on each other,” explaining that, “The consumption of wood energy only increased in the 19th and 20th centuries, despite the industrial revolution, despite coal, despite oil and even actually, it grew thanks to oil and thanks to coal.” He cites the remarkable amount of wood used in Western European mines from the 1900s to the 1960s, “if only to afforest the mine galleries.”
Technological Progress: A Double-Edged Sword
While acknowledging the crucial role and necessary advancement of renewable energies, Fressoz cautions against overstating their transformative power. He points to the affordability of solar panels as a positive step in reducing coal reliance for electricity generation. Tho, he emphasizes the limitations of renewables: “With solar power, we cannot make steel, we cannot make fertilizer for agriculture and it is indeed not very useful for making plastic.” He adds, “when we place renewable energies in longer historical trajectories, “we understand that it is not that big of a revolution.”
We must temper the revolution represented by renewable energies
Jean-Baptiste fressoz, historian of science, technology and the environment
Fressoz draws parallels to past technological advancements, such as the shift from steam engines to electric motors in the early 20th century, which resulted in a tenfold reduction in CO2 emissions for equivalent mechanical power. He illustrates, “Nowadays, when we replace a gas power plant with a field of photovoltaic panels, we divide the carbon intensity of electricity by ten.” Though,he stresses,“The history of humanity is a story of constant technological progress,” a progress that hasn’t stopped emissions from rising.
beyond Technological Fixes: Addressing Consumption
While acknowledging the benefits of solar and wind power in reducing the carbon intensity of the economy, Fressoz argues that this alone is insufficient. He states, “It’s good, but it’s not an energy transition, it’s something else.” He stresses the need to address the scale of the economy and actively pursue demand reduction.
Demand reduction must be a key issue in our climate change debates
Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, historian of science, technology and the environment
Fressoz concludes that the prevailing notion of an energy transition is, in a sense, a form of willful blindness. He explains, “We have the vision of an economy that will be entirely decarbonized in 2050 and therefore this allows us to avoid asking the question of uses and the size of the economy.” This perspective underscores the need for a more holistic approach to climate change, one that goes beyond technological solutions to address fundamental issues of consumption and economic growth.
The Illusion of Technological Fixes: A Historian’s Take on Climate Action
A prominent historian is questioning the prevailing narrative surrounding technological solutions to climate change, arguing that a reliance on future innovations often serves as a distraction from immediate, necessary action. He contends that focusing on technological breakthroughs like hydrogen-powered airplanes allows us to postpone crucial decisions about reducing our overall environmental impact.
“If we think we will have hydrogen planes, we do not need to reduce the size of aviation,” the historian asserts. This belief, he argues, highlights a risky complacency. “The notion of energy transition justifies procrastination and has, in part, a smokescreen function; it allows us to continue as before while waiting for future changes,” he explains. He further points out the skepticism surrounding hydrogen-powered flight, stating, “we certainly know that it is indeed something which a priori will not work.In any case, aeronautical engineers are extremely skeptical about the interest of the thing.”
Rethinking Carbon Dioxide Use: A Matter of Priorities
The historian’s critique extends beyond transportation,focusing on the broader issue of carbon dioxide emissions and their societal implications. He argues that technological advancements frequently enough overshadow a critical conversation about the responsible and equitable allocation of resources. “If, as is highly likely, there is still CO2 in the global economy in 2050, the key question is where do we invest? To do what? How useful is this ton of CO2?” he questions.
Using the example of cement, a notoriously tough material to decarbonize, he illustrates this point.He contrasts seemingly essential uses,such as building bridges or water supply networks in developing nations,with less crucial applications like adding highway lanes in affluent countries or constructing skyscrapers in already dense urban areas.“The problem is that the capitalist system cannot sort things out,” he observes.
The historian emphasizes that the issue isn’t simply a matter of morality. “And it’s not a moral question,” he clarifies, “it’s just that building a skyscraper in Manhattan will probably bring in more money per ton of cement invested than building a water supply network in a megalopolis in a poor country.” This stark observation underscores the economic incentives that frequently enough prioritize profit over sustainability.
Rethinking the Green Future: Is Renewable Energy Enough?
The urgency of the climate crisis has prompted a global pivot towards renewable energy sources. However, some experts argue that this focus on technological solutions overlooks critical issues like consumption patterns adn resource allocation. In this interview, renowned historian Dr. Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, a specialist in science, technology, and the environment, offers a sobering outlook on the present trajectory of the “energy transition.”
Beyond the Hype: The Limits of Technological Advancements
senior Editor, World-Today-News.com: Dr. Fressoz, your recent work critiques the prevailing narrative of an imminent “energy transition” fueled by renewable sources.Could you elaborate on your concerns?
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Fressoz: My primary concern is that the concept of an “energy transition” is often presented as a simple substitution – swapping fossil fuels with renewables. This oversimplification ignores the complex ancient interplay between different energy sources.
We must remember that throughout the 20th century, despite remarkable technological progress, the overall consumption of raw materials has consistently increased. New technologies often act as multipliers, boosting the use of existing resources rather than replacing them entirely.
Senior Editor: You’ve used wood as a historical exmaple to illustrate this point.
Dr. Fressoz: Indeed. While the industrial revolution saw the rise of coal and oil,it also led to a surge in wood consumption.This might seem counterintuitive, but it highlights the interconnectedness of energy systems – the introduction of new sources rarely eliminates existing ones.
A Necessary but Insufficient Solution
Senior Editor: What about the rapid advancements in
renewable energy technologies, notably solar and wind power? Surely, these offer a viable path forward?
Dr.Fressoz:
Undoubtedly, renewables offer crucial advantages in decarbonizing electricity generation, making them a vital component of any climate strategy. Though, it’s crucial to recognize their limitations. They cannot directly address sectors like steel production, fertilizer manufacturing, or plastic production, which are heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
Senior Editor: So, you’re suggesting that technological fixes alone aren’t enough?
Dr. Fressoz: Precisely. Placing too much faith in technological solutions risks distracting us from the vital need to address the scale of consumption and resource extraction.
Dr. Fressoz cites historical precedents where technological advancements, while extraordinary, did not ultimately curb overall emissions:
“Think of the shift from steam engines to electric motors in the early 20th century, which considerably reduced the carbon intensity of manufacturing. yet, overall emissions continued to rise due to increasing production levels.
Redefining the Energy Transition: the Priority of Demand Reduction
Senior Editor: what, then, are the crucial elements missing from our current understanding of the “energy transition”?
Dr. Fressoz:
We need a broader conversation that acknowledges the limitations of technological solutions and incorporates demand reduction as a central pillar. Addressing our insatiable appetite for resources, questioning the relentless pursuit of economic growth, and promoting more sustainable consumption patterns are paramount.
Senior Editor: This sounds like a notable departure from the current focus on innovation and market-driven solutions.
Dr. Fressoz: absolutely.We need to move beyond simply assuming that technological progress will solve our problems. Embracing a more nuanced approach, one that prioritizes equitable resource allocation and responsible consumption, is essential for a truly sustainable future.
