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Marla, I agree with some of what you write. The priority has to be non/low carbon generation and production. This is the main thing for the planet in terms of GHG emissions. I think it takes precedence over everything else you mentioned. You cannot run a modern industrial society on 'mirco-grids'. I'm always fascinated why people get into "distributive generation" , "local generation" "micro-grids". There is simply no inherent advantage over this, nor, for heavy industry and higher technology development, is it at all desirable. The key is to end the commodification of electricity (and especially the speculation on wholesale markets for it!) through *political* campaigns for nationalization of the energy sector under workers and consumer control. This wouldn't really end it as a 'commodity' in that we live under capitalism, but you see the point? At this point various proposals over *increasing* and rationalizing energy production and usage can begin to be addressed in a serious way. In places like South Asia and Africa, rural electrification would also be a priority, if only to get people off "renewables" (indoor burning for cooking and heating with cow dung and charcoal, made from burning up forests), and to spur economic development, breaking down the lines between countryside and city-side. Much residential things can be done in all countries, like ground-based geothermal heating of homes (if the costs are manageable) to insulation to efficiency and conservation programs. But these are band-aids. We need to combine this with a huge expansion of electrical use around the world, if only because it will take an expansion of electrical generation to raise living standards AND get us off fossil fuels. D. ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
