Re: And so why don't we do it?



Pies de Arcilla wrote:
On Nov 30, 12:39 pm, Josh Hill <userepl...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The United States could shave as much as 28 percent off the amount of
greenhouse gases it emits

Stop right there; you are making a statement about the elasticity of
demand for energy that is palpably false. Energy prices have gone up a
lot recently because demand is pretty darn inelastic. If it was that
easy to cut energy usage, it would have been done in response to oil
(aka carbon) going from 20 to 100 $/bbl.

I wonder how much of inelastic demand for carbon is based on an
inelastic life style. We all still think in terms of having our own
home. We all want to have our own safe box to move us from where we
live to where we work. I don't think North Americans have embraced the
need to build cities where people actually live rather than just work
or shop.

Where I live, it seems there is a new sub division starting every
other month. All of these new housing projects increase the radius of
the city and there is no effective planning to include them in the
public transit matrix. The developers just want to make money on land
they've purchased in speculation. Everyone who lives in those new
areas needs at least on and usually two vehicles to get around. Each
house is independently heated. Each child has to be either bussed or
driven to school.

What has to change is the middle class. Now I think that cities like
New York, Chicago Boston , Toronto and Montreal have made strides in
the areas of having people live down town but the cost of doing so
while equal to the lifetime cost of housing for the middle class is
beyond what the middle class can afford when initially looking for
housing. Perhaps the way in which we look at financing the purchase of
downtown units needs to be changed.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: And so why dont we do it?
    ... demand for energy that is palpably false. ... lot recently because demand is pretty darn inelastic. ... Everyone who lives in those new ... What has to change is the middle class. ...
    (misc.writing)
  • Re: Civilizations
    ... Its possible to recycle all our industrial waste. ... evolve bodies to escape the poisionous gas, ... nuclear energy production. ... man and better man both could live better lives. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Fossil fuels - suffer now or suffer more later
    ... One can also examine the US average usage of energy per dollar ... > suburbs, you work in the suburbs, you shop in the suburbs. ... > The physical transport of goods around the world will take an enormous ... cousin (who lives in a rural area) recently went with a geothermal ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Fossil fuels - suffer now or suffer more later
    ... > Energy can be had from many sources. ... Many suburbs have turned into "edge cities" in their own right. ... The physical transport of goods around the world will take an enormous hit without air travel. ... My cousin (who lives in a rural area) recently went with a geothermal system, and sees a fairly short payback. ...
    (talk.origins)
  • Re: Fossil fuels - suffer now or suffer more later
    ... society. ... we use 30-50% more energy per dollar GDP than is typical. ... suburbs, you work in the suburbs, you shop in the suburbs. ... cousin (who lives in a rural area) recently went with a geothermal ...
    (talk.origins)