Going green is not a black and white issue

Not everything that glitters is gold and not everything that is green is good green. Futhermore, most claims of near-term energy independence should be given close scrutiny.

Three examples of good green intentions gone bad came to light this past week.

• The USA Today was brave enough — for a national media outlet, at least — to publish a story suggesting federal alternative-energy spending projects are not the best projects to pursue in this tough economic environment. President-elect Barack Obama’s new budget chief Peter Orszag, wrote a report in January — while with the Congressional Budget Office — noting that some forms of alternative-energy spending “are totally impractical” for stimulating the economy and others “could end up making the economic situation worse” by adding to the federal debt.

• A report in the Washington Post sheds light on what appears to be a major disaster by the federal government with respect to promoting alternative fuel vehicles. The government spent billions of dollars over a 16-year period to end up with a fleet that uses more fuel than it would have if the government would have just bought smaller vehicles that used regular gasoline. Many of the 112,000 flex-fuel vehicles are used in places without access to alternative fuels. At least 2,341 flex-fuel vehicles operate in seven states with no E85 stations, and in Puerto Rico, where the situation is the same.

• Finally, Vaclav Smil explains at American.com that promises of dramatic changes in energy uses and sources within 10 years are, at best, dishonest. Smil, author of Energy at the Crossroads and Energy in Nature and Society (MIT Press), and distinguished professor at the University of Manitoba, said a global transition from fossil fuels will take decades.

He notes: “The historical verdict is unassailable: because of the requisite technical and infrastructural imperatives and because of numerous (and often entirely unforeseen) socio-economic adjustments, energy transitions in large economies and on a global scale are inherently protracted affairs. That is why, barring some extraordinary commitments and actions, none of the promises for greatly accelerated energy transitions will be realized, and during the next decade none of the new energy sources and prime movers will make a major difference by capturing 20 percent to 25 percent of its respective market. A world without fossil fuel combustion is highly desirable and, to be optimistic, our collective determination, commitment, and persistence could accelerate its arrival—but getting there will demand not only high cost but also considerable patience: coming energy transitions will unfold across decades, not years.”