GEOG 352: Day 10 Energy (cont’d)

Housekeeping Items The outline due date was pushed back to the 13 th when we will be going on a field trip to Nanaimo Foodshare. Be out front before 10:00 on Tuesday! The mid-term is on Thursday, October the 22 nd, with the review on the 20 th. Did anyone go to “Bikes vs. Cars”? Today we will hear from Rhys and Steve on energy and I will talk a little too, and possible show some very short videos.

Housekeeping Items VIU is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the university’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship program – Building Resilience in Coastal Communities. Upper- year undergraduate and Masters students are encouraged to apply for scholarships to pursue internships, studies, or research related to the program theme in the areas of:  Sustainable Tourism  Economic Development  Water Management  Parks and Protected Areas  Climate Change  Sustainable Aquaculture and Agriculture QE II Scholarships represent a unique opportunity for experiential learning, the development of cross-cultural understanding and communication skills, and first-hand research or field work experience in an international context. Full scholarship information and application packages can be found at: Deadline for applications: Monday, November 23, 2015 (4:00 p.m.).

The Fork In the Energy Road We are at a crossroads. One faction wants to go full speed ahead with exploiting the remaining oil, gas, and coal resources. The other wants to see a radical shift towards renewable energy. The institutional weight, corporate and political – at least in Canada – is most on the side of the fossil fuel strategy. What are the barriers preventing us from changing course and what can be done about it?

The Fork In the Energy Road There are some positive examples of change occurring in Europe. We heard about one – Kristianstadt – and will see others profiled in the short videos. As a recent article in the New York Times notes, “Germans will soon be getting 30 percent of their power from renewable energy resources. Many smaller countries are beating that, but Germany is by far the largest industrial power to reach that level in the modern era…. By creating huge demand for wind turbines and especially for solar panels, it has [also] helped lure big Chinese manufacturers into the market, and that combination is driving down costs faster than almost anyone though possible just a few years ago.” The Germans call this “energiewende, the energy transition.” Others call it a revolution!

The Fork In the Energy Road The ‘revolution’ is spilling over into the American market as new homes are being built in traditionally conservative Orange County with solar panels because it’s so easy to sell homeowners on their financial advantages. And American states, frustrated by legislative gridlock in Washington, are taking steps on their own to replicate Germany’s achievements. Utilities are worried as renewables are denting their profits from shaving prices due to reduced peak period utilization. Some are trying to hamstring the renewable industry; others are trying to get in on the action.

The Fork In the Energy Road It’s costly for Germany to make the transition, but they can afford to. Canada potentially could also, but it seems to have become a “petro- state.” In the U.S., industry and the right-wing peddles the notion that climate change is “junk science” and a conspiracy involving a variety of organizations. Nonetheless, some jurisdictions are shutting down down fracking sites (California), Or creating a moratorium (Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, & Quebec). Even China’s coal consumption has dropped for the first time in a century. See also “Energy Wise” in VIU Library: m/PortalViewVideo. aspx?xtid= m/PortalViewVideo. aspx?xtid=37646