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You are here: Home / Technology / As we consider our future…

As we consider our future…

December 15, 2021 by Katie Singer 2 Comments

As we consider our future... - blog by Katie Singer - Local FuturesAsk not for energy or goods that depend on international supply chains.  

Ask not for solar power, wind power or battery electric storage (BESS). Ask not for e-vehicles (EVs) or smartphones. These can’t be manufactured without fossil fuels, extractions, deforestation, greenhouse gases, toxic waste and international supply chains. They can’t operate without backup from fossil fuels or battery power. They don’t biodegrade.   

Don’t just ask about greenhouse gas emissions during a product’s operation. Ask about energy and water consumption, extractions and chemical waste, worker hazards and ecological harm during manufacturing of devices and infrastructure.  

Ask not for marketers’ sales pitches.  

Ask not how to continue your current lifestyle.  

Ask how much water fabs use to manufacture silicon for solar panels and transistors. Ask why silicon smelters use Tar Sands’ petcoke. Ask about solar panels’ perfluorinated chemical coating (PFAs) – and how to remove PFAs from soil.   

Ask why countries where corporations extract ores for “renewables,” smartphones and EVs score “unustainable” on the UN’s index while countries that buy these goods score “sustainable.”  

Ask about the fire hazards of EVs, solar PVs, BESS and wind turbines. Ask for due diligent evaluations that mitigate hazards from licensed professional engineers.  

Ask how electromagnetic radiation exposure from EVs and other electronics impacts children and people with medical implants. Ask how wind turbines impact wildlife and public health… during manufacturing and operation.  

Ask how to reduce energy consumption by 40%, asap.  

Ask on how to build an economy based on neighbor-to-neigbor relationships and local raw materials.

 

Photo by Brad West on Unsplash

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Related

Appropriate Technology, Traditional Cultures and Degrowth
On Technology’s Past and Future

Filed Under: Climate Change, Environment, Localization, Technology Tagged With: climate change, consumerism, economic growth, pollution, renewable energy, sustainability, technology

Author: Katie Singer

Katie Singer writes about the energy use, water use, extractions, toxic waste and greenhouse gases involved in manufacturing, operating and discarding the Internet, solar PVs, industrial wind systems and e-vehicles. Her most recent book is An Electronic Silent Spring. Wall Street International Magazine publishes her reports about technology's impacts on nature. www.OurWeb.tech

Comments

  1. Jason says

    December 21, 2021 at 7:38 am

    Don’t ask to not TRANSITION! Solar, wind, battery, EV transport replace our fossil fuel burning. Reducing consumption of energy, can happen in parallel to transitioning to renewable sources of energy. The remaining budget we have of fossil fuels should be prioritised for the transition to renewables. As the transition progresses we use less and less fossil fuels to build the renewable energy infrastructure and equipment. Want to help improve the equipment material sourcing and manufacturing? Go for it!! Don’t ask to not TRANSITION!

    Reply
  2. roofer in dc says

    December 13, 2022 at 5:42 am

    Valid points

    Reply

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