Fallacy 16: Renewable energy cannot meet all of our energy needs
21 Environmental Fallacies
A global transition to renewable energy presents enormous challenges both in delivering the capacity required and in building an energy infrastructure capable of responding to fluctuating energy demand. This podcast episode considers the challenge of securing 100% of our energy from genuinely clean renewable sources, and it addresses the fallacy that ‘renewable energy cannot meet all of our energy needs.’
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Fallacy 15: Recycling offers a solution to plastic pollution
21 Environmental Fallacies
This podcast considers the impact of plastic pollution and explains why recycling is not a long-term solution. We discuss potential alternatives to oil-based plastic and identify a possible risk if scientists develop plastic-eating bacteria.
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Fallacy 14: Aviation is going green
21 Environmental Fallacies
Aviation is going green. The development of ‘sustainable aviation fuels’ (SAF) can significantly reduce emissions from flying and offers the potential to reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 80%. Well, … that is the claim being made by certain sectors of the aviation industry. This podcast considers how these claims might have evolved and sets out some of the key issues that need to be understood.
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Fallacy 13: Carbon capture provides a viable solution to global warming
21 Environmental Fallacies
This podcast episode considers the potential flaws and benefits of carbon capture technologies. We discuss the challenges facing carbon capture projects, including: the financial costs, implications for renewable energy, transporting captured carbon and the difficulties of disposal. The capability to capture carbon is one of the foundation stones of strategies to achieve Net Zero, and governments are committing billions to support carbon capture technologies. Could these funds be used more effectively? What percentage of global GDP would be required to capture all global CO2 emissions? Does a...
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Fallacy 12: Prosperity requires economic growth
21 Environmental Fallacies
Fallacy 12: Prosperity requires economic growth. This podcast episode considers the relationship between economic growth and prosperity. It looks at what we mean by prosperity and whether it is possible to have prosperity without growth. A continuing growth in GDP is no guarantee that the majority of people will enjoy increasing standards of living, but one thing is clear: ever-increasing economic growth is not sustainable on a planet of limited resources. This podcast discusses four possible scenarios as our global economy strives to become sustainable.
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Fallacy 11: We can adapt to climate change
21 Environmental Fallacies
This podcast considers whether we can adapt to a changing climate. Our sophisticated global economies face huge challenges, and an effective response requires effective strategies and major investment (unfortunately, there is little evidence of either). Even if we divert a large proportion of GDP to protect our economic infrastructure, it will not be possible to prevent a collapse in the ecosystems that are fundamental to our survival. At what point will human efforts be overwhelmed by Nature? Do we have fifty years? A hundred years? Reports by the UN suggest that adaptation measures will...
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Fallacy 10: Every little bit helps
21 Environmental Fallacies
This podcast episode explores how token gestures are used to justify our unsustainable lifestyles. We also discuss the characteristics of the human brain, which responds rapidly to threats that are obviously dangerous and imminent but struggles when faced with threats that are uncertain, complex and some point in the future. The problem is compounded by political processes that elect leaders promising ‘better times’ rather than those who advocate social and economic change. In the light of these issues, it is not surprising that the response to the climate crisis has been characterised by...
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Fallacy 9: The global population must be reduced if we are to tackle climate change
21 Environmental Fallacies
The challenge of a growing global population is frequently linked to the threat of climate change. This is not surprising as a growing population will increase the demand for consumer goods and energy. This will increase the pressure on natural resources, and a growing energy demand is likely to accelerate the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. The challenges presented by population growth are particularly relevant on the continent of Africa, where the population is predicted to double within the next 30 years. How can highly developed economies be expected to tackle climate change if less...
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Fallacy 8: Free Market Forces Will Drive The Transition to Renewables
21 Environmental Fallacies
This episode considers the challenge of transitioning to renewable energy. Rapid adoption of renewables is essential, but many governments appear reluctant to intervene in the energy market. Instead, there appears to be a reliance on free market forces. This strategy seems to be based largely on political ideology. However, this policy of abdicating responsibility to market forces does not apply to the fossil fuel sector, which receives massive financial support from governments. This discussion unpicks the contradictions and flaws in political strategies that rely on free market forces to...
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Fallacy 7: Carbon Credits Provide an Effective Mechanism For Offsetting Carbon Emissions
21 Environmental Fallacies
The carbon credit industry is integral to many of the strategies designed to limit the rise in global temperatures. Carbon credits provide a trading mechanism that enables the producers of carbon emissions to pay other organisations to undertake activities to offset the carbon emissions. In theory, this should prevent carbon emissions from warming the climate. In practice, it encourages the continued production of CO2 at a time when every effort should be dedicated to reducing CO2. However, there is a risk that carbon credits distort markets, slow the adoption of renewable technologies and...
info_outlineThis podcast episode explores how token gestures are used to justify our unsustainable lifestyles. We also discuss the characteristics of the human brain, which responds rapidly to threats that are obviously dangerous and imminent but struggles when faced with threats that are uncertain, complex and some point in the future. The problem is compounded by political processes that elect leaders promising ‘better times’ rather than those who advocate social and economic change. In the light of these issues, it is not surprising that the response to the climate crisis has been characterised by delusion, denial and prevarication.