Follow Up: Speaker Says Better Energy Efficiency Key To Reducing Greenhouse Gases

Dr. Marilyn Brown’s visit to Virginia Tech was most timely, since Monday marked the beginning of Earth Week and her message emphasized a grave need for energy efficiency.

Brown, who has a diverse educational background, spoke in front of about 25 community members as part of the Virginia Tech Environmental Series held in the multipurpose room in the Graduate Life Center.

With the climate change being one of the biggest problems of the 21st century, Brown discussed how tackling the problem would consist of a combination of technological challenges and social and institutional policy.

“One of the issues in dealing with green house gases is that there is currently no price on carbon,” Brown explained. “There is no market yet for green house gases. So there is no motivation for private sectors to take action because there is no profit to be had. If you reduce atomic carbon from your activities, you are not rewarded for that reduction by being able to save. As a result what society is doing falls far short than what is socially optimal.”

With what we know about the climate threat, the current sense of urgency makes this an unacceptable situation, Brown told the audience.

Richard Hirsh, a professor of history and a member of the Virginia Tech Dean’s Task Force for Energy and Sustainability, introduced Brown and talked about how much of a privilege it was to have her as a guest speaker. “I’ve been especially impressed with Dr. Brown’s understanding of the interconnectedness of energy and the economy, national security and the welfare of the world’s populations,” Hirsh said.

According to Brown, if we continue along the track that we are currently on, we are expected to face a rise of local temperatures at the pace of about 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade, translating into 2 degrees Celsius over the next century.

“That is a modest increase in comparison to what could occur,” Brown said, “but the last time the earth experienced a 2 degree rise in temperature was 180,000 years ago, and sea level rise was 4–6 meters above what it is today.”

Brown defined energy efficiency as doing more, and better, with less, for longer. Near-term actions are needed to avoid long-term and potentially cataclysmic costs. “If we don’t do anything different with world energy systems, we are going to be doubling our CO2 emissions over the next 50 years,” Brown explained.

Energy efficiency is the fifth fuel concept. It remains the fastest, cheapest, cleanest energy resource, Brown said. With advanced policies the United States could cut electricity consumption in the next two decades by 24 percent at no net cost to the economy.

Brown said a 10-33 percent reduction in electricity is achievable, depending upon time frame and state/region. Individuals can do their part as well. While the upfront costs of fluorescent light bulbs may seem to be a huge barrier, in the long run, even just after a year, they end up saving a lot more money, the speaker explained.