One of the most common things we hear when discussing a low-carbon future is that our standard of living is threatened by the huge increases in prices that would ensure.
However, a recent article in New Scientist says that this is a myth. Whilst it is true the the price of electricity will rise, most items will be hardly influenced. This is because the energy cost component in most goods is a lot less than people realise.
‘But electricity and other forms of energy make up only a fraction of the price of most goods. Other factors – raw materials, labour and taxes – are far more important. The energy that goes into producing food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco, for example, makes up just 2 per cent of the consumer price. For motor vehicle purchases and hotel stays, the figure is 1 per cent. Only for energy-intensive industries does the contribution climb above 3 per cent: for example, energy’s share of land and air travel costs is 6 and 7 per cent respectively.’ Given the above, the pernicious lies that are peddled by the polluter lobby, that we can’t afford a low-carbon future, are shown to be invalid. Given then that moving to a low-carbon future will hardly impact on the wallet of consumers, why wouldn’t we do it? It won’t cost the earth to invest in renewable energy. It will cost the earth if we don’t.
The full article is here -
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427373.400-lowcarbon-future-we-can-afford-to-go-green.html
And, for those who spout the nonsense that the world is cooling, the BBC has put together a very simple and snazzy visual presentation. It is simple enough for even the most idiotic climate change sceptic to follow.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2009/copenhagen/8386319.stm
