Peter Bryant’s illuminating (and humorous) conversation with Jesse Ausubel, Director of the Program for the Human Environment, Rockefeller University, at the Energy Future Forum 2024 reveals perspectives of the Achilles Heel behind the ‘renewables are green’ narrative. We need a much more balanced view of how renewables are truly affecting issues such as decarbonisation, biodiversity reduction, dematerialisation (expanding consumption of natural resources) and inefficient land use.
The conversation also touched on the potential for urban environments to offer more self-contained sustainable solutions – somewhat like cruise liners, and the role of advanced technology in higher outputs and better profits.
Ausubel stressed the necessity for a new era of eco-modernism that integrates a far deeper respect for natural systems with innovative approaches to materials and energy. Here’s a practical tip – we should look at the value of any energy source in watts per square metre.
