by Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist (read the original in Noozhawk by clicking here)
“One more song about movin’ along the highway; can’t say much of anything that’s new.” — Carole King
I still love singing Carole King’s mournful ballads and unsettling vibes. In the half century since she penned those moving lines, a lot has changed about the economics of travel and energy. Now we can travel highways and power our homes with significantly less damage to the Earth moving under our feet.
Electric cars have moved into the forefront. Volvo just announced its new car lineup will be all-electric by 2030. General Motors will stop selling new gas-powered cars and light trucks by 2035.
These vehicles still aren’t carbon-neutral; their relative impacts are estimated in this interactive online tool developed by MIT. The tool sums the emissions involved in manufacturing cars, producing and burning gasoline and diesel fuel, and the source of electricity for charging electric vehicles.
Electric vehicle batteries have a higher impact in their manufacture, including cobalt and lithium mining. Nevertheless, electric vehicle lifetime impact is still remarkably less than internal combustion vehicles and improving steadily. Much of their future improvement profile will rest with governments cleaning up their electric grids.
In the last 15 years or so, hundreds of American coal plants have been replaced with a mix of natural gas, wind and solar power.
“If we can make our grids zero-carbon, then vehicle emissions drop way, way down,” according to Jessika Trancik, associate professor of energy studies at MIT. “Whereas even the best hybrids that burn gasoline will always have a baseline of emissions they can’t go below.”
Our homes are also becoming more climate resilient. A Pew Research Center survey found 6% of U.S. homeowners say they have already installed solar panels at home. This is a small percentage, to be sure, but even this has saved the equivalent of more than 130 million acres of forest.
The cost of solar power has dropped dramatically in the last decade. An average residential solar system used to run $50,000 or more. Now a typical home installation ranges in the $16,000-$22,000 range. Offsetting rebates and grants can sometimes lower it further.
Santa Barbarans can be part of greening the earth without even buying an electric vehicle or solar panels. Beginning in October, Santa Barbara Clean Energy (SBCE) will replace Southern California Edison (SCE) as our default energy provider. Santa Barbara is enrolling every city residence and business, plus all government buildings such as police, fire, and the desalination plant.
The city will buy and build carbon-free energy that will be delivered and maintained through existing Edison poles and wires. Existing SCE customers will be enrolled automatically in SBCE, although they can opt out without penalty. Those who remain in the program will have three options:
100% carbon-free energy. Cost: about $5 more/month
Green Start. More carbon-free energy than SCE’s standard. Cost: same as before.
Resilient: 100% carbon-free with local energy generation using your solar panels on your home or office. Cost: same as before.
Eventually, some of this renewable energy will likely be generated with offshore wind. The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) has spearheaded efforts to develop responsible offshore renewable energy since 2015. There are still issues to resolve, such as mitigating dangers to bird migration, but solutions will be found.
Carole King may croon that “It’s Too Late, Baby,” to prevent the damaging effects of human-caused climate change. That’s true, but as we each opt into better energy choices, we can still reduce the damage to the planet we bequeath to future generations.
Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist
Karen Telleen-Lawton is an eco-writer, sharing information and insights about economics and ecology, finances and the environment. Having recently retired from financial planning and advising, she spends more time exploring the outdoors — and reading and writing about it. The opinions expressed are her own.