'Green' tech can backfireApr 22 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Meredith Metsker Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
Cleaner and more efficient energy sources don't always reduce the energy humans actually use, Richard York, a former Washington State University graduate student, told the first EARThS conference Saturday morning in Pullman. The conference at WSU provided an interdisciplinary forum for discussions and presentations on the environment, climate change and sustainability research. "When we're talking about the environment, we're talking about what humans do," said York, now a professor of environmental sociology at the University of Oregon. York told an audience of about 30 WSU students and faculty members that humans tend to seek technological solutions to both fossil fuel shortages and climate change and have come up with a two-pronged approach. First, York said people have reacted to the issue with the development of "green" technology approaches, like wind and solar power. Second, people have worked to improve energy or fuel efficiency in things like lighting or cars. "Those two routes that are commonly used in principle they could work in practice, ironically, they often do not," York said. York offered cars and fuel efficiency as an example. When engines became more fuel-efficient, he said, it actually got a little worse because of the big shift to SUVs. Instead of making the same type of cars and using less gasoline, we switched to making much bigger cars using about the same amount of gasoline, he said. York also said he discovered that rather than displacing the use of fossil fuels for energy, clean energy methods are just being added on top of what humans already use. York cited China as an example, saying the country has improved its energy efficiency four-fold, but still produces the most carbon dioxide in the world. York said he wants people to look at the social dimensions of human behavior and make changes socially in regard to energy use and the environment, rather than only technological changes. "And I'm hoping that's in a positive sense of thinking not to discourage efforts of people who are supportive of things like green energy," York said. At the end of York's presentation, an audience member said he was surprised to learn about the displacement problems and thanked York for speaking about it. York said that reaction is common. "It's counter-intuitive. I kind of like counter-intuitive findings that you can then explain but generally the reaction is disbelief," York said. York said he participated in the EARThS conference largely because of his ties to WSU and his mentor, Gene Rosa, a WSU Regents Professor of sociology, who died in March. "I wanted to come out and honor him," York said. Kate Bittinger, a WSU sociology graduate student who helped organize the conference, said it was Rosa's idea to have an interdisciplinary conference that highlighted the environment, agriculture, technology, resources and how it all affects society. "We had already started planning the conference, kind of the idea, when he started getting sick, so we decided to carry out the idea of having this conference," Bittinger said. Bittinger said many of Rosa's family members attended York's keynote address. She said the goal of the conference was to raise awareness about the intersections of the environment, technology and society, and to honor Rosa. The conference was sponsored by EARThS, an organization for WSU graduate students, faculty and others interested in research and service related to the topics discussed at the conference. Other sponsors included the WSU Department of Sociology, the WSU Foley Institute, Regents Professor of sociology Don Dillman and the Graduate Professional Student Association. Meredith Metsker can be reached at (208) 883-4628, or by email to mmetsker@dnews.com. http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=28329131 |