The California experience certainly shows that economic pressure (higher prices) can have an effect (an observation with which I totally agree), but does not answer my question about how effective voluntary action which is not spurred by prices and blackouts would be. Not very I suspect.
As for the quote, can this really be THE Dick Cheney? The VP in an administration that has always advocated voluntary actions instead of laws, at least where big business is concerned? Maybe he was just arguing against conservation in general. Remember James Watt, the Secretary of the Interior who said that conservation was not needed because the Messiah would come before the oil ran out? Of course we have to give credit where credit is due -- Cheney, unlike some others in the administration, does not always shoot himself in the foot. Bill Silvert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Corbin, Jeffrey D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "William Silvert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 4:46 PM Subject: RE: Energy use and blaming Bill - Probably the best recent experiment was California's failed energy deregulation (and subsequent fraud by Enron et al.) in 2000-2001. In response to skyrocketing prices and rolling blackouts, Californians reduced household energy use by 12% over the previous year. Political action would certainly help, too... As for virtue, maybe you didn't mean to echo Dick Cheney: "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." -Jeff *********************************** Jeffrey D. Corbin Department of Biological Sciences Union College Schenectady, NY 12308 (518) 388-6097 *********************************** -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of William Silvert Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 5:34 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Energy use and blaming Does anyone have an estimate of how much energy conservation can be accomplished by voluntary actions? I doubt that the effect will be that great. Political action, such as letting the price of gasoline double to match European prices, would be much more effective in my opinion. Political and economic action is also much more likely to be effective in controlling the industrial use of energy, where the bottom line is paramount. Virtue is of course its own reward, but is that enough to solve our energy crisis? Bill Silvert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Maiken Winter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 2:51 PM Subject: Energy use and blaming > I hear a lot of pointing fingers, blaming this or that group > for not doing their share. I strongly believe that the only way that we > will make a difference is if we stop blaming others and if instead each > one starts to compare ourselves to ourselves. Is this all I can do, or can > I reduce my energy use even further? It is fun to be in competition with > yourself, because you can't loose. And I believe changing our own behavior > first is the most effective way to change the system. People can only > change themselves, and they will resist any change more if we make them > feel bad. > > Maiken > > Maiken Winter, PhD (how do you like that, Meghan?? :-) ) > Cornell Lab of Ornithology > Ithaca, NY 14840 > >
