Over in the good ol' USA, the increasingly devastating impacts of global climate change seem to be the galvanizing force inspiring members of the clergy across the ideological spectrum to move to concrete action to save creation. The Reverend Sally Bingham launched a programme which encourages parishes in California to reduce their demand for electricity and heating fuel; (this) has grown from 140 participating congregations in 2002 to 400 in 2006. On a parallel track, it has spread to 16 other states and the District of Columbia.
"Our goal is to have an educated clergy, preaching from the pulpit so that every person of faith who claims to love God [is] committed to protecting creation," explains Bingham. With evangelical zeal, she noted that more than 1,000 congregations around the country have pledged to conduct energy audits and follow through with conservation measures.
Back in Blighty, Tony Blair has finally launched the programme he wants as his legacy ~ a new generation of nuclear power stations.
Blair purports to be a Christian too, even a creationist. And Blair said,"Let there be light." Unfortunately, he seems to have kept everyone in the dark about the cost.
Here in Indonesia, whilst local residents and, indeed the whole world, await the eruption of Gunung Merapi, the government pursues its quest to develop its nuclear programme which, like Iran's, will be for peaceful purposes.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Developing Eight (D-8) Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali last Saturday, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that Indonesia had to develop nuclear power as an alternative source of energy, to the country from its dependence on fossil fuels. He said the government was examining proposals from several state electricity companies and state-sanctioned companies from Japan, France, South Korea and the United States, and would soon decide on a partner for building the nuclear power plant.
Well, alternative sources of energy exist here in Indonesia. Not far from Gunung Merapi is Dieng Plateau which has a geothermal power plant. Indonesia sits in the so-called Ring of Fire (see map); there is definite scope for developing further geothermal projects.
As the report also states, at village and island levels throughout Indonesia, mini- and micro-hydropower, solar energy and biomass renewable energy technologies need priority as relatively easy, low-cost development projects.
Cost is the factor which drives our energy choices; for too long the oil industry has had its own way. But, as Paul Harris says, the current American obsession is not Iraq, it is not NSA wiretapping or even the never-ending abortion debate. It is quite simply petrol prices. Americans are being squeezed at the pump, now paying more than $3 a gallon. It also undercuts the economic model of the exurbs, rendering commuting costs so painful that suddenly, at long last, living by the car alone is starting to become unattractive.
Thank God, I say. There is little political or cultural will in America to tackle the love of the car. But brutal economics might just achieve it. Whenever I see those petrol prices ticking higher I give a lonely little cheer.
And so we come back to God's creation - Nature. Here in Indonesia, with modern PV modules working in synergy with wind power and hydro power (where possible, from stream, river or ocean), and in combination with modern, efficient 12V lighting and appliances (even airconditioning), a home can be supplied with all modern comforts, from wind, sun and water alone.Yep, as Indcoup says, if we use solar power, we have an energy system that's good for people and for the planet.
The outlook is sunny.
