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spreading awareness on our joint responsibility to tackle emissions

An idea worth spreading

The real motive of this post is to express a different view to the use of energy. Till date we measure the use of energy that is locally consumed. For an example, if you are using a computer to post a comment, the energy that is used by this computer is measured by US as energy consumed in the country. But the energy that is required to manufacture the computer, international transport, packaging ( also remind you, all the small small spare parts travelling from one country to the other just before it's ready for assembly) is not counted as energy consumed in US because all this energy was burnt in many developing countries.

Now when we talk about CO2 emissions, US will measure the CO2 emissions and its responsibility towards the environment based on energy consumed by the use of computer, not based on the whole chain of manufacturing, etc.

Is it time to re-evaluate the definition of energy consumption?

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Energy responsibility

My TED Story

The real motive of this post is to express a different view to the use of energy. Till date we measure the use of energy that is locally consumed. For an example, if you are using a computer to post a comment, the energy that is used by this computer is measured by US as energy consumed in the country. But the energy that is required to manufacture the computer, international transport, packaging ( also remind you, all the small small spare parts travelling from one country to the other just before it's ready for assembly) is not counted as energy consumed in US because all this energy was burnt in many developing countries.

Now when we talk about CO2 emissions, US will measure the CO2 emissions and its responsibility towards the environment based on energy consumed by the use of computer, not based on the whole chain of manufacturing, etc.

Is it time to re-evaluate the definition of energy consumption?

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.30 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: Donation or Change?

  Dec 14 2012: Thanks for your comments.Yes its true that not only vehicles but every high energy consuming product needs to be taxed at the consumer level, not the producer level.
  
  But awareness is most likely a permanent solution, since the mass population of developing countries would like to replicate the west in future.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: It is possible to empower, employ and direct Youth and their energies in Zones of Conflict. Enough and more evidence from India's Kashmir

  Dec 13 2012: Hello Omar,
  
  You are thinking in the right direction. I am Indian too, but born too late to know a lot about the real truth of the situation. I think if the youth of Srinagar take strong steps to bring the Pandit families back to the valley, you will achieve two things.
  1) A diverse environment (see most international companies want their workforce to be diverse, as they have seen the benefits of different minds working for the better of the company)
  2) More hands to help the valley get more solutions and more economic empowerment for education and health.
  
  Keep your positive energy alive.

• A comment on Conversation: The Ideal Smartphone for the Developing World

  Dec 13 2012: Hey,
  
  I think your intentions are great and in the right direction.
  Though an initiative is already there called Aakash Tablet Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aakash_(tablet)
  Though add-in you suggest can be useful but more than medical use of such device, medical care is more important. Even today many kids in India die with diarrhea (easily curable). Due to lack of affordable medical facilities. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_mortality
  
  I also wrote about how the developed nations can help the developing nations. If interested.
  http://yogeshpgupta.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/donate-or-change/

• A comment on Conversation: Donation or Change?

  Dec 13 2012: Yes! its possible for a developed nation to punish manufacturers.. but for developing nation governments its difficult.
  
  (Recently when the Indian government reduced the subsidy on fuels and LPG, the government was criticized a lot. This puts the ruling party under pressure as the elections are coming in 2014.
  
  I think it is time that high energy consuming citizens should be also liable to pay more. Together with economic pressure and awareness, the target of CO2 emissions reduction can be achieved. This also gives time for other source of energy to kick in.
  
  Although, it is better to change habits now.. because if all the population of india and china start living like the west right now, we will be out of time in days..

• A reply on Conversation: Can someone please correct my economics?

  Dec 13 2012: Hello,
  
  Everytime the price of oil goes up, the government tends to put that load on the citizens partially. Currently they give subsidies on diesel, lpg, etc. So basically they reduce the subsidy when oil prices go up. When economic crisis kicked in, the oil prices went down and the prices of diesel, petrol were reduced..So basically the government did transfer the benefits to the people. Reducing prices in India has become more a political move than reality, so my example above is debatable.
  
  Together with decrease in energy costs, if organic farming (currently an uproar in India) is also implemented, the farmers would spend much less on fertilizers and energy. There are many government initiatives like cheap life insurances (with returns), micro financing, waiving off interests in drought season, etc to help the farmers. But I agree that education is the only way out in this economically relied world.
  
  But all this debate started because, i think to reduce emissions, we need to slow down in using fossil fuels, and how will this slow down happen and the approach to slow it down.
  This slow down will have implications on developing countries and this is what i am trying to understand.
  
  I have written few short blogs where you can understand where are these questions coming from and what i wish to achieve.
  http://yogeshpgupta.wordpress.com/
  
  Thanks a lot!

• A comment on Conversation: Can someone please correct my economics?

  Dec 13 2012: Well I do not sit with the policy makers on daily basis. :D
  So I am as aware of the companies seriousness as shown in public.
  
  Renewables at the current stage are not economical and not continous in nature (reliability of sun, wind, etc)
  If you watched HardTalk on BBC with our CEO Peter Voser, you might get a hint to what he is thinking about renewables.
  
  I feel that even using renewables is not going to help us reduce emissions till we actually reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and also plant more and more trees.

• A comment on Conversation: Donation or Change?

  Dec 13 2012: Hello John,
  Lets take an example of a Chevrolet built in US and exported to China for use.
  
  Well if we start counting the energy spent on manufacturing Chevrolet in US and allocate it to China, then china will need to take more measures to reduce its CO2 emission responsibility. One measure automatically the government would have to take is, to put economic liability on citizens demanding such high energy consuming goods by taxes, etc. People who live in environmentally friendly way, do not have to worry. This would create a mass reduction in imports and also mass reduction is emissions, since demands goes down.
  
  If we now continue to blame US for producing high energy Chevrolet, the person in China will continue to have its demands and US government cannot tax its own companies for exporting. Hence the problem of emission is not tackled.

• A comment on Conversation: Can someone please correct my economics?

  Dec 12 2012: I have written a blog related to this:
  
  http://yogeshpgupta.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/donate-or-change/
  
  appreciate your views!

• A reply on Conversation: Can someone please correct my economics?

  Dec 12 2012: I agree with your view. My main aim is to spread awareness of reduction in use of non essentials. In my own company there is a lot of energy wasted in form of electricity for office lighting. Most of IKEA products are just waste of energy, drive-in ATM's, excessive lighting in trains, fuel drinking cars, etc.
  
  I myself love eating different food and i do not want you to give up spices. :D

• A reply on Conversation: Can someone please correct my economics?

  Dec 12 2012: I have seen the government pushing for nuclear power plants. There was resistance initially due to fresh Japan tragedy and political influence.
  
  Though i feel it is a much better source of energy as it takes less space and gives more energy. I have seen wind farms, solar panels, hydro, biogas, etc already in use, but the demand is just too high.