The article in the url below ties together a series of recent accidents/disasters in a way I had not thought of before reading it:
“In April 2010, an explosion in one of Massey Energy's coal mines killed 29 workers. Just weeks later, BP's Macondo well started gushing millions of barrels of oil into the gulf. And more than a month after Japan's large earthquake, the Fukushima nuclear plant is still leaking radiation.”
Add to that the recent report of the spill of contaminated water by Chesapeake Energy in Pennsylvania and you can add natural gas and fracking to the list of problematic traditional energy sources and extraction methods:
“…the spill will galvanize critics of hydraulic fracturing, a process that releases natural gas from shale rock by blasting it with water, sand and chemicals.”
In theory, the market potential for alternative energies is significant due to the problems with existing energy sources. In reality, the current low market share, inadequate distribution infrastructure, and reliance on subsidies mean there is a great deal of inertia to overcome:
“In America, for instance, wind and solar power still provide just 1.4 percent of the nation's total energy diet. And although alternative sources are becoming cheaper, in many cases they still need subsidies.”
The article presents this as an opportunity, rather than a constraint. It could have also argued that we are running out of time to treat this decision as an option.
Take care
David
Instructor Teaching Site: http://www.sagepub.com/strategiccsr/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: http://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/
An Opportunity for Green Energy
By CHRISTOPHER SWANN and ANTONY CURRIE
791 words
22 April 2011
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
2
