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Page added on August 11, 2014
World Bank President Dr. Kim, Renewable Energy Is the Future
In the 21st century, it’s hard to take anyone seriously who thinks coal, not clean energy, is the future for dynamic, emerging economies.
But that’s exactly what Dr. Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, did this week during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Dr. Kim disparaged clean energy as incapable of powering development and even worse, suggested coal needed to remain on the table for the World Bank to be “taken seriously.”
Here’s what he said:
Right now we have to be serious about what we’re going to do to boost energy supply. And if we find ourselves in a situation where some say ‘no coal, no nuclear, no hydro,’ then we’re not serious.
The truth is clean energy is the future of energy access efforts with a $12 billion pot of gold awaiting those innovative enough to catalyze it. Even more exciting is that much like cell phones, distributed clean energy is poised to leapfrog the ineffective centralized grid and put power in the hands of the people living beyond the grid today – not decades from now. But that’s only if leaders of important development institutions — like the World Bank — finance the clean energy technology of the future, rather than prop up the dirty industries of the past.
Dr. Kim’s statements are even more troubling because they come at a time when we are making great strides to do just that. President Obama’s Power Africa Initiative announced a historic Beyond the Grid program set to catalyze new technologies — like off-grid distributed solar — which will end energy poverty.
But rather than moving investment into these exciting and innovative clean energy markets, Dr. Kim is insisting that one of the world’s largest international financial institutions, the World Bank, can’t be taken seriously unless it continues to fund dirty and dangerous coal projects. And, he wants to use public money — your money — to do it.
Tell Dr. Kim and the World Bank to join us in the 21st century and put money into catalyzing beyond the grid solar, not dirty coal. It’s time that those who lead development institutions realize the only way to be taken seriously is to move beyond 19th century energy sources to our modern energy future.
18 Comments on "World Bank President Dr. Kim, Renewable Energy Is the Future"
TIKIMAN on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 5:59 am
Hmmm, Dr. Kim says this as he fly’s around in corporate jets and lives in his mansion while meeting with only the elite.
Well FUCK you Dr. Kim.
Davy on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 6:40 am
Article said – it’s hard to take anyone seriously who thinks coal, not clean energy, is the future for dynamic, emerging economies.
The cornies can’t count. I am constantly reading about academics and specialist that have failed to add up the many and varied systematic predicaments converging into a Mega Predicament that is a train wreck in multiple areas that are inclusive and converging. It is the narrow vision of these academics/specialist that allow the confidence and optimism of the Cornies. This allows for the masses of GP to be deceived into thinking all is well albeit hopefully will get better. Most GP in the world think things are bad but they hold out with hope because specialists/academics (Cornies) claim if we do this or if this technology is adopted all will be well. If one thing is as certain as the sun coming up it is we are at limits of growth facing diminishing returns of command/control with a population and support system in over shoot to carrying capacity. Our political multipolar world is bifurcating ensuring a bifurcation of a hyper complex integrated BAU of distribution, production, and exchange. Once complexity is lost it cannot be regained for many generations. Since we have exhausted our support system, ecosystems, stable climate, turned high quality energy/resources into waste globally, and destroyed our soils there is no hope of a modern industrial man in the future. There is only a postindustrial man. If we are lucky we can transcend decline at least spiritually. If we are not luck it is the Stone Age. “OR” is that backwards I think man is in his elements as a hunter gatherer in harmony with his environment with a stable low population.
Dave Thompson on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:02 am
“Transition to clean energy” proposales, from the corporate sector means BAU till BAU ends. Then game over.
Kenz300 on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:07 am
The transition to renewables has begun and it growing every day around the world. The price of oil, coal and nuclear keeps rising and causing environmental damage while the price of wind and solar keeps dropping.
The world has no hope of dealing with Climate Change unless it stops building any more coal fired power plants and begins to shut down the oldest and dirtiest ones.
——————-
Renewables Provide 56 Percent of New US Electrical Generating Capacity in First Half of 2014
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/07/renewables-provide-56-percent-of-new-us-electrical-generating-capacity-in-first-half-of-2014
——————
Nuclear Giant Exelon Launches Front Group to Cover Its Assets, Undermine Renewable Energy?
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/06/nuclear-giant-exelon-launches-front-group-to-cover-its-assets-undermine-renewable-energy?page=all
The fossil fuels and nuclear energy companies are doing all they can to keep business as usual in spite of the damage they are doing to the environment. It is all about their PROFITS. The top 1% want it all.
ghung on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:09 am
“Clean energy”; sounds great. Anyway, we’ve been saving towards upgrading our hot water system from a home-built active/drainback system with two flat plate collectors to a 60 tube evacuated tube, closed (glycol) system. Same tank, same pump, same controller, just some piping re-configuration, add an expansion tank, and hook up the heat exchanger I installed with the tank 12 years ago. Pulling that trigger in the next week or two.
Clean enough, I suppose, but also reasonably independent of the complex, top-down energy systems the folks at the World Bank are utterly committed to.
Kenz300 on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:11 am
Why the potential for a trillion-dollar ‘carbon bubble’ grows bigger every day – SmartPlanet
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/the-take/why-the-potential-for-a-trillion-dollar-carbon-bubble-grows-bigger-every-day/?tag=nl.e660&s_cid=e660&ttag=e660&ftag=TRE4eb29b5
———————-
Renewables to Receive Lion’s Share of $7.7 Trillion in Global Power Funding
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/07/renewables-to-receive-lions-share-of-7-7-trillion-in-global-power-funding
Renewables like wind, solar, wave energy and geothermal are safer, cleaner and cheaper in the long run.
Davy on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:25 am
G, I have plans on something smaller but same configuration. I am just trying to fit it into the budget.
ghung on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:45 am
Davy – The sticker shock would be much larger if I hadn’t done things incrementally. My buddies thought I was crazy when I insulated a 450 gallon water tank, put some coils of copper pipe in it, and shoved it into the corner of our utility room when we were framing the house. It gets hot water from solar, from the woodstove, and is our PV electric dump when the batteries are charged (I put a 3500 watt heating element in a few years ago). Our domestic HW gets heated/preheated there, and it sends hot water to our radiant floors (8 zones). Nice to have that warm bathroom floor in winter.
I used a little forward thinking and have been collecting various components when I see a deal. I found a decent supplier over in N. Alabama (about 3.5 hours from here) so I can save a little on shipping costs and don’t have to worry about breakage of evacuated tubes. They also have most of the other balance-of-system things I still need. I’ll stay out of their Bio-diesel dept.; that’s a rabbit hole I’ve avoided so far. See ‘Duda Diesel/Solar’. They’re on Ebay as well.
Davy on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 9:16 am
G, I am copying and pasting your technical comments in my note doc. If that is plagerism sorry…joking..Seriously g, you have given me some great ideas. I have a few components already. I think I know of your north Alabama suppliers. I appreciate you ideas they are exciting and useful.
tahoe1780 on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 9:45 am
All good efforts but all made / transported using fossil fuel. Those pumps run on… I sincerely hope replacements are available when warranties / fossil fuel runs out.
Arthur on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 9:45 am
Where would we be without Dr. Kim?
Bor on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 12:57 pm
Renewable energy in the United States accounted for less than 14% of the domestically produced electricity and less than 12% percent of total energy generation. The production of renewable energy will not be able to reach even a quarter of what we need.
The talk about renewable energy as replacement of carbohydrates is not serious.
rockman on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 1:04 pm
All developing economies will focus on the more affordable energy sources. If that’s coal…it will be coal. If it’s the alts…it will be the alts. It matters not what Dr. Kim or anyone else would like to see happen.
Given that global coal consumption has increased 70% in the last ten years the economies appear to have made the choices. That choice might change if alts become much more affordable. Until that time optimism above a reduction in GHG production seems a tad misplaced.
Arthur on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 3:54 pm
Bor, we don’t need 100% replacement. With 50% you can still lead a comfortable western lifestyle. Smaller cars, smaller screens, wearing a warm pullover indoors, forget about the trip to Australia, use your stuff longer. Combat waste.
rockman on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 5:09 pm
Arthur – Now don’t make hunt you down. A large portion of the US economy depends upon wasteful consumption of emery.
COMBAT ARTHUR!!!
Makati1 on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:28 pm
Rockman, Arthur seems to have dreams of a BAU ‘small scale’ in the future. Things like the internet and I-toys and the like will still be available. He won’t even look close at the huge, world wide infrastructure system that makes them possible. Or that they are only passing fads provided by a few decades of cheap, plentiful energy.
Kenz300 on Mon, 11th Aug 2014 8:41 pm
Corporate America is making big investments in alternative energy sources. The transition to alternative energy sources continues to grow every year.
The price of oil, coal and nuclear keeps rising and causing environmental damage.
The price of wind and solar keeps dropping and it is safe and clean.
Big Companies, Big Renewable Investments
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/08/big-companies-big-renewable-investments
GregT on Tue, 12th Aug 2014 12:14 am
Corporate America is killing people in foreign nations just to keep the oil and gas profit margins up.
Transitional energy sources continue to grow, but not as fast as fossil fuel use is.
Alternate transitional energy sources are great for just that, the transition. What we are actually transitioning to, is what very few people are talking about.
What it isn’t going to be is Big Companies, Big Industry, Big Renewables, or Big Investments.
Think small, local, community, food production. Safe, clean, and sustainable. If we don’t cause our own extinction first.