The Energy Enigma: Europe is wandering aimlessly into the abyss.

Possibilities do exist for the use of renewable energy sources to supplant existing sources of power generation. However, if the E.U. fails to develop a concrete energy policy, then renewables can play only a small and limited role in meeting Europe’s immediate energy needs. Unless there is the political will to reform the tax system, remove the hidden subsidies that support fossil and nuclear sources, and invest more in research and technological development in this area, then the share of renewables to the total energy supply is likely to rise from 6 percent today to a mere 8 percent in 2030.

This view was reflected in a report by an E.U. consortium of research teams. The report, entitled “World energy, technology and climate policy outlook” (WETO), warned that unless research activities and policies are stepped up to cut greenhouse gases and better promote the deployment of renewable energies, the world will have a huge energy and environmental crisis on its hands by 2030. The WETO study assessed the impact of individual energy projections, energy technology progress and climate change indicators on the future of global energy systems.
Given the continued dominance of fossil fuels, the report estimates that the world carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) will increase rapidly at a rate of about two per cent a year. Alarmingly, CO2 emissions are expected to be more than twice the level that they were in 1990 by 2030. While CO2 emissions in Europe will rise by about 18 percent, the figures for the U.S. show a 50 percent increase. Furthermore, whereas developing countries accounted for only 30 percent of emissions in 1990, the report finds that they will be responsible for more than half of the world’s emissions by 2030.

The report concludes that if other energy sources, such as renewables, were implemented on a larger scale, the costs incurred in order to meet Kyoto targets could be reduced by 30 percent. However, the WETO report concedes that by 2030 such energy sources will represent a very small percentage of the EU energy supply.

Likewise, the “information society” and e-commerce are putting additional strains on existing infrastructure. The demand for energy is such that it has brought power grids to the point of near collapse. Mass blackouts such as those which had occurred in New York and London a few years ago are simply portents of things to come. From this perspective, the future looks dark: while our electronic gadgets spew commodity content and computers chain people to the speed of unflagging machines, electric wires are forming an ever-tightening noose around our necks by which we shall ultimately hang ourselves.

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