Citation

Lior N. Energy 2001; 26(8): 743-746.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0360-5442(01)00046-9

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An eleven-year-old girl called recently into a live National Public Radio program in which the electricity shortages in California were discussed, and expressed surprise at the big fuss. She offered that this is commonplace in many countries, and people still live well. So, we could just regard this as an "event" (a nuclear industry expression for disasters or near-disasters), keep fresh batteries for the flashlight and kerosene for the lamp, and hope that someone will find a fix. What is amazing though to many of us is that this is happening in California, one of the most wealthy, productive and educationally and technologically advanced regions of the world. The consequences of this mishap are having seriously damaging consequences to the economy directly through immediate loss of productivity, and to employment shortly thereafter, a vicious cycle.

Like any other crisis, this has also created an opportunity, for objective and constructive citizens, experts, and leaders, for special interest groups, and, unfortunately, for scoundrels too. The crisis has been blamed on the California lifestyle and growth, on environmentalists, on those who oppose nuclear power, on the international concern about CO2 emissions, on the greed of corporations in the electricity supply chain, on OPEC, on SUV-s and the car industry in general, on the federal government (past and present, depending on which of them is doing the blaming), on the state government (past and present, ditto), and within some groups, I am sure, it was blamed on inadequate application of Fung Shuey to the design of power plants and the unfavorable constellation of the planets and stars. Consequentially, pursuing its crisis-independent agenda, the current federal administration uses this crisis to justify increased fuel exploration in previously protected areas, rejection of the international CO2 emission-reduction Kyoto proposals, and weakening of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts which are generally viewed as two of the most outstanding legislation gems passed by Congress.

While the blame should be shared by many, this editorial focuses on disrespect of knowledge