Commission on Energy in action

Ever since the industrial revolution took of some 200 years ago, mankind has emitted large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is globalization in its pure form since what you do locally directly affects the whole world. As we are sharing the same ecosphere, we are all exposed to the consequences that have accumulated over the years. The lesson is that each of us now has to change behaviour and energy and transport systems. But how, and what to do?

The UBC Energy Commission is working on a simple and yet powerful catalogue of actions that can be implemented by local communities, cities and by individuals. They are based on the latest scientific and academic knowledge and should represent the best practices at a given time in the future. The energy-climate relationship is complex and misconceptions are frequent. For instance, a lot of car owners believe they will reduce the gas emissions if they switch fuel in their cars from gasoline to ethanol. Wrong - the emissions of greenhouse gases will increase by 10%. But the source of energy is then renewable and that increases the sustainability.

We have to consider energy production and consumption already when we plan new housing and industrial projects. Houses can be built in such a way that they hardly need any special heating systems most of the year. The technology is called "Passive houses" and has been tried in the Baltic Region over the past ten years. It works. By using the right construction method, tight insulation, special windows and doors, the energy consumption can be radically lowered. The normal set of household machines, like refrigerators, TVs and other electric equipment, generate enough energy spill together with the heat generated by the people living there, to keep the house warm and comfortable. Modern systems for solar heating of warm water can make the household independent of gas or electricity during 6-9 months of the year even in the Arctic regions. Enormous energy savings can be achieved just by changing normal light bulbs to low energy lamps. Within the industry sector there are well documented and tested methods available that can save up to 60% of the energy consumption and at the same time lower the emissions of green house gases by 325%. Economic growth and a more energy efficient society is no contradiction.

The Commission is working hard in order to put together the catalogue of best practices for its member cities to speed up the transformation to more energy efficient and sustainable communities in the region.