We Need to Frame the Climate Problem Differently
The climate problem has been framed in a manner that emphasises temperature changes and carbon emissions, with renewable energy being positioned as the core solution. However, on taking a closer look at where all this energy is going—in food systems, construction, urban design, supply chains, and so on—tremendous inefficiencies can be observed in all these systems. This is accompanied by the realisation that the framing itself is limited.
Just changing the energy source is not going to be enough
One has to go deeper and look at the inefficiencies in generation, supply, and consumption, because we don’t want a 15 percent win when it comes to climate. We want a win in what comprises 90 percent of the problem. This means that we need a different way of doing things, and not just rely on replacing one energy source with another and the same inefficient methods of achieving our real end goals.
For instance, in urban environments, we see an increasing number of buildings with glass frontages. This causes them to be warmer, which necessitates the use of air conditioning. Moreover, despite the glass windows, they are designed in a manner that doesn’t draw in natural light, thereby consuming additional electricity to remain sufficiently illuminated during the day. Positioning solar panels as the remedy to these issues only serves to treat a design problem with an energy solution.
We have to solve for design
We have to stop throwing renewable energy at a design and efficiency problem. Consider Bangalore, a city that receives approximately 2x the amount of water through its rainfall endowment than it actually needs. Instead of making use of this water smartly, and building systems that ensure sensible use and reuse of this water, we are pumping water from hundreds of kilometres away, and we are running out of that as well.