Fwd: Dr Susan Krumdieck seminar today - “The Power of the Myth: energy myths and how they threaten progress toward sustainability”

[Tim Bishop]

I can't recommend her enough!  This will not be a technical physics
lecture.   Try to attend this one!

-Tim

EMAN410 SEMINAR SERIES - PUBLIC WELCOME

Physics Department, Room 314, Sciences III (Science Library Building,
next to St David Lecture Theatre)

Susan Krumdieck

Associate Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Canterbury

 “The Power of the Myth:
energy myths and how they threaten progress toward sustainability”

Myths are a universal fixture of human society, and provide several
vital psychological services.  People need to make sense of complex
situations, and they need heroes with super-human powers to save the
day.  Myths have universal themes that help us understand moral
dilemmas, to identify right and wrong.  The real power of the myth,
however, is when it is a widely held false belief, something that is
fictitious or nonexistent. The interesting thing about false beliefs
is that there is almost always a reason behind them.  There is
currently a Western Industrial Mythology of simple solutions to a
complex problem: alternative clean energy sources and technologies
that will substitute for fossil fuels to support the lifestyles we are
afraid to change.  This package of myths includes fuel cells,
hydrogen, biofuels for transport, carbon capture and storage, wave and
tidal energy, air cars, and electric cars. The myths are easily
communicated, easily believed, and once believed, difficult to correct
with facts. Generating and propagating green energy myths is low-cost
compared to the loss of income which would be incurred by conventional
fuel and transport markets if people started responding en-masse to
the imperative of CO2 emission reduction and the reality of fossil
fuel depletion.  Thus, we discover the purpose behind the creation and
propagation of the Green Energy mythology.  Every year that the
general population can be made to wait for miracles and super-heroes,
is another year of car sales, fuel sales, road building, sprawl
development, jet-setting eco-tourism, entertainment governance and
air-freighting of eggs to the USA.  It also means another year lost
and increased risks, with no changes in urban form, land use
integration, high efficiency transport networks, or other innovations
that would reduce the motorized travel demand and improve wellbeing.

Friday 28 August 2009

2.00 pm

Room 314, Science 3 Building

All interested are welcome to attend

Bev Reynolds,

Department Secretary.

Physics Department,

University of Otago,

Dunedin,

New Zealand.

Phone +64 3 479 9101

Fax +64 3 479 0964

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[Leigh Blackall]

Tim, can you grab me on your way over?

I think I'll cancel a meeting to attend.

--
--
Leigh Blackall
+64(0)21736539
skype - leigh_blackall
SL - Leroy Goalpost
http://leighblackall.blogspot.com

[Tim Bishop]

Hi Leigh-

I have been away on holiday - sorry to have not responded. Did you
like this seminar?

Pizza oven is a good idea... Otago is running a course in central in
a few weeks.

-Tim

[Samuel Mann]

Unfortunately Leigh and William got stuck on the wrong side of a closed door (to a crazy-full crazy-small seminar room).   Fortunately I was on the right side of the door taking notes:

Green energy myths causing paralysis

Cheers
SaM

2009/9/11 Tim Bishop <t...@shac.org.nz>

--
Samuel Mann
http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/