In 1990, I took my first class about solar electricity. The first lesson was to reduce consumption, which is important on the societal level, too.
350Eugene’s Deb McGee and Jim Neu wrote letters (Nov. 21) claiming that the obstacle to ending fossil fuel use is political corruption and we just need a positive attitude. I wish I agreed, but using solar panels and studying how concentrated energy runs industrial civilization taught me the obstacle is physics.
McGee and Neu quote Peter DeFazio as saying fossil fuel use will not end in the next decade. I oppose DeFazio’s promotion of highway expansions, clearcuts on federal forests, burning trees for electricity and the NuScale nuclear power startup in Corvallis. But here, DeFazio is correct.
The reason we use fossil energy: It is more concentrated than living on our solar budget, especially this time of year.
Finite concentrated fossil carbon fueled our population increase from under a billion (before fossil) to approaching 8 billion today. Using remaining fossils to re-localize food production might ensure social cohesion on the energy downslope. Logistics matter more than protests, Eugene’s law to buy “carbon credits” or lawsuits seeking governmental plans.
Post Carbon Institute in Corvallis (in DeFazio’s district) is the leading group in the country integrating concerns about ecology and climate with the facts of peak everything and the limits to exponential growth on a round, abundant, finite planet. Their sites include postcarbon.org and resilience.org.
Entropy is not a good idea; it’s the law!
Mark Robinowitz
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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