I recently read a news article out of the USA regarding electric cars. It seems the US government receives revenue from transportation fuel taxes, which is used cross-country highway maintenance. This government revenue stream would be lost if all cars became electric cars. Naturally, a road “does not know” if the cars are fossil fuel or electric (or bio-diesel, for that matter), they just “know” they need to be maintained. The government needs to not only satisfy the general public’s desire to transform to a lower carbon economy, but also to maintain the existing income streams. The current budget situation in Washington DC just adds to the complexity of the issue. One possible solution being proposed is a one-off or annual fee.
It got me thinking about other situations, and there are a few that came to mind. One was the aluminium processing industry. This is traditionally an industry that consumes large quantities of electricity, and the need for a secure and predictable power supply means some fossil fuel is probably required. The current unreliability of green power (no wind = no wind power, no sunshine = no solar power, etc … and I am not going to go down the path of improved storage and generation capabilities – lack of wind and sun still create shortfalls) means plant profitability requires some fossil fuel baseload. Here in Australia, we have been blessed / cursed with an abundance of cheap, easy to access low grade brown coal. This coal is easy to mine and relatively low in all contaminants except water – some of our coals that are actually mined for power generation are over 60% moisture (in typical small to medium sized nation mentality, we export the good stuff to get revenue, and use the bad stuff ourselves). Coal is often used to provide fuel to dedicated power plants supporting aluminium facilities. If the “cost of carbon” becomes excessive, Australia could be faced with a very interesting dilemma:
+ A country that needs more electricity to satisfy organic growth
+ Coal-fired power plants becoming idle after closing an aluminium processing facility
+ Query … does the coal fired power plant that was used exclusively for the aluminium processing facility re-start and supply power to the public to satisfy demand? The end result is more electricity to the public, a net zero growth in carbon emissions, no loss of jobs from the power station and coal mines, and the loss of jobs from the aluminium industry. Yes it is net zero emissions growth in carbon emissions, the emissions from the power plant before and after the aluminium processing facility is closed is the same.
Another is industrial clusters. Years ago I was in the Los Angeles area, and the wind was blowing in such a way that all of the condensed water vapour from the cooling towers in the industrial area around Long Beach created an artificial low cloud. Later that day, it rained, but the rain was caused by the artificial cooling tower cloud. In areas where the source of water is rain water catchments, this could mean reduced rainfall and increased potential for water shortages. We had to do some driving for errands, and I distinctly remember that rain cloud from the cooling towers – when we drove outside of the dispersion pattern, there was no rain. When we drove back under the dispersion pattern, it rained.
On another front, diesel internal combustion engines are becoming more fuel efficient at a faster rate than conventional automobile engines, and the use of “diesel for cars, not trucks” seems to be a growth industry. Back to the highway maintenance issue, taxes on diesel often target large cross-country trucks, which (because of their weight) cause more wear and tear on roads (on a per capita basis) than passenger automobiles. A tax on diesel may prevent people from buying diesel automobiles, which higher carbon emissions from conventional transportation fuels. Eliminating the tax encourages the switch to diesel, but again a revenue stream needs to be replaced.
A few years ago at a conference, I learned that the internet was contributing to increased carbon emissions. The internet has greatly increased the need for delivery vans for individual orders (people ordering products from the internet for home delivery). The “just in time, just for me” concept has resulted in more delivery vans.
I am sure there are others. And I am also sure the general public does not fully comprehend the full impact of the transition to a carbon managed economy. Right now I am not hearing enough information coming to me to make an informed decision.