At the Roman Forum, we ponder over the key messages of the book, especially after our President has read all its 358 pages -unusually without being bored. We find that the book deals with creative development by harnessing science and technology for harmony between humanity and the environment, as we profess in our mission. It demonstrates that better environment and more power are possible. The hydrogen fuel cell technology is one example. Another is that of market driven forces, which are banefully tamed in a manner that they work against the release of so much power that the planet has in its elements -polluter-pays-principle, CDM and half-baked Kyoto protocol notwithstanding. Instead, as the book points out, these forces can and should be liberated and drawn upon for providing energy in an efficient and affordable manner and yet avoiding costly subsidies that only sustain fossilized technologies and systems that have little merit on the basis of true costs and benefits -economic, environmental and social. So much cheating so far, but no more, if we heed the message about the beginning of change that should be fostered.
The book is based on scientific analyses of the situation in an easily understandable manner in order to provide pragmatic solutions to the energy crisis, often aggravated by controversial concerns about carbon emissions, climate change and fossil fuel supplies. The book is objective and provocative, drawing upon extremes of opinion ranging from the Malthusian doom and gloom through to pro-activist must-oppose culture. Without dismissing anyone -neither Bjorn Lomborg nor Arundhati Roy and the likes that so many have done, he enlightens the entire arena of power paradigms, issues and conflicts of interest and yet ends up with logical solutions that can address both the problems of poverty and the environment by providing positive scenarios of power accessible to needy and all alike. CSOs as well as corporate, national and global governance can take several leaves out of the book.
It is difficult to sum up this magnum opus of the year, starting from the bygone past, assessing the present on the anvil, and steering into the future energy. The vision offered by the book is one reason why this book is for all those interested in understanding and promoting policies and programs for the planet's power and prosperity in a harmoniously holistic manner. It is thus that we hereby offer a challenge to the author, the Mississauga Hydrogen cell pioneers and critics of current paradigms, among others, to pass by for a colloquium on the theme at the Roman Forum. We are prepared to have the book as a basis for disseminating our complex creative development message for reducing poverty by providing power to people in an environmentally appropriate and cost-effective manner. That could be a contribution towards achieving the most meaningful Millennium Development Goal, whether or not the UN and its UN Development Program are listening.
Meanwhile, we recommend the book full five stars.
Antonio Tamburrino and Maharaj Muthoo, Roman Forum, Rome (www.rforum.org) (romanforum2@virgilio.it; muthoo@rforum.org)
According to Mr. Vaitheeswaran, there are two trends that are transforming the energy world: the decentralization of supply and the liberalization of markets. The former signals the move away from the grid and other economies-of-scale type power generators that place a premium on big size. The future of energy will be towards micropower, which is flexible and produced as close to the point of consumption as possible.
Even more important is the liberalization of the energy market. Carbon taxes, for example, are necessary to account for the environmental effects of carbon-based energy sources. But this liberalization cannot be half-hearted as it was in California, Mr. Vaitheeswaran warns; not only is it important to "get prices right," but it is also vital to dispel the notion that energy is too important to be left to the markets.
Once these two conditions are in place, it is very likely that we can reach some zero emissions utopia. Mr. Vaitheeswaran places his money on hydrogen and for good reason. But there is no hope, he cautions, of getting there unless we understand that the energy market behaves just like any other market, where correct pricing and innovation are the only way to provide people with the kind of energy they want.