Sunday, November 02, 2014

“Green Electricity or Green Money? Why some environmental groups hamper clean energy (and support the smart grid)

“Green Electricity or Green Money? Why some environmental groups hamper clean energy (and support the smart grid)


Excerpt

The National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy has published a new paper, “Green Electricity or Green Money? Why some environmental groups hamper clean energy”, by Timothy Schoechle, PhD. It highlights conflicts of interest and mistaken positions on energy policy at certain large environmental organizations. Please share widely and help us shine a light on this important issue impeding transformation to a clean energy economy…..This article examines two of the three largest environmental organizations, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and offers specific cases where they appear to have lost their way and are failing us when we need them most. These cases show the pitfalls of the compromises and accommodations that many environmentalists have made in order to raise money and support their organizational growth as well as their political and other goals. They also show that true leadership and change can only spring from the people and not from governments and entrenched institutions…..The case below of the EDF looks at its vigorous advocacy of “smart meters”, devices that have been shown to have dubious energy merits and serious environmental, privacy, and public policy drawbacks. The promotion of smart meters has diverted massive financial resources in directions tangential to the goals of a truly intelligent electricity grid and integration of community-based clean energy, and has fed public cynicism about the “smart grid”—the last thing one would expect a leading environmental organization to do. The case also looks at EDF’s role in fostering the deceptive siren call of the supposedly “green” energy investment mirage by venture capitalists, financiers, and government.

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Read the post here.

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