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34 comments on Andris Piebalgs' priority number one

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FMagyar on April 9, 2008 - 6:23am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Investing in efficiency is not always the wisest thing - for example if you already have 10 inch of insulation making that to 20 inch is not going to bring you much extra benefit, and certainly not for the money you spend. Without economic analysis, such pleads smell more like another calls for subsidies and more government pork.

I think your insulation must be made of straw , at least it sounds like a strawman argument to me. Of course investing in adding unneeded pork at this point would not only be useless, it borders on stupid and unethical. However I find it beyond disingenuous to imply that a widely implemented policy of conservation would be a bad thing. What is even more important is that it seems Piebalgs seems to be initiating the necessary paradigm shift from status quo to what needs to be. To the point is that right now nothing could be wiser than that!

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LevinK on April 9, 2008 - 9:56am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

To the point is that right now nothing could be wiser than that!

Under different circumstances and in a perfect world I would certainly agree. But my impression is that efficiency measures way too often turn into smoke and mirror for the populace... a political show for the masses to convince the sheeple that we are doing something.
Here are few types of smoke:
1) Feel good measures of token importance. How much good for example the initiative not to use plastic bags? If you drove to the store instead of taking the bus you would burn hundreds of times the energy used to make a plastic bag, but no biggy, we are still green aren't we?
2) Schizophrenic policies. I despise for example the policies of Germany with their obsession with super-insulated houses and wind mills on one hand and on another no speed limits on the autobans, production of muscle cars and a alive and healthy coal industry, even rewarded with increased emission quotas.

The bottom line: the devil is in the details and what exactly AP will suggest. I admit I have a preconception about him and the EC in general and I wouldn't say I am thrilled with this latest jump to the efficiency bandwagon.

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