NET ZERO TALKS, EVERYBODY WALKS

 University of Leeds NEWS RELEASE 17-JUL-2023

"Cap top 20% of energy users to reduce carbon emissions 

Consumers in the richer, developed nations will have to accept restrictions on their energy use if international climate change targets are to be met, warn researchers

Writing in the journal Nature Energy, the research team - led by Milena Büchs, Professor of Sustainable Welfare at the University of Leeds - analysed several scenarios to identify a potential solution.   

One option is to cap the top 20% of energy users...

Under the energy demand reduction scheme, the top-level energy users would see their energy use restricted to the value of energy use at the 80th percentile. 

In the scenario modelled, that would be 170.2 Giga Joules (GJ) per person per year…" 

One hundred & seventy Billion Joules a year may seem a hefty energy ration, but what does it mean on a daily basis? 

The Leeds press release , like the Nature Energy  article, fails to convert it into more practical units , like horsepower or kilowatt hours.

Dividing a capped ration of 170.2 GJ into a year yields just under half a GJ a day, which equals 127.7 Kilowatt-hours, and  gives you , like the billionaire across the street,  a top tier power budget of 5.3 Kilowatts on which to run your life, indoors and out. 

That's fine for computers, light and appliances, if a bit dodgy for  home air conditioning and heating in climates hot and cold, but what about your car? 

5.3 KW works out to a scant 7 horsepower, which though fine for a scooter,  is going to take an awfully long time to charge a

70 horsepower Prius, let alone a 283 HP Tesla. 

Things get worse when you run the numbers for flying. Since flying around can take 400 or more horsepower per passenger, you'll have to save up for Gigajoule  jet rides for business or pleasure. So forget about Jumbojets.

The only way out may be to fly Norwegian :