David Peat

182 From Certainty to Uncertaintyenergy and that the sacrifice involved may not be too great. The housesin the Italian village where I live all have an electrical supply that, interms of U.S. voltage, would be the equivalent of less than 40 watts. Myprevious house, in Canada, had a supply of 200 watts, which allowedme to indulge in a variety of energy-consuming devices that certainlydo seem to make life that much easier. Now I am much more carefulnot to overload the house’s limited supply. I don’t leave electrical devicesrunning, and I remember to switch off the lights when I leave theroom. When I go to the small shops in the village I notice that theshopkeeper puts on a coat or heavy sweater instead of turning up theheat. And with hot weather in the summer, and a constant breeze inwinter, no one has need of a clothes dryer. These may seem like tinythings, but multiply them by several million people and the energysaved would be considerable.The future is uncertain. Maybe we will really have to tighten ourbelts and mobilize resources to meet the energy challenge. Some energywatchers believe that the remaining fossil fuels should be reservedfor agriculture and essential industries. Some futurists argue that anenergy crunch could be so serious as to require the mobilization ofentire sections of the population, as is done during the crisis of a worldwar.Who knows if, at some time in the future, we will be forced to giveup our automobiles and join car clubs? Fast air transport will be anincreasingly expensive luxury. One economist, Lothar Mayer, suggeststhat each baby should be given a smart card (an electronic chip) indicatinghow much of the earth’s natural resources it has been allocated.It can then make a choice as to how to use that energy during its lifetime—ona car, a single trip in an aircraft, heating the house, andso on.Global WarmingAround 10,000 years ago the peoples of the world faced a major climaticchange as glaciers advanced to cover much of northern Europe,Russia, and North America. The result was a major population migra-