Solar power and other renewable energies are likely to get a boost because of fears of future terrorist attacks following September 11, a British expert has told the Solar World Congress.
ADELAIDE, Australia, AU, 2001-12-12 [SolarAccess.com] Jeremy Leggett, head of the technology company Solar Century, says conventional energy sources are open to attack during a time of increased national security concerns, with nuclear reactors being “horrifyingly” attractive targets, as well as oil and gas pipelines. Since September, intelligence officials are asking how quickly the world could convert to renewable energy to replace nuclear and fossil fuel. But, in reality, he says it would not just be the threat of terrorism that would provide the impetus for the wholesale adoption of renewable power, but rather a series of issues that would eventually lead the world to a tipping point. Issues include the improvement in renewable energy technology, the response to emerging threats to the environment, the increasing popularity of socially responsible investment and the growing emergence of public concern about global warming. Leggett told the Solar World Congress in Australia that the latest investigations suggest that average global temperatures may rise by up to 4oC over the next century, which would lead to an increase in the number of global climatic events such as floods and drought which, in turn, may lead to the collapse of the global insurance industry and financial markets.
