Recently I've begun compiling a list of things to be cheerful about. Here are some items that should bring a smile to any environmentalist's lips: World energy consumption is declining. That's right: oil consumption is down, coal consumption is down, and the International Energy Agency is projecting world electricity consumption to decline by 3.5% in 2009. A small army of writers and activists, including me, has been arguing for years now that the world should voluntarily reduce its energy consumption, because current rates of use are unsustainable for various reasons including the fact that fossil fuels are depleting. Yes, we should build renewable energy capacity, but replacing the energy from fossil fuels will be an enormous job, and we can make that job less daunting by reducing our overall energy appetite. Done.
