Exigency
Shifting to renewable energy is no longer a premium pricing out option, but instead a necessity. Renewable energy is both infinite and not a greenhouse gas distributor, ensuring longevity in support. Renewable energy is the most affordable it has ever been and the price to yield ratio across the board has begun seeing diminishing returns for cost efficiency. This suggests that renewable energy, barring any major breakthroughs, renewable energy sources aren’t expected to get any cheaper in the short-term. We don’t have time to wait for the long term, perfectly optimised renewable energy given our current climate situation. More people jumping on the renewable energy bandwagon would promote investment in this field potentially increasing its efficiency despite predictions. Many architecture firms are proposing their projects to stakeholders with a Net-0 or energy positive alternative while still arriving at the same budget, this is occurring at the moment for Farmington, CT’s new high school.
Audience
Everyone is a stakeholder because we are about to have a very intimate encounter with climate change. The primary audience this shift is addressed to would-be middle to upper-class global citizens. This is because it is still cheaper from a monetary perspective, not an environmental perspective, to rely on nonrenewable fossil fuels. With this in mind it is unrealistic to ask everyone to partake in this shift at this time. Climate Change poses a strong collective action problem that can only be solved through global cooperation and coordination.
Oscar, it is best if you think of a policy instrument that can be used and at what jurisdiction to make this policy shift to renewables possible.
I think this is a good idea, and I agree that it carries a lot of exigence right now as climate change is a pressing topic. I would consider narrowing the scope of your brief, to address a particular group. I would think maybe targeting Penn State and suggesting that any renovated or newly constructed buildings be planned to be “Net-0” or have a different environmental constraint. Along that note, this would narrow your audience to people who have the money to choose to be environmentally friendly, because this still isn’t feasible to many people at the current costs of renewable energy.
I am glad to hear that Farmington has begun to switch to renewable energy. It gives me hope that my high school and others will begin to do the same. I think that this example and other “success stories” would help the audience realize that it is indeed possible to change our practices to cleaner energy. I think that all citizens may be too broad of an audience to address with a single issue brief, but if you can make it work, that would be great! The point that you made about this problem only being able to be solved by global cooperation and coordination might help you to narrow down your audience a bit.
I agree with former comments regarding the scope in this issue. Narrowing this concern would provide a better way to write a feasible policy without involving all “middle/upper-class citizens”. Perhaps a mandate could be implemented on a certain group in order to ensure that environmental policies are being followed, akin to a “carbon tax”. Pulling statistics on that front can help to either prove/disprove its effectiveness.
While I agree people of higher socioeconomic status have greater access to sustainable measures, I worry people of lower socioeconomic status are being left out of the conversation entirely. Thus, I would second the suggestion that you narrow the scope of your issue brief to address Penn State buildings specifically. With Penn State undergoing drastic renovations, it will have a greater sense of immediacy. On an unrelated note, it will be interesting to see how your suggestions interact with the societal and economic impacts of the coronavirus.
I agree with Jack’s comment as it is necessary to think about the people that cannot really afford to implement these changes. Penn State would be a great option because they are constantly doing new renovations to our buildings. Additionally, it would be great to see some more eco friendly architecture around campus!