What is it about?
Human and industrial activities release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When cities remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they release, they are called zero-carbon cities. The country of Abu Dhabi is building a zero-carbon city called Masdar City. Part of their plans include giving people a fixed allowance of energy units called ‘ergos’. People will be able to spend their ‘ergos’ on energy-consuming activities, from having a shower to charging a laptop.
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Why is it important?
The idea of an energy allowance was meant to help reduce energy usage and tackle climate change. However, some people argued against it. They said that it raised ethical questions about individual and societal freedom. The ergos experiment shows the different ways in which people can resist new ideas about climate change and energy usage. KEY TAKEAWAY: Any attempt to restrict people’s energy usage could be considered as a breach of their individual freedom. We need to be aware of this when planning and persuading people to adopt new ideas.
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This page is a summary of: Spaceship in the Desert, January 2019, Duke University Press,
DOI: 10.1215/9781478002406.
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