Unlike the conspicuous and obvious ecological footprint of fossil fuels, the tracks of alternative renewable energy generation are often concealed, given that we only behold the consequence, not the ultimate cause. If we were to delve into the hows rather than just the whats, we would at once realize how pernicious some renewable energy sources can be.

What most alternative energy implementations do is similar, shifting the damage a step back, behind the curtains where it can’t be seen. It’s along the same lines of the parable where a saint instructs a thief to open a shop to earn a living and he opens up a shop only to pick the customers’ pockets.

Taking things on face value is quite tempting and convenient, and hence is so frequent. With renewable energy, corporations often focus more on implementing renewable energy than implementing clean energy to reduce their effective carbon footprint in the first place.

Unless it is explicitly made clear to them not to cut forests and not to pollute, they are likely to miss the point, being instead distracted by a particular mode of implementation, and striving toward the means as an end, while aiming not to compromise their profits and material gains.

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Asia Times