Climate change and the depletion of oil reserves are taking place faster than expected and the policies being put in place are insufficient to keep up, leading economist Jeremy Rifkin told EurActiv France in an interview, pleading for the EU to lead the way towards a "Third Industrial Revolution".
We are "at the last stage of an energy era", Jeremy Rifkin told EurActiv. The current energy system based on fossil energies will not last through the 21st century as oil prices surge and "peak oil" – the point of maximum oil production – will, according to him, be attained in 2030 at the latest.
"I don't know who's right, the optimists or the pessimists. But anyway, it will happen between 2010 and 2030, and it leaves a very small window," he said.
Action is needed urgently, he added, pointing to the increasing number of studies, including the United Nations' third climate report, which reveal not only the speed and acceleration of climate change but also the alarming consequences it is already having. "We have to understand the enormity of what is happening here. We are talking about the potential extinction of our species," he warned.
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Climate change and the depletion of oil reserves are taking place faster than expected and the policies being put in place are insufficient to keep up, leading economist Jeremy Rifkin told EurActiv France in an interview, pleading for the EU to lead the way towards a "Third Industrial Revolution".
