Blackouts

Pub date July 24, 2006
WriterTim Redmond
SectionSF Blog

By Tim Redmond

We knew this was coming, but the California authorities just announced that there may be rolling blackouts today as the searing heat overwhelms the state’s creaky old electricity grid.

That’s lovely: It’s 115 degrees in the Central Valley and senior citizens are going to lose their air conditioning.

Two things:

1. Global warming is here. It’s not coming soon. It’s here, and the climate change Al Gore warns about is happening faster than anyone anticipated. No, I’m not a climate scientist, but I don’t need a weatherman to know how hot the sun glows.

2. Responding is going to be a massive challenge, even more than Al Gore suggests. Step one: take the entire system of providing electricity (and eventually, all energy) out of the private sector.