An electric aircraft would be quiet, with almost no vibration, have little maintenance required and be up to 100 times more reliable than a conventional piston engine which would also lead to better safety. A flight school could have the entire hangar covered in solar cells to power these aircraft from solar energy. Wouldn’t this be better than filling up the air with pollution?
Stopping fear, slow and easy wins the race
So hopefully I’ve made my point. I believe much of the anti clean energy sentiment is due to the natural human tendency to fear change. If change is thrust upon us too quickly, we tend to retreat back to what we know and are comfortable with.
For the coal miner who has spent the last 20 years earning a good income and providing for his family, the thought of losing his job with the introduction of clean energy, is real and confronting. There are so many businesses and individuals who are living comfortably now with our existing fossil fuel energy grid, so why change?
I believe a slow change to clean energy over a prolonged period of time is the answer. Slow change will allow individuals and companies to adapt and reinvent themselves. For instance, I have a 10 year plan to replace all of my unleaded petrol aircraft with electric planes by 2029. While there are electric aircraft available now, the cost of this technology is too expensive and the rapid change could place my business at risk.
What if everyone who is earning a reasonable income now, made a commitment over the next 10 years to replace their cars with electric cars and to upgrade their housing to be completely off-grid with clean solar energy? Within 10 years the cost of electric cars, and solar battery units for houses, will be affordable for most middle to high income individuals, so why not put a plan in place today?
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! Taking your ego out of the equation
When it comes to the global warming debate, so many of us want to prove the other person wrong: ‘Look at this evidence here!’ ‘No, my evidence is better than your evidence and this why I am right.’ ‘You are fools for believing in global warming!’ ‘Why are these people not believing the scientists? ‘ It goes on and on and on.
I often make the joke to atheists that you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by believing in a higher power, for two reasons: if you’re right (and there is no God) there will be no one to congratulate you on how smart and right you were when you die; and, if you’re wrong, you’re going to miss out on heaven.
Having faith is a bit like believing in global warming. As a society and as individuals, over the long term, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by adopting clean energy whether we believe in global warming or not.
You may or may not be pleased to know that I wrote this blog while using a computer which runs on 100 per cent solar energy. It certainly makes me feel good to know my power bills are reduced and I’m using green energy.
This is why we decided to become carbon neutral at GoFly, not because I really care about what others think or believe, but because I came to the conclusion after a lot of thinking, that paying for carbon offsetting has more benefits than negatives.
If global warming proves to be real, then at least I will know that I did my part to reduce emissions. If it’s not real, then I will know that at least I helped employ some individuals to plant some trees and make the planet less polluted and more beautiful, and that makes me feel good, whether you agree or not.
Damien Wills
CEO GoFly Group
15 October 2019
To read more aviation blogs by Damien, click here.