Clean Energy

 What is clean energy? Let us look at it from two perspectives. The first one would be an individual oriented look, while the second one would be the societal-enviornmental one.

What is 'clean energy' when it comes to an individual? Sure it has to be the cleanliness of methods, modes, materials he/she uses. More than that, it means the cleanliness of purpose. If an individual's motives are clean, such an individual would have a clean aura, a clean energy.

I would like to maintain that to achieve any goal, a given purpose in life, such clean energy is indeed an asset, nay, the basic most requirement. A society which has many such individuals would have a clean ethos, too.

These days, however, such spiritual-ethical definition of cleanliness is not enough. In the pursuit of material pleasures, man has so vitiated the actual physical environment that an actual, reality-rooted definition of clean energy is necessary.

Such a definition would but 'naturally' avoid the excessive use of petrol/diesel. Mining, which has now reached even the sea beds, would be suspect, too. Instead clean alternatives which lead to a sustainable growth would be preferred. 

Which would they be? A battery operated vehicle is sure better than the one with  petro/diesel engine. For the battery generation/operation, however, emerge requirements such as mining of metals, their purification, and so on. These processes, too, pollute!

What then would be clean energy? It can be solar energy, for instance. Once I watched a video of a jugad by a mofussil man who had managed to craft from junk a solar cycle which could carry seven people! It was absolutely functional, moreover. 

Such experiments could be made more refined/sophisticated. In India, there IS a huge attempt to harness the solar energy  as an alternative to current modes of electrification. Water, wind, waves, these are other natural resources of clean energy.

Each of these, however, has its own innate limitations as re-sources of energy. In other words, energy, if it has to be truly clean, has to purified at the real source, that is, the excessive human consumption. 

If and only if human beings stop excessive self-indulgences of all sorts, energy can ever be truly clean. Such a process would involve both, sacrifices of selfishnesses of many modes and a societal better structuring at the governance level as well.

Let me give a simple example to prove this point. Instead of individual cars that pollute, that cause horrid traffic jams, citizens should use public transport which in turn must be clean, neat, punctual, pleasant which would be the duty of societal and governance structures.

In brief, whatever may be the level, individual or societal, pure is what pure does! 

Pratima@ To be clean/pure, to remain clean/pure, too, have their own price, though worth the cost!