Futurist Rifkin on fears of sabotage: “Governments need to wake up”

new York The West has fallen asleep with its old infrastructure, warns futurologist Jeremy Rifkin – and calls on governments to focus more on renewable energies and so-called microgrids. “The current energy crisis and the recent sabotage should be a wake-up call to rebuild our energy networks,” he told Handelsblatt.

Whether Nord Stream leaks or sabotage at Deutsche Bahn: Such events are making it clear how vulnerable the infrastructure is to external attacks. Rifkin has been researching sustainable solutions for years, relying on renewable energies and strong networking that can be switched off locally.

The economist envisions a “global electricity internet”. This should connect hundreds of millions of so-called micro-networks worldwide. These microgrids include small electricity producers such as households, but also solar roofs on warehouses or factories. These producers store their electricity from renewable energies in the local microgrid, which in turn is connected to the global grid.