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Originally Posted by sendler
Scale. Building out 17 TW of rebuildable hardware and keeping it repaired and operating with no cheap fossil fuel to build and repair it is impossible. Run the numbers. It is not just a matter of choice. Why do people think the world has failed repeatedly in living up to all of the various carbon agreements. The current socio-economic system for 7.5 billion humans was built on, and is completely reliant on cheap fossil energy to keep from crashing.
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Exponential Population explosion/ GDP/ and energy consumption have been highly correlated 1:1:1 since 1850. And have led us to overpopulate the planet beyond the carrying capacity of normal energy flows. Fossil fuels are so dense that we will have a big shortfall of energy availablilty when they leave us. And they are so cheap (we pay almost nothing for any of the actual raw materials we pull out of the Earth. Only for the cost of extraction.) that their diminishing output will force us to abandon everything we now take for granted in the way our economy works. We would need to completely revamp the distribution of wealth. And rich people are not going to give it up willingly. Like they did last time when FDR reminded them that the hungry hoards would be coming with pointy sticks to take it if they didn't. 78% of world wealth went to 1% of the population in 2016.
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100 years from now, people will have to grow their own food and firewood with muscle power and will be lucky to keep enough industry going to have an internet of knowledge running and have some lighting and e-bikes to get around on.
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As the former 'arsenal of democracy' the USA has a historical record of rising to meet extraordinary challenges.
Some believe that now,we're just the arse.
As Hucho says about low aerodynamic drag: if it ever becomes a priority,then we'll probably see a lot of it.
The transition away from liquid hydrocarbon fuel is ongoing.Electric cars will be the norm.
Same for passenger rail.
Freight rail
Trucking
Ocean-going vessels
All running on renewable electricity.
The hydrocarbons not 'combusted' can be prestadigitated by chemists,as I.G.Farbenindustrie AG demonstrated in WW-II,into the chemical intermediates which can ultimately become resins for wind turbine blade construction etc..
We're building,repairing,and operating even with losses to the transportation sector.I don't see a problem.
The economy is a construct.It may see some remodeling.It probably won't be pretty for some of the tribe.
Some of Lomberg's crew's predictions are off by 57%-to 204% in retrospect from 2001.We'll want to put every economist under an electron scanning microscope.
Population is the elephant in the living room.Hesitancy on the part of politicians to address it will probably bring the republic down.
Adam Smith said that the only reason a rich man could peacefully sleep at night,was because he had a BIG,powerful government watching his back.He distrusted corporations.Abuses between the British government and the East India Company led to their loss of the American colonies.
About every messenger discussing big issues laments the lack of 'education'.
'Glad we're attempting to put a dent in this one.
Appreciate all your contributions!