Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
Here's a comment I made on another forum which tends to agree with sendler's comment above (quoting is broken on this thread):
I'm slightly inclined toward liberty, but protection of the commons (environment) is among the few legitimate roles of federal government. The only thing is, without a collaborative and binding agreement that clearly defines the problem, the reasonable goals needed to avoid the problem for each country, and a method of enforcement, the whole thing is useless other than claiming some sort of moral superiority. If the US drastically reduced fossil fuel consumption, the price of oil would fall at the expense of our economy. Then the temptation to exploit those low prices by other countries would be too great, and their consumption would increase as well as their economy (fossil fuel consumption and economy are linked).
The problem is much worse than getting people to drive EVs (transportation is 19% of energy use). It's much worse than getting even 1 or 2 big countries to take action that would both reduce fossil fuel consumption and slow economic output. It takes collaboration between allies and enemies alike in all the largest countries agreeing and adhering to clearly defined goals with the threat of violence to enforce those agreements. Anything less is ineffective.
I expect the left to give lip service to the issue, and the right to deny/avoid/downplay the issue altogether. It's political suicide to actually implement effective policy.
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I just read 'Confronting Collapse,' by Michael C. Ruppert.He came up with a list of 25-items which might be part of a template for an economic transition into a post-Peak-Oil universe.While I don't agree with everything he advocates,he's a guy that can think,and he's worked very hard to put his materials together.
He hangs out with the Post Carbon Institute folks and top analysts.
He takes climate change seriously.
Some mention-worthy quanta from the book:
*As of 2009,taxpayers spent over $10-trillion on the Global Economic Crisis bailout.That would have paid for 10-terra-watts of installed wind capacity.
*Between 2009,and 2030,the oil industry expects to spend $10-trillion on drilling rigs,offshore drilling rigs,drilling,completions,refineries,storage,pipel ines,etc..That's another 10-terra-watts worth of capacity equivalency.
*We've spent over a $trillion on the Department of Homeland Security since it was created to protect us,in part, from Middle Eastern people who hate us and want to kill us,and would probably stop if we quit going to their part of the world to get the oil which helps us create 25% of he world's pollution.That could have gone for another terra-watt.
We're spending 3/4's of a $trillion each year on the military.
And will now be sending troops to our client state since 1945,Saudi Arabia,to protect our access to their oil.
Every year we could be enlarging our renewable energy capacity and electric car fleet and never miss the money for what we waste protecting access to foreign oil.
What's now going out our tailpipes could be new tires,plastics,paint,fabrics,pharmaceuticals,etc..
Remember,we've got a Pacific Ocean to fill up with plastic trash, if I'm ever going to have a chance to drive to Hawaii.
At the rate that we could actually spend alternate energy into the economy,we could incrementally back away from fossil/oil,at a rate which wouldn't shock the economy.
Nobody misses livery stables,stage coaches, the Pony Express,or the ice salesman.
We're expanding the grid anyway.We'll have cars of one kind or another.Thermodynamicly,ICE cars cannot possibly compete with EVs,as far as energy efficiency goes.You'll never see an engine with a BSFC of 0.15-pounds per brake-horsepower/hour.People who build engines can build motors and batteries.We'll still have a market for planetary transmissions.Tires.Heat-exchangers of sorts.Nothing inside the car changes.
It doesn't matter what other countries do when you're detached from foreign petroleum.It would improve the economy,not hurt it.
Fewer folded flags.Zero ozone action days.Healthier lungs.
It would be very smart capitalism.