The Fossil Fuel Death Grip
Roger Senior writes: New Zealand is probably the only country in the world that could power all its petrol and small diesel vehicles with renewable energy: hydro, wind, geothermal. Also plenty of tidal energy is as yet untapped. But instead the government is running down the electrified rail system and going very cool on electric cars.
Cameron Atwood asks: I’m curious to know what that indicates, in your estimation.
Obviously Roger has a better idea on this than I do. But to me, it’s an indication of the death grip that the fossil fuel industry has on our world today. These people are extremely influential in building new power plants all over the world. I wish I could say otherwise, but I can’t.
I have a friend who’s trying to bring waste-to-energy into Myanmar, a bizarre little piece of the world that currently has very little electrification. But he’s finding that the top people there, via their connections to Big Oil and the coal industry, have already begun ruining another part of the world with their toxic products.
We optimistic environmentalists generally have no idea of the power that these people wield, and how they will fight tooth and nail to pull the last hydrocarbon molecule out of the Earth for profit.
And it hasn’t even gotten tough yet. In fact, they were rather taken by surprise; they thought wind and solar were going to remain hobbies for a long time to come, only to be caught flat-footed when renewables started to scale. As they recover from their lack of preparation, they have just now started to escalate the battle. What forces does one suppose are behind the attack on the Clean Power Act?
I’m not saying that phasing out fossil fuels can’t be done; just don’t think it’s going to be easy.
Sorry to sound a bit down, especially on a Friday, when I should be thinking about how much fun Earth Day in Santa Barbara will be tomorrow.
Well said, Craig – thanks for your cogent perspective.
As long as enough folks keep accepting the lie that corporate money is political speech, how much louder than you or me is the single corporate entity, ExxonMobil? We’ve seen it revealed how duplicitous the company was – not merely in the Puget Sound, but far more broadly and persistently – with the knowledge it developed early on about how damaging it’s products are, then seeking to conceal and obscure those facts.
In 2012, all the elections for president, house and senate cost about $6.2 billion ($21 per US citizen), and ExxonMobil, by itself, profited $44.8 billion that year alone. That means ExxonMobil, all by itself, could have paid for all the campaign spending for all the candidates in all the federal elections in the country with just 14% of its 2012 profits!.
However beneficial renewables will be to our United States and the world, and the health and well-being of today’s humanity and our progeny, there is a substantial transition cost for all those firms that continue to regard these resources as competition.
Their formidable lobbying power ensures that the feeble attempts to subsidize renewables will continue to be sporadic, unpredictable and anemic. We may also expect the campaign of misinformation, concealment, and discredit to endure long past the tipping point.
If we want to escape indentured servitude and act with true liberty, we will find instruction in the words of a man who accomplished those feats in great measure, Frederick Douglass:
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
Exxon-Mobil and its ilk are quite well organized, and not for altruistic public benefit. If we logical, critically thinking and imaginative humans want to see our national security and political sovereignty preserved, and if we want to defend ourselves and our posterity against the lethal ravages that fossil fuels inflict upon the biosphere and the economy, we had best get organized.
The words of Abraham Lincoln illuminate the danger of inaction against the fixated and methodical army of corporate lobbyists – 11,000 strong and pouring out bribery at an average of $6 million per congressperson in 2009 alone (and that was before CU v FEC)…
“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”
Good government is the only hope that We the People have to defend our Public Commons and advance our Common Good. The fabled invisible hand of the “free” market is a proven failure in that regard. Good government won’t come from people who hate government, and it won’t come from “public servant” sock puppets with corporate hands inside.
Want improvement? Ban bribery in all its forms. That’s the most important and central issue that controls all others.
As long as cash reigns as king, we’ll be slaves to greed and cowardice.
Well said.
Btw, I don’t expect to see a day in which cash does not reign as king. I do, however, see a day in which much of its corrosive effects are removed from our law-making processes.
Cameron,
Ah, it does my heart good to read a good old fashioned rant, worthy of the heroic street orators and backwoods preachers of yesteryear !
Your comments take me back to my student days. Listening to impassioned student orators, (and earnest folk singers) demanding grandiose changes to a society to which they were they were yet to contribute, and by definition were still learning about.
The absurdity of their position never dented these fledgling demagogues or the ridiculousness of their conceit and self importance. But then, isn’t University both the time and place for such activity ?
Fortunately for most students, reality dawns with graduation. Most graduates realize the necessity of joining the rest of society and accept the responsibilities entailed.
As time goes by most graduates realize all those wild eyed claims and unrealistic extremist demands were just immature posturing, and a waste of time in the real world. It’s a sad fact that we must all grow up and accept reality.
” Ban Bribery in all forms !” Hmmm.. what does that really mean ? Since bribery in official or public affairs is, and always has been a crime, this would appear to be a fairly pointless call for “action”.
That’s unless the “all it’s forms” phrase is more closely examined. Hmmm, what’s the bet you really mean, “ban any participation in public life by anyone who doesn’t agree with me” eh? ( you see, I did observe the methods employed by those leftist student orators, I wasn’t just attending to get close to certain female students, well ok that was my main motivation, but I also observed !
Americans are great “prohibitionists” , I suspect this is a residual effect from the puritans.
Your claim that “In 2012, all the elections for president, house and senate cost about $6.2 billion ($21 per US citizen)” is not really true. People supporting the candidates, and even organizations using the election to publicize various causes may have spent $6.5 billion, but the actual election process cost less than $40 million.
Even so, I think $21 is a still very reasonable price to pay for representative government, when the alternatives are considered.
Oh, and incidentally, the high cost of election campaigns is not a new phenomenon . 120 years ago the Presidential in 1896 was the most expensive in adjusted currency of any US Presidential race.
Come to think of it, your philosophy seems to be very similar to the losing candidate in 1896 :).
Sadly, we again see here your characteristic and unsurprising ad hominem attacks (“worthy of the heroic street orators and backwoods preachers of yesteryear”) and straw man tactics (“demanding grandiose changes to a society to which they were they were yet to contribute, and by definition were still learning about” – and – “ban any participation in public life by anyone who doesn’t agree with me”).
Further, your cherry picking of data in your 9th paragraph, by excluding the campaign spending of all candidates. I wonder if your “$40 million” figure for all the federal elecions in 2012 is how your comparison with 1896 is intended to be accepted.
Still, I’m much refreshed by your admission that “$21 is a still very reasonable price to pay for representative government, when the alternatives are considered.”
Am I to conclude you would agree that the inflence of moneyed interests is a serious challenge to our democratic republic, and one which could be effectively addressed by mandatory public-only campaign finance system that collected the necessary sum ($21 in 2012) to solely fund all the qualified candidates and ballot measures equally, so that the elections become a contest of ideas rather than a contest of cash?
Cameron,
“strawman” “ad hominum ” ? Not at all ! I sincerely love the passion and fire of old fashioned rhetoric.
I thought it was clear that my comment drew a distinction between the cost of ‘Political’ campaigns and actually conducting an election. The budget for the Federal Election Commission to conduct the election(s) is just over $40 million.
Nope, I don’t think the “influence of moneyed interests is a serious challenge to our democratic republic “.
Again I’m not sure what you mean by a “democratic republic”, a term more familiar with nations (many now defunct) that are certainly not democratic.
I take you mean the the American system of “elected representative government”.
Actually, I think that cronyism and the pernicious influence of corruption in American political life has been in decline for many decades. The history of the US politics has always been determined by self-interest, delusion and ambition.
Yet for all that, the US political system has displayed remarkable greatness and resilience.
The US relies upon a strong Constitution, the greatest of these guiding principles is the First Amendment. In every decade there are always those who would seek to undermine this Amendment.
It’s for more important to defend the first amendment, than worry about who might have a louder voice at any one time.
I’m not a big fan of leftist Trade Unions, but I would defend their voice and participation in the political process just as I defend the voice of corporations, or any other participant in the political dynamic.
Sometimes, in trying to make something idealistically pure and perfect, you destroy the very thing you are trying to preserve !
Political life will never be perfect, because it’s about human aspirations, ambitions and concerns, which are as imperfect as the humans themselves.
I also believe in an individual’s right to donate to the candidate of their choice.
Plans abound on how to move whole countries to 100% renewable energy. See http://cleantechnica.com/2016/01/23/solutions-project-139-countries-can-hit-100-renewable-energy/.
If you asked most people in the USA about it, they would never have heard of these studies and would tell you it’s impossible. There’s you Death Grip in action.
As Bernie Sanders said last night, we need to treat climate change like a serious threat by an enemy force and mobilize the entire nation (world) to fight it.
With such abundant renewable energy (70% of mix) it does seem a shame that fossil fuels can’t be reduced further in New Zealand… and that they import far more oil than they export. Certainly an environmental government could do better. But NZ is an island (2) nation that like Hawaii enjoys sea breezes to blow away any pollution.
There were 6 weeks spent in Myanmar at a time when the Military rulers would not allow western companies to do business there. It was sort of strange and wonderful to go to a place without the ubiquitous fast food chains, Coke, Pepsi and sadly too much of what we associate with western civilization. Motorized vehicles were mostly from China, and there were some unique ones. I am sure it would be disappointing to see the change.
@ Breath on the Wind,
Er,.. sorry to correct your comment, but NZ does not derive 70% of its energy from renewable sources ! NZ does derive up to 75% of electricity generation from Hydro and geothermal, (less than 1% wind and solar).
Also NZ is lot bigger than Hawaii ! The real reason that NZ has so little pollution, is NZ lacks industrial capacity in the traditional “dirty’ industries.
Your observations on Myanmar (Burma)perhaps displays insight to your philosophy.
It’s interesting your condemnation of western culture in the form of Coca Cola, Pepsi, MacDonald’s etc, leads you to romanticize with rose tinted glasses rose tinted, an impoverished nation racked by civil war, racial hatred, persecution, brutal and repressive government, widespread poverty, lack of basic health services,undrinkable water and malnutrition.
The vehicles you seem to be so enamored with are shoddy are not quaint. In reality they are inefficient, highly pollutant products of the PRC. The PRC trades these vehicles along with weapons, in return for PRC access to exploit Myanmar’s rain forests, oil and coal reserves.
The PRC has exploited these reserves with an ecological impunity that would make even Total Oil shamefaced (and that’s saying something) ! The PRC has created vast environmental destruction, species extinction, ethnic cleansing, slavery, drug cultivation etc,.etc.
Worse still, the PRC ripped the Military government off Myanmar off, with a ruthlessness that would have been unacceptable to even the worst of the old 19th century colonial powers !
But hey, what’s all that matter if it saves the people of Myanmar being exposed to the evil of buying a Pepsi, eh ?
( Yeah, I also visited Myanmar in 1989, 1992 and 1997).
Craig,
By coincidence I’m currently visiting Auckland NZ.
Let me clear up a few misconceptions.
1) NZ could not “power all its petrol and small diesel vehicles with renewable energy: hydro, wind, geothermal or tidal energy” . That claim is simply unsupportable and fanciful. Renewable energy does constitute some 30% of basic power. ( 98.4% of renewable being Geothermal or hydro-electric). 7% of NZ energy is produced from burning wood, while Coal accounts for another 6-7%.
Both Geo-thermal and Hydro have new projects planned or under construction, but these will not greatly add to the percentage of renewable generation since these new sites will mostly just replace losses from older sites. Sadly, the new sites are proving far more expensive and less productive.
2) NZ is not “letting it’s Electrified Rail System run down “. Since until 1988 NZ had no electrified rail system, this is an unsupportable claim.
In fact, the opposite is true ! NZ has recently undertaken a huge investment in electrified train commuter trains for Auckland and Wellington, while spending equally vast sums on repairing and upgrading the Electrified component of the main trunk route.
NZ has extremely difficult terrain for Railways due to it hilly nature, and high rainfall. Tunneling requires massive engineering problems with penetrating volcanic rock.
The next 10 year period will see the greatest investment in NZ electrified mass transport for more than 100 years.
The nation’s and current government’s commitment to “green’ mass public transport is very impressive given the fairly fragile economy, and small population.
It’s these sort of erroneous claims that damage the creditably of the entire environment movement.
It’s also interesting to observe that Chevron, Shell and Exxon have identified New Zealand as possessing one of the last great oil reserves.
These reserves(potentially the size of Saudi Arabia) have proved until now uneconomic and nonviable to exploit for technical reasons.
However, recent advances in technology potentially could change the economics within twenty years.
Marco Polo You sound just like all the Spin the Government is putting out in New Zealand. What is your name, and where do you live ?
The claim that NZ could power all future Electric vehicles,to replace petrol, was made by the CEO of Mighty River Power at the AGM. He said Geothermal Electricty to supply that power was ready to be built, as demand increases.
The latest geothermal generation near Taupo came in on Budget and on time. NOT more expensive and less productive
The poor Ratepayers of Auckland !are paying for a small rail loop to make the rail go better and eliminate a main dead end rail station in Auckland! After 40 years of trying!! The Govt has not got a good commitment to green public transport it had to be “dragged’ to the table to pay a contribution kicking and screaming! So don’t give this SPIN to the world, its wrong.
Kiwi Rail has to operate on a low budget from the Government and may have to close some existing lines, even though they run logging trains, because they compete with road which is fully funded by the Govt, which pays for new roads and maintenance on them.
NZ has only ONE coal fired power station, Huntley, which will stop burning Coal soon. There are only two other large coal users, NZ Steel ,and our largest exporter Fonterra , a Dairy Company, which burns Coal to dry milk into Powder.Hardly a sustainable industry,considering COAL cooks the climate which will lead to variable grass growth in the future.
All my comments I believe are correct , most of your comments were Spin taken out of context from some NZ government website.
Roger,
I’m Australian. One of the reasons for visiting NZ is to promote the products of my specialized electric vehicle business which has been operating for nearly 20 years.
As a resident of Melbourne, Australia, It always saddens me to see the shortsightedness of Auckland in abandoning the old trolley bus network and ruining the city with Loss Angeles style freeways.
The city should always have built a bigger Harbour bridge and included a rail component.
But here’s the problem. New Zealand has a small population (4.5 million) although the nation has in recent years experienced a small population boom, and greatly expanded it’s tourism and education industries, it’s primarily a farming country.
Economically, the current NZ government has steered the economy exceedingly with remarkable ability throughout the last seven years. Despite the problems suffered by the GFC and the wild fluctuations of it’s bigger neighbor, NZ has seen steady, stable growth which probably account for the governments popularity.
NZ has always enjoyed the relatively high living standards expected of a developed first world economy despite the difficulty of being dependent on the export of primary produce.
NZ gains tremendously from low oil prices ass air travel and freight become less expensive, greatly assisting the important tourism and education industries. These are the two star performers in the small $240 billion GDP economy.
With national debt at $20 billion, and weakening demand for NZ products in China, the NZ government is naturally cautious with major developments in infrastructure, especially infrastructure requiring high usage to be economically viable.
Mass transit systems rely on very high usage to be viable. Auckland is the largest NZ city with a population of 1.5 million, covering over 1,086 km² ! The spread out nature of the city, coupled with the difficulties of hilly terrain and cutting through volcanic rock, make establishing a suburban rail network very difficult, expensive and uneconomic. (it’s a pity the old Trolley bus network was scrapped in the 1970’s).
The only NZ city with viable electric mass transit, is the small city of Wellington with about 500,000 citizens. Curiously, this City with a Green Party mayor, and a Regional local government dominated by Labour and Green Party Councillors, is about to dismantle the recently upgraded Electric Trolley Bus network, in favor of diesel bases. Even stranger when you consider the Council spokesperson (Paul Swain, Labour)is a former Bus driver !
Your passion for electric power from renewable sources is commendable, but you must also be realistic. Claiming ” geothermal generation near Taupo came in on Budget and on time “, does not refute the fact that new site ares more expensive and less productive. What it does show is that the construction was efficient and the budget estimate accurate. ( The budget reflected the increased costs involved).
I didn’t get my information from a “government website”, my information is derived from many independent sources,including;
Crown Research Institute Publications
University of Auckland Geothermal Institute
NZ Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences
Institute of Environmental Science and Research
Statistics New Zealand
New Zealand Geothermal Association
Victoria University of Wellington
Geothermal Heat-pump Association of NZ
Aroha Campbell CEO, Tauhara North No. 2
Brian White, East Harbour Energy
Doug Heffernan CEO Mighty River Power
Submission on Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) Work Programme 2016/17
Submission on Electricity Demand and Generation Scenarios 2015
NZGA Submission on the United States Blue Ribbon Panel Geothermal Report
Chevron Geothermal
CleanTechnica
Oxford Economic Review – Renewable Energy-Geothermal
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand- Energy policy (Gareth Hughes MP)
NZ Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
Geothermal New Zealand
Rotorua City Council
NZ Herald
The Economist
These are just some of the many sources of information I have researched about the NZ Geothermal industry.
Geothermal power currently provides only 16% of NZ electricity generation, the biggest customer being an aluminum smelter that accounts for 13% of the NZ’s total electricity generation. (Although the future of this smelter is uncertain).
I find your condemnation for the current governments policies puzzling, given it’s policy to generate 100% of NZ electricity from renewable sources by 2025 !
Nor is it possible to replace the NZ motor vehicle fleet in the immediate future. NZ fuel costs are already expensive in comparison to Australia, yet Kiwi’s show the same reluctance toward EV’s of most nations. (although hybrids are more successful and accepted).
Nor would it be technically possible to replace vehicles like emergency service vehicles with EV power. (Imagine trying to battery power a 30 ton fire tender at 70 mph for any distance, then spend hours pumping water ! ).
It’s fine to be passionate about renewable energy, but it doesn’t help to make wildly optimistic and unsupportable claims. It just makes it harder for people like me trying to get acceptance for more realistic adoption of electric vehicles.
Forget the politics, try to learn about the problems and challenges as well as the potential. It’s only by acquiring and displaying a realistic perspective of all the various aspects of renewable energy, that will enable you to influence the attitude of the great majority of people to take a chance on change.
New Zealand does not even come close to having the highest proportion of renewables in its energy mix.
Iceland, Costa Rica and Norway already have pretty much 100% of their electricity from renewable sources, whilst Iceland in addition meets virtually all its heating needs from geothermal, and Norway mostly by electricity.
In transport, 23% of new vehicle registrations in Norway are either pure electric or plug in hybrid – a figure which is rapidly rising.
My belief is that Norway will probably be first to achieve net zero emissions from fuel – offsetting any residual fossil fuel use by exporting renewable electricity.
I could be wrong, there are plans to connect Iceland with the European grid via the UK and Norway – a move which could result in exports of up to 5 GW of new geothermal and hydro electricity for which there is no market in Iceland which only has around 1/3 of a million people.
Incidentally for anyone curious about the $6 billion plus total for all the 2012 elections in the US, here’s a good source:
https://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/