We’re Saying Goodbye To Fossil Fuels, But Not As Soon As We’d Like
Jeff Merkley, a progressive senator from Oregon (a progressive state) is introducing legislation that provides a plan by which the country can wean itself off fossil fuels by 2050. Though the details of the plan aren’t available, they include the obvious: electrification of transportation and using renewables to clean up the grid mix.
Regardless of what they turn out to be, the guts of the plan are not terribly interesting, since there are many existing plans that all accomplish roughly the same things, e.g., those of The Rocky Mountain Institute’s Amory Lovins and Stanford University’s Mark Z. Jacobsen, whose proposal is much more granular, as it treats each of the 50 states differently.
The guiding issue, of course, is political will, and Merkley understands that this might be the very worst time in U.S. history to make such a proposal, given that the entirety of the executive and legislative branches of government are distinctly anti-science and are consequently uninterested in virtually every aspect of environmental protection. His rationale for moving now: we don’t have four years to waste.
While he’s certainly right about that, environmental damage is a matter of degree and not kind. Even the worst case scenario, rich people will still live like kings; for instance, there will always be beachfront property (though the beach itself will be constantly moving inland due to sea-level rise). What he really means is that we don’t have four years to waste if we’re to avoid unprecedented levels of suffering for a huge percentage of the world’s population.
I recently viewed two presentations that predict the collapse of the oil markets by 2023. Here is one by Bloomburg Business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHN6QQWv2g
Here is what seems like a related video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHN6QQWv2g
Breath thanks for the good link to the excellent Tony Seba presentation. He is a real high tech researcher and business analyst who builds a good case for a more electric end use efficiency , battery storage , EV, Solar , and other technical advancements. All of these will lead to decreased carbon energy needs and production requirements. Major Disruptions on the Horizons in many ways , there may be more Pain I am sure .
As I have said in other posts on 2 Green Energy – peak oil is much more about demand disruption, Higher prices, stranded resources in the ground , caused in part by other technical disruptions like Tony Seba provided.
The potential down side to much of this though is the Disruption to labor markets and high unemployment that some of it may cause.
if the batteries do come to bear then it reduces the need for large scale base load power plants even more….and on and on…
There will be contraction in key industries , less workers needed, less auto insurance sales, repair, etc, as less cars are built in the ride share economy. Etc etc. many different modes from what most of us grew up in….Interesting times.
Maybe the dull ones will finally get it that Peak oil = peak consumption growth…
It will be positive if this demand disruption can happen in the early 2020’s and then it is Not cost Effective to continue mining the Tar Sands and the whole project goes Under Water big time. Toxic Justice served to Big Oil!!!
All these areas that are growing their day time solar production are seeing excess generation as they reduce the utility peak demand. So having all these EV s as a secondary market outlet for the excess solar production makes the business case even stronger for what was presented. Plus they can charge the batteries with the residual.
Perhaps even the Neanderthals in the trumper administration know some of these things. But they just don t know how to come to terms with Reality as it undermines their piggy banks and their financial support base !!! LOL LOL
Perhaps there are more signs of the Tipping Point within the oil fracker sector as they have been hiring more and more undocumented workers in the past 5 years….in direct conflict with their Puppet Trumpet Master s Bloviations!!! Trying to squeeze some more pennies out of the labor cost of a barrel…. but of course their recourse would be that is in line with the boss’s practices.
Thanks again