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Old 12-26-2022, 10:31 PM   #140
Solecismic
Solecismic Software
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
We don't have infinite time, but if we continue to restrict exploration, ban new leases, ban fracking, then we run out sooner. I don't think anyone knows how much is left, just what is essentially proven.

If we spend that time forcing a solution that isn't viable, then if we do run out in 50 years or 100 years, we're screwed. But the bigger problem is that we are trying to commit to goals less than ten years from now that will render us helpless.

Remember that in the '70s, the same argument was made, consumption has increased dramatically, and yet we have more in proven untapped oil remaining than we had then. That doesn't mean we should relax and assume that's forever.

For me, and I am not an oil industry executive nor do I have a doctorate in physics, I do not understand why we're not planning and building nuclear plants as fast as humanly possible. They are far safer today than they were in decades past. The used fuel rods are easily buried in concrete or steel drums. But they take a long time to build and regulations don't always make sense. They aren't zero-carbon, but they're a lot closer than anything else. And they provide consistent power, so you don't need to invent giant batteries and "redeploy" millions of acres of farmland and forest. That will buy us time to figure out how to keep the world's economy going while our brightest and best work on new solutions.

In the meantime, energy reliability and independence is vital. Cooperation doesn't mean anything to China or Russia. They will leverage what they have to get what they want, which is a world governed in the manner they want to govern it. No more individual human rights. No more individual freedom. There is a price to be paid for energy dependence. There is a price to be paid for congratulating ourselves for reducing emissions in the US by outsourcing all our manufacturing to Asia. And even if you're in the "end is near" crowd, surely you understand that global emissions are still increasing and Asian countries are not going to stop. They'll send us all the solar panels and batteries they can make, they'll even pretend they rely on them themselves, but they are building new power plants as fast as they can - coal, whatever. It won't be enough, though.

When we look at what's happening in Europe, most notably Germany and the UK, with energy prices. It's easy to blame Russia's attack on Ukraine, but this was a long time in the making, and there's no end in sight. This winter has already been tough. Next winter will be worse. People should not have to choose between keeping warm and eating healthy meals. Many people are already faced with this, and the UK and Germany are trying - adding endlessly to their debt right now - but they're not solving the underlying problem.
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