How embarrassing. How embarrassing. I love it. That smug shit lost his seat. A great day for WOKE! LOL!
Thedogdrinkscoffee
joined 2 months ago
Sure, but don't let perfect be the enemy of better than that shit. We knew since David K. Foot Boom Bust and Echo that an aging demographic was going to strain healthcare.
I agree that Liberals and Conservatives are both too fond of privatization, cutting taxes and selling out. But I suspect we were always going to end up here regardless of party, even beyond the false dichotomy.
Let's not get weighed down by dispelling antiquated definitions of energy transition.
An unsustainable system will transition to something else inevitably. It is hapening right now. The idea is not at an end. Its at the begining.
What's up for grabs is a constant string of decisions to change over time that lead to better and worse outcomes with associated tradeoffs. The outcomes are on a spectrum that arguably range from:
Today transitioning to Extinction of the human race and most of the ecosphere with it. (Collapse hardest)
To
Today transitioning to long term viability of the human race and most of the ecosphere with it. (Collapse softest)
Limiting the discussion of the causes of these outcomes to just energy, for the sake of conversation, we can define the conditions of those two outcomes.
The collapse hardest is BAU, a growth paradigm where we say the nice things develop new energies that only supplement the old, not replace, and keep a growth oriented framework in play. This follows the path of growth, overshoot and collapse. The system built was designed for a high civilizational metabolic rate, requiring a high eroei that can't be met when fossil fuels eroei of 100:1 are exhausted and a high energy system must suddenly live on ~ 3:1 eroei. It's a starvation diet, followed by atrophy and death.
The collapse soft version is where we use the time and resources we have to build a small degrowthed core of resilient civilization that can survive on a low metabolic EROEI of 3:1 like renewables.
Arguments about the energy transition often have naysayers pipe up with "there aren't enough minerals to electrify everything!" My response if you are correct. We can't and shouldn't try to electrify and renewable-ify the 8 billion plus people trapped in growth paradigm of high waste and high consumption. To try is to guarentee the collapse-hard outcome.
Metals are infinitely recyclable and we do have enough for a small sustainable civilization that lives within the planetary boundaries on renewables only. High efficiency, low metabolism and small enough to fit in the shoebox we call Earth.
Opponents and proponents of Nuclear also usually don't understand it's optimal use. First, let's accept that nuclear is just another non-renewable. Even with breeder reactors. Even with alternative fuels like Thorium and molten salts. Building those plants, mining those fuels, disposing those wastes don't fit in the EROEI paradigm.
Where they do fit, it in powering TEMPORARILY the transition of today to a smaller lower EROEI civilization. If we just cut fossil fuels today, magically we would just kill billions in the most unethical experiment. But using nuclear temporarily as a bridge from a non-renewable growth oriented civilization to a steady state, sustainable, renewable one is highly desirable.
The interesting part is getting past the money and power of the fossil fuel industry that will do everything in its power to fight this. Its lived values on display prove it only wants to die with the most money and power.
The documentary will be called
"Trump: how to kill a superpower"
1,2,3,4
This is what you voted for.
Broken families, broken dreams
What comes next? SCREAMS!
1,2,3,4
I declare a trade war.
Planes stop, so do boats
Soon well be at each other throats!
**Replication crisis intensifies
Half of infinity is still infinity, but smaller?
Can you hand me that spatula? I need to scrape my brains off the walls.
It's the wrong approach. Earth is in a gross state of ecological overshoot. We should be embracing the demographic decline that will bring our populations and consumption back in line with earths resources.
A shrinking society due to aging is far prefereable than one due to resource exhaustion, deprivation and conflict.
Embrace a smaller population and a bigger world.
Trump and the Reform/Maga conservatives hate us for our freedom, democracy and good (enough) government.
This was painful to read. If he says neoliberal one more time, I'll need a cleanup crew to scrape my brains off the walls.
It's rambling, full of emotion but makes no point(s). He'll deride batteries, then deride nuclear for not being able to ramp up and down fast enough and not put two and two together (along with pumped hydro) that they are suitable mixes that allow for anytime baseloads and responsiveness.
Wind also SHOULD be prioritized. The author even says it accidentally. There are no fuel operating costs.
The only thing he got right is that the service should be nationalized and unified to eliminate duplication and waste. Private investment of generating capacity is almost always bullshit, because they want price guarentees and subsidies of externalities. Private profit, social losses, like where a nuke plant will be profitable, but will let the government take care of the pesky waste disposal costs.
It belongs in the commons.
The UK, like the world over, needs to focus on demand (1) and supply.(2)
1a.Demand Reduction. E.g. passive house, public transit.
1b. Efficiency: e.g. heat pumps over furnaces or boilers.
2a. Solar, Wind, Tidal and hydro renewables as a base load.
2b. Batteries and pumped storage for adjusting quickly to load changes.
2c. Nuclear to fill the projected gaps, which are enourmous, until our population, lifestyles and benefits of everything under #1 can bring civilization into balance.
Most importantly, is to stop the tremendous bullshit and waste of AI and crypto. I'm not saying we shouldn't pursue them, but making them widespread and such enourmous consumers of resources we don't have to spare when they are neither needed, warranted, desired or desirable when we are facing an energy crunch is akin to suicide - choosing death and destruction, screaming "weeeeee!" As your roller coaster rides into the lava dome of the active volcano.
They will replace him. He failed badly and no one thinks he can lead anyone but liberals to victory. ;)