It is clear that scientific research is not as pure as many believe. It is subject to corruption. Now the Truth, well, that really is a pure thing and is incorruptible. Today the discussion on matters concerning the climate are far from factual. The corrupting forces lie deep in human nature. The Truth must overcome greed and the desire for power and prestige. In time, Truth will prevail.
The first element of Truth should be obvious. The advance of civilization is, and has always been, dependent on energy. The rate of that advance will continue to be dependent on the availability and cost of energy.
Today’s renewable energy industry has no potential to advance civilization. It is just moving power and prestige around and is primarily driven by greed. Renewables are too dilute to provide the energy for eight billion people. For renewables to actually work, the world population would have to be far less than it is today.
Fossil fuels have the same origin as renewables, the sun, but they are more dense. These are ancient hydrocarbons that have accumulated in the earth’s crust. They must be mined or produced by drilling. The first use of fossil fuel, coal, started the Industrial Revolution. It brought us steel, electrical power and the free time to innovate. There is still plenty of coal available and at reasonable cost.
Oil has provided the concentrated energy necessary for transportation, including air transport. Along with coal and natural gas, oil provides heat for home heating and manufacturing. It also provides the feedstock for the production of plastics.
The most concentrated form of reliable energy is nuclear energy. It has been available for nearly 75 years. It has only one predominate use today, electrical power generation for utilities. But that nuclear generated power can also drive prime movers in marine and rail transportation.
Hydroelectric power in the US has some limited growth potential, especially if it can be coordinated with both drought and flood control measures.
As a subscriber to this newsletter, you already know all this about energy. So why are we demonizing fossil fuels, nuclear and hydro while subsidizing the renewable industry? More about that next time. Time to go Christmas shopping and forget politics for awhile. Trust Jesus.