Today's Environmentalists Are Really Luddites

[Galaxiom]

Luddites were people who destroyed new technologies because they thought change would destroy life as they knew it.

The modern Luddites are those who are fighting the inevitable shift to renewable energy. Like the original Luddites they will eventually die while the young embrace the change.

 

[Galaxiom]

Fossil fuels have a complex and expensive infrastructure to extract and refine the fuels.

Not to mention the incredibly complex nature of coal fired power plants that tend to fail when they are needed the most.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Energy strapped data centers will drive the direction of new power generation, and if it's renewable that's great. But what ever it is, it can't come fast enough to keep up with the new normal, just sayin.

 

[Cotswold]

Wind farms are actually less vulnerable than fossil fuel and nuclear plants as you need to knock out each turbine. Solar farms are even less vulnerable as each pane would need to be taken out.

Many wind turbines in the United States are on actual working farms.

Whilst it is possible to destroy individual windmills with a drone attack. It is more likely that the onsite substations fed by the windmills would be an easy target.

Solar panels are easy to replace if damaged. Wind turbines are expensive to repair and maintain.

Fossil fuels have a complex and expensive infrastructure to extract and refine the fuels. Oil refineries have been a major target of both sides in the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.

The problem we have in the UK is that we do not make windmills or solar panels. They have to come from China.
As an aside, to date there is no safe way to dispose of solar panels after they fail. In just the same way that a ton and a half of batteries from every EV also have no safe means of disposal. Neither is it at all easy, or even possible to recover rare earth metals from these items.
You are right on windfarms, though. The costs in manufacture, concrete bases and installation are running at a loss for nearly 20 years. By which time they need replacing, or a massive repair and renewal expense. Without subsidy, i.e. tax receipts. In reality they are totally pointless.

It would be a far better use of time and money if we developed ways to reduce fossil fuel consumption using existing engines. Until such a time when new, or different efficient engines are developed. So called NetZero is costing everyone in the UK close to £1,000 a year in tax and surcharges on gas and electricity bills. And today we only produce less than 5% of World emissions. We have reduced our emissions by having just about everything we need abroad but just how doing that reduces our emissions I do not know. You'd need to ask a politician just how that works. Maybe if we banned iPhones our emissions would drop to 2%?

 

[Thales750]

This is truly a disturbing scenario. I can't see it being any 'less' likely with other scenarios, necessarily, but the threat of modern warfare is truly something that can get under your collar easily if you dwell on it. I like Trump's general "peace through strength" thing, although I disagree with just about every individual act he's been taking recently

One of my favorite presidents had a much better version of it.
Speak softly, and carry a big stick.
President Theodore Roosevelt
I added my own little bit to the end .
The idea of the big stick, is to not let the other guy have one.

I think President Trump has no real concept of how to secure the Western Hemisphere. All he is doing is cutting a trail for the Chinese take over of the entire planet.
If you're going to separate the West (like the actual west) from the rest of the world, you oughta start with making friends with your neighbors.

 

[Thales750]

Whilst it is possible to destroy individual windmills with a drone attack. It is more likely that the onsite substations fed by the windmills would be an easy target.

The problem we have in the UK is that we do not make windmills or solar panels. They have to come from China.
As an aside, to date there is no safe way to dispose of solar panels after they fail. In just the same way that a ton and a half of batteries from every EV also have no safe means of disposal. Neither is it at all easy, or even possible to recover rare earth metals from these items.
You are right on windfarms, though. The costs in manufacture, concrete bases and installation are running at a loss for nearly 20 years. By which time they need replacing, or a massive repair and renewal expense. Without subsidy, i.e. tax receipts. In reality they are totally pointless.

It would be a far better use of time and money if we developed ways to reduce fossil fuel consumption using existing engines. Until such a time when new, or different efficient engines are developed. So called NetZero is costing everyone in the UK close to £1,000 a year in tax and surcharges on gas and electricity bills. And today we only produce less than 5% of World emissions. We have reduced our emissions by having just about everything we need abroad but just how doing that reduces our emissions I do not know. You'd need to ask a politician just how that works. Maybe if we banned iPhones our emissions would drop to 2%?

"No safe way"? We have several million square miles of land over here in the US we could bury them in the desert and 5000 years from now archaeologist will be digging them. Even if the Polyester or epoxy resins deteriorate where is gonna go? It's a dessert. Later (before the archeologist find them), they can incinerated them in a plasma field power by fusion reactors.

 

[Isaac]

One of my favorite presidents had a much better version of it.
Speak softly, and carry a big stick.
President Theodore Roosevelt
I added my own little bit to the end .
The idea of the big stick, is to not let the other guy have one.

I think President Trump has no real concept of how to secure the Western Hemisphere. All he is doing is cutting a trail for the Chinese take over of the entire planet.
If you're going to separate the West (like the actual west) from the rest of the world, you oughta start with making friends with your neighbors.

Well said. Speak softly and carry a big stick, the first half of that is lost on Trump. His mouth is his biggest problem. Well, his penis used to be, but I think he's mostly conquered that battle in the interest of professional success. Right now his mouth is his biggest problem and he mistakely thinks the way to be strong is to threaten and coerce everyone, all the time, in all cases. That's so obviously untrue it's mind boggling that he doesn't seem to know that - and he's a full grown adult with a brain!

 

[Isaac]

Economist warns coming financial crisis will make 2008 look like 'Sunday school picnic'

Economist Peter Schiff warns that gold's rally signals a looming U.S. dollar crisis and economic reckoning that could surpass 2008 financial crisis severity.

www.foxbusiness.com

"We depend on the world. They provide us with the goods that we don't produce. They loan us the money we don't save. Trump has it backwards. The world economy doesn't work because of us – our economy works because of the world," Schiff said. "We have a dysfunctional consumer-based credit economy that rests on the foundation of the U.S. dollar's reserve currency status, and the world is now pulling the rug out from under the U.S. The dollar's going to collapse. The dollar is going to be replaced by gold."

 

[Mark_]

I think President Trump has no real concept of how to secure the Western Hemisphere. All he is doing is cutting a trail for the Chinese take over of the entire planet.
If you're going to separate the West (like the actual west) from the rest of the world, you oughta start with making friends with your neighbors.

He may have no idea what he's doing, but his trade war is wrecking their economy. Really hard to keep an economy going when it is designed on small (or no) profit margins and costs keep changing quickly.

 

[Cotswold]

"No safe way"? We have several million square miles of land over here in the US we could bury them in the desert and 5000 years from now archaeologist will be digging them. Even if the Polyester or epoxy resins deteriorate where is gonna go? It's a dessert. Later (before the archeologist find them), they can incinerated them in a plasma field power by fusion reactors.

Problem is that politicians have a short timespan. So they are uninterested in becoming involved in finding a solution to a long term issue.
A typical example is Brexit. When that happened Cameron, the PM at the time resigned. He said that it was now going to be too much hard work completing the transformation away from Europe and he wasn't prepared to do it, or even be involved in any way. So he retired back to his wife's Astor estates and became involved in nothing particularly. Well apart from the odd grouse shoot of course.

 

[Isaac]

Politicians' tenures are something I'm torn about. On the one hand, I love the idea of term limits and a fresh set of eyes every 2-4 years, with NOBODY being a career politician. On the other hand, there is something to be said for the skill you gain in learning how to compromise and get things done that only comes with time. What's the best way to go in the end result? Short term limits and non-career-politicians, or experienced career politicians? I only know they both have pro's and con's.

Twill be the last time I vote for a guy with fake hair tho, that's for sure.

 

[Thales750]

Politicians' tenures are something I'm torn about. On the one hand, I love the idea of term limits and a fresh set of eyes every 2-4 years, with NOBODY being a career politician. On the other hand, there is something to be said for the skill you gain in learning how to compromise and get things done that only comes with time. What's the best way to go in the end result? Short term limits and non-career-politicians, or experienced career politicians? I only know they both have pro's and con's.

Twill be the last time I vote for a guy with fake hair tho, that's for sure.

Without the elimination of Citizens United, our Congress will still be beholden to their masters. So they will be under even more pressure because it will be compressed. Same energy spent, less time = more force.