Comments on: Significant GHG Reductions are Necessary During the Coming Decade, Says Princeton University https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2020/12/19/significant-reductions-are-necessary-during-the-coming-decade-says-princeton-university/ Just another WordPress site Wed, 14 Feb 2024 02:06:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Mary Wildfire https://www.frackcheckwv.net/2020/12/19/significant-reductions-are-necessary-during-the-coming-decade-says-princeton-university/#comment-343668 Mary Wildfire Sat, 19 Dec 2020 14:16:29 +0000 http://www.frackcheckwv.net/?p=35552#comment-343668 The study was partially funded by Exxon and BP. Maybe that explains some things... although most studies today have the flaws of this one, most importantly the assumption that we MUST supply every desired watt of electricity instantly at all costs, that we must be able to drive 70 MPH whenever we please, that the grid cannot be downsized or distributed. One question: if "we" need to invest trillions in making this transition happen fast enough, do "we" then own the generation facilities -- or do we assume that utilities must be handed working parts to charge us for the electricity therefrom, just as WE pay for drug research and then the results are handed to a drug company to charge US as much as they please, often ten times the cost or more? This sort of thing is one reason I believe -- and so do most activists --that averting climate catastrophe is not compatible with continued capitalism. A tremendous buildout of vehicles that are just like today's ICE vehicles only electric, will cost a lot of environmental harm in things like lithium mining, as well as the energy cost -- that energy HAS to come from fossil fuels as we don't yet have enough renewables to power the current grid let alone also power an enormous buildout of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles. We will survive if we can grow up and get over the adolescent notion that it's heroic to refuse to accept limits. The study was partially funded by Exxon and BP. Maybe that explains some things… although most studies today have the flaws of this one, most importantly the assumption that we MUST supply every desired watt of electricity instantly at all costs, that we must be able to drive 70 MPH whenever we please, that the grid cannot be downsized or distributed.

One question: if “we” need to invest trillions in making this transition happen fast enough, do “we” then own the generation facilities — or do we assume that utilities must be handed working parts to charge us for the electricity therefrom, just as WE pay for drug research and then the results are handed to a drug company to charge US as much as they please, often ten times the cost or more?

This sort of thing is one reason I believe — and so do most activists –that averting climate catastrophe is not compatible with continued capitalism.

A tremendous buildout of vehicles that are just like today’s ICE vehicles only electric, will cost a lot of environmental harm in things like lithium mining, as well as the energy cost — that energy HAS to come from fossil fuels as we don’t yet have enough renewables to power the current grid let alone also power an enormous buildout of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles.

We will survive if we can grow up and get over the adolescent notion that it’s heroic to refuse to accept limits.

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