“Did you burn that gas, or did you get someone to burn it for ya?”
It’s the centralized vs distributed problem. Are electric plants more efficient producers of electric energy when transmission losses and battery charging losses are considered? Is centralized emissions scrubbing superior to car mounted catalytic converters? Etc.
The analysis is complex, and usually I, as a lay reader, only see the part that favors the talking points of the writer.
The three Laws of Thermodynamics in a nutshell:
1. You cannot win the game.
2. You cannot break even.
3. You cannot quit the game.................😉
Red Badger’s 4th Law:
4. You cannot change the Rules...................