Posted on 11/24/2022 4:21:47 AM PST by FarCenter
Despite all the renewable-energy investments and installations, actual global greenhouse gas emissions keep increasing. That’s largely due to economic growth: While renewable energy supplies have expanded in recent years, world energy usage has ballooned even more – with the difference being supplied by fossil fuels.
The more the world economy grows, the harder it is for additions of renewable energy to turn the tide by actually replacing energy from fossil fuels, rather than just adding to it.
The notion of voluntarily reining in economic growth in order to minimize climate change and make it easier to replace fossil fuels is political anathema not just in the rich countries, whose people have gotten used to consuming at extraordinarily high rates, but even more so in poorer countries, which have been promised the opportunity to “develop.”
After all, it is the rich countries that have been responsible for the great majority of past emissions (which are driving climate change currently); indeed, these countries got rich largely by the industrial activity of which carbon emissions were a byproduct. Now it is the world’s poorest nations that are experiencing the brunt of the impacts of climate change caused by the world’s richest.
It’s neither sustainable nor just to perpetuate the exploitation of land, resources and labor in the less industrialized countries, as well as historically exploited communities in the rich countries, to maintain both the lifestyles and expectations of further growth of the wealthy minority.
From the perspective of people in less industrialized nations, it’s natural to want to consume more, which only seems fair. But that translates to more global economic growth, and a harder time replacing fossil fuels with renewables globally.
China is the exemplar of this conundrum: Over the past three decades, the world’s most populous nation lifted hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty, but in the process became the world’s biggest producer and consumer of coal.
The materials dilemma
Also posing an enormous difficulty for a societal switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is the increasing need for minerals and metals. The World Bank, the International Energy Agency, the International Monetary Fund, and McKinsey and Company have all issued reports in the last couple of years warning of this growing problem.
Vast quantities of minerals and metals will be required not just for making solar panels and wind turbines, but also for batteries, electric vehicles, and new industrial equipment that runs on electricity rather than carbon-based fuels.
Some of these materials are already showing signs of increasing scarcity: According to the World Economic Forum, the average cost of producing copper has risen by more than 300% in recent years, while copper ore grade has dropped by 30%.
Optimistic assessments of the materials challenge suggest there are enough global reserves for a one-time build-out of all the new devices and infrastructure needed (assuming some substitutions, with, for example, lithium for batteries eventually being replaced by more abundant elements like iron). But what is society to do as that first generation of devices and infrastructure ages and requires replacement?
It’s working. It is crippling the West. As intended .
It was never designed to work it was designed to kill the west
Nobody outside of the First World is stupid enough to slit their own throats economically tilting at windmills like this.
China is by far the largest carbon emitter on earth and that is only set to grow. China is adding more coal fired power plants than America and Europe combined even have.
So the entire thing in the West is utterly useless anyway even if it did make sense - which it doesn’t. You would know these people were serious if they would support nuclear energy - but no. They’re opposed to that too. The Gaia Worshipers are systematically opposed to anything that actually works.
Fission nuclear is the only feasible way forward until fusion is developed.
However, I’d project that only a few highly centralized countries will successfully implement it.
Complete B.S.
There is no increased impact caused by climate change.
It is a lie.
bttt
“Gaia Worshipers are systematically opposed to anything that actually works.”
Solution, plandemic 2.0
Well, obviously, that will have to cease.
President Xi is making a hard left turn towards Maoism.
China growth is ebbing and will cease under the new communism being imposed.
Real estate development and new construction was th primary growth engine. That is now not only over but in demolition mode. Growth is thus negative
and hot summers and cold winters here in Upstate NY....
You mean they're trying to dupe us??
And their first line of attack are the school children...who obediently wear their green shirts....but still want mom and dad to drive them everywhere....
Follow the money.
Here’s my question...as they remove co2 from the atmosphere...what elements will replace the void?
Money is an important part, but the biggest part is political power, and power over the flow of information.
a gallon of gas in the hands of the “wrong people” is becoming too threatening for the.01%...who think that gallon belongs to them ..
Exactly. Just like every other leftist agenda, it gets repeated ad nauseum until everyone knows “the truth.” The articles are always light on facts and high on appeals to “authority.”
Climate change is a fraud. Man cannot control climate. Only GOD can.
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