An observation worth noting … and pondering, from Tam Hunt:
How do we get off oil and other fossil fuels? By working vigorously now to become more energy efficient, conserve more, build massive amounts of renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, etc.) and over the next few decades shift to using electricity to transport people and goods. Energy efficiency and conservation alone can do far more than increased oil production — as recent history has amply demonstrated.
For this transformation away from fossil fuels to happen, we need to educate ourselves on energy. It’s time to learn a new vocabulary and to pay attention to what may seem like arcane facts. These arcane facts are going to become extremely important in the coming years.
The education process does not have to be a burdensome, time-sucking undertaking. What is required is that citizens do more than just accept the talking points offered by preferred media shills. There is plenty of independent information available which offers simple facts and evidence about the state of our energy present and our energy future.
There’s always one side of a story. The trick in educating ourselves is to take a few extra moments and educate ourselves about the second side….
Once that’s part of the inquiry, it becomes readily apparent what facts are being omitted and by whom. Why? is a good follow-up. Answers are not that hard to find, and when the answers to Why? are known, an entirely different perspective is presented.
We’re always free to rule it out for whatever reason. Every choice has consequences. Educating ourselves gives us the best chance of creating and planning for better outcomes than reliance on misinformation or half-truths. Those consequences tend to be much more painful and costly.
For the United States, genuine oil abundance remains a long way away at best – and it would dangerous to forget that.
But the industry doesn't want the public or policymakers to know this because the current belief in abundance tends to slow down an energy transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewables.
That transition must come sooner or later. But the industry would like to see it come later. And, if policymakers are fooled by the abundance story, that transition will almost certainly come later.
Choices….
Adapted from a blog post of mine.
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