After a contentious battle, Biden has signed a major bill addressing climate change. Regardless of how it is being touted, it is rather insignificant in really dealing with the global changes in our climate. As one person has said, it is the equivalent of losing 10 pounds when you need to lose 100. The climate crisis is not a singular event that will magically happen at some specific date in the future. It is an evolving process that has been in play since civilization started burning fossil fuels on a large scale, and we are in a period where we are just beginning to experience the exponentially growing impacts on the environment and society. Sea rise, droughts, flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, and such are becoming more extreme, and science has warned us that those extremes will only intensify as time goes on. Regardless of what we do as a nation or a global community to reduce emissions and CO2 in our atmosphere, the lag time before those processes make a difference will doom us into a rapidly changing economic, social, political, and environmental quality future. No, we will not “destroy” our environment, but will continue to change it, forcing us to spend enormous resources on all our infrastructure to survive. Things will be very different. The minority of us living in the developed world will adapt, while most of the poor and less well-off will bear the brunt, as we are beginning to see today.
The bright spot in the bill just passed is a recognition of the value of renewable energy, and one of the largest investments in its development and deployment. Too little, and too late; but at least, a move in the right direction. The fossil fuel industry does not “disappear” but in essence, does not lose much ground. The promise of carbon capture will prove to be a squandering of money and resources which will make a small dent in our solutions. The nuclear industry continues its myth of being economically necessary and viable will also be too little too late.
So, the United States muddles along with many believing we have solved the climate problem, while some continue to fight whatever progress we have made. Again, ignorance and greed at the hands of just a few condemn us and future generations to much misery and grief. I am optimistic that at some point “something” will trigger a major change in the political game, but until then, as Greta has said: “blah,blah,blah,blah!!!!”
Outside of the political arena, things are much brighter. Renewables are slowly overtaking the old school fossil fuel and nuclear technologies, and will expand with increased growth. Putin’s war, in spite of its catastrophic consequences, has spurred Europe and other countries dependent on Russian oil and gas to look at other options for fuel. The winner appears to be HYDROGEN and the recognition that this fuel can eventually replace fossil fuels, and be utilized in transportation, industry, energy storage, and residential and commercial applications, as well as the major advantage that it can be locally manufactured with a variety of renewables. Regional manufacturing of hydrogen can be easily distributed via truck, ship, rail, pipeline…many of the same infrastructure technologies used for fossil fuel, but not dependent on foreign blackmail or huge processing and transportation costs. There is hydrogen in water everywhere, there are renewables everywhere, and the ultimate waste product is water. Countries with abundant solar, wind, and other renewables will benefit in so many ways from hydrogen production and export. It is much cleaner and safer than moving crude oil, gasoline, or liquified natural gas. This boom is just starting, a little late, but is on the front burners in Europe, Australia, China, and even Greece! Even the nuclear industry hints at “RED” hydrogen production. The climate bill just barely mentions it. Again, we are sitting with our heads in the sand (or maybe underwater) while the status quo continues to suck off our energy dollars. Where have all those record profits year after year disappeared to?
Interesting news for Humboldt Bay regarding the wind project and hydrogen-powered regional buses. It is all starting here, as we have always been at the forefront of renewable and environmental technologies. More on this later.
One closing note…I recently talked to someone I’ve known for quite a while…retired, a competent musician, etc. We somehow got on the energy subject, and he said that there was not enough sun/solar power to meet our energy needs, and the only real solution was to build small nuclear power plants on the moon and microbeam the electricity to us down here on earth. It solves so many problems. He heard all this from an energy expert on NPR. I mentioned Hydrogen, was met with a questioning look and we moved on to talk about the 49ers and Seahawks. Kind of says it all.
Let the sun shine, and the wind blow, and the earth keep spinning! It’s all about the future.
Just a tiny sample of what I am reading about:
