Thread by @homemadeguitars

I came on this thread this morning, and I am sympathetic with it in one way, but in another way it shows the core problem with addressing climate change. Our core problem, the good guys, not the other guys. Our problem.

https://twitter.com/ExtinctionR/status/1460910543146004485

2. Nowhere in this lament for our fossil fuel addiction is any mention of the infrastructure plan.
We literally need more drilling in order to build that fucking highway. Instead of bitching about the oil, how about we bitch about the highway?
No, we all *want* the highway.

3. So we want to oil. So meanin'no offense, but if you're good with the highways, STFU.
We're drilling *for you.*

4. Do you want more solar panels installed?
We're drilling for you.
Do you want more wind turbines built?
We're drilling for you.
Because before we signed all those orders, we were already using fossil fuels as fast as we can produce them worldwide.

5. And all that wonderful new stuff you're all demanding is built with fossil fuels.
So since we were already using all we had, to build more shit we've got to get more fossil fuels to do it.
Pretend all you want, people are still drilling *for our activities.*

6. If you don't want people to drill, change activities first.
The fuel powers the activities. We can't do the activities without the fuel. We're accelerating our total activities.

7. There is this giant global make-believe agreement to talk about accelerating our economy in terms of carbon-free energy, because that's what we're building, is carbon free energy, but that's a global hallucination. The madness of crowds. Somebody tweet the book title. That.

8. There is, today, no significant quantity of carbon-free energy available on planet Earth for use.
The carbon free forms that are at significant levels, nuclear and hydro, come with huge degradation to the biosphere and global ecosystem.

9. They murdered the richest riverine ecosystem on this whole continent when they turned the Missouri River into six huge reservoirs with generating turbines on their downhill end. I spent years fighting that battle. We lost. Carbon-free electricity!
Right.

10. The rest of the river, the lower 553 miles, was turned into a wet superhighway for freight vessels.
But it's not a very good one. Mostly vessels don't use it, except sand diggers.
They turn the sand into solar panels.

11. The global climate activist community is demanding massive increases in production. Millions of high paying union jobs. And everyone is dancing around saying, "It's for the Climate!"
Meanwhile, on the real world, Joe Biden signs oil leases or whatever.
We. Fucking. Insisted.

12. Joe Biden didn't "betray the world." The world is dancing in the aisles. Infrastructure! Electric School Buses! Giant copper cables up and down every road in the entire United States!
Oh, didn't they tell you about EV charging running on copper?
Yeah, welcome to Earth.

13. There is nobody in the world demanding more new high energy manufactured crap than Climate Activists. Nobody.
Well, you got it. Part of it. Just a tiny trifle.
Enjoy it. Wait til you see the whole bill. theguardian.com/environment/20…

14. There is not one voice out there demanding a reduction in speed.
Speed is energy. Acceleration is increased energy. We get it from fossil fuels. It's the only source in the world. That other shit doesn't exist now.

15. It is not possible in the real world to reduce emissions without reducing energy flows. All that crap you're using to do that doesn't exist, and it will require energy to build it.
More energy than we're using now.
Own it, Climate World. You're gaining on getting your way.

16. I hear some allegedly scientific based person talk about this goal being attained through the use of carbon capture and storage technology, and...
Do we have to do this?
It doesn't exist. Nobody knows how to do it. Betting your children's entire life on it is a shitty idea.

17. I've seen friends say that COP26 failed, and it surely didn't succeed at anything except smoke and mirrors and a certain amount of "fuck you we're making money," but what did anyone expect?
They've already told you all the action is in 20 years. Everyone nodded. Yes yes. So -

18. We as a society have two choices:
1: continue to produce and consume fossil fuels at an ever increasing rate, or
2: Slow down.
If you won't slow down, if it's not worth that to you to see fossil fuel use decrease, then -

19. Well, they say, when you have put your hand in the scorpion's den it is foolish to dread the sting.

PS the title to the book I referred to about mass delusions can be found in this excellent novel, but I'm too lazy to go through and find it right now.