I don't know this for sure, but I'd bet that the world's capacity to build renewable energy conversion devices - solar panels & wind turbines in particular - I'd bet the factories are all running flat out, pedal the metal, all they can produce.
We know for sure that China,
We know for sure that China,
2. The world's leading producer of solar panels, is adding new coal generation plants almost non-stop because demand for their manufactured products is greater than they have the energy supply to serve.
Build new plants.
Coal is cheap.
Walmart likes cheap. America likes cheap.
Build new plants.
Coal is cheap.
Walmart likes cheap. America likes cheap.
3. Everybody yells at the fossil fuel companies and blames them that nobody started building renewables large scale 40 years ago.
40 years ago we were worrying about acid rain. I was 34.
Fossil Fuel Corporations don't build *anything.*
They take orders from customers for fuel,
40 years ago we were worrying about acid rain. I was 34.
Fossil Fuel Corporations don't build *anything.*
They take orders from customers for fuel,
4. And they ship it.
End of story.
Yeah, the same people as own the fossil fuel industry also own the media, which pretty well defines the terms of the public conversation, but they can't change facts. We buy the fuel. There is no thing in our entire lives which does not have
End of story.
Yeah, the same people as own the fossil fuel industry also own the media, which pretty well defines the terms of the public conversation, but they can't change facts. We buy the fuel. There is no thing in our entire lives which does not have
5. fossil fuel imbedded in it.
This is the simplest and most obvious fact in the world. We make stuff by applying energy to matter, stage after stage, starting where that matter is an imbedded portion of Earth, iron ore, sand (for solar panels), lithium - copper, oil, corn,
This is the simplest and most obvious fact in the world. We make stuff by applying energy to matter, stage after stage, starting where that matter is an imbedded portion of Earth, iron ore, sand (for solar panels), lithium - copper, oil, corn,
6. Carbon tax. Do you want a carbon tax?
OK, it is impossible to buy any product which doesn't have carbon in it. Including, but not limited to, carbon emissions at 22 pounds per gallon of gasoline, so - how ever much you want everything in the world to go up in price, tax there.
OK, it is impossible to buy any product which doesn't have carbon in it. Including, but not limited to, carbon emissions at 22 pounds per gallon of gasoline, so - how ever much you want everything in the world to go up in price, tax there.
7. We have one way to reduce our emissions, and we will never reduce our emissions without doing something specific to do that.
Reduce energy throughput.
Energy can be - everyone knows this, right? - neither created nor destroyed. We find stored energy as high density somewhere,
Reduce energy throughput.
Energy can be - everyone knows this, right? - neither created nor destroyed. We find stored energy as high density somewhere,
8. And we begin a process wherein we convert that energy - in the case of fossil fuels - into heat, use the heat to cause motion, use the motion to do work.
No matter what we make, we move energy around in the process.
The bigger the thing we make the more energy it takes.
No matter what we make, we move energy around in the process.
The bigger the thing we make the more energy it takes.
9. At each conversion above - from oil / coal / methane to heat, from heat to motion, from motion to work output - at each stage there are losses. Energy is rejected, as the scientists say, but as an example, the noise tires make on the highway is energy. It was rejected as work.
10. We know, to a pretty close number, how much total energy we push through our economy, where it came from, how much was rejected.
I eat. I work. I defecate. My feces are rejected energy. Everything works that way.
Here's our energy in 2019, in real numbers from a respected
I eat. I work. I defecate. My feces are rejected energy. Everything works that way.
Here's our energy in 2019, in real numbers from a respected
11. source. Lawrence Livermore National Labs.
Energy as we find it - what we call sources - are on the left.
By a handy coincidence the whole energy appetite of the US in 2019 was pretty near 100 of something (quads), so that means we can do rough percentages in our heads.
Energy as we find it - what we call sources - are on the left.
By a handy coincidence the whole energy appetite of the US in 2019 was pretty near 100 of something (quads), so that means we can do rough percentages in our heads.
12. The pink boxes are "uses" or "consumers" of energy. Why we started this chain. Transportation, industry, commerce, and living at home.
The orange box is electricity. Electricity isn't a source of energy, it's a transporter of energy.
So we have it in the middle a lot.
The orange box is electricity. Electricity isn't a source of energy, it's a transporter of energy.
So we have it in the middle a lot.
13. The vast majority of electricity in the United States is generated by moving coils of wire relative to magnetic fields. Spin something. So, mostly we spin it with heat engines powered by burning fossil fuels.
We convert 37 quads of energy to 12.7 quads of electricity.
We convert 37 quads of energy to 12.7 quads of electricity.
Of the 37 quads in, 10.2 is coal, 11.7 is natural methane, 8.5 is from the heat of nuclear fission, 2½ comes from dams, dead riverine ecosystems, 1/37th is solar power, 2.73 is wind.
That's where electricity comes from.
One of the plans is to drastically, starting right now,
That's where electricity comes from.
One of the plans is to drastically, starting right now,
15. Increase the load on the electricity system by transferring <ideally all> of transportation over into it.
All the wind turbine and solar panel factories on Earth are running at capacity today. It's a seller's market. We're going to take the big green box on the bottom,
All the wind turbine and solar panel factories on Earth are running at capacity today. It's a seller's market. We're going to take the big green box on the bottom,
16. And we're going to plunk that load, the big green fat line that runs across the bottom, onto the current electric grid.
Onto the orange stripe out.
Onto the orange stripe out.
17. Now: electric motors are inherently more efficient than heat engines. They obtain work with a smaller percentage of rejected energy. Heat engines are very inefficient, but driving is an inefficient process too. Speeding up and slowing down are both energy wasters. Brakes are.
18. You ride with a cheapskate like me, I hate to use my brakes. I'll back off throttle way in advance, coast to a halt.
Pushing down your brake pedal is buying gasoline for the purpose of heating up your brake disks. Let 'em stay cold.
But I digress.
Pushing down your brake pedal is buying gasoline for the purpose of heating up your brake disks. Let 'em stay cold.
But I digress.
19. When the day comes when the nations of the world give one microscopic shit about climate change, they will immediately agree on speed reduction.
It's the only place you can get a grip on it.
People are getting rid of incandescent light bulbs.
Look at the orange band.
Then,
It's the only place you can get a grip on it.
People are getting rid of incandescent light bulbs.
Look at the orange band.
Then,
20. Look at the green band.
I'm talking about taking a hunk out of the green band bigger than the whole damn orange band put together.
I'm talking about, fuck the damn government, do this from the bottom. Make a statement. Whittle at the green band.
Slow down.
I'm talking about taking a hunk out of the green band bigger than the whole damn orange band put together.
I'm talking about, fuck the damn government, do this from the bottom. Make a statement. Whittle at the green band.
Slow down.
21. OK, so we got the green box, green band, pink box, and out the far side, dark gray and light gray.
Work and lost energy.
The slower you go, the bigger the dark one gets relative to the light one.
Your transportation module wastes less energy.
Work and lost energy.
The slower you go, the bigger the dark one gets relative to the light one.
Your transportation module wastes less energy.
22. But that's not going to be enough.
I can't express the degree to which viewing a future, non ecosystem destroying, human society, based on an image of "mostly like now but slower" - no, that's not the goal. I can't tell you what it might look like. But all the energy must ♻️
I can't express the degree to which viewing a future, non ecosystem destroying, human society, based on an image of "mostly like now but slower" - no, that's not the goal. I can't tell you what it might look like. But all the energy must ♻️
23. There are no such things as body wastes. If we're not figuring out ways to return our effluent to the land we're living too densely. Wrong.
We actually need to act like we believe science, instead of saying we do and trotting out technology that clearly requires ignoring
We actually need to act like we believe science, instead of saying we do and trotting out technology that clearly requires ignoring
24. 75 percent of the science.
The statement "we cannot continue to emit CO2 at anything like current rates" is true.
The statement, "All we have to do to solve climate change is develop emissions-free energy" is false.
100% of the effort towards renewable energy is wasted.
The statement "we cannot continue to emit CO2 at anything like current rates" is true.
The statement, "All we have to do to solve climate change is develop emissions-free energy" is false.
100% of the effort towards renewable energy is wasted.
25. 100% of the energy throughput daily to manufacture renewable energy devices is unnecessary emissions and serves only to harm humanity and the world we depend on.
We - and really, it almost has to start in America - we need a grassroots, worldwide, slowdown in everything.
We - and really, it almost has to start in America - we need a grassroots, worldwide, slowdown in everything.
26. If we don't break this machine, and break it damn quick, it's gonna get ugly.
That's based on today as "not ugly," which may be stretching a point.
That's based on today as "not ugly," which may be stretching a point.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
