Tadasuke wrote: ↑Wed Jun 22, 2022 9:06 pm
If USA doesn't extract oil and gas, then Russia will. We can thank Americans for emboldening Russians to start a war by not extracting and selling enough gas and oil. Sorry, but we need gas to heat our houses and workplaces (for transportation too) and we need oil for transportation. It's China and India who will emit the most CO2, not USA btw. But again, some people don't look at these things realistically. We don't currently have such a thing as clean energy. The best is nuclear, but for some reason there's not enough nuclear reactors.
I am not totally sure that I follow your argument. So, if I am misstating your position or otherwise not understanding you correctly, please clarify.
Yes, "we need oil for transportation" but that is only because we have not completed the transition to electric vehicles. That transition includes being able to plug into a green grid. Meaning one that is exclusively powered by renewables such as solar, wind, and yes even someday fusion. (I omit fission because of the nuclear waste problems associated with that energy source).
China and India are doing more than their part to upgrade their economies by use of renewables. If you look at energy consumption on a per capita basis, your argument about who emits the most simply doesn't hold up.
If somebody in your neighborhood is abusing drugs, do you say to yourself, "gosh, I am missing out on what might be a cool experience. So, I am going to go out and abuse drugs myself"?
Not just some light experimentation, but all out addiction level with all of its negative side-affects?
That is kind of what you are implying. Others are being irresponsible, so we should also be irresponsible. Which, of course, has led to an extremely reckless course in which people are needlessly dying in famines, extreme weather events, and so on and so forth.
Regarding nuclear, there are safety concerns. So much so that safety precautions have led to nuclear pricing itself out of the market.
It is like when the nuclear industry required subsidies to get started, good old Uncle Sam came forth with the required capital investment subsidies. Regardless of environmental consequences. Regardless of the cost issues associated with running those facilities. Then solar and wind came along and it was "no subsidies for them because we have already so much invested in nuclear and fossil fuel and they now finance our political campaigns. You will just have to compete in the market place with everybody else. Of course, we will continue our subsidies to carbon based industries on account of those campaign contributions." Then solar and wind became competitive and its "why those poor people in the carbon based and nuclear industries. How dare they be made to compete with solar and wind."
Meantime, the planet is being brought to a broil. Wake up people.