I have just watched a presentation by Mark Mills on the absence of any profound energy transition from hydrocarbon fuels, despite the trillions of dollars spent, and on the impossibility of it ever happening. It is worth a view, if you have the time. One hour and sixteen minutes. Of course Mills makes the point that governments are doing and can do untold damage by their quixotic attempts to reach net zero. Chris Bowen is a posterchild for tilting at windmills. A public-spirited suggestion. Tie him down and make him watch the video.
In case you haven’t the time to watch Mills, these numbers which I extracted from Our World in Data make a substantial part of the case. The numbers go from 1985 to 2023, during which time there has been frenetic building of subsidised wind and solar power.
In 1985 the world’s demand for electricity was estimated at 9,753.72 terawatt hours (TWh). By 2023 this had increased to 29,479.05 TWh – a threefold increase. In 1985 coal, oil and gas accounted for 64.4% of electricity generation. In 2023 these fuels accounted for 60.7%.
A small decline in percentage terms, true, but in absolute terms, the quantity of electricity supplied by coal, oil and gas increased by a factor of 2.845. Now, as Elon Musk points out, electric cars and AI will demand a lot of electricity. Leave aside him inflating the demand for EVs, data processing will require lots more electricity, as will those populations in the world who would like to have a better and more comfortable standard of living and more gadgets. And too boot the world’s population is growing.
We can safely look forward to increasing demand for electricity. Will the demand triple over the next 40 years, as it has over the past 40 years? I’d guess the answer is probably yes. Will this require much more coal, oil and gas to be burnt? Indubitably, indisputably, inevitably. Are we therefore destined for a fiery end? Only in the vivid imaginings of climate cultists. We are, however, on a policy-induced painful trajectory, unless reality and commonsense start cutting in quickly.
We are, however, on a policy-induced painful trajectory, unless reality and commonsense start cutting in quickly.
Best of luck with that. Politics and reality have little to do with each other.
Like it or not, the message by itself is IRRELEVANT. It is the individual or entity delivering the message who/which holds the key to the informational content being considered and acted upon. Until ‘our’ side acknowledges this, we are achieving little of consequence. It is pointless moaning ‘It used to be different’ and ‘We used to matter.’
The ENTIRE point of all of this is to separate the peasants from their money and freedom on a global scale. “Right-sizing” the population seems to feature prominently in the eco-nazi playbook, as does the “redistribution of resources.”.
Join the dots.
Start reading what these monsters have planned; : It is all out there,in plain language.
They do not fear “real people”, they DESPISE them.
true Muddy. It is not what is said, but who said it.
Sooner or later they collide.
Pete, I fear that many people don’t know what Hydrocarbons are, and what their importance is to our modern day life. Let’s start small – sneakers, rain hoodies, coverings for mobiles and laptops, synthetic clothing, much of the stuff in your kitchen, microwave components, cell phones, computers etc. Then the big stuff, building materials, fuel for your car, your lawn mower, your power boat, the very road you drive on daily, our defence equipment, satellites and international communications equipment. And don’t forget the many and essential uses in our medical system. From masks to gowns, to cleansing materials to operating equipment and in my case a plastic shunt in my brain that keeps me alive.