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In a world that is apparently getting both warmer and colder because of global warming, how is it that we can increasingly rely on non-dispatchable (i.e., intermittent, usually unavailable), weather-dependent electricity from wind and solar plants to displace, not just supplement, dispatchable (i.e., baseload, almost always available) coal, gas, and nuclear power? In other words, if our weather is becoming less predictable, how is it that a consuming economy like ours can, or should even try, predictably rely on weather-dependent resources? //
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Climate change is a global issue, so how is it that we can claim climate benefits for unilateral climate policy. For example, U.S. gasoline cars constitute just 3% of global CO2 emissions, so how will getting rid of them impact climate change? //
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How on Earth could anybody expect those in Africa and the other horrifically poor nations to “get off fossil fuels” when the rich countries haven’t come close to doing it.
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- But, perhaps I’m most confused about the whole air quality thing. The obsession over it gets attached to all energy policies. But there’s clearly a strawman to the “we need cleaner air now” demand. First, the air quality conversation in the U.S. reminds me of Voltaire’s “the perfect is the enemy of good.” Americans seem completely unaware how drastically our air quality has improved. Check data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), our criteria pollutants have been plummeting over the past many decades. //
Clyde Spencer
Reply to
KevinM
May 23, 2023 7:45 pm
… statisticians should be fined for associating life expectancy gains with any factor at all.
There is general agreement that the availability of soap (better hygiene) was an important factor in increasing longevity. Also, the control of bacterial infections with antibiotics, and the dramatic reduction of fatal childhood diseases, resulting from vaccinations, played an important role. Additionally, the availability of affordable, effective insect screening, along with programs to reduce mosquito breeding areas did a lot to reduce malaria in the US. There were many factors, most correlated with economy of scale made possible by inexpensive energy.