Oddbean new post about login | logout I read an article today about how booming the US natural gas industry is right now. I'm really curious when we might start openly talking about how we were never ever going to get rid of fossil fuels with the addition of wind and solar without batteries capable of fully replacing natural gas plants. I need Andrew Dessler (who is not on Nostr) to talk me down from this very pessimistic ledge.
Well, you could be like me and slowly start to challenge your own assumption (the absolutism of fossil fuel use needing to end). That maybe with other major shifts, like methane mitigation that people like nostr:nprofile1qqsglmzzvfrcgk7aymek4e8hxaggc9wmasrag08p37xpx64euddvyyspz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsguunu3 talk about, and shifts in consumption due to hard money that people like nostr:nprofile1qqsg86qcm7lve6jkkr64z4mt8lfe57jsu8vpty6r2qpk37sgtnxevjcpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejsz9rhwden5te0wfjkccte9ejxzmt4wvhxjmcprfmhxue69uhkummnw3ezummjv9hxwetsd9kxctnyv4mqgevlfj talk about, we who have taken the burden of worrying can ease up on ourselves a little and see other perspectives such as human flourishing due to the marvels of fossil fuels. Just food for thought. Cheers!
I hope you come back to reality and realize that while the availability of energy has led to increased standards of living, that fossil fuels are the reason why we are getting worsening hurricanes, flooding, destruction of biodiversity, increased water insecurity that could threaten the entire food system, and more.
Living on 100% renewables does require #batteries but they're not necessarily where you'd expect them to be. Your house / hot water tank are #heat batteries. Wood stacked for burning is a battery. #Electric vehicles are batteries capable of running the house for weeks. Waiting for #wind or #solar to be available, working with #Mother Nature instead of an always on existence makes stopping burning Fossil Fuels/ #renewables achievable.
You left nuclear energy out of your condiderations.