March 19, 2022 Francis Menton @ Manhattan Contrarian
As you undoubtedly know, back in January 2021 newly-inaugurated President Biden ordered the entire federal bureaucracy into full-battle mode in the crusade to suppress production and use of fossil fuels, aka “carbon emissions” (or maybe “climate pollution”). From Biden’s January 27, 2021 Executive Order (“Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad”):
It is the policy of my Administration to organize and deploy the full capacity of its agencies to combat the climate crisis to implement a Government-wide approach that reduces climate pollution in every sector of the economy. . . .
And thus we have every federal agency, under orders from the boss, whether or not its statutory mission has anything to do with “climate,” diligently devising schemes to outdo the other agencies in the fossil fuel suppression game. It’s not just EPA scheming to force closure of perfectly good power plants, but also Interior imposing a “moratorium” on oil and gas leasing on federal lands and offshore; and FERC putting out new standards of review to make it impossible for any new gas pipeline to get approved; and the Department of Energy imposing costly new efficiency standards on mobil homes; and even the Federal Reserve promising to make life difficult for banks that lend to fossil fuel producers; and the SEC imposing new and costly “climate” disclosure requirements on issuers; and on and on.
And now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, add the goal for both the U.S. and Europe of rapidly reducing purchases of oil and gas from Russia. Surely then the government-wide war against fossil fuels must at least be put on hold or slowed for some period.
If you think that, you are not thinking like a true-believing climate crusader. On March 14, with the recent energy price spike reaching crisis levels, Biden gave a speech to a DNC fundraiser in Washington where he doubled down on his fossil-fuel-suppression promises. Actually, it was worse than that. Biden, in his usual eloquent way, promised to end “fossil fuel dependency” by aggressive build-out of so-called “renewables.” From the official White House transcript of the event:
Imagine where we’d be right now if, in fact, Europe was in fact energy- free of fossil fuels and was — we were in a situation where — (coughs) — excuse me — where — where we — it was all renewables. It’d be a different world. And — and so, we have to get off the dependency on fossil fuels . . . . I mean, literally, not figuratively — meaning both here [U.S.] and there [Europe]. And the dependence of Europe on fossil fuels is — way exceeds any dependence we have. And so, it’s not an immediate solution to the crisis, but it’s all about the future if we were to change the fossil fuel dependency.
So Biden — who appears to be completely unaware that the intermittent renewables cannot replace fossil fuels without massive amounts of battery or other storage that are totally unaffordable and don’t even exist as a technological matter — keeps the government-wide fossil fuel suppression campaign going at full tilt.
If wind and solar don’t work without fossil fuel backup, and we are to have an intentionally-imposed shortage of the fossil fuels courtesy of government orders, what is the result? We have come to the place where a government command economy always leads: obviously, you must rein in your comfortable lifestyle, peasant. Yesterday the UN’s International Energy Agency came out with its “10 Point Plan to Cut Oil Use.” The key message is that only by your reducing your excessive consumption can we “pave the way” to putting oil use on “a more sustainable path”:
In the face of the emerging global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the IEA’s 10-Point Plan to Cut Oil Use proposes 10 actions that can be taken to reduce oil demand with immediate impact – and provides recommendations for how those actions can help pave the way to putting oil demand onto a more sustainable path in the longer term.
The UN geniuses think that they have come up with ways that almost effortlessly can reduce oil consumption by some 2.7 million barrels per day. (Since oil consumption is currently running about 97 million barrels/day worldwide, this would come to less than a 3% reduction.). So what exactly do they have in mind? It’s a medley of great ideas from the good socialists. Here is a sample:
Reduce speed limits on highways by at least 10 km/h. Your time has no value in the coming utopia.
Work from home up to three days a week where possible. Note that this will be by government order, rather than by your choice.
Car-free Sundays in cities. Did you think you were going to take your kids to the zoo on Sunday? Think again.
Make the use of public transport cheaper and incentivise micro-mobility, walking and cycling. It’s bicycles for you in January from now on. Remember, it’s to save the planet!
Alternate private car access to roads in large cities. This is one of my favorites. “Alternative access” means that use of roads by private cars will be restricted “to those with even number-plates some weekdays and to those with odd-numbered plates on other weekdays.” Do you have a deadline you need to meet by the 15th? Too bad, you cannot use your car that day.
It goes on and on from there. All items on the list constitute serious reductions in your freedoms, and to save a big 3% of oil use. Oh, and by the way these reductions are only to come from the 47 million barrels/day of oil usage (out of the total of 97 million) that occur in the “advanced economies.” After all, we wouldn’t want the likes of China to have to contribute to the sacrifice.
And if you want someone to go one better than even the UN in the category of insufferable condescension toward ordinary people, try Bloomberg. Over at Bloomberg CityLab on March 15, they have a big piece calling on the federal government at this time of energy shortage to go all in on promoting electric bicycles:
Every time an e-bike or e-cargo bike is used lieu of a car, society receives a cascade of benefits. Greenhouse gas emissions are dramatically lower, even if the car being replaced is electric. A two-wheeler consumes little street space and poses a negligible safety risk to other road users. And even with the motor providing some of the muscle, the cyclist will receive a surprisingly good workout.
You will recognize Mike Bloomberg as one of the true world champions of travel by private jet. From the Daily Caller, February 5, 2021:
Bloomberg . . . took nearly 1,700 trips in private jets over a four year period from August 2016 to August 2020, a Business Insider analysis claimed. Those 1700 trips are responsible for emitting at least 10,000 metric tons of CO2, Business Insider reported. To put the level of those emissions in perspective, a standard car emits about 4.6 metric tons of CO2 per year. . . .
But just think, you can reduce your car’s 4.6 metric tons of CO2 emissions down to maybe 2 metric tons by switching over to an electric bike under government coercion. It’s the least you can do “for the planet.” Mike will keep his fleet of private jets, thank you.
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