Thank you once again for your thoughtful comments. My take: If stopping Putin’s slaughter of innocent citizens in Ukraine requires that the West stop buying Russian old and gas, then we have a moral obligation to do so.
It’s also in our own interest. If Putin is victorious in Ukraine, all other nations bordering Russia, whether NATO members or not (Finland, Sweden, and Japan, for example) would be endangered. And we would have been complicit in cowing to a strongman who is contemptuous of democracy and the rule of law -- and encouraging other similar strongmen around the world (including our homegrown Donald Trump).
The third reason we must stop oil and gas purchases is that our planet is only one small step away from destruction by CO2 emissions. We should use this crisis to permanently wean ourselves off oil and gas, and shift to renewable sources of energy.
But what about the costs? I suggest we remind ourselves of how we dealt with the sacrifices entailed in World War 2. Then, we rationed scarce supplies. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it did spread the sacrifices over many, regardless of wealth. We also used price controls. And we encouraged countless small ways to save money, such as “victory gardens.”
The point is we are in two wars right now, both embodied by Russian oil and gas – a war to preserve democracy and liberty, and a war to save the planet. Either would justify much sacrifice to win. Together, they represent the great moral and political test of our time.
"The point is we are in two wars right now, both embodied by Russian oil and gas – a war to preserve democracy and liberty, and a war to save the planet.'
In my view there are serious differences between the two. Ukraine is is fighting for its very survival, a battle it could lose a few months from now. We are not in this war, excepts as
providers of weaponry, and as enforcers of banking and trade choke holds on Russia. To us, regardless of the intense 24/7 news coverage, the war is an abstraction, them vs them in a country we never paid much attention to, and with no blood in the game. The sacrifice will be invisible to the rich, an annoyance to the middle class, and quite harsh on the poor.
On the other hand Russia has lost thousands of troops in the war, and has gotten quite a bloody nose all around. My guess is that Putin can squeeze more sacrifice out of his country. Possibly enough to have his way with Ukraine. That country is the real sacrifice, caught in that cold war meat grinder that has no on-off switch, and doomed to go it alone because of the reasonable fear of precipitating nuclear war.
Hard to take the global warming war seriously in the US when almost half the voters worship a politician that has claimed its nothing but a Chinese hoax.
Disclaimer: I am no policy analyst, nor speculative commodities trader, nor so well off that future price surges can be met with my same recent shrug at the pump (still driving a hybrid for lack of electric vehicle option for our still car centric location).
It is truly galling every time a US news reporter tries to assert the fatigue of the American public re: Covid-19 pandemic. Whether they say it is because of mask recommendations or distancing protocols they rarely center the idea that we are really in a battle to save each other’s lives. In reality we are (seemingly) sleepwalking into battle to save our democracy and the real freedoms threatened by authoritarians who are all too eager to sweep everything away.
In the face of Ukrainian sacrifice and fascistic Russian aggression / crimes against humanity, how do we dare continue to fund the enemy while simultaneously helping resupply Ukraine? How do we tolerate domestic BigOil profiteering or Putin apologists like my senators as they ignorantly demand Biden produce more gas and oil?
Pain now or even more unmitigated pain later? … when we’ll have no chance of recouping the lost investment alternatives that today’s greener choices could have met?
This is the full failure of our PDA/SM/entertainment culture … and the attendant self-focused leadership in many in executive roles of government and business who seem smitten with easy kleptocracy.
Well said Leslie. Hypocrisy squared ? How do we live with that and what clear eyed history says about us in the near future ? Free bread and circus's... how to wake the entertained among us about the 5th column within ? Where in hades is the vaunted 4th estate ? Quite a pickle we find ourselves in. Thx for your thoughts and evidence for me that hopefully many more of us are awake. ~
We have to bite the bullet. We must not allow the fear of less oil to give licence for more drilling, and we must stop financing this bloody war/ genocide. Sadly, if climate realists had been listened to twenty years ago, or less, we would not have been so dependent. Unfortunately, Germany's promotion of good relations with Putin, the Nordstrom pipeline project and enormous reliance on their fuel has put it in a particularly vulnerable position. We in Europe must support Germany to mitigate the effect of a cut off, but it will be hard to get agreement from all countries, especially Hungary, which finds itself caught between two stools. America must help, too. Is petrol (gas) rationing so far-fetched? Simple to apply quickly, substantial effect immediately.
I realise that the political landscape of the mid-terms is an issue, but I think perhaps playing hardball will appeal to (nearly) all factions
You drill for food? Or is the prospect of not being able to eat because of high food prices caused by high production costs and delivery of food that will cause weight loss?
Oil consumption is embedded in transportation of food, plastic packaging (including the "forever" plastic bags some carry home), fuel for farm machinery to grow and harvest our food, etc. Perhaps a victory garden at home might be a good idea all around. Grow food, not grass!
If you are worried about the high cost of fuel because of banning oil imports there should be help for those who will have hardship getting food. I was not discounting any concern you or others might have.
The Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) estimates that Germany has the potential to increase production of deep geothermal energy from the current 1.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of climate-neutral heat per year to 100 TWh of heat per year by 2050. And the think tank Agora Energiewende argues that the number of shallow geothermal units, which use ground-source heat, should rise from 420,000 to 2.5 to 3 million. Multiply that by the rest of the EU.
Micron now invokes new nuclear technology. NYT. The announcement represented an about-face for Mr. Macron, who had previously pledged to reduce France’s reliance on nuclear power but has pivoted to burnishing an image as a pronuclear president battling climate change as he faces a tough re-election bid in April.
“What our country needs is the rebirth of France’s nuclear industry,” Mr. Macron said at a nuclear turbine factory in the industrial city of Belfort in eastern France as throngs of workers and political officials gathered around. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he added.
There are potentially potent ways of messaging to actually take back the argument from the Republicans’ talking points (to which we generally capitulate). Think of FDR speeches from 1932 through to the start of our involvement in the war for inspiration…
One of the best ways to hide from GOP onslaughts is to tell oneself that they are "immature" "children" "brats" etc. They are fully grown adults. They are not going to be spanked or sent to their rooms without dinner. Know this.
Cyrano, I’m not sure I completely follow your thread of thinking in this reply. I certainly don’t thing of the far-right faction that has seized control of GOP as children.
My argument is rather that their political opposition (D’s in America) mostly do an inexcusably poor job of seizing moments to say what they are FOR. Indeed, in order for one to marshal the masses, one must lead with shared values, call out the villains who (or their policies that) stop the realization of said values and how, finally closing with one’s assertion of a better vision, or future, if we could work together to achieve said aim.
This is true. I'm impatient with those who call the far-right "babies" etc. Many people do dismiss Trump and Co. as "brats" "spoiled children." etc. That's a cop-out. And Democrats can certainly do a better job of being "grown ups," if that's what one calls progressives.
The presidential election was held in November of 2020, and still we hear of millions of Republicans as well as Republican Politicians believe that Trump won the presidential election. Trump is still going around the country preaching the good news that he won the election but that it was stolen from him. Who are the ones behaving like children? In society we have people from all walks of life and from all political persuasion that are behaving like spoiled children. No one who knows the human psychic expects those who act like children to realize the fact that they are acting like spoil kids. Therefore, why even try to reason with them.
If the Democrats are actually representing their constituents, instead of those from whom they take campaign money, they are grown ups or progressives and doing their jobs.
Who is more willing to accept the sacrifice, the US and countries without a ready alternative to the carbon, which are not shedding a drop of blood in this war, or the (conned) Russians who have lost thousands of soldiers? While waiting for the answer, Putin can flatten the whole country. Besides it's really those poor souls on the economic margins, hanging by their fingernails, that will absorb the real suffering.
My point exactly. Also why I think the EU should take lead in the conflict. However, I think that in order to avert a complete disaster, we may eventually be forced to begin unilaterally supplying the planes and tanks the Ukes are begging us for, while at the same time putting Putin on notice that our nuclear arsenal is on alert and pointed >directly at him,< should he wish to play the nuclear card.
I remember back during Cuba, how my family spent the weekend with relatives in the country having an "end of the world" party. The message is that nuclear chicken is nothing new. We just haven't potentially visible in some time. The question we need to ask is if we care that much about the Ukes. >That< would be "the moment of truth."
Friends, Here's my take: If stopping Putin’s slaughter of innocent citizens in Ukraine requires that the West stop buying Russian old and gas, then we have a moral obligation to stop.
It’s also in our own interest. If Putin is victorious in Ukraine, all other nations bordering Russia, whether NATO members or not (Finland, Sweden, and Japan, for example) would be endangered. And we would have been complicit in cowing to a strongman who is contemptuous of democracy and the rule of law -- and encouraging other similar strongmen around the world (including our homegrown Donald Trump).
The third reason we must stop oil and gas purchases is that our planet is only one small step away from destruction by CO2 emissions. We should use this crisis to permanently wean ourselves off oil and gas, and shift to renewable sources of energy.
But what about the costs? I think it important to remind ourselves how we dealt with the sacrifices entailed in World War 2. Then, we rationed scarce supplies. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it did spread the sacrifices over many, regardless of wealth. We also used price controls. And we encouraged countless small ways to save money, such as “victory gardens.”
The point is we are in two wars right now, both embodied by Russian oil and gas – a war to preserve democracy and liberty, and a war to save the planet. Either would justify profound sacrifices on our parts. Together, they represent the great moral and political test of our time.
If this is what it takes to stop Putin, let's do it. Most drivers talk or complain about energy independence while continuing to seek, buy and drive SUVs and giant pickups. I was shocked to learn the price of a 3/4-ton Chevy Silvarado with crew cab, diesel and Chrome for just over $85K! They go higher I'm told. "For what do you need it?" I asked. "To tow my boat." was my neighbor's answer! This is not a commercial fisherman; a retiree at best with the benefit of the doubt that he can have enough fairly calm days to get out of our inlets on Florida's Trasure Coast. The wind hasn't stopped blowing under 25 knots for over a week now and is typical much of time and I can't imagine the need for towing a big boat for use on our inland waterways and lakes. So just like the soccer moms with their full-sized SUVs, most times it's used for going to the store for milk! I'm talking at best 20 mpg around town. Me? Unless for my construction business and one personal vehicle in 1973, all others got 30-40 mpg and when the Arab Oil Embargo hit I learned my lesson forever-low fuel consumption and sold that `73 guzzler. It was a lemon anyway. I now drive an EV but retired on relatively fixed income and higher oil and gas prices will cost me and everyone else for goods and the small amount of electricity for my EV. If my neighbor will trade that truck for a Tesla he will pay about the same price but must be careful not to yank the trailer from under the boat at the ramp. I quit owning a "hole in the ocean to throw money into called a boat" and paddle fish in my kayak, thereby saving the environment. And i paid about $40K for the EV Bolt, also a Chevrolet. WE CAN DO THIS, if we want.
This crisis offers a real opportunity to finally put all our resources, brainpower and urgency behind the push for sustainable energy. It's about time.
Not only is eliminating Russian oil the right thing to do to hurry up the finish to Putin's war but think about the enormous contribution it would make to reducing global CO2 emissions. Yes, we need to do this regardless of the costs. Huge payoff!
This echo chamber of like minded folks is heartening in one way, that being the near universal agreement that, yes, this must be done. There is even the occasional reference to what I call the "fly in the ointment." That is, of course, the lobbying and arm twisting and purchasing of our "elected" officials, mostly R but certainly not all (see Joe Manchin's coal purchased yacht!) who feed at the trough of the extraction industry. These folks will pay for ads and do what ever they can to make the case for more drilling and digging and burning of carbon based fuels. The large number of our fellow citizens who will scream "drill, baby, drill" like Sarah Palin, would not fit well in this list of citizens who look to the big picture and see the need to do what we should have been doing for at least 20 years! The big question to me is, how do we convince those folks, many of whom live on the edge of poverty, that they must suffer the consequences of higher gas prices while Zuckerberg, Musk, Buffet, Bloomberg and Bezos make out like bandits? That is a hard sell, and you can bet that my senators, plus Cruz, Cotton, Hawley et. al. will bray loudly that we must not sacrifice our economy at the alter of "alternative (renewable!) energy!" I can afford to, and would gladly pay more, if/when we stop buying Russian oil/gas. Excuse my cynicism, but I think Mitch McConnell will create road blocks so we need to be ready with an answer. I don't have it and I fear not enough citizens listen to, and believe, Dr. Reich's warning. Having said that, I also believe we must keep trying. It won't be easy!
Regrettably, I agree with one of your points here. The Q-publicans will keep blaming Democrats even if all Democrats were to be voted out of office, and their followers will continue to believe them.
I think we must cut off our purchases of oil & gas from Russia (I’d thought we’d already done that). But it will also help the environment! We have to stop consuming fossil fuels as fast as humanly possible.
Keeping in mind, I hope, that people in cities won't make neat the sacrifices as people in rural areas where the nearest store is a 20 mile drive or more. And work could be two hours away.
Also we, in history, can swiftly execute Salem women and others who don't look like us, who might or might not be guilty, but when it comes to a war criminal and mass-murderer, we who sit in safe city livingrooms perusing our investment statements suddenly have an impeccable conscience.
It's remarkable how little mention is made of poor people barely getting by, having to drive 2 hrs to work to feed their children, not affording already expensive food, or sick and unable to work -- or shelter programs that will no longer be able to afford to shelter homeless -- or numbers of homeless people that will drastically increase. All so that our egos can preserve some false concept that we are a "civilized" society, when we are not. If we were, we wouldn't have our own oligarchs taking money from homeless. There's one, simple, "humane" (as we label it for pets) solution. That might not be the answer, but when we make heros out of some people with guns, or at least let them go without punishment, it seems we really should have a frank discussion to examine the hypocrisy within our own "moral" stands before comfortable "livingroom ethicists" so easily sentence so many to starve, freeze, and die. An appalling suggestion, no doubt, but maybe because we live immersed in our own fairytale propaganda
@Mo. We see so many things in the same light. Sanctions on Russia are sanctions on the majority of Americans and EU citizens. What's worse, economic sanctions won't change Putin's mind anyway.
Even the low income folks I work with support helping Ukraine…but they need help, and it’s up to everyone in a community to help out - our government doesn’t do much to help.
Eventually, the world supply of oil and gas will be completely exhausted and/or it will be too costly to keep drilling for such fossil fuels and/or the planet will be permanently damaged and destroyed. We will have achieved nothing in the end but we will have brought misery to everyone world-wide. This will be the end result of clinging on to a technology that dates back to the late 19th century/early 20th century. Since this is what is going to happen eventually, we would do well to act now while we can still do something to save our planet AND help the Ukrainians and those bordering the rogue Russian state and Putin. It seems to me that the Ukrainians led by Zelenskyy have demonstrated a kind of defense for democracy that we have not shown in many years. They are keen on standing on their own, dealing with their national challenges, and joining the Western economic and political alliances. If we just consider a complete oil and gas embargo against Russia as the most effective and immediate way to end the carnage and genocide being perpetrated against Ukraine, we should opt for that. It is taking a toll everywhere in the world,, among all freedom loving people (a group to which the USA once belonged before greed and power did us in). Yes, we need to act to save Ukraine and, ultimately, to save ourselves and our planet.
Yeah. and ironically German companies are selling thermal in the US. To get to the crust, takes a deep well. I attended a lecture from Jefferson Tester, an MIT professor who said the only reason it is not fully used is lobbying by big oil and the nuclear industries.
Micron announced a major buildup of France’s huge nuclear power program on Thursday, pledging to construct up to 14 new-generation reactors and a fleet of smaller nuclear plants as the country seeks to slash planet-warming emissions and cut its reliance on foreign energy.
Concerning France, I saw this just the other day. I appreciate this woman's views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kahih8RT1k In this country, there's a >huge< caldera hiding out underneath the whole Grand Canyon region that sounds like a deep well could pump out >a lot< of power. However, it would probably put people with an environmentalist bent at cross-purpose: renewable energy vs drilling in effectively virgin wilderness.
Interesting historical tidbit: The Gillette Company was started by a utopian socialist named King Gillette. (note the irony). He envisioned a society based around Niagara Falls which would be water-powered. Residents would live in the center of the hub and work only about 3 - 4 hours per day. The rest of their time would be spent enjoying the gardens, parks and woods on the vast outskirts of the hub. Other industrialists -- perhaps reasoning that humankind had already blown its best chance back in Eden -- bought out Mr. Gillette's razor business and threw him a really nice retirement party.
Why doesn't the state force the owners to cap them? It seems to me that at the very least the owner of the property where the well is located should be held responsible to cap it, even if they did not originally drill the well. Thanks for the interesting post!
I pick on West Virginia. Actually, Ohio, Pennsylvania may be worse. In a perfect world, oil companies would be responsible. In West Virginia there is severance of title, so it's difficult to say who actually holds title, and as a matter of policy, natural gas is the enemy of the coal industry.
Where I come from originally, Pennsyltucky, the Marcellus shale field underlies most of the land. Wells are mostly capped. They should be operative. People say that natural gas prices have skyrocketed. Land owners say their royalties have dropped to nil. Same field, mainly same companies in WVa, There has been consolidation in the industry.
IMHO this scenario begs government intervention to collect, and redistribute methanol, a dangerous substance. Exposure can cause headache, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, and unconsciousness. It can also affect concentration and vision.
Meanwhile besides home heating, there is a 95% completed Shell's Beaver Pa. cracker plant — named for the chemical reaction of “cracking” gas molecules into the building blocks of plastic — will consume vast quantities of ethane pumped from wells across Pennsylvania into an enormous furnace.
I think we take our ques from Israel. Have they done a complete oil and gas embargo against Russia. Are they willing to sacrifice their economy and elections with attacks/boycott on Russia? If so we join if not then answer to professor question is clearly, NO.
As the most powerful country in the world, who stands to lose the most with the defeat of Ukraine? Israel is surrounded by oil rich country, but these very oil rich countries are the very same countries that would like Israel destroyed, and do not sell oil or gas to Israel. Israel has purchase oil and gas from Mexico, Columbia and several other countries. Yes, it is true that Israel buys oil and gas from Russia. I am sure that if surrounding nations sold oil and gas to Israel, Israel would greatly reduce and/or eliminate all purchases from Russia. Israel does not produce much if any oil and gas.
WHAT a bunch of spin to protect Israel - you sound like CNN - what is good for goose is good for gander. But not in this case. Israel already said they would not join Russia boycott because it would hurt their economy. I guess you have not heard that statement which of course you will not hear on CNN.
So much is at stake. The upcoming midterm election is critical to the continuation of democracy in the US. Too much economic pain will undoubtedly send droves of republicans into office and create a potential crisis in the US. Then we must consider the fate of the people of Ukraine. How can we claim to be a civilized society and watch the atrocities occurring to their people? Perhaps the time for economic sanctions is over and direct military conflict with Russia is the only answer. Putin will not stop, period. Is NATO really going to engage Russia is it attacks say Poland? Are we not just sacrificing living in Ukraine for the inevitable conflict that awaits. “Peace in our time,” I think we all remember that fleeting moment. Putin is a Hitler and there is really only one way to stop him. Blunt force, and sooner rather than later. As much as I am a pacifist is there really any other way to stop his endless brutality?
My son and I were discussing this yesterday. We both came to the same conclusion as you. I only way to stop a bully is to punch him in the mouth. How long must this go on? Haven’t we seen enough?
Sometimes you can stop a bully by having everyone around "shun" the individual until the person changes their behavior. That is what we are doing to Russia with the sanctions. Slower than a "punch in the mouth" though.
You raise a good question that's been bouncing around in the back of >my< mind: "Given current trends, is armed conflict inevitable?" See Mr Bellamy's comment elsewhere here. If so, NATO had better keep the lessons of history in mind and dig-in at the Russo-Uke border. Russia is >mighty< damn big and >mighty< damn cold!
Re: Rabid Fox (DZK) & Marcus Miceli & some others: averting WW3 via Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunals & encouraging Russian soldiers to go AWOL; reducing the Ukraine's deployment of resources for POWs; propping up Biden before the midterms, and purging America of what Congressman Raskin labelled as the [MTG-QOP-GOP-]" Trump-Putin axis"*:
Biden and the US needs to win the war of public opinion on the need to sacrifice to stop Vladimir Adolph Hitler-Putin. Before further sacrifice asked of Americans, and rather than having the Ukraine waste its limited food and military resources deployed to care for Russian POWs, Germany should be encouraged to step forward to permit the Ukraine to transfer all Russian POWs to Nuremburg, where NATO countries can deploy resources to care for POWs. Furthermore, all Russian soldiers should be encouraged to go AWOL, to desert Hitler-Putin's military, lest they, too, face War Crime Tribunals in Nuremburg. The Ukraine should sent pamphlets to Russian soldiers, in addition to a full media barrage that there is the start to this War Crime Tribunals in Nuremburg.
Those who go AWOL should be sent to minimum-security seized Russian Oligarch yachts docked at Mediterranean and Aegean resorts for this purpose, or at seized Oligarch mansions in the UK! Russian soldiers who are captured should be sent to Nuremburg.
fwiw: My paternal family and I are here thanks to my grandfather, z"L (of blessed memory), who went AWOL from the Russian tsar's army, when Jews were sent to the front lines to catch the cannon balls, sparing non-Jews from certain death.
I'm completely in favor of encouraging Russian soldiers to go AWOL from Hitler-Putin's war crimes army!!!
So where is Israel in this fight - are they willing to sacrifice their economy and elections with attacks/boycotts on Russia? Surely, if they are not then why should we.
We absolutely must cut our energy use. For Russia, but also for climate change. It is high time we start distinguishing necessary uses of energy from frivolous ones. We need oil and gas for heating homes in winter and cooling some places in extreme heat. But we don't need to cool stores to freezing temperatures while keeping doors wide open when it is pleasant outside, and we don't need to use massive landscaping equipment to blow around a few leaves and mow grass that has barely grown. We can figure out transportation to reduce gas use and invest wisely in renewables, community solar, etc. Most cars are way too big. We must use our energy much more carefully and thoughtfully. Because of Russia, and also for many other existential reasons.
The environmental movement has been all over this for 50 years, but people seem to need to keep up with the Jones'. One major reason is identity with power. Tech is on the side of progress. NASCAR, Indy and Formula 1 vehicles are going to be obsolete. NASCAR is going electric, one way or the other. During a press conference announcing his promotion to NASCAR Chief Operating Officer, Steve O'Donnell said the sanctioning body is looking into launching an exhibition series featuring all-electric cars.
Last week, Rimac Nevera electric hypercar at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California, broke the world record for a quarter-mile drag in a time of 8.582 seconds, reaching a top speed of 167.51mp/h, or around 270km/h. Put this out on Fox, ESPN and on country music stations and watch the attitude change!
Daniel: I have attended two drag racing meets in my lifetime. Both times I was amazed at how LOUD the dragsters were! Some fans have told me that this noise is a major attraction. I would think that an electric dragster would be relatively quiet. Might this impact fan reaction for changing from fossil fuels to electric? No big deal here -- just wondering. Sounds like you might be a NASCAR/drag racing fan.
Ford, GM both say they are transitioning away from fossil fuels. One reason NASCAR is so popular is they race "street" models, similar to those available in the showroom. Noise may be part of the attraction, but peer pressure and advertising are a lot more important.
I am for supporting Ukraine and cutting off Russia energy supplies more, but we need a clear metric. We would need to tell Americans (and show the world) that we will tolerate a value of gas/oil if a specific value (75%) of extra sacrifice goes directly to aid, absolutely. It would need strong government regulation and audits with consequences to companies using for more profit siphoning. We can sacrifice, but EU must be onboard equal or more. Last major selling point is its saving planet too, over long term. A must already.
Thank you once again for your thoughtful comments. My take: If stopping Putin’s slaughter of innocent citizens in Ukraine requires that the West stop buying Russian old and gas, then we have a moral obligation to do so.
It’s also in our own interest. If Putin is victorious in Ukraine, all other nations bordering Russia, whether NATO members or not (Finland, Sweden, and Japan, for example) would be endangered. And we would have been complicit in cowing to a strongman who is contemptuous of democracy and the rule of law -- and encouraging other similar strongmen around the world (including our homegrown Donald Trump).
The third reason we must stop oil and gas purchases is that our planet is only one small step away from destruction by CO2 emissions. We should use this crisis to permanently wean ourselves off oil and gas, and shift to renewable sources of energy.
But what about the costs? I suggest we remind ourselves of how we dealt with the sacrifices entailed in World War 2. Then, we rationed scarce supplies. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it did spread the sacrifices over many, regardless of wealth. We also used price controls. And we encouraged countless small ways to save money, such as “victory gardens.”
The point is we are in two wars right now, both embodied by Russian oil and gas – a war to preserve democracy and liberty, and a war to save the planet. Either would justify much sacrifice to win. Together, they represent the great moral and political test of our time.
It could also be a way to insure a republican victory in the upcoming election. However, I'm with you, Dr. Reich. Can't argue with your examples.
It's so complicated, but I do believe that we need to do ALL we can to support Ukraine. Their bravery inspires me.
"The point is we are in two wars right now, both embodied by Russian oil and gas – a war to preserve democracy and liberty, and a war to save the planet.'
In my view there are serious differences between the two. Ukraine is is fighting for its very survival, a battle it could lose a few months from now. We are not in this war, excepts as
providers of weaponry, and as enforcers of banking and trade choke holds on Russia. To us, regardless of the intense 24/7 news coverage, the war is an abstraction, them vs them in a country we never paid much attention to, and with no blood in the game. The sacrifice will be invisible to the rich, an annoyance to the middle class, and quite harsh on the poor.
On the other hand Russia has lost thousands of troops in the war, and has gotten quite a bloody nose all around. My guess is that Putin can squeeze more sacrifice out of his country. Possibly enough to have his way with Ukraine. That country is the real sacrifice, caught in that cold war meat grinder that has no on-off switch, and doomed to go it alone because of the reasonable fear of precipitating nuclear war.
Hard to take the global warming war seriously in the US when almost half the voters worship a politician that has claimed its nothing but a Chinese hoax.
Robert, I believe it is time.
Disclaimer: I am no policy analyst, nor speculative commodities trader, nor so well off that future price surges can be met with my same recent shrug at the pump (still driving a hybrid for lack of electric vehicle option for our still car centric location).
It is truly galling every time a US news reporter tries to assert the fatigue of the American public re: Covid-19 pandemic. Whether they say it is because of mask recommendations or distancing protocols they rarely center the idea that we are really in a battle to save each other’s lives. In reality we are (seemingly) sleepwalking into battle to save our democracy and the real freedoms threatened by authoritarians who are all too eager to sweep everything away.
In the face of Ukrainian sacrifice and fascistic Russian aggression / crimes against humanity, how do we dare continue to fund the enemy while simultaneously helping resupply Ukraine? How do we tolerate domestic BigOil profiteering or Putin apologists like my senators as they ignorantly demand Biden produce more gas and oil?
Pain now or even more unmitigated pain later? … when we’ll have no chance of recouping the lost investment alternatives that today’s greener choices could have met?
This is the full failure of our PDA/SM/entertainment culture … and the attendant self-focused leadership in many in executive roles of government and business who seem smitten with easy kleptocracy.
Lovely phrase "easy kleptocracy "(=diluted democracy)
Kleptocracy means government by thieves.
Exactly!
greed is bad.
Thank you so much for all that you said, especially how maddening the majority of the media still is and yes, that self-focused "leadership."
Well said my fellow Kansas!
Please run for office.
Well said Leslie. Hypocrisy squared ? How do we live with that and what clear eyed history says about us in the near future ? Free bread and circus's... how to wake the entertained among us about the 5th column within ? Where in hades is the vaunted 4th estate ? Quite a pickle we find ourselves in. Thx for your thoughts and evidence for me that hopefully many more of us are awake. ~
We have to bite the bullet. We must not allow the fear of less oil to give licence for more drilling, and we must stop financing this bloody war/ genocide. Sadly, if climate realists had been listened to twenty years ago, or less, we would not have been so dependent. Unfortunately, Germany's promotion of good relations with Putin, the Nordstrom pipeline project and enormous reliance on their fuel has put it in a particularly vulnerable position. We in Europe must support Germany to mitigate the effect of a cut off, but it will be hard to get agreement from all countries, especially Hungary, which finds itself caught between two stools. America must help, too. Is petrol (gas) rationing so far-fetched? Simple to apply quickly, substantial effect immediately.
I realise that the political landscape of the mid-terms is an issue, but I think perhaps playing hardball will appeal to (nearly) all factions
Excellent! but I counter that more drilling is never ending. Less consumption is a better option.
Yes. Maybe I'll FINALLY lose some weight this year.
A great reason to walk more often.
Walk a lot, and carry petitions for your favorite candidates & causes.
You drill for food? Or is the prospect of not being able to eat because of high food prices caused by high production costs and delivery of food that will cause weight loss?
Oil consumption is embedded in transportation of food, plastic packaging (including the "forever" plastic bags some carry home), fuel for farm machinery to grow and harvest our food, etc. Perhaps a victory garden at home might be a good idea all around. Grow food, not grass!
Cute rhetorical question. Too sad you couldn't have helped the GOP grill our new Supreme Court justice last week.
I wonder what that sad interrogation has to do with the topic of today's forum?
Keep thinking.
If you are worried about the high cost of fuel because of banning oil imports there should be help for those who will have hardship getting food. I was not discounting any concern you or others might have.
I agree.
With Charles Anderson.
I hope the rest of the EU shares your sentiment.
The Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) estimates that Germany has the potential to increase production of deep geothermal energy from the current 1.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of climate-neutral heat per year to 100 TWh of heat per year by 2050. And the think tank Agora Energiewende argues that the number of shallow geothermal units, which use ground-source heat, should rise from 420,000 to 2.5 to 3 million. Multiply that by the rest of the EU.
https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/geothermal-energy-germanys-largely-untapped-renewable-heat-source
Micron now invokes new nuclear technology. NYT. The announcement represented an about-face for Mr. Macron, who had previously pledged to reduce France’s reliance on nuclear power but has pivoted to burnishing an image as a pronuclear president battling climate change as he faces a tough re-election bid in April.
“What our country needs is the rebirth of France’s nuclear industry,” Mr. Macron said at a nuclear turbine factory in the industrial city of Belfort in eastern France as throngs of workers and political officials gathered around. “The time has come for a nuclear renaissance,” he added.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/world/europe/france-macron-nuclear-power.html?fbclid=IwAR0aHYHkOtVbqrqzbqMny8jKai3jF_mhtiXe6fDT0-CLodj46wvYajpzXic
Thank you for this.
There are potentially potent ways of messaging to actually take back the argument from the Republicans’ talking points (to which we generally capitulate). Think of FDR speeches from 1932 through to the start of our involvement in the war for inspiration…
One of the best ways to hide from GOP onslaughts is to tell oneself that they are "immature" "children" "brats" etc. They are fully grown adults. They are not going to be spanked or sent to their rooms without dinner. Know this.
Cyrano, I’m not sure I completely follow your thread of thinking in this reply. I certainly don’t thing of the far-right faction that has seized control of GOP as children.
My argument is rather that their political opposition (D’s in America) mostly do an inexcusably poor job of seizing moments to say what they are FOR. Indeed, in order for one to marshal the masses, one must lead with shared values, call out the villains who (or their policies that) stop the realization of said values and how, finally closing with one’s assertion of a better vision, or future, if we could work together to achieve said aim.
This is true. I'm impatient with those who call the far-right "babies" etc. Many people do dismiss Trump and Co. as "brats" "spoiled children." etc. That's a cop-out. And Democrats can certainly do a better job of being "grown ups," if that's what one calls progressives.
The presidential election was held in November of 2020, and still we hear of millions of Republicans as well as Republican Politicians believe that Trump won the presidential election. Trump is still going around the country preaching the good news that he won the election but that it was stolen from him. Who are the ones behaving like children? In society we have people from all walks of life and from all political persuasion that are behaving like spoiled children. No one who knows the human psychic expects those who act like children to realize the fact that they are acting like spoil kids. Therefore, why even try to reason with them.
Let's hope they stay "children." The people who died in Hitler's extermination camps had no illusions that their tormentors were children.
If the Democrats are actually representing their constituents, instead of those from whom they take campaign money, they are grown ups or progressives and doing their jobs.
I give campaign money to progressive candidates.
Who is more willing to accept the sacrifice, the US and countries without a ready alternative to the carbon, which are not shedding a drop of blood in this war, or the (conned) Russians who have lost thousands of soldiers? While waiting for the answer, Putin can flatten the whole country. Besides it's really those poor souls on the economic margins, hanging by their fingernails, that will absorb the real suffering.
My point exactly. Also why I think the EU should take lead in the conflict. However, I think that in order to avert a complete disaster, we may eventually be forced to begin unilaterally supplying the planes and tanks the Ukes are begging us for, while at the same time putting Putin on notice that our nuclear arsenal is on alert and pointed >directly at him,< should he wish to play the nuclear card.
Perhaps you are right, but a frightening game of chicken.
I remember back during Cuba, how my family spent the weekend with relatives in the country having an "end of the world" party. The message is that nuclear chicken is nothing new. We just haven't potentially visible in some time. The question we need to ask is if we care that much about the Ukes. >That< would be "the moment of truth."
Friends, Here's my take: If stopping Putin’s slaughter of innocent citizens in Ukraine requires that the West stop buying Russian old and gas, then we have a moral obligation to stop.
It’s also in our own interest. If Putin is victorious in Ukraine, all other nations bordering Russia, whether NATO members or not (Finland, Sweden, and Japan, for example) would be endangered. And we would have been complicit in cowing to a strongman who is contemptuous of democracy and the rule of law -- and encouraging other similar strongmen around the world (including our homegrown Donald Trump).
The third reason we must stop oil and gas purchases is that our planet is only one small step away from destruction by CO2 emissions. We should use this crisis to permanently wean ourselves off oil and gas, and shift to renewable sources of energy.
But what about the costs? I think it important to remind ourselves how we dealt with the sacrifices entailed in World War 2. Then, we rationed scarce supplies. It wasn’t a perfect system, but it did spread the sacrifices over many, regardless of wealth. We also used price controls. And we encouraged countless small ways to save money, such as “victory gardens.”
The point is we are in two wars right now, both embodied by Russian oil and gas – a war to preserve democracy and liberty, and a war to save the planet. Either would justify profound sacrifices on our parts. Together, they represent the great moral and political test of our time.
If this is what it takes to stop Putin, let's do it. Most drivers talk or complain about energy independence while continuing to seek, buy and drive SUVs and giant pickups. I was shocked to learn the price of a 3/4-ton Chevy Silvarado with crew cab, diesel and Chrome for just over $85K! They go higher I'm told. "For what do you need it?" I asked. "To tow my boat." was my neighbor's answer! This is not a commercial fisherman; a retiree at best with the benefit of the doubt that he can have enough fairly calm days to get out of our inlets on Florida's Trasure Coast. The wind hasn't stopped blowing under 25 knots for over a week now and is typical much of time and I can't imagine the need for towing a big boat for use on our inland waterways and lakes. So just like the soccer moms with their full-sized SUVs, most times it's used for going to the store for milk! I'm talking at best 20 mpg around town. Me? Unless for my construction business and one personal vehicle in 1973, all others got 30-40 mpg and when the Arab Oil Embargo hit I learned my lesson forever-low fuel consumption and sold that `73 guzzler. It was a lemon anyway. I now drive an EV but retired on relatively fixed income and higher oil and gas prices will cost me and everyone else for goods and the small amount of electricity for my EV. If my neighbor will trade that truck for a Tesla he will pay about the same price but must be careful not to yank the trailer from under the boat at the ramp. I quit owning a "hole in the ocean to throw money into called a boat" and paddle fish in my kayak, thereby saving the environment. And i paid about $40K for the EV Bolt, also a Chevrolet. WE CAN DO THIS, if we want.
This crisis offers a real opportunity to finally put all our resources, brainpower and urgency behind the push for sustainable energy. It's about time.
I keep banging on that the more immediate peril of fossil fuel dependency - petroleum products, specifically - is national security.
Then the military should be first in line to reduce fossil fuel use. Is it?
It is for the US Navy. All our capital ships (aircraft carriers and submarines) run on nuclear power.
That isn’t new though. What about all the trucks, tanks, etc.?
Not only is eliminating Russian oil the right thing to do to hurry up the finish to Putin's war but think about the enormous contribution it would make to reducing global CO2 emissions. Yes, we need to do this regardless of the costs. Huge payoff!
This echo chamber of like minded folks is heartening in one way, that being the near universal agreement that, yes, this must be done. There is even the occasional reference to what I call the "fly in the ointment." That is, of course, the lobbying and arm twisting and purchasing of our "elected" officials, mostly R but certainly not all (see Joe Manchin's coal purchased yacht!) who feed at the trough of the extraction industry. These folks will pay for ads and do what ever they can to make the case for more drilling and digging and burning of carbon based fuels. The large number of our fellow citizens who will scream "drill, baby, drill" like Sarah Palin, would not fit well in this list of citizens who look to the big picture and see the need to do what we should have been doing for at least 20 years! The big question to me is, how do we convince those folks, many of whom live on the edge of poverty, that they must suffer the consequences of higher gas prices while Zuckerberg, Musk, Buffet, Bloomberg and Bezos make out like bandits? That is a hard sell, and you can bet that my senators, plus Cruz, Cotton, Hawley et. al. will bray loudly that we must not sacrifice our economy at the alter of "alternative (renewable!) energy!" I can afford to, and would gladly pay more, if/when we stop buying Russian oil/gas. Excuse my cynicism, but I think Mitch McConnell will create road blocks so we need to be ready with an answer. I don't have it and I fear not enough citizens listen to, and believe, Dr. Reich's warning. Having said that, I also believe we must keep trying. It won't be easy!
Regrettably, I agree with one of your points here. The Q-publicans will keep blaming Democrats even if all Democrats were to be voted out of office, and their followers will continue to believe them.
I’m writing this from my home in New York City.
I think we must cut off our purchases of oil & gas from Russia (I’d thought we’d already done that). But it will also help the environment! We have to stop consuming fossil fuels as fast as humanly possible.
Keeping in mind, I hope, that people in cities won't make neat the sacrifices as people in rural areas where the nearest store is a 20 mile drive or more. And work could be two hours away.
Also farmers, who use large amounts of fossil fuels growing our food. Is there such a thing as an EV combine machine?
Also we, in history, can swiftly execute Salem women and others who don't look like us, who might or might not be guilty, but when it comes to a war criminal and mass-murderer, we who sit in safe city livingrooms perusing our investment statements suddenly have an impeccable conscience.
It's remarkable how little mention is made of poor people barely getting by, having to drive 2 hrs to work to feed their children, not affording already expensive food, or sick and unable to work -- or shelter programs that will no longer be able to afford to shelter homeless -- or numbers of homeless people that will drastically increase. All so that our egos can preserve some false concept that we are a "civilized" society, when we are not. If we were, we wouldn't have our own oligarchs taking money from homeless. There's one, simple, "humane" (as we label it for pets) solution. That might not be the answer, but when we make heros out of some people with guns, or at least let them go without punishment, it seems we really should have a frank discussion to examine the hypocrisy within our own "moral" stands before comfortable "livingroom ethicists" so easily sentence so many to starve, freeze, and die. An appalling suggestion, no doubt, but maybe because we live immersed in our own fairytale propaganda
@Mo. We see so many things in the same light. Sanctions on Russia are sanctions on the majority of Americans and EU citizens. What's worse, economic sanctions won't change Putin's mind anyway.
I think the sanctions will negatively affect all citizens worldwide, especially the poorer ones.
Even the low income folks I work with support helping Ukraine…but they need help, and it’s up to everyone in a community to help out - our government doesn’t do much to help.
Eventually, the world supply of oil and gas will be completely exhausted and/or it will be too costly to keep drilling for such fossil fuels and/or the planet will be permanently damaged and destroyed. We will have achieved nothing in the end but we will have brought misery to everyone world-wide. This will be the end result of clinging on to a technology that dates back to the late 19th century/early 20th century. Since this is what is going to happen eventually, we would do well to act now while we can still do something to save our planet AND help the Ukrainians and those bordering the rogue Russian state and Putin. It seems to me that the Ukrainians led by Zelenskyy have demonstrated a kind of defense for democracy that we have not shown in many years. They are keen on standing on their own, dealing with their national challenges, and joining the Western economic and political alliances. If we just consider a complete oil and gas embargo against Russia as the most effective and immediate way to end the carnage and genocide being perpetrated against Ukraine, we should opt for that. It is taking a toll everywhere in the world,, among all freedom loving people (a group to which the USA once belonged before greed and power did us in). Yes, we need to act to save Ukraine and, ultimately, to save ourselves and our planet.
Yeah. and ironically German companies are selling thermal in the US. To get to the crust, takes a deep well. I attended a lecture from Jefferson Tester, an MIT professor who said the only reason it is not fully used is lobbying by big oil and the nuclear industries.
https://energy.mit.edu/research/future-geothermal-energy/?fbclid=IwAR2hosd0JhQMlNZE-yusj0ko48QvEuwu4z8mpzpiisrAxmoT2rc15iEDV0Y
Micron announced a major buildup of France’s huge nuclear power program on Thursday, pledging to construct up to 14 new-generation reactors and a fleet of smaller nuclear plants as the country seeks to slash planet-warming emissions and cut its reliance on foreign energy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/10/world/europe/france-macron-nuclear-power.html?fbclid=IwAR0aHYHkOtVbqrqzbqMny8jKai3jF_mhtiXe6fDT0-CLodj46wvYajpzXic
Concerning France, I saw this just the other day. I appreciate this woman's views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kahih8RT1k In this country, there's a >huge< caldera hiding out underneath the whole Grand Canyon region that sounds like a deep well could pump out >a lot< of power. However, it would probably put people with an environmentalist bent at cross-purpose: renewable energy vs drilling in effectively virgin wilderness.
Interesting historical tidbit: The Gillette Company was started by a utopian socialist named King Gillette. (note the irony). He envisioned a society based around Niagara Falls which would be water-powered. Residents would live in the center of the hub and work only about 3 - 4 hours per day. The rest of their time would be spent enjoying the gardens, parks and woods on the vast outskirts of the hub. Other industrialists -- perhaps reasoning that humankind had already blown its best chance back in Eden -- bought out Mr. Gillette's razor business and threw him a really nice retirement party.
So that’s who the King Gillette ranch in Calabasas is named after. I drive by there all the time. Now it makes sense. Thank you!
Didn't know about that ranch. I'll check it out. Checked it out. A conservation gem! Will visit if I'm ever back that way. Thanks!
It’s beautiful. You really should.
Very interesting video -- thank you!
Why doesn't the state force the owners to cap them? It seems to me that at the very least the owner of the property where the well is located should be held responsible to cap it, even if they did not originally drill the well. Thanks for the interesting post!
I pick on West Virginia. Actually, Ohio, Pennsylvania may be worse. In a perfect world, oil companies would be responsible. In West Virginia there is severance of title, so it's difficult to say who actually holds title, and as a matter of policy, natural gas is the enemy of the coal industry.
Where I come from originally, Pennsyltucky, the Marcellus shale field underlies most of the land. Wells are mostly capped. They should be operative. People say that natural gas prices have skyrocketed. Land owners say their royalties have dropped to nil. Same field, mainly same companies in WVa, There has been consolidation in the industry.
IMHO this scenario begs government intervention to collect, and redistribute methanol, a dangerous substance. Exposure can cause headache, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, and unconsciousness. It can also affect concentration and vision.
Meanwhile besides home heating, there is a 95% completed Shell's Beaver Pa. cracker plant — named for the chemical reaction of “cracking” gas molecules into the building blocks of plastic — will consume vast quantities of ethane pumped from wells across Pennsylvania into an enormous furnace.
Worth looking into.
I think we take our ques from Israel. Have they done a complete oil and gas embargo against Russia. Are they willing to sacrifice their economy and elections with attacks/boycott on Russia? If so we join if not then answer to professor question is clearly, NO.
As the most powerful country in the world, who stands to lose the most with the defeat of Ukraine? Israel is surrounded by oil rich country, but these very oil rich countries are the very same countries that would like Israel destroyed, and do not sell oil or gas to Israel. Israel has purchase oil and gas from Mexico, Columbia and several other countries. Yes, it is true that Israel buys oil and gas from Russia. I am sure that if surrounding nations sold oil and gas to Israel, Israel would greatly reduce and/or eliminate all purchases from Russia. Israel does not produce much if any oil and gas.
WHAT a bunch of spin to protect Israel - you sound like CNN - what is good for goose is good for gander. But not in this case. Israel already said they would not join Russia boycott because it would hurt their economy. I guess you have not heard that statement which of course you will not hear on CNN.
So much is at stake. The upcoming midterm election is critical to the continuation of democracy in the US. Too much economic pain will undoubtedly send droves of republicans into office and create a potential crisis in the US. Then we must consider the fate of the people of Ukraine. How can we claim to be a civilized society and watch the atrocities occurring to their people? Perhaps the time for economic sanctions is over and direct military conflict with Russia is the only answer. Putin will not stop, period. Is NATO really going to engage Russia is it attacks say Poland? Are we not just sacrificing living in Ukraine for the inevitable conflict that awaits. “Peace in our time,” I think we all remember that fleeting moment. Putin is a Hitler and there is really only one way to stop him. Blunt force, and sooner rather than later. As much as I am a pacifist is there really any other way to stop his endless brutality?
My son and I were discussing this yesterday. We both came to the same conclusion as you. I only way to stop a bully is to punch him in the mouth. How long must this go on? Haven’t we seen enough?
Sometimes you can stop a bully by having everyone around "shun" the individual until the person changes their behavior. That is what we are doing to Russia with the sanctions. Slower than a "punch in the mouth" though.
Yes, people must stop referring to the radical right as "children," "brats" "immature." It's just a way of kidding oneself and lying low.
We should follow Israel attack on Russia to help Ukraine.
You raise a good question that's been bouncing around in the back of >my< mind: "Given current trends, is armed conflict inevitable?" See Mr Bellamy's comment elsewhere here. If so, NATO had better keep the lessons of history in mind and dig-in at the Russo-Uke border. Russia is >mighty< damn big and >mighty< damn cold!
Re: Rabid Fox (DZK) & Marcus Miceli & some others: averting WW3 via Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunals & encouraging Russian soldiers to go AWOL; reducing the Ukraine's deployment of resources for POWs; propping up Biden before the midterms, and purging America of what Congressman Raskin labelled as the [MTG-QOP-GOP-]" Trump-Putin axis"*:
Biden and the US needs to win the war of public opinion on the need to sacrifice to stop Vladimir Adolph Hitler-Putin. Before further sacrifice asked of Americans, and rather than having the Ukraine waste its limited food and military resources deployed to care for Russian POWs, Germany should be encouraged to step forward to permit the Ukraine to transfer all Russian POWs to Nuremburg, where NATO countries can deploy resources to care for POWs. Furthermore, all Russian soldiers should be encouraged to go AWOL, to desert Hitler-Putin's military, lest they, too, face War Crime Tribunals in Nuremburg. The Ukraine should sent pamphlets to Russian soldiers, in addition to a full media barrage that there is the start to this War Crime Tribunals in Nuremburg.
Those who go AWOL should be sent to minimum-security seized Russian Oligarch yachts docked at Mediterranean and Aegean resorts for this purpose, or at seized Oligarch mansions in the UK! Russian soldiers who are captured should be sent to Nuremburg.
*https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/4/7/2090617/-The-genius-of-Rep-Raskin-linking-Republicans-to-the-Trump-Putin-axis
fwiw: My paternal family and I are here thanks to my grandfather, z"L (of blessed memory), who went AWOL from the Russian tsar's army, when Jews were sent to the front lines to catch the cannon balls, sparing non-Jews from certain death.
I'm completely in favor of encouraging Russian soldiers to go AWOL from Hitler-Putin's war crimes army!!!
So where is Israel in this fight - are they willing to sacrifice their economy and elections with attacks/boycotts on Russia? Surely, if they are not then why should we.
If it hasn't already, Israel should secretly send some of its Mossad with weapons, especially anti-missile weapons, and training
We absolutely must cut our energy use. For Russia, but also for climate change. It is high time we start distinguishing necessary uses of energy from frivolous ones. We need oil and gas for heating homes in winter and cooling some places in extreme heat. But we don't need to cool stores to freezing temperatures while keeping doors wide open when it is pleasant outside, and we don't need to use massive landscaping equipment to blow around a few leaves and mow grass that has barely grown. We can figure out transportation to reduce gas use and invest wisely in renewables, community solar, etc. Most cars are way too big. We must use our energy much more carefully and thoughtfully. Because of Russia, and also for many other existential reasons.
The environmental movement has been all over this for 50 years, but people seem to need to keep up with the Jones'. One major reason is identity with power. Tech is on the side of progress. NASCAR, Indy and Formula 1 vehicles are going to be obsolete. NASCAR is going electric, one way or the other. During a press conference announcing his promotion to NASCAR Chief Operating Officer, Steve O'Donnell said the sanctioning body is looking into launching an exhibition series featuring all-electric cars.
Last week, Rimac Nevera electric hypercar at Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California, broke the world record for a quarter-mile drag in a time of 8.582 seconds, reaching a top speed of 167.51mp/h, or around 270km/h. Put this out on Fox, ESPN and on country music stations and watch the attitude change!
Daniel: I have attended two drag racing meets in my lifetime. Both times I was amazed at how LOUD the dragsters were! Some fans have told me that this noise is a major attraction. I would think that an electric dragster would be relatively quiet. Might this impact fan reaction for changing from fossil fuels to electric? No big deal here -- just wondering. Sounds like you might be a NASCAR/drag racing fan.
Ford, GM both say they are transitioning away from fossil fuels. One reason NASCAR is so popular is they race "street" models, similar to those available in the showroom. Noise may be part of the attraction, but peer pressure and advertising are a lot more important.
Ford is all in. https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/ford-and-sunrun-partner
That’s interesting! Thank you.
I am for supporting Ukraine and cutting off Russia energy supplies more, but we need a clear metric. We would need to tell Americans (and show the world) that we will tolerate a value of gas/oil if a specific value (75%) of extra sacrifice goes directly to aid, absolutely. It would need strong government regulation and audits with consequences to companies using for more profit siphoning. We can sacrifice, but EU must be onboard equal or more. Last major selling point is its saving planet too, over long term. A must already.
Right. I also support attacking price gouging and impleading gougers in litigation to help defray costs to consumers.
time to eliminate Putin - permanently
Now is a great time to invest in renewable energy. We must do it anyway to save the earth so now is the time!!
Nancy Roessel ; It should be a priority!