By: Shawn Alli
Posted: April 18, 2017 (on http://www.shawnalli.com/)
*Disclosure: I am a climate denier, albeit a more rational one.
*Disclosure: I am NOT funded by any oil, natural gas or coal corporations. I am NOT funded by any private interest groups (NGOs, foundations or political entities).
We start off strong with the glory of solar energy and Republicans slowly coming around. While that's great, the amount of land that it takes up (as well as wind turbines) is not great. At the moment, there's no need to use the land for something else.
But covering mass acres of land in solar panels is not an efficient use of it. In order for solar to become successful people need to think outside of the box and above the clouds, around 30,000-40,000 feet. And that's where the future solar innovations should begin.
And wind turbines as the future? If they are, don't tell that to people in northern Canada. There are no wind turbines in Nunavut. It's just super cold wind with the hum of aging diesel generators.
Next we have NYT journalist Mark Bittman critical of Obama's support for clean natural/shale gas. And that's a fair criticism. Many climate change believers count natural gas as their enemy. Why the support for natural gas? Because Obama is trying to pacify the environmental movement while keep Big Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas happy. In Canada, Justin Trudeau is doing the same but still supporting Big Oil. He pacifies the environmental movement by pricing carbon.
Actress America Ferrera meets with a rancher and talks about yearlong droughts. Here's a solution. Use desalinated water and water the crops yourself. Excepting Mother Nature to do it for you is asking too much. Creating a huge irrigation system is complex but not impossible.
In the US, wind energy is currently responsible for 5.6% of electricity generation, with solar at 0.9% [1] Natural gas and coal together account for 64.2%. [1] If climate change believers think that they're just going to eliminate 64.2% of the energy because of their ideologies, they're deluding themselves. To be fair, if they can create 64.2% in a cleaner and more efficient manner, I'd love to see it.
And yes, I'm against high stakes lobbying and hydraulic fracturing (fracking). The benefits don't outweigh the risks. And yes, there should be regulations to prevent natural gas leaks from extraction. But the Canadian Trudeau government and past Obama administration both support fracking [2] [3]. Why? Because they're not really climate change believers.
They're just pacifying the environmental movement with carbon taxes or a cap and trade agreement. [4] [5] They're really saying that it's okay to develop oil, coal, and natural gas as long as we price carbon. In reality, climate change believers believe that all traditional energy has to stay in the ground to avoid a carbon dioxide and methane apocalypse.
Ferrera talks with Kimberly Svaty (a wind industry consultant). Ferrera inquires about the increase in electricity prices and Sawarli says:
...0-1.7% impact.
In reality, US electricity prices spike in 2014 but come down in 2016. [6] [7] In 2015 the prices in Kansas City (Svaty is from Kansas) do increase. [8] But if you really want to see the effect of alternative energy on electricity prices, you have to look at Ontario. Ontario doubles down on renewable energy with a cap and trade system in March 2017. [9] And all of the past and current green energy policies are raising electricity rates, cutting jobs, and pushing businesses out of the province. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
And just so we're clear, I'm not part of a vast climate denial network with hundreds of millions of dollars behind me. It's just me with pennies behind me. Well...nickels to be correct. The Canadian government is phasing out pennies. [16]
While the hiding of donors for non-profits is unethical. The same goes for liberal non-profits. They hide their donors just as much.
References:
[1] What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source? FAQ. US Energy Information Administration. Updated: April 6, 2017.
[2] Cheadle, Bruce. Trudeau Defends Approving LNG Project, Critics Accuse Government Of Incoherence. Canadian Press. September 28, 2016.
[3] President Obama's climate change legacy is clouded by his support of fracking. Vice News. January 23, 2017.
[4] Smith, Marie-Danielle. Secret briefing says up to $300-per-tonne federal carbon tax by 2050 required to meet climate targets. National Post. March 30, 2017.
[5] Trudeau mum on real carbon pricing cost. Postmedia Network. April 9, 2017.
[6] Residential electricity prices are rising. US Energy Information Administration. September 2, 2014.
[7] U.S. residential electricity prices decline for the first time in many years. US Energy Information Administration. October 6, 2016.
[8]. Hack, Greg. KCP&L wins 11.7% rate increase for its Kansas City customers. Kansas City Star. September 3, 2015.
[9]. Crawley, Mike. Ontario plunges into cap and trade with first carbon auction. CBC News. March 22, 2017.
[10] Toronto company opening U.S. plant because of rising Ontario electricity rates. Canadian Press. December 20, 2016.
[11] Tencer, Daniel. Ontario Electricity Prices Are Out Of Control. Huffington Post Canada. July 21, 2016.
[12] Ontario's Electricity Is About To Get More Expensive (Again). Canadian Press. December 31, 2016.
[13] McKitrick, Ross and Adams, Tom. Ontario's job killer: Business sounds alarm over soaring electricity prices. Financial Post. July 10, 2015.
[14] Kuitenbrouwer, Peter. Ontario manufacturers eye greener pastures stateside as hydro rates go through the roof. Financial Post. March 16, 2017.
[15] Szekely, Reka. High hydro rates mean pink slips for Ontario workers, Durham business forum hears. Oshawa This Week. April 6, 2017.
[16] Why has Canada killed off the penny? Economist. February 12, 2013.