Greenhouse Crisis: No New Science, No Progress. Where Is The Science in Biden Climate Project?

More than 174 billion dollars for electric cars does not impact the climate crisis. Yet it’s what the Biden genius is proposing. If anything, massive subsidies in electric vehicles make the ecological crisis worse: we would have to dig the entire planet for lithium all over, and it will not make a dent on overall CO2 production: digging requires CO2 production, oh Biden genius! (Instead, helping create a hydrogen infrastructure would be useful, all the more as much of the natural gas infrastructure can be repurposed that way; that was done in France in the distant past, for decades; 20% hydrogen mixed with CH4 works very well). 

The USA, as it does periodically, is displaying its future virtues in the matter of climate, giving the entire planet lessons. By now, everybody educated enough, and smart enough, and honest enough, should be able to understand that these US administration lessons are lessons in hypocrisy. Altogether, the US emitted more GreenHouses Gases, than all the jurisdictions which ever existed… Although China is now taking the lead, with one new coal plant a week or so; China installed 38.4 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity into operation in 2020; that’s roughly 30 large nuclear reactors equivalent in coal plants, in just one year: long live the Paris climate accord (for China to pollute as much as possible). 

This US virtue signalling is not just dishonest, but doubly dishonest, as usual: the emission of GreenHouse Gases (GHG) per capita has gone up in recent years in the US, from 16 tons up to a probable 18 tons in 2022. None of what Biden proposes will reduce this, as he refuses carbon taxes and carbon pricing, on a matter of principle. Not just this, but Biden proposes to cut the only leg carbon reduction rested on, innovation (by discouraging investments in new technology, by proposing the world’s highest capital gain taxes… Yes, the world’s highest… Above 55% in leading states…)

As it is right now, roughly 40% of emissions of CO2 are caused by 10% of humanity (Europe and North America). If there was a proverbial “equity”, worldwide, then CO2 emissions should be multiplied by ten (China is acting on this, and India rushing to follow… as is their right). Instead of wasting 174 billions on electric car, genius Biden should spend 174 billion dollars on (research in) thermonuclear fusion… That would enable to build a fusion production plant within a decade… Or then invest in 4th generation nuclear… or invest in an hydrogen economy. So why 174 billion on useless, polluting electric cars? Hey so that Biden friends can make money… This already happened under Obama. Friends, as early privileged private investors… Maybe AOC is on it? She liked those designer clothes… Surely Pelosi, that, we know for a fact is invested in the right stuff before companies go “public”…

By comparison, to the prospective emission of 18 tons of CO2 per person in the USA, France makes do with 5 (five) tons per capita. However, France paid a hefty price, in decreased GDP, lots of regressive taxation, and a chronic revolt (“Gilets Jaunes”, now discreetly cancelled by Facebook, the arbitrator of Thought on Earth). 

One can argue that the colossal increase of relative advantage in GDP per capita of the US relative to Europe has been caused by the advantage that enormous fracking brought to the US: the graphs are parallel. 

What else? Basically, the US gets its energy for free, while the Europeans have to perform like monkeys in a circus to get fuel (be nice to Saudis, be nice to Putin, be nice to the Americans, be nice to Chavez/Maduro, etc.) 

Biden scoffs all the way to the bank: fracking over 12 years of Obama-Trump has put the US ahead. Biden is ready to cash out. So Biden claims he will do great things about the climate… But without carbon tax nor carbon pricing, nor innovation. There will be giant subsidies for electric cars… One may as well subsidize lawn mowers. 

And where does the Lithium and other Rare Earths come from for all these batteries? China (see the one coal plant per week Xi climate plan, above). The Trump administration’s authorization of one lithium mine in Nevada (with approval of the local Native American government), brought three lawsuits: too much acid, too much water, to extract all this lithium. Better let the Chinese do it among Uighurs, in the Tarim Basin, we don’t want to pollute Nevada. And where does the electricity for electric cars come from? Fossil fuels, mostly. 

In super green California, sun and wind provided only 22% of the electric generation energy in 2019 (latest year). Notice the two words “electric generation”, they are crucial, each in its own way: exploring what they exactly mean will expose the gross lie: it’s mostly all smoke. Yet, California has made enormous efforts, and is basically the most energy efficient US state.

Coal is dying for reasons which have nothing to do with renewable energy, and that’s why coal died in Europe, well before the impact of wind and sun. Why are the US at 18 tons of CO2 per year per capita, and only 5 (five) tons in France?Because of the absence of major carbon taxes in the USA.

Digging a bit in the numbers of renewable energy is not readily done, because headline propaganda is very active, and people have little patience for the truth, which is rather catastrophic, and the opposite of headlines. 

If one looks at the total energy usage in California one realizes that electricity is just 15% of California energy consumption. Moreover, that electricity divides into 9% from electricity generated IN California, and 6%, imported from outside (a one million volt direct current line comes down from the states of Oregon and Washington, directly into Los Angeles. A similar line comes from the Hoover dam on the Colorado river in Nevada). 

California sun and wind is 22% of these 9% of total California energy made in California, as electricity. In other words, not even 2% of California total energy consumption is from renewable sun and wind! So much for the renewability of it all. Hot wind and smoke, all of it! In the same general mood of brazen fakery, private school addict governor Newsom of California announced today that the state regulators should evaluate phasing out all offensive rock oil production in the state by 2045 (California is one of the world top fossil fuel producing states).

As it is, even augmenting considerably renewables in say the South-West of the USA, which has plenty of sun and wind, changes nothing much to the GreenHouse Gases contribution: an enormous fossil fuel infrastructure has to be kept as a backup, for when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, as happened in California last summer. If one built it, one will use it, this fossil fuel infrastructure, and as it is, it has to be used; there is not enough storage for the pitiful “renewable” production, especially with empty dams. 

To cut emissions of GHG seriously one has to replace fossil fuels by nuclear, fission or fusion (to reach places the sun doesn’t much, and there are many of those). Also, one has to do as Europe does, and institute huge carbon taxes. Ultimately, though, one has to have no illusion: the GHG crisis will require the mass deployment of new energy, nuclear and hydrogen (or hydrogen derived). One cannot pave the ground with solar panels, tear the landscape with transmission lines, and operate giant washing machines in the sky all over (windmills; the newest of which are taller than most skyscrapers). Only fundamental research in basic science will solve the planetary crisis of GreenHouse Gases. Innovation is key. 

Such misleading virtue signalling on the part of government is counterproductive, because it enables public opinion, its makers, and leaders to feel comfortable and think of other things. It reminds us of Catholic missions sent to better exterminate the Natives. But counterproduction is often what is exactly intended (I hope Machiavel covered that one).

Much of the “infrastructure program” of Biden targets “human infrastructure”, a laudable goal. But, once again, is it what is really intended? 

One should start with schools. The USA’s top schools used to be public (say in 1950). But now such schools are “defunded” (like the police) in the guise of “equality”. 

An indirect proof of that is the sight of politicians (including Biden and Obama, those loud “democrats”) getting their children in the most expensive private schools. In the same spirit of hypocrisy, public union teachers literally refuse to teach, while admonishing us for “accountability”. Some public teachers’ union leaders joined the fray by getting their children in… private schools [1]. 

What causes a dissonant cognitive mess in climate and infrastructure? Uncritical admission of irrealism in too much of the influential population. Biden talks the talk, but he walks in the opposite direction, while insisting he is going the right way. Media carefully don’t notice…

Biden got the most votes than a US president ever got… followed by Trump. The difference in the number of votes was six millions… And of these six millions, 5.5 millions came from… California, this temple of hydrocarbons and plutocratic hypocrisy (where yours truly is located, in full view of San Francisco…) So basically, Biden is California, at this point: talking the talk, walking the other way. None of this is coincidental. The temple of hypocrisy voted for the great master of hypocrisy and dissonance…

Patrice Ayme

***

[1] The head of a California teachers union has been blasted as a hypocrite after he was caught dropping off his 2-year-old daughter at her private preschool, since Spring 2020 — despite saying it was unsafe for children to be back in classrooms. “Meet Matt Meyer. White man with dreads and president of the local teachers’ union. He’s been saying it is unsafe for *your kid* to be back at school, all the while dropping his kid off at private school,” a group known as Guerilla Momz said on Twitter.

Meyer, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers, has fought for what he called the “gold standard” for the educators — saying the schools should only reopen to in-person learning when the teachers are vaccinated, among other criteria, KQED reported… Similar hypocrisy was demonstrated by the governor of California, who, while keeping public schools closed, sent his four children to private school. Hey, he can afford it; he owns eleven (11) companies, including a winery and a resort at the major olympic resort of Squaw Valley (soon not to be called “Squaw” because it reminds us that the natives were exterminated…)

Tags: Biden, Climate, Infrastructure