Winter 2022-2023 predictions: Europe and US

[NoSavingByTheBell]

the decision to stop importing Russian gas and oil was a European decision, taken by Brussels without even thinking of the impact it will have on the European economy. Many Europeans aren’t buying the narrative that the situation, which culminated in the shut down of gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, is all Vladimir Putin’s fault.

I am HERE AND NOW blasting European leaders for their obsession with net zero and climate change hysteria, which has left the continent totally lacking in self-sufficiency.

We are no longer in the EU you fucking ill informed womble and climate change is an ireffutabel fact . Fucking hell you are devolving back into an ape.

The green dreams have got to disappear. Get real.

[TitoFan]

What's wrong with pushing renewables and the exciting technology that's involved? I recently watched a series of interesting documentaries mostly about cutting edge engineering in different fronts. One of these was renewable energy. It was refreshing to see such young, brilliant minds out there pushing the envelope... so that what is undiscovered today, becomes commonplace and practical tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the rest of civilization rushes to its familiar, predictable polarized positions... the better to lob snowballs at the other side. It's either "Fuck renewables... we can live on fossil fuels forever", or "We've got to go entirely green NOW... or face certain death and annihilation by 20__." No middle ground... no balance... no "let's sit down and look at the intricacies of the issue". No "let's find ourselves some reliable, unbiased data" to base our opinions on.

The fact of the matter is that the push for renewables is not going to go away. Nor should it. But very knowledgeable people have expressed concerns over (mostly politically-driven) blanket statements and ill-conceived goals that require "zero percent of THIS by 2030"... or "100 percent of THAT by 2040." Mostly politicians or scientist-wannabes trying to put on the cloak of knowledge about shit they really know very little about.

I've also read articles by knowledgeable people regarding the finite nature of lithium supplies in the face of ever increasing demands. Issues like this just can't be ignored in the rush to push 100% electric vehicles by such and such a date.

I come from a technical background. I leave world economics to the experts. I also don't dare suggest that injecting disinfectants or putting UV light inside a human body can kill a virus. I leave stuff like that to medical professionals.
So basically I'm saying various things:

One... even simpler issues than this usually require a carefully balanced approach to achieve a solution. The world's energy future is anything BUT a simple issue. Probably more complex than most.

Two... I read articles swearing climate change is going to kill us all... and I read articles saying climate change is hogwash. Yet I've never seen a hogwash article produce DATA proving that there isn't a significant change in the climate in the past couple of decades. On the other hand, there are plenty of charts and graphs on global temperature which we are at liberty to believe or not believe. In the absence of opposing data from the "hogwash" camp, I'd have to say most of us are going to believe the climate change data at least to some extent. Now... whether we're all going to be underwater in 10 years time or something to that effect... that is something for us to separate the serious scientists from the doomsayers and hysterical people.

Three... renewable energy is a fact. It's not a bad word. It's there to be used. Which is why I've loved the documentaries I've seen. They are chock-full of engineering breakthroughs based on sound principles.

Four... politicians remain our worst enemies. Nothing but a bunch of rah-rah cheerleaders appealing to the dumbest and most polarized bunches in the herds.