I work in the power industry.
I live in the modern world.
Today in Ireland home-heating natural gas increases in cost by 33.8%. It increased last year too, and the year before, as did the cost of electricity (considerably). The cost of petrol increases exponentially all the time.
Europe is become unbelievably dependent on the corrupt authoritarian regime of Vladimir Putin for its energy needs.
This year there is a risk of winter peak time blackouts as a consequence of a lack of generator capacity on the Irish network (partly a problem to do with aging plant and an uncompetitive electricity market but nonethless...). Wind generators, 'good clean' energy, is essentially useless when it comes to meeting power demand during winter - zero wind usually coincides with extreme cold and hence the winter peak. Nuclear energy is a political 'no no' in many countries.
Where on earth are we going to get the power to fuel the future? How can China and India, nations of over a billion people each, hope to grow to have comparable standards of living to us in the west with the energy crisis that confronts all of us today? How can their growth be sustained without destroying our own standards of living?
The issue of finite energy resources is a greater risk, in my opinion, to global stability than any other threat posed by any issue or entity at the present time.
What do you think?
I live in the modern world.
Today in Ireland home-heating natural gas increases in cost by 33.8%. It increased last year too, and the year before, as did the cost of electricity (considerably). The cost of petrol increases exponentially all the time.
Europe is become unbelievably dependent on the corrupt authoritarian regime of Vladimir Putin for its energy needs.
This year there is a risk of winter peak time blackouts as a consequence of a lack of generator capacity on the Irish network (partly a problem to do with aging plant and an uncompetitive electricity market but nonethless...). Wind generators, 'good clean' energy, is essentially useless when it comes to meeting power demand during winter - zero wind usually coincides with extreme cold and hence the winter peak. Nuclear energy is a political 'no no' in many countries.
Where on earth are we going to get the power to fuel the future? How can China and India, nations of over a billion people each, hope to grow to have comparable standards of living to us in the west with the energy crisis that confronts all of us today? How can their growth be sustained without destroying our own standards of living?
The issue of finite energy resources is a greater risk, in my opinion, to global stability than any other threat posed by any issue or entity at the present time.
What do you think?
