Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives - Edwin Black

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• 
  apnea
  April 2nd, 2021
  

  If you don’t understand the primacy of energy (economists, green dreamers, 99% of the population) you understand nothing.

  “How Much Human Energy Is Contained in One Barrel of Oil?

  Computation attributed to David Pimentel

  1 Barrel of Oil = 5,800,000 BTUs
  Source: Louisiana Oil and Gas Association

  1 Gallon of Gas = 125,000 BTUs
  Source: US Department of Energy

  1 Barrel of Oil thus contains the energy contained in 46.4 gallons of gas
  (5,800,000 divided by 125,000 = 46.4 )

  1 Gallon of Gas = 500 hours of human work output
  Source: Calculations Done Above.

  1 Barrel of Oil = 23,200 Hours of Human Work Output
  (Energy equivalent of 46.4 gallons of gas per barrel of oil x 500 hours of human work output per gallon of gas = 23,2000 hours)”

  http://www.vhemt.org/humanenergy.htm

  Oil is essentially magic. The consequences of burning it (AGW, strip mine the planet, AKA ‘development’) to build our impermanent (blip) techno industrial wonder world are looking like they’re going to result in human kind being the next entry on the Fermi’s paradox list.

  99% of the population don’t or can’t comprehend that & the growing consequences either (optimism bias, denial, etc) & that’s probably for the best at this point since we’re incapable of slowing our inherent & rapacious reward seeking which is why were the only human species left & why we’ve temporarily dominated the planet if we don’t count microorganisms. Just look at what one modest novel virus has done to our globalized techno industrial wonder world. Not looking too resilient there superstar apes. I have no desire to be around when a new heavyweight infectious disease contender makes it’s inevitable appearance. Hell, the under card is beating us senseless.

  I digress. There may be some energy ‘alternatives’, but they don’t come close to what we have now.

  The alternative to live with less while still being a part of society was always there - the data, emissions & consumption, clearly show that few if any made the modest effort to live with less. Plenty of self righteous advocates talking the talk, but not walking the walk. It would only have taken a modest effort to reduce one’s eco & emissions footprint by 25% & still live more comfortable than almost all humans whoever lived, but obviously (the data) almost none of the 50% or more of westerners who’ve, for the last 20 years, said they believe AGW & biodiversity loss are a serious threat to civilization have changed/reduced their lifestyles. If just 25% of those tens of millions of people had reduced their eco & emissions footprint by a doable 25% we would know because it would show up in the eco & emissions footprint data. It hasn’t at all.

  My point is I’m calling BS on the scape-goaters who are trying to absolve themselves by spinning a helpless victim narrative.

  Sure them Big Corps & Gov - corporate state - lied & cheated & blocked some alternatives, but it was an easy sell to most. Everyone wanted & loves the freedom of movement owning a car brings & millions choose to commute alone in their car even when public transit is quicker & cheaper. Don’t tell me you haven’t chosen the same.

  Sure we’re all trapped in our respective societies & all that, but there was plenty of room to do with less without jeopardizing careers, education & most importantly, social standing. Anyone in the last 50 years could have reduced their eco & emissions footprint by 25% by reducing their consumption & hardly anyone would have noticed.

  Having one less child would result in a greater eco & emissions footprint reduction than the combined efforts of an entire middle class neighbourhood of pseudo environmentalists & their meaningless recycling & phony green washed consumerism.

  –Doug Stanhope hilariously rants about the carbon footprint of procreating Americans. Segment taken from BBCs Newswipe programme.– https://youtu.be/FCtJ1_2Sf-s

  Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives - Edwin Black

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