‘A religion of rich people’: Leading environmentalist slams climate activists

[FindersKeepers]

More and more, environmentalists (the smart ones at any rate), are standing up against so-called "renewable" energy sources.

Michael Shellenberger once helped lobby for the US government to spend more than $150 billion on renewable energy, but now he’s fighting against it.

He says it’s quite remarkable that renewables are put on a pedestal by climate activists when they actually have a largely negative environmental impact.

“I do think that as the German renewables experiment comes to a spectacular failure, which is what’s happening, that people will start to see nuclear for what it truly is.”

https://www.2gb.com/a-religion-of-ri...Gy92ZFqVamelMk

[Common]

Renewable Corps donate hugely to democrats. Does anyone even realize how many solar panels it would take to just server NYC, Or windmills.

I admit plastic is a threat to the environment and wildlife but it would take us 100 yrs or more to replace plastic, its in almost everything

[Peter1469]

Renewable Corps donate hugely to democrats. Does anyone even realize how many solar panels it would take to just server NYC, Or windmills.

I admit plastic is a threat to the environment and wildlife but it would take us 100 yrs or more to replace plastic, its in almost everything

If we wanted to we could use 18th century chemical engineering to turn plastic waste into alcohol fuel (ethanol or methanol). But we just toss it into land fills and the ocean.

[The Sage of Main Street]

More and more, environmentalists (the smart ones at any rate), are standing up against so-called "renewable" energy sources.







https://www.2gb.com/a-religion-of-ri...Gy92ZFqVamelMk

"Run for Your Lives! It's the GLOBAL IGLOO!"


Even before this escalation of lucrative anti-human, anti-growth demands, Conservation was nothing but hoarding to drive up prices. If a lake full of diamonds was found, the diamond merchants (De Beers) would bribe a "concerned scientist" to come up with the social-justice-warlord theory that cheap diamonds available to everybody would reflect all our light back into space and cause a drastic lowering of Earth's temperature.

[skepticalmike]

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed that the U.S. can generate 80% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2050.

Why should I trust Michael Shellenberger, an environmental activist, over the Department of Energy or some other collection of experts? This man is described as a global warming guru but he was
educated in the field of cultural anthropology.

Germany's main problem was that they didn't have the necessary energy distribution system (grid) to handle the renewable energy.

[FindersKeepers]

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed that the U.S. can generate 80% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2050.

Why should I trust Michael Shellenberger, an environmental activist, over the Department of Energy or some other collection of experts? This man is described as a global warming guru but he was educated in the field of cultural anthropology.

According to that study, that would only be possible with improved electrical storage. Many energy engineers (and Bill Gates) have recently informed us that storage on that scale is a pipe dream. It's not going to happen.

Germany's main problem was that they didn't have the necessary energy distribution system (grid) to handle the renewable energy.

That's not it. Their grid can handle the energy, the problem is that wind is intermittent, so they developed over-capacity, and the excess electricity dissipates as heat. The grid cannot store energy.

At one point this month renewable energy sources briefly supplied close to 90 percent of the power on Germany’s electric grid. But that doesn’t mean the world’s fourth-largest economy is close to being run on zero-carbon electricity. In fact, Germany is giving the rest of the world a lesson in just how much can go wrong when you try to reduce carbon emissions solely by installing lots of wind and solar.



After years of declines, Germany’s carbon emissions rose slightly in 2015, largely because the country produces much more electricity than it needs. That’s happening because even if there are times when renewables can supply nearly all of the electricity on the grid, the variability of those sources forces Germany to keep other power plants running. And in Germany, which is phasing out its nuclear plants, those other plants primarily burn dirty coal.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/6...of-renewables/

So, Germany spent billions, destroyed their skyline, and their carbon emissions increased.

Are you starting to understand the conundrum?

[mamooth]

So, pro-nuke nonsense. Why is it nonsense? Because it ignores economics. Nuclear power fails hard economically. It has to be propped up by governments. So, being pro-nuke is essentially being pro-socialism in a big way.

And there's no "failure of renewables" in Germany. The renewables just aren't enough to make up for closed nuke plants right now. I agree that it was stupid for Germany to close nuke plants, being they were already paid for. The renewables that Germany invested in have paid a handsome profit.

If anyone loves nuclear power that much, they are free to invest in it. However, I wouldn't recommend it.

[MisterVeritis]

Renewable Corps donate hugely to democrats. Does anyone even realize how many solar panels it would take to just server NYC, Or windmills.

I admit plastic is a threat to the environment and wildlife but it would take us 100 yrs or more to replace plastic, its in almost everything

Why do you believe plastic is a threat to the environment? When you say that what do you mean?

Human slobs who do not dispose of plastic are threats. The plastic is enormously useful. Get rid of the slobs and keep the plastic.

[MisterVeritis]

If we wanted to we could use 18th century chemical engineering to turn plastic waste into alcohol fuel (ethanol or methanol). But we just toss it into land fills and the ocean.

We believe there are between 6-7 million fungi species. We have scientifically identifed and classified about 100,000 of them. I believe we will find fungi that love to consume plastics the way some consume rocks.

[MisterVeritis]

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed that the U.S. can generate 80% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2050.

Why should I trust Michael Shellenberger, an environmental activist, over the Department of Energy or some other collection of experts? This man is described as a global warming guru but he was
educated in the field of cultural anthropology.

Germany's main problem was that they didn't have the necessary energy distribution system (grid) to handle the renewable energy.

I understand your desire to trust a wholly-owned government scientst.
Really, I do.

When the market is ready the market will provide.