Many climate predictions are based upon computer modeling. I used computer modeling to predict performance of oil and gas reservoirs in my days as an engineer in the energy industry. I learned a key there is requiring a good history match. If you look at the history of the climate predictions, you will see the match is very poor. Go back and look at the gloom and doom predictions of the 80's and 90's which never came to pass. Those were based upon models as well. I grant that the technology today has improved and may be more accurate. However, the question of what to do about the climate is a difficult one. Whatever we do in the US is immaterial when you consider what is going on in Asia. They are still building coal plants galore there while understanding that going to natural gas is probably in their best interest. That is where some of the big discoveries of Australia are being marketed to via LNG. It is foolish to try to pause this like the Biden administration is doing now. As far as electric cars go, I am all for them as long as they are not mandated. The Biden administration can claim all day they are not mandating them but their tailpipe emissions requirements in effect is a mandate. This is a foolish policy as consumers will simply keep their ICE vehicles longer and many of those are not very energy efficient. It may cripple the auto manufacturing business as people will simply not buy new cars without the freedom to buy what they prefer. Electric vehicles would be a disaster when trying to evacuate for hurricanes or in the post hurricane days.
I am OK with electric cars but not subsidies. People say the oil and gas industry gets subsidies. In actuality, they can tax deductions for investments made (something I know a lot about as I focused on project economics for much of my career). No investment, no deduction. Many of the climate projects get actual subsidies.
Our power grid can BARELY handle the current energy needs for our population, housing, transportation and industry needs. Just imagine what would happen if even 50% of households and apartment complexes had their occupants charging vehicles around the clock. All while many of the same segment pushing for banning ICE vehicles are also in favor of banning fossil fuel exploration and production.
I have no problem with us trying to be cleaner. Industry is making great strides, including the oil & gas and petrochem industries, in this arena. Some may say "Well what took them so long?", but those same folks may also need to consider that you can't overnight scale up new cleaner technologies in these industries without increased costs being passed on to the consumer.
We should strive to be greener, but we have to do it in a responsible way that doesn't stifle energy production growth at a time when our energy needs continue to grow. That is just as reckless and irresponsible as if we'd revert back to the old Evangeline oilfield boom days of just letting all the produced saltwater from oil wells run all over the surface and discharged into bayous.
Sure, POTENTIALLY.
But it would still be nice if folks would actually use the terms correctly. One avenue is offering a reduction in the tax burden an individual or entity is already paying, and it's based on capital investments being made by said individual or entity. The other is simply government handing over taxpayer money, regardless of what investment is being made or what, or if, a tax burden is even being paid at the end of the day.
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