Now Versus Never: Changing Our Fossilized Ways

This thundering “call to action” is analogous to the rapid, unified response triggered by the Pandemic, in which first responders, healthcare providers, and essential workers mobilized to save lives and  keep government and essential businesses operating throughout the pandemic. A digital transformation of businesses and government services was spurred in the face of “shelter in place” and “work from home”.  Similarly, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has unified western leaders in sanctioning (partially) Russian commerce, arming Ukrainians, strengthening NATO, and re-examining their own energy and national security policies.

Energy Transformation is a big lift that is urgently needed now so that our children and grandchildren can survive on this planet in 20-25 years.

Reasoning

In the last quarter of a century, global warming has accelerated along with negative climate impacts, including severe drought, raging forest fires, torrential rainstorms, along with tidal waves of rising sea levels and flooding. These climate change related disasters harm/kill people, devastate communities, destroy businesses and property, and generate substantial financial losses. 

According to the most recent American Lung Association State of the Air report, 63 million people live in counties that had dangerous levels of deadly particulate matter pollution, from gas-powered vehicles, industrial plants, and wildfires. California has 11 of the top 25 polluted cities.

Heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States. White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the first ever accounting of how unchecked global warming would impact the economy and budget.  Climate change could shrink GDP by as much as 10% by the end of this century, reducing the federal budget by 7%. Costs for government insurance programs and post-disaster aid could be as much as double the current $120 billion a year. (source: https://www.npr.org/2022/04/07/1091258821/the-future-cost-of-climate-inaction-2-trillion-a-year-says-the-government)

As the pandemic demonstrated, global supply chains can be fragile. Given that energy is a fundamental part of nearly every human activity, energy independence, or at least resilience based on diversified forms and sources, has become essential for ensuring supply and price stability.

National security also depends on energy independence to protect citizens as well defend borders, democratic principles (i.e., freedom), and allies.

Disarm despots and their autocratic governments, by imposing the full brunt of market sanctions, including boycotting the purchase of their fossil fuels without fear of suffering a cold winter with no heat or price inflation.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a series of reports documenting scientific evidence of climate change, the detrimental impacts of climate change on people and planet, and most recently, options for mitigating climate change. 

The IPCC April 2022 report outlines possibilities for how humans could stabilize the climate and avoid catastrophic global warming while keeping average global warming to between 1.5°C and 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the targets outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The menu of options span power generation and energy efficiency, transport, buildings, urbanization, agriculture and food security, forestry, consumer choices and much more. All these activities involve some form of energy and urgent action is needed across every dimension of the  global landscape, given the need to reduce global emissions by 30-40% between 2025-2030.  (Source:  https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/04/09/the-latest-ipcc-report-argues-that-stabilising-the-climate-will-require-fast-action )

The chart below lists a multitude of actions in terms of their impact and costs relative to current alternatives.