The Present: Energy – Part 2

We Have A Clear Problem - What Is Holding Us Back From Solving It?

The key aspect holding us back in the clean energy transition is governments can’t accept it won’t happen overnight. Joe Biden has aggressively attacked fossil fuel companies. They’ve been underfunded for years and have caused the energy crisis we will soon find ourselves in. But the underinvestment shouldn’t have happened. To transition to clean energy, we need fossil fuels. It’s just an unfortunate fact. In the short term, they are pivotal to industrialised life on Earth.

Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

So, there hasn’t just been an underinvestment in clean energy and why we're in a climate crisis. There has been underinvestment in energy in general. US government debt is $31T. For a “successful energy transition”, investment needs to reach levels of $35T. We had the time to prepare and make life easier for everyone. But life is already too easy for everyone and has been for 80 years. Since the end of World War Two as an entire planet, we’ve had very few struggles. There have been times of tension and war, but never on a global scale. There has been a financial crisis but never one big enough to break the entire system. Are both of these peaceful aspects of life we’re used to coming to an end? Governments and corporations could fix this. They could openly and honestly invest in the energy transition for the future and demonstrate the effort, with action, not words. It's clear this period of peace has created weak leaders. Easy times create weak leaders. Weak leaders create hard times. Hard times create strong leaders. Strong leaders create easy times. And hence the cycle repeats.

But instead, we’ll have to enforce carbon credit cards, and carbon limiting accounts on an individual level. This is why we’re in an energy crisis and why no clean energy transition has happened yet. Control. Profits. Depopulation? Truly a sign of the present-day outdated model of government. But control won’t be surrendered, regardless of any trend of decentralisation.

Let’s use Occam’s Razor here. The simplest explanation is usually the best one. Why wouldn’t governments want to be working day in and day out to take action to save the planet?

Photo by Fateme Alaie on Unsplash

Because they don’t want to. They’ll make it look like they are, with pretty words tied in a bow. But with a complete lack of action. Have you seen any new renewable energy generation methods installed recently near you? And don’t include solar panels on your Grandma Bertha’s house. She had to pay for them with her hard-earned money. If you have, please let me know because I haven’t seen any, in quite a few years.

Occam’s Razor worked well for us the first time. Let’s ask another question. Why don’t governments want to get us to 100% renewable, clean energy?