But Leeming was not sure. "I don't believe in the CO2 theory at all," he said. "Humans represent a trivial factor." Timmy asserted that none of these so-called energy sources actually provide net energy at all after you consider the necessary batteries and add in the increasing complexity and vulnerability of power grids that have to back up and buffer the erratic inputs of sun and wind. "It's all a horrible waste," he said. "Even electrical cars probably are a negative factor in the climate calculus," I said. "They're nice and silent and all and have instant acceleration. There's nothing wrong with them really. But the battery in your Tesla weighs 1,200 pounds and provides the power of just 60 pounds of gasoline. In energy terms, they're one-twentieth as efficient as an internal combustion engine. If you want to save energy, petrol is the way to go" (when in England, I try to speak English). "It doesn't pay to shuffle electricity around the country. You want distributed power, not more reliance on a centralized and vulnerable grid, making it more vulnerable. Solar and wind makes the grid more hackable." I offered my usual riff, "These are druidical sunhenges and Quixotic totem poles of a new Doomsday Adventist religion." "Yes," said Timothy, "Greta Thunberg [the 14-year-old Swedish pasionaria of climate catastrophe in twelve years] is like a new age Joan of Arc." We all sighed in agreement and moved on to more festive conversations. Today's Prophecy But just for a corrective view, after talking to all the bio-scientists and farmers, I engaged with the eminent computer scientist and expert on cybersecurity. He had a different view, developed through the study of software in an academic environment. I wanted to discuss cryptocurrencies with him. But he burst in with anguished alarms about climate change. A major threat, as he saw it, "is Bitcoin. It uses the energy of two countries just to mine the currencies!" he said indignantly. As Timmy had told me, they all take pills of politics and cannot think straight anymore. One of the towering spurious data points of our age is the idea that 97% of scientists support global warming catastrophism. In my experience, wherever I go, from China to Cumbria, is that the supporters are mostly on government grants and payrolls. Independent scientists, particularly retired scientists, dismiss the threat. Intelligent investors should not bet on the triumph of a doomsday religion as an investment boon. Climate change quackery is a serious threat to the future of our economies and technologies and the quality of our sciences. Overcoming it is essential to compete with the challenge of superb Chinese companies and engineers. Regards, George Gilder Editor, Gilder's Daily Prophecy |
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