WebsterMark
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Perfect timing. Made that last post and read this from The Manhattan Contrarian:
Whether you like it or hate it, the war in Iran has definitely had the effect of exposing some of the ridiculous fantasies in the world to a serious dose of reality.
Consider the UK. After implementing an expansive welfare state in the latter 20th century (e.g., free health care for all!), the UK since 2000 has gone all-in on the idea of an energy system free of hydrocarbon fuels. The 2008 Climate Change Act — passed with an overwhelming majority including support from all major political parties — committed the UK to 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. That mandate was then amended in 2019 to make the legally-binding target for 2050 what is known as “net zero” carbon emissions. That change got passed essentially unanimously in Parliament, without even a recorded vote.
Here in the 21st century, the UK has pursued its net zero fantasy with a vengeance. Wind turbines and solar panels now cover the countryside. Many power plants that use coal or other fossil fuels have been closed. Perhaps most important, the UK has banned essentially all exploration for and development of fossil fuel energy within its own borders, including offshore in territorial waters. Although there are large shale-gas formations beneath the UK, the practice of “fracking” to exploit them has been subject to a moratorium since 2019, and the current Labour government has vowed to make that moratorium permanent. The current government has also not issued any new licenses for drilling for oil or gas in the North Sea, and says it will continue that policy, although a small amount of drilling continues under pre-existing licenses.
The logic of these policies appears simple: carbon emissions damage the environment, and after all, we can get all the energy we need from the free and abundant wind and sun.
Into this mix has dropped the Iran war, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Maybe things were not as simple as they had seemed.
In the past few days, a serious shortage of aviation fuel has arisen in the UK. The shortage is not limited to the UK, but apparently is particularly acute in that country. From the Daily Mail today:
[The] Iran war has continued to wreak havoc on the aviation industry, and the UK could soon be experiencing a jet fuel shortage. The last known shipment of jet fuel to Britain from the Middle East is expected to arrive within 48 hours amid alarm over shortages within a week. Data providers Kpler and Vortexa say the consignment on the Libyan-flagged Maetiga vessel is expected to reach the UK from Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing conflict means no other cargoes heading to the UK from the region can be seen on the water, they added.
What, you mean the wind and sun aren’t going to work to fly the airplanes? It’s almost impossible to believe how naive and detached from reality these people are. The wind and sun are also not going to work to run industry, agriculture, or ground transportation. And for that matter, they are not going to work to provide continuous, reliable electricity, which is the only type of electricity worth having. But the immediate crunch is hitting the aviation fuel business.
President Trump reacted with a message that you may have seen, telling the UK and other European countries to “Go get your own oil.”:
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