AS Arman Oganisian of Stable Markets writes “There are no solutions, only trade-offs.” That is a fundamentally engineering attitude.
It is fundamentally about the economics, and, in particular, the dramatic drop in levelized cost of energy for wind and renewables, as well as take-up rates.
But, what’s significant, is that players in the marketplace who ignore, shun, and oppose arguments in court and in the public forum of ideas in favor of regulating Carbon emissions, or assigning producer responsibility to fossil fuel companies for the downstream harm their products do, will rapidly do econotaxis towards these kinds of motivations.
That, as the above video notes, the values of these companies have dropped precipitously in the recent term is highly gratifying.
And, oh, by the way, it serves them right.
But, also, a warning to the environmental community, whether in the United States or elsewhere, if you are really, honestly concerned with this problem, you would do well to set aside your personal and collective egos and work with these organizations, some of which have been your long time enemies, to achieve these goals. These trade-offs are necessary to get there.
And what is more important, getting there? Or achieving your side conditions and side goals, however significant they might be in isolation? If climate change approaches an existential threat, then it should be treated like an existential threat? A safe continuance in an isolated ecosystem of a particular species does not rise to the level of worthiness of measures designed to stop a much bigger calamity.
Grow up.
Oh, and what will happen to fossil fuels?