No Soil & Water Before 100% Renewable Energy
January 24, 2016
Many say we can have 100% renewable energy by 2050. This is factually incorrect.
We can have 100% renewable electricity production by 2050.
But electricity production is only 18% of total world energy demand.
82% of total world energy demand is NOT electricity production.
The other 82% of the world’s energy is used to extract minerals to make roads, cement, bricks, glass, steel and grow food so we can eat and sleep. Solar panels and wind turbines will not be making cement or steel anytime soon. Why? Do you really want to know? Here we go.
TWED = Total World Energy Demand
18% of TWED is electrical grid generation.
82% of TWED is not electrical grid generation.
In 20 years, solar & wind energy is up from 1% to 3% of TWED.
Solar & wind power are projected to provide 6% of TWED by 2030.
When you hear stories about solar & wind generating
50% of all humanity’s electrical power by 2050,
that’s really only 9% of TWED because
100% of electrical production is 18% of TWED.
But, it takes 10X as much solar & wind energy to close 1 fossil fuel power plant simply because they don’t produce energy all the time.
Reference Link: http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n6/full/nclimate1451.html?WT.ec_id=NCLIMATE-201206
Reference Link:
https://citizenactionmonitor.wordpress.com/2015/12/27/renewable-energy-hope-or-hype/
That means it will take 10 X 18% of TWED to close all fossil power plants with intermittent power.
Research says it will take 4 X 82% of TWED for a 100% renewable energy transition. But then again, whoever trusts research?
10 X 18% + 4 X 82% = 100% Renewable TWED.
CONCLUSION:
We require 10X the fossil electrical grid energy we use now just to solve 18% of the emissions problem with solar & wind power. This also means that even if we use 100% efficient Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) for all the world’s electricity generation, we would still only prevent 18% of our emissions. 100% efficient CCS is very unlikely. Switching to electric vehicles would only double electrical demand while most of our roads are made out of distilled oil sludge.
These figures do not include massive electrical storage and grid infrastructure solar & wind require. Such infrastructure is hundreds of millions of tons of materials taking decades to construct, demanding even more energy and many trillions of dollars. With that kind of money in the offing, you can see why some wax over-enthused.
Solar & wind systems last 30 years meaning we will always have to replace them all over the world again 50% sooner than fossil power plants.
Solar and wind power are an energy trap.
It takes 1 ton of coal to make 6-12 solar panels.
Business As Usual = BAU
In 15 years 40% of humanity will be short of water with BAU.
In 15 years 20% of humanity will be severely short of water.
Right now, 1 billion people walk a mile every day for water.
In 60 years humanity will not have enough soil to grow food says Scientific American. They call it, “The End of Human Agriculture.” Humanity’s soil is eroding and degrading away at 24 million acres per year. And, when they say 60 years they don’t mean everything is wonderful until the last day of the 59th year. We will feel the heat of those words in much less than 30 years. Soil loss rates will only increase with severe droughts, storms and low-land floods. Here’s what BAU really looks like.
50% of humanity’s soil will be gone in 30 years.
50% of humanity will lack water in 30 years.
50% of humanity will go hungry in 30 years.
A 100% TWED transition takes 50 years minimum. It is a vastly more difficult and complex goal than you are told.
Reference Link:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/12/four-billion-people-face-severe-water-scarcity-new-research-finds
Reference Link:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/
We are losing earth’s soil and fresh water faster than we can effect 100% renewable TWED.
In 25 years civilization will end says Lloyds of London and the British Foreign Office.
In my opinion, in 30 years we won’t have enough fossil fuel for a 100% renewable TWED transition.
This is the most important fact I’ve learned:
Renewable Energy is Unsustainable
without massive energy demand destruction
Humanity will destroy its soil and water faster than we can switch to renewable energy with BAU. We cannot sustain economic growth with renewable energy. Without massive political-economic change, civilization will collapse with 100% certainty. But, don’t worry, I like to fix things.
Animal Agriculture = AA
Humans + Livestock = 97% of the weight of all land vertebrate biomass
Humans + Livestock = 80% of the cause of all land-air extinctions
Humans + Livestock = 50% of the use of all land surface area
Humans + Livestock = 40% consumption of all land plant growth *
* Net Primary Production.
50% of the soy grown in South America is shipped over to China to feed their pigs. Rainforests and deep-rooted scrub are cleared to grow animals & feed so that their required fresh water is in reality a sky river exported in boats to China and Europe leaving little moisture in the air to reach São Paulo. Since rainforest roots are so thick they don’t require very much, or even good, soil; this leaves rainforest soil so poor and thin that it degrades and erodes faster when exposed to the elements.
The Himalayan mountains are heating 2X faster than the planet and many fear that China will run out of water in 15 years by 2030.
50% of China’s rivers have vanished since 1980.
60% of China’s groundwater is too poisoned to touch.
50% of China’s cropland is too poisoned to safely grow food.
Animal Agriculture will destroy our soil and water long before we can effect 100% intermittent TWED transition with BAU.
BAU means 7 billion people will not stop eating meat and wasting food without major $$$ incentive. Meaning a steadily rising carbon tax on meat. Just saying that can get you killed in some places.
Without using James Hansen’s 100% private tax dividends to carbon tax meat consumption out of the market earth will die. 100% private tax dividends means 100% for you, 0% for government.
100% for you,
0% for gov.
The funny thing is that meat and fire saved our ancestors from extinction and now meat and fire will cause mass extinction of all the life we love on earth. Survival is not an optional menu item as is eating meat. We have to act now, not 5 years from now, or forever be not remembered as the least greatest generation because there’ll be no one left to remember us.
Michael Mann says we will lock-in a 2 degree temperature rise in 3 years for 2036 with BAU. Ocean fish will be gone in less than 25 years simply because of the BAU of meat consumption. The BAU of fishing kills everything in its path producing lots of waste kill. We are stealing all the Antarctic Ocean’s krill just to sell as a health supplement. You can learn a lot about fishing by watching “Cowspiracy” on Netflix.
We cannot let governments get control of carbon markets like how Sanders, Klein and McKibben want government to get 40% of your carbon tax dividend money. Naomi Klein and Bill McKibben are funded by the Rockefellers. Klein’s latest video about herself was funded by the oil-invested Ford Foundation. This is 100% in direct opposition to James Hansen’s tax dividend plan and immoral. Hansen said that governments should get 0% of that money, not 40%. I strongly believe your carbon dividends should be in a new open-source world e-currency directly deposited to your phone to be phased in over 10 years. But, I’m kinda simple that way.
Google: Rockefellers fund Bill McKibben. Believe me, the Rockefellers don’t fund 350.org out of the kindness of their hearts. To learn why they would do such a thing, you can watch the educational video at the bottom of this page.
Reference Link:
Rockefellers behind ‘scruffy little outfit’
Reference Link:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2014/12/04/can-climate-change-cure-capitalism/
James Hansen repeated at COP21 that his 100% private carbon tax dividends would unite Democrats and Republicans because government would be 100% excluded. Socialists like Sanders, Klein and McKibben want government to control 40% of that money. They are divisive and Republicans will never accept their revolutionary rhetoric. We don’t have time for this endless fighting. Forget the Socialist vs. Capitalist mentality. We barely even have time to unite, and nothing unites like money. Environmentalism in the 21st century is about a revolving door of money and power for elite socialists and capitalists. Let’s give everyone a chance to put some skin in the game.
Reference Link: http://grist.org/climate-energy/sanders-and-boxer-introduce-fee-and-dividend-climate-bill-greens-tickled-pink/
What humans & livestock have done so far:
We are eating up our home.
99% of Rhinos gone since 1914.
97% of Tigers gone since 1914.
90% of Lions gone since 1993.
90% of Sea Turtles gone since 1980.
90% of Monarch Butterflies gone since 1995.
90% of Big Ocean Fish gone since 1950.
80% of Antarctic Krill gone since 1975.
80% of Western Gorillas gone since 1955.
60% of Forest Elephants gone since 1970.
50% of Great Barrier Reef gone since 1985.
40% of Giraffes gone since 2000.
30% of Marine Birds gone since 1995.
70% of Marine Birds gone since 1950.
28% of Land Animals gone since 1970.
28% of All Marine Animals gone since 1970.
97% – Humans & Livestock are 97% of land-air vertebrate biomass.
10,000 years ago we were 0.01% of land-air vertebrate biomass.
Humans and livestock caused 80% of land-air vertebrate species extinctions and occupy half the land on earth. Do you think the new 2-child policy in China favours growth over sustainability? The Zika virus could be a covert 1% population control measure for all I know. Could the 1% be immune? I don’t know, but I know this…
1 million humans, net, added to earth every 4½ days.
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/30/10872878/world-population-map
Spot The Solar Fig Leaf That Will Cover China’s Environmental Degradation
Learn why the Rockefellers fund Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySnk-f2ThpE
You may well wonder how I know all this, and I would like to tell you that when my dog Loki licks my face during a hangover I can hear his mind talking to space angels, but the reality is that I’m an old man who cuts grass in a trailer park in Canada and there’s not too much else to think about, so take it from me, you can search any statement, but just don’t get bogged down so you can’t see the forest for the trees.
Here is a more detailed post I wrote early 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/311m7d/collapse_data_cheat_sheet/
Here’s a bunch of stuff I wrote on the collapse sub-reddit where I sooner or later provide a lot of supporting links for my arguments.
https://www.reddit.com/user/BeezleyBillyBub/
Reference Link: Wadhams slays the Q&A @ 1:15:30 !!!
https://youtu.be/O854kS0-AYw
Ode to a Matrix Clone
https://youtu.be/1UYaP8uv0SE
One Comment
I agree with a lot of what you say but feel I ought to point out that the problem of renewable electricity not being continuously available might be alleviated by the advent of lithium battery packs such as the Tesla Powerwall.