The New Green Self-Sabotage

In the great civilizational clash between the West and the East, the West is apparently winning. But, not so fast. If we are to believe Joel Kotkin, and I have no reason not to, the West has been digging its own grave with its green Puritanism and environmentalist catastrophism.

We have been told that our goal in life should be to save the planet, even to save the environment. And we should do so by switching, as soon as possible, to green renewable energy, which means solar panels and windmills. No more fossil fuels; no more coal burning plants; no more combustion engines; no more nuclear reactors. No, we are going to replace it all with battery-driven cars and homes.

What is the result for those places where the policy proposals have been enacted? Kotkin explains the case of Germany. Prices for gas and electricity skyrocket. As though that did not suffice, the high cost of energy caused manufacturing to move offshore, to countries where energy was more plentiful and more economical.

In Europe, most obviously Germany, as well as California , the shift to “renewable energy” has led, as it usually does, to high prices that already are driving German industry off the continent. Although not nearly as well-endowed with energy as North America, the climate lobby in Europe makes sure to throttle anything, such as offshore oil in the UK — in pursuit of green puritanism.

And yet, despite the efforts to promote renewables, the truth remains that fossil fuels still reign supreme.

Yet, in the real world, despite billions in subsidies for “green power,” fossil fuels still represent roughly four fifths of global energy generation, just as it did twenty years ago. This is after expenditures of over one trillion were spent on solar and wind. 

The West has been reducing per capita emissions for years, but this is utterly subsumed by growth in developing countries, notably China, which not only buys huge amounts of natural gas but continues to open new coal-fired plants at a rapid rate.

For those who spend their waking hours worrying about the threat posed by our leading international competitor, China, Kotkin has a sobering thought. While we are reducing energy consumption and emissions, the Chinese are barreling ahead, building coal plants and nuclear reactors. That nation has no intention of running out of energy.

North Americans be forewarned that in imposing burdens on themselves, but not competitors, green governments are essentially guaranteeing their own decline. Already in the EU, nearly a million industrial jobs have been lost over the past few years, with investment shifting to countries like China and India, which freely use coal and fossil fuels to keep costs down.

Consider the case of Great Britain. It has chosen, often with the direction of a conservative government, to lead the world in green Puritanism. It is paying the price.

Britain’s path may give the starkest preview of the future Biden and Trudeau have in mind for us. Since 1990 the manufacturing sector’s share of GDP has dropped roughly 50 per cent along with several million jobs. This parallels a two thirds drop in UK energy production, while consumption has fallen by only one third. Three decades ago, a net energy exporter, the UK now increasingly depends on imports from the Middle East and other unstable regions.

And now, the rise of China. The winner in this madness is the Middle Kingdom. While it builds up its own coal and nuclear, it is perfectly happy to manufacture all the solar panels and electric vehicles the world wants. 

China has placed itself in the catbird’s seat on renewable energy, including utter domination of solar panels and electric vehicles. China already produces twice as many EVs as the US and the EU combined, and seeks to leverage its total domination of the solar-panel industry — its battery capacity is now roughly four times ours . China also exercises effective control of the requisite rare earth minerals and the technologies used to process them.

Of course, Kotkin recognizes that the tech oligarchs among us will fulfill their needs for energy by recommissioning nuclear power plants. The rest of us will be guilt tripped about our gas stoves and plastic straws.

Ultimately, the oligarchs will likely get their juice from sources like decommissioned nuclear energy, while the average family will take the economic hit in order to fulfill the agenda pushed by the likes of Steve Jobs’ widow, Lauren, Michael Bloomberg, the Rockefellers, Jeff Bezos and venture capitalist John Doerr. These, and other oligarchic allies, are waging a sophisticated and well-financed  media and institutional campaign to catastrophize the climate issue as a way to ban gas stoves, stop new LNG facilities, and crack down on plastics.

In the last analysis, green mandates are driving industry to China and India, among other countries. Dare we say that developing countries are not very willing to listen to lectures designed to produce policies that will maintain their status as underdeveloped.

The new green mandates, if adopted, presage yet another force to further reduce the industrial prowess of western countries, while driving more industries to China, India, and other countries who produce their goods with dirtier fuels and develop resources with less environmental care. At the same time, third world countries, for the most part, are not embracing “net zero,” as it is totally infeasible for them and will likely resist western lectures on climate policy.

So, we, enlightened Westerners that we are, have discovered a new way to undermine our efficiency and to sabotage our future. Way to go, team.