Following up on the post linking to Mark Mills’s essay, here was a story at National Public Radio from last year about how rapidly China was adding to its coal-fired electricity generation. The construction rate was expressed as an average of two coal power plants going live every week.
Meanwhile, in rich developed countries, coal power plants are being closed or otherwise converted to other fuel sources, like natural gas or wood pellets.
The price of electricity is directly related to its availability, and the Chinese authorities are doing all they can to make sure electricity is cheap and abundant, while developed Western countries are trying to turn it into a scarce, expensive luxury product that comes from pristine pastel dreams and wispy, sugary clouds drifting soothingly across a breezy blue sky.
We’re pursuing the production of pie-in-the-sky dreams while the mainland Chinese government turns out cold, industry-driving facts. Wittingly or not, we’re making ourselves thoroughly reliant on them, just as they are making themselves reliant on increasing coal consumption and increasing carbon dioxide production, resulting in more of each than we’re managing to shut down, cancel, and avoid.
This is the reality we inhabit: another part of the tale told by an idiot.
My two talks last night went pretty well. I had a few no-shows, but still had over 70 present. The students laughed a lot, they wrote some good insights, they enjoyed it. I had a student tell me they had attended a lot of these, mine was clearly one of the better ones.
I learned they don't understand sanctuary cities (although they know NYC is one). I explained how people in a community might see a law as unjust, so they'll choose not to enforce it. I noticed many of you hear believe the age 21 drinking laws are unjust, based on how many of you were at Tim's (a local bar) this weekend, and they laughed out loud. So one of them asked why the sanctuary cities were so unprepared for immigrants. I explained sometimes it's a symbolic act you expect to have to honor.
We talked gradualist vs. immediatist. They now understand the immediatist get all the headlines.
Why do these talks (I don't get extra pay for them)? I enjoy them, they are fun. I also get to teach without having to grade! 🙄
Next week's will be lit: Forget "Bootleggers and Baptists", I'm talkin' on "Klansmen and Quakers"!
I gotta admit, I always assume natural gas came from cows...and others.