Chimere Nkwocha’s Post

Can we get beyond the three-eyed koala & fish memes to begin to have an honest economic and environmental impact conversation about Australia’s current and future energy mix?

Essential Read - John Burns Murdoch always fuses excellent data and narratives with political insights. Anti-nuclear ☢️, anti onshore wind 💨 political parties aren’t really green. NIMBYism is a side effect of Britain’s First Past the Post electoral system- to have infected the Greens with anti Onshore Wind sentiment is not without irony. Germany’s nuclear phase out will go down in history as one of the strangest acts of national self harm a political class have ever committed. That said - the figures can look quite different if you include/exclude imports of power (notably from France) but also Balkonkraktwerk and the melange of behind the meter electricity generators that have long formed part of the German grid (there is loads of CHP too) - or KWK auf Deutsch.

Coal plants fighting to keep polluting the planet instead of pivoting. There are much better sources of energy in the market, including nuclear power. Here is a snippet: "The new [EPA] rule advances carbon capture and storage as the best system of emission reduction to curb 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 23 years, the equivalent of taking 328 million gasoline-powered cars off the road for a year. Facilities have until 2032 to slash or capture 90 percent of their carbon emissions. If they can’t comply, they must exit the grid by 2039." https://lnkd.in/dia8eZpN

It is time for all supporters of fossil fuels to take The Tailpipe Challenge. If you think fossil fuels are safe to breathe and safe for our planet, then start up your gas-powered car and as it idles inhale straight from the exhaust coming out the tailpipe for 5 minutes. My hypothesis is you will feel seriously ill in 20 seconds. By the way the force of air from the idling gas-powered exhaust is the equivalent of the force from a slowly dripping water faucet. You can safely put your mouth to the slowly dripping water faucet and drink drips of water while breathing from your nose for 5 minutes. Because water is safe to drink (unless it’s fracking wastewater). However, exhaust from a car's idling tailpipe is not safe to breathe for anyone. That same exhaust is also dangerously heating our planet. No to nuclear energy because it has cancer-causing waste. Yes to Solar Electricity + Electric Vehicles + Battery Storage because that combination equals Zero Carbon Emissions. Solar Electricity costs less than coal energy and less than natural gas energy in most places. Solar Electricity also costs less than new nuclear power plants. JTB 5-4-24 I take umbrage especially with this passage from Benji Backer’s Op-Ed in NYT on April 27, 2024… "This environmental movement will look slightly different from what the Democrats have built. We firmly believe fossil fuels must be part of our transition to cleaner energy sources for years to come. So our movement will aim to improve the environmental impact of all energy sources, not just wind and solar." https://lnkd.in/gPE7-JKj

New Episode Alert Charged Conversations https://lnkd.in/gQk_vXxS Chapter 1 America First Trump's energy plan reflects a desire for independence and fairness, influenced by American psyche and international relationships. Chapter 2 European Electricity and Renewable Sources Germany's reliance on coal and gas, France's strong nuclear sector, and UK's closure of coal plants affect energy policies and industrial stability. Chapter 3 Trump's Energy Dominance Strategy Trump's energy policies prioritize fossil fuels, challenge climate change initiatives, and aim for energy dominance through technological advancements. #EnergyIndependence, #TrumpEnergyPlan, #HistoricalEvents, #NationalPsychology, #AmericaFirst, #1973ArabOilEmbargo, #CarterAdministration, #AmericaFirstIdeology, #EnergyAutonomy, #InternationalArena, #NATO, #Inequities, #EuropeanNations, #SustainableEnergySolutions, #Germany, #France, #UK, #NuclearPower, #RenewableEnergy, #EnergyDominance, #ClimateChange, #GlobalEnergyLeadership, #EnvironmentalQuality, #internationaldynamics

🌍 Exciting times ahead for decarbonisation policies in the UK! Join us for our webinar, "The Future of Decarbonisation: Examining Party Pledges," where we'll delve into the manifesto commitments of the major political parties. We will explore: 🔹 Conservatives: Their plans to expand offshore wind and nuclear power to reach net zero by 2050. 🔹 Labour: Aiming for a Green New Deal, including nationalising the energy grid to ensure a rapid transition to renewable energy. 🔹 Liberal Democrats: Focused on environmental justice and ambitious targets to reduce emissions, along with investments in clean energy and technology. Get ready to dissect and analyse the pledges that could shape the future of the UK's decarbonisation efforts. 📅 Date: 27/06/24 🕒 Time: 12:30 - 13:30 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eN_M_3dr #ClimateChange #Decarbonisation #PoliticalPledges #GeneralElection2024 #NetZero #GreenPolicies #Webinar

Gov. Walz signed into law a target for Minnesota to get 100% of power from zero-carbon sources, incl. nuclear, by 2040, & coal has fallen behind renewables & #nuclear as state’s top sources of power for first time during his tenure. #nuclearenergy #nuclearpower #energytransition #CleanEnergy #GreenEnergy #uranium #energy https://lnkd.in/eytd4Y9i

This is a much more interesting and informative approach to dealing with spent fuel.

Why vilify the oil and gas industry? After all, they have the capital we need to make this transition. Well, here's why; taken from Emily Atkin (HEATED). Highly recommend this newsletter https://lnkd.in/ghnrphVB Here are just a few pertinent examples since 1959, when the first oil company scientist raised alarm bells about catastrophic global heating from fossil fuel burning. (Most oil companies were well aware of climate change by 1977). 1960s-present: Major oil companies create and distribute public school material and Disney comic books that downplay climate change and celebrate the fossil fuel industry. 1980s-late 2000s: Major fossil fuel companies take out ads in major newspapers and magazines that say climate change isn’t real. 1989: Oil majors created the Global Climate Coalition, a lobbying group dedicated to denying climate science and opposing emissions reductions. 1990s-present: Oil company advertising strategy shifts “from outright denial to more subtle forms of propaganda, including shifting responsibility away from companies and on to consumers.” This is when BP started promoting the term “carbon footprint.” 1990-2020: Five oil companies spent a combined $3.6 billion on advertisements to convince the public it is solving climate change and other environmental problems on its own. 2015-2019: Following the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, the five largest oil companies spent $200 million a year on lobbying and campaign donations to block climate action. 2018: BP spends $13 million to block a carbon tax in Washington state. 2021: An Exxon senior lobbyist admits the company only publicly supported a carbon tax because they believed it would never pass. 2021: That same Exxon lobbyist admits that the company lobbied Democratic and Republic Senators to remove climate provisions from the bipartisan infrastructure bill 2023: After publicly promising to reduce emissions and getting a bunch of positive press for it, Exxon, BP and Shell said “never mind.” 2024: Investigative reporting finds that oil companies have been using “carbon capture”—which they market as a climate solution—primarily to extract more oil.

After 6 months of negotiations, there is a political agreement to form a right-wing government in the Netherlands, including the far-right party PVV. The title of the document is "Hope, Courage and Pride". For me, the content spells out the opposite. How can I have hope when politicians want to promote gas production, nuclear energy and carbon storage, instead of actively reducing GHG emissions? How can I be proud of a country that wants to adopt the strictest migration policy ever, while halving development aid? And there is no courage at all in business-as-usual by continuing large-scale animal farming. There is one thing that the text anticipates correctly: lack of trust among citizens - I have no confidence in a government that does not offer real solutions, legitimizes discrimination and that undermines environmental laws.