Human society has faced major shifts, periods of significant change, ranging from the printing press to the industrial revolution to the information age to the massively expansive set of changes in the 21st century from communications to biotechnology to energy systems. And, when it comes to economic moves off 19th energy systems — the burning of coal — Senator Ed Markey capture it right:
Trump says there’s a war on coal
iPhones weren't a war on rotary phones, they were a revolution
The horseless carriage wasn’t a war on horses, it was a revolution
The ice box wasn't a war on salted meats, it was a revolution#cleanenergy isn't a war on coal, it's a revolution
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) February 1, 2018
The telegraph and telephone weren’t a war on the Pony Express and signal fires, but a (r)evolution in how we communicate and share information.
Cell phones weren’t a war on copper lines and emails weren’t a war on the US postal service but a leap frog past them but another (r)evolution in how we communicate and share information.
Steamships weren’t a war on clipper ships and horseless carriages weren’t a war on horses but a (r)evolution in how we move around the world.
Canning and refrigeration weren’t a war on salt, but a (r)evolution in how we store and ship food.
Moving into the 21st century with cost-effective, clean solar, wind, storage, smart grind, and other clean-energy options isn’t a war on 19th energy systems but a (r)evolution to a better system.
Well said. I would add that clean, renewable energy is the next stage in an advanced society that values efficiency, jobs, energy security, health, and the environment. https://t.co/tIIpjOnxso
— Mark Z. Jacobson (@mzjacobson) February 3, 2018
Donald Trump and other fossil fools are caught in false rhetoric about a ‘war on coal’ that ignores technical, economic, and financial realities. They wish to drive the United States into reinvesting and relying on a costlier, less-efficient energy system that will cost Americans more and disadvantage the nation economically against those embracing the ever-less expensive and cost-advantaged clean-energy systems.
RFF study estimates 27,000 deaths, $72 billion higher electricity costs (2020-2045) under DOE coal & nuclear subsidy proposalhttps://t.co/USiu7r0Mhe
— Daniel Cohan (@cohan_ds) December 1, 2017
And, of course, that isn’t even accounting for the pollution impacts from coal.
RFF study estimates 27,000 deaths, $72 billion higher electricity costs (2020-2045) under DOE coal & nuclear subsidy proposalhttps://t.co/USiu7r0Mhe
— Daniel Cohan (@cohan_ds) December 1, 2017
10,000s of dead Americans … now that would merit undertaking a war on coal because, now that viable and cost-advantaged options exist to retire coal, those promoting increased (and maintaining existing) coal use are engaged in a war against humanity.
NOTE:
- Greenpeace did a series of quite interesting analyses, over time, about what it might take to pursue a clean Energy [r]Evolution enabling phasing out coal and other fossil fuels. Thus, the use of ‘[r]evolution] rather than Senator Markey’s Revolution.