Kevin Kallaugher by KAL for October 22, 2021

Remember, the earth doesn’t need humans. The earth was around long before the first hominid walked upright and will be here long after the last human descendant is nothing more than a rare surviving fossil. The opposite can’t be said.

It ain’t the FUELS that are the problem. It’s the rich people who want to maintain their “cash flow” through the sale of such things.

Just think of all the pollution once republicans are dictating all of the rules.

There is a way around this. There is a way to employ many of the folks who currently drill for and extract oil in what to provide non-polluting power.

This TED talk is absolutely brilliant!

https://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_c_beard_the_untapped_energy_source_that_could_power_the_planet

She proposes that the oil and gas industry skills and people be used to create geothermal power systems — anywhere — not just in local hot spots. As she says, these people have the skills to drill deep enough to tap heat, and to move a fluid around to be used in geothermal power systems. Which will run 365/7/24. By going deep enough, you can set up pretty much anywhere, whether in Texas or in Maine,

And, all those skilled oil and gas workers (and a lot of their tools) can be used for this, no need for retraining to program computers (hah!) etc. Letting these folks know that they will be part of the solution and not part of the problem can win over a lot of folks.

Such geothermal systems would not have a huge pollution footprint like nuclear fission systems, and should take less time and money to build.

By building them more locally (as opposed to big solar or wind farms, the need for more transmission lines is reduced. With closed systems, there are no noxious pollutants

Get the Exxons, BPs, and Shells behind this and there will be less of a struggle to meet climate goals. Once the trial systems have proven how to do this, those companies will rush to take this on and have a future.

The need for fossil fuels will decline as more people die from climate change.

Were it not be for “fossil” fuels.. our species would still be swinging from trees, scavenging abandoned kills or digging for roots or clams. And.. when fossil fuels run out.. that’s what our species will revert too.

Brilliant cartoon, in thought, design, and execution.

The University of WVA offers many course in power and alternative energy. Most people still sign up for Coal Mining. They just don’t get it.

Click back if you didn’t see the 10/20 cartoon. It’s a good one.

I’ve said since the first Earth Day that the thing to do with oil and gas people is to put them to work developing and installing alternate energy systems.