Ted Rall for August 12, 2022

So the message is : don’t watch nature programs.

Is that Joe Manchin’s coal plant?

Humans are a plague. There’s a difference between how many humans can THRIVE on Earth and how many can BE on Earth. But we do have some pretty strong drives toward a natural existence. Channels like what’s shown here cater to those. It’s not enough, but it’s at least something.

We watch the diverse beauty of nature as our unabated malignant energy sources extinguish ever more of it.

I can tell when someone isn’t really serious about ending reliance on fossil fuels when they refuse to consider nuclear power as a fill in until we solve the problem of storing energy from renewable sources for when the supply doesn’t meet demand.

Btw, nuclear plants only give off steam, Ted. I guess figuring out how to convey the problems with nuclear waste in a cartoon was too much work.

Which is why moves to ban natural gas are currently stupid.

Actually, he’s giving no credit to where they ARE hooked up to renewables. And that percentage isn’t exactly small.

Irony is all around us, we don’t have to create it.

The cone shaped towers are water cooling towers, used mostly on nuclear plants-they don’t emit noxious fumes and smoke-that’s the coal-fired plants doing that.

We.. don’t want to know how a sausage is made.. we just want to enjoy the product.

Current pet peeve. Car commercial with a guy driving a car up and down the beach towing a rake to scrape up the garbage. I don’t care how much you look like Jesus, you’re doing more harm than good. Just go for a walk with a bag and pick up the garbage.

The transition to renewables will involve pitfalls. Rare metals still need to be mined and processed with all of the damage that entails. Electronic parts need responsible recycling. But if the U.S. (and the world) doesn’t press ahead on green energy, the repercussions will be severe. Plus it would be a great boost to the economy, many jobs would be created.

FYI The two towers (on the left) in p4 are cooling towers for a nuclear power plant. They are used to cool the water before it is returned to the water source such as a river. They emit steam not smoke. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooling_tower

Because a) renewables aren’t reliable, and b) cause enormous amounts of environmental damage in their construction, and can’t be recycled.

Fortunately, many power plants have switched over to natural gas as its cleaner burning and often what they market to consumers.

Umm, nuclear cooling towers don’t spew pollution as depicted here, they spew clean steam.

I just want to point out that Sonoma, Ca power lines go to the worlds largest geothermal field. Mine goes to solar panels and a Tesla power wall. US power is increasingly going to alternate power sources. US power is 60% fossil fuel and 40% alternate power sources.

You are a little more than half right.

Somehow, people still fall for the idea that we must constantly increase energy production rather than decrease energy demand.

Why is that? Anyone?

What? Some forms of electricity are themselves pollutants? What a daring thought! How fresh! How bold!

There are other ways to generate electricity. My city has a huge nuclear plant that feeds it.

Ted, you do know, I hope, that the clouds above nuclear power planta are steam ( Chernobyl excluded)?

Or we could just stop trying.

Now, what are the amoeba up to?: