One word to add: Petro-Dollar (
what this all means)
Pretty sure that the POWERs in the US (and the western world that is hitched tightly to the USD) realize that pushing away from fossil fuels will mean the end of the USD as world's reserve currency. When the USD crashes it'll pretty much take out the US economy; and there goes any thoughts of large-scale production: lithum and other key elements of our current and mid-term EV requirements will become vastly more expensive (when priced in USD). Will be tough enough for folks looking to exchange their gas-guzzling SUVs for EVs, let alone spending on electric CUT tractors. Folks in the horse and hay business, unless they're a big corporation (and can afford attorneys to work tax loopholes), are going to get totally leveled. There's a chance that global concessions are made (mostly it'll be the US that concedes), and while that would likely reduce the chance of large-scale wars (and End Times), it'll mean a vastly reduced standard of living for the average US citizen.
Read the link provided above. Basically it comes down to it being inevitable, but timing can be greatly influenced by China's and Russia's actions. And the irony couldn't be greater. "Free trade" means that China and Russia could opt (and are working in that direction) to trade oil outside of the USD, actually "freely" trading between each other without US-as-middle-man/proxy. As China's oil consumption rises (despite EV production there's still lag time here at play) more of the world's oil trades will shift away from USD; this will start to erode USD's value which will place increasing pressures on the Middle East oil producers to trade via USD. To-date the US has propped up the Saudi Royal Family's rule with the agreement that they trade oil in USD in exchange for US military protection: keep in mind that this is one of, if not the most, detestible, anti-democratic "govt" (in only but the most lax interpretation of the word "government" can the Saudis claim to have one), AND, the majority of 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia. We're literally dancing with the devil. Collapse the USD and US economy OR save the planet? A US shift toward EV means less oil trade happening, which only puts increased downward pressure on the Saudis (and others). NOTE: US, which helped create the pool of Sunni extremists (who were involved in 9/11) in order to evict the Russians from Afghanistan are holding a sword over the necks of the Saudi Royal family (it's been this way from the very formation of the House of Saud); it's only a matter of time before they overrun the royal family and the Petro-Dollar collapses: ***** bin Laden (once working for the CIA [refer to eviction of Russians from Afghanistan]) spoke against the US base in Mecca; there is ZERO reason to believe that the US would continue to be "welcomed" there.
I don't take any sides. I'm just presenting realities/facts. I realize that our environment is in peril (growth in general is the greatest issue, fossil fuel burning will, owing to its finite-ness and the looming economic decline, wane). I also realize that there are no realistic "solutions," not as long as we're asking the WRONG questions: our economic system doesn't allow us to properly talk about sustainability, as any such equation cannot contain the word "growth" (any discussion that props up "growth" without a defined end/limit is NOT addressing sustainability). We're clearly not being honest with ourselves. I have no problem if people don't care and they state so; it's when there's a pretense of caring ("I am saving the planet by driving my Prius/EV!") that I see this dishonesty (supported by lots of marketing buzz words).
My "final" take is that humans have always tended toward increased energy density use and that the move toward all-electric, while noble and all, represents a step down- it won't come off as pleasant: those pushing nuclear power: how long would nuclear be acceptable before nutjobs hijack weapons and take care of all our "problems?"
I'll be around here for a while (unless this posting gets me banned [in case, I ask the preemptive: why?]), so there ought to be time to judge how things turned out: I can only hope that we'll still be around.
Sigh, always use caution when wishing for things...
