Climate Change Hoax

The idea that "climate change" is a hoax has pervaded the thought processes of the conservative brain trust almost since that term replaced "global warming."  The name change was perhaps necessary due to the simple-mindedness of the proletariat who saw every freak winter snowstorm as proof of their hoax theory.  Climate change needs to be a hoax because it fits with so many of the other cogs in the wheel of conservative thinking.

 

Those aren't waves of water lapping at boats.

 Oversimplifying climate change keeps the hoax theory alive.  They can then easily attack wind farms as ugly bird killers and EV transportation solutions as too difficult and silly.  Just increase oil production in America and most of our problems go away.  We can go back to the simplistic operation of our tried-and-true gasoline-powered vehicles and avoid having to learn about some new-fangled technology.  Promote oil, gas, and coal energy solutions as we have done for hundreds of years, and we can further isolate America and avoid reliance on “foreigners.”

 Climate change can’t be responsible for the national crisis of record heat, drought, and dwindling aquifer water levels that have led to crop failures and shortages.  The fact that shortages of feed for livestock have forced producers to cull their herds which resulted in higher prices for meat, can’t be related to climate change.  As every conservative knows, higher food prices can all be blamed on Joe Biden.

 Our shrinking aquifers will mean that parts of the U.S. may have difficulty supplying enough drinking water for their populations.  It will also mean that America’s position as an agricultural superpower and the world’s largest supplier of corn, soybeans, cotton, and sorghum is in jeopardy.  Wells around the country are running dry.  A combination of over-pumping, higher temperatures, and snowpack reductions have reduced groundwater supplies.  While some conservatives might not feel threatened by a loss of clean water to drink, just how do they think Arizona will continue to support 472 grass golf courses?

 While we can all argue about the impact and causes of climate change or even question its' existence, most would agree that finding a clean unlimited energy source that would make the U.S. energy independent would be a good thing.  We all know of wind farms and solar solutions that are gaining some ground, but what else might there be?

 

Yellowstone NP, Thermal Pool

 If you mention geothermal, most people will think about Yellowstone National Park and its geysers and beautiful pools of hot water.  Think deeper.  The deeper you drill through the Earth’s crust, the hotter it gets.  What if you could just drill a deep hole, possibly near existing coal or gas power plants, and provide a hot energy source that could be linked to the power grid?  What if you could provide a supplemental source of clean energy to back up solar at night or wind when the breeze dies down?

 We don’t yet have the technology to drill through rock hotter than 350 degrees with most current equipment.  The oil and gas industry has advanced drilling techniques, and we have a good start.  Testing has begun using plasma torches and microwave drilling tools that are promising.  One company has designed a closed-loop geothermal system that would pump fluid through radiator-like piping.  Construction has begun on this 65-megawatt plant (30,000 households) in Germany.  It is scheduled to come online in 2024.

 While the technology doesn’t yet exist to drill six miles through the Earth’s crust to reach an area where temperatures exceed 750 degrees Fahrenheit, advancements to achieve this are being researched.  At that theoretical 6-mile point, water or some other fluid can go supercritical and hold much more energy than normal steam, perhaps 10 times as much.  Such a geothermal solution could provide clean cheap abundant energy virtually anywhere in the world.

Looking for clean energy.

The problem we face is still, is climate change a hoax?  Do we really need clean energy?  For those who think we can bury our heads in the sand, perhaps, while you are down there, you could look for some geothermal energy.