Carbon capture is similar to burning witches.
From the 15th-17th centuries, elites in Europe and America believed “evil people” were responsible for climate change and weather patterns. The public demanded that something be done to stop famine and crop failure. Facts be damned; there must be consequences. Inconvenient women at the margins of society, therefore, were branded “witches” by the elite and then burned to death.
You and I know, of course, that witch burning had no impact on the weather. The only thing it did was make people feel better about themselves. At least something was being done.
In 2023 it appears that the United States have sold out to this net-zero fantasia. Celebrities, politicians, and influencers are all crying out for a magic, turnkey solution to climate changes.
The Environmental Protection Agency is now planning to mandate unilaterally carbon capture for all coal and natural gas power plants. This act of bureaucratic excess will, due to its high cost, force many of the most reliable electric generators in our country to shut down. The elites of today look down on the masses of unenlightened people with their gas-guzzling vehicles and single-use materials, which are surely the root of our problems.
Climate change could be solved if we just got rid of all the CO2.
Net-zero, however, is as absurd — and as evil as the fake witch trials that took place in the Middle Ages.
This is why it’s all nonsense. To capture even half of the U.S. CO2 emissions, it would take capturing, transporting, and storing 50 trillion cubes of gas per year, which is greater than the 34 trillion cubes of natural gas that the United States produces every year.
Just one trillion cubic foot, which is described as being “outside the reach of the human imagination”, would be enough to wrap three 30-by-30-foot bands around the equator.
This is also nonsense, because even the best-case scenario for carbon capture would yield, if you will excuse my scientific jargon, nothing. The global temperature difference would be less that 0.2degC if the United States were to eliminate every molecule in greenhouse gas emissions before 2030. The climate models have never been accurate. Every time they’ve underestimated warming.
Even the most successful carbonization will not mitigate climate change. Why are so many companies buying into this sham? It seems that every major brand, from chocolate to fossil fuels to crafts, is promoting carbon dioxide.
Sadly, they don’t do it out of goodwill. The wealthy consumers are not motivated by sustainability pledges. The reason is cold, hard money.
The government is responsible for a large portion of the money (which means that we all pay taxes). The Inflation Reduction Act raised the federal payout for carbon capture from 50 per ton up to $85 per tonne and allowed direct cash payment.
The government allows for up to $180/ton of carbon captured directly from the atmosphere instead of a power station. The Biden EPA has only been able to estimate the average social costs of carbon to be around $51/ton. So why do we pay up to three-times that amount to capture and bury the carbon?
Wall Street is the stick that businesses fear. Subsidies are a carrot for corporations to become more progressive. Woke capital controls almost all of the wealth in the world, and big-name investment firms such as BlackRock pressure companies that do not kowtow the progressive political agenda.
BlackRock’s vote against 176 directors last year was based on “climate related concerns”. Responsible American energy producers are denied service, have limited access to capital and insurance, and at worst, face termination of contracts.
Environmental, Social and Governance is now almost universal, and it has forced corporate boards to engage in political posturing. ESG is now a factor in the pay of C-suite executives at almost three quarters of S&P500 companies. It’s not surprising that they are concerned about their bottom line when they face the possibility of losing investment and banking services.
As described above, the movement against fossil fuels would have little effect on climate changes.
Unfortunately, the modern climate industry complex is driven almost exclusively by the desire for the other kind of green.
As cooking over an open flame is difficult and traveling with a broom impossible, adopting a high-carbon life style and working to help others achieve this is the best way to move forward for our planet. Affordable and reliable energy leads to economic prosperity which in turn leads to environmental stewardship.
Without energy, we’d be right back in the Middle Ages. We should abandon carbon capture, and focus instead on fighting poverty and reducing the barriers to affordable and reliable energy.
The elected leaders of the people in Congress must stop the EPA from destroying the public’s health and welfare by reforming the Clean Air Act.
