Myron Ebell on a left-wing movie that chastises those who profit from green energy: “Planet of the Humans,” the new documentary film from director Jeff Gibbs and executive producer Michael Moore, contains a stunning evisceration of so-called green energy and the people profiting from it. It was released on April 21st for free viewing on YouTube and as of the afternoon of Friday,…
Search Results for: energy
Medical Waste Grows, Solar Energy Destroys Habitat, Skeptics Reappear. . .
Medical waste from coronavirus is mounting. BBC: Renewable energy is eating up wildlife habitat. HT Benny Peiser. Wikipedia deletes list of scientists who are skeptics on apocalyptic climate change; JoNova retrieves their names. Bjorn Lomborg: How we can reduce indoor air pollution in Ghana.
The Wealthy Spend a Lot on Energy (While Attacking It)
By John C. Goodman Wealthy liberals who are concerned about economic inequality and climate change have a new reason to feel guilty. Not only are they enjoying the fruits of wealth inequality, but they are using their wealth in ways that generate far greater inequality in the use of energy. In a first-of-its-kind study, University…
Violence in Chile: A Warning about Energy Prices
Riots in Chile have led to violence, 18 reported deaths, and a state of emergency. What caused the riots? John Authers writes in the Washington Post that there are a number of reasons. Second in importance after income inequality is energy price hikes. The immediate cause was a 4 percent rise in transit fares, which rose partly because of a switch to more-expensive renewable energy.
The catalyst was a proposal to raise public transport fares and energy bills. There is ample evidence from across the world that these will incite rebellion like nothing else — a point that those who hope to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions via a carbon tax should bear in mind.
The violent protests of the Gilets Jaunes in France were over higher gasoline taxes, which were seen as penalizing car-dependent people in the provinces while favoring metropolitan elites. Mexico in 2017 saw riots and protests against what was known as the “gasolinazo,” a 20% rise in fuel prices that was a part of the government’s partial privatization of Pemex, the monopoly state oil company.
Last year, Brazil was rocked by protests and a strike by truck drivers in response to fuel shortages and a sharp increase in the price of diesel.
Authers, who writes for BloombergOpinion, listed the other reasons as the lack of a populist leader who could control populism and slumping prices of copper, a major Chilean export.
Turbulence Ahead for Wind Energy
Ken Artz of the Heartland Institute reports that U. S. wind energy faces hard times:
- The federal tax credit for wind energy ends Dec. 31, 2019.
- Countries are dumping wind turbines on the U. S., hurting U.S. producers.
- The Internatiinal Trade Commission is considering tariffs on turbines and parts.
Writes Artz:
The wind industry is entirely dependent on government favoritism, says Rob Bradley Jr., Ph.D., CEO of the Institute for Energy Research.
“Cronies live and die by the government sword,” Bradley said. “Each and every wind project depends on large tax subsidies as well as preferential federal regulations to be built.
“It is ironic—and rare—the wind industry finds itself on the losing end of government policy, but tariffs on imported parts are just that,” Bradley said.
“How about eliminating all the subsidies, along with the tariffs, and let the market, not government, decide what electrical generation is best?” Bradley said.
Halt Wind Turbines? Not in New York State
This story seems to have slipped under the radar, but as the pandemic was kicking in last April, the New York state legislature clamped down on citizens’ ability to challenge renewable energy projects. The law was hidden in the state’s budget. (Hat tips to the Institute for Energy Research and the Buffalo News for following…
Can Banks Refuse Oil and Gas Customers?
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued a regulation that would prevent banks from refusing to fund legal activities that they disapprove of, such as oil and gas drilling. During the past year, several major banks, including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, J. P. Morgan, and others, announced they will not…