Previously, we looked into the operations of some of the worlds Most Polluting Industries.
Others might plausibly claim the title of Most Polluting, and we mean no disrespect to those who remain unmentioned. But we have to pick a winner, so here it is: the World’s Worst Polluter is the fossil fuel industry. The FF people, besides being mega-polluters, have limited time to claim their medal. They are, in fact, the walking dead.
FF companies are destined for extinction due to the unstoppable transition to renewable energy. This is not because of government subsidies, or lobbying by solar panel manufacturers, or the influence of communists. It is because the price of renewables, which was at one time extremely high, suitable only for expensive scientific projects, has decreased dramatically over the last two decades.
Now, in most of the world, renewables produce electricity cheaper than fossil fuels. They are also better by most objective measures. Their pollution of the environment is a fraction of that of FFs, and on a human time scale, they are inexhaustible.
Thus, electricity generation is rapidly shifting from coal and natural gas to wind and solar. In the correct usage of the term, it is growing exponentially.
Electric cars are flying off dealer’s lots. In the lifetimes of most readers, gas cars will be obsolete. Gas demand will shrink to a fraction of today’s.
It’s harder to electrify large trucks, but transition from diesel is only a matter of time. So-called green hydrogen will likely play a role.
Several companies now produce electric transit and school buses. Their use is expanding worldwide. Before long, FF powered buses will be found only in the scrapyard.
For air conditioning, electric heat pumps are the new better technology. A single unit can both heat and cool your house. Heat pumps replace gas and fuel oil space heaters. They give you better control of the temperature of individual rooms. They are cheaper and safer to operate.
Gas stoves are giving way to electric induction stoves which are the successors to those older models with the glowing coils. Water heaters? Same deal: out with the gas, in with the juice.
When the first iPhone appeared in 2007, a top Microsoft executive declared such devices, Smart Phones we now call them, had no market and no future. He soon realized his error. Your flip phone became a relic overnight. Your ICE car will soon join it. When these disruptive changes occur, than can happen fast.
Sad Prediction
As the transition to EVs accelerates, gas stations will wink out. Your favorite local provider will close its doors. Or, it may decrease the number of pumps, while adding charging ports, along with more varieties of chips (the edible kind), until one day, the last pump goes offline.
The shrinking population of ICE car drivers will be frustrated. Some will elect to store gasoline at home. This is not recommended. It will happen, however, with occasional unfortunate consequences: fires, explosions, destroyed buildings and dead people. Sorry to ruin your day.
The above is an introduction to the next installment where we will explain in detail why the FF folks get the prize.
But before that, we acknowledge up front that over the centuries, civilization changing amounts of energy have been provided by FFs. They have been a contributor, perhaps the main contributor, to the lifestyles we enjoy today. Those looking back in history get dizzy at the thought of living as people did 1000 or even 100 years ago, without the modern conveniences we now deem essential. This we don’t deny, and will spend no time judging past decisions. Fossil fuels did their job, and just as telephones replaced telegraphs, cars replaced horses, and Facebook replaced Myspace, FFs will be replaced by superior technologies.
Coming up: The no good, very bad, cosmically awful environmental record of the fossil fuel industry. Before beginning, be sure to ingest, smoke or otherwise deploy your chemical of choice. It’s not a fun read.