Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteMoss
Fossil fuels are bad. But we need them until we figure out how to replace them.
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It's very simplistic to say they are bad, considering we owe basically our entire modern standard of living to fossil fuels. There are certainly tradeoffs to be considered, but from plastics to medicine to clothes to makeup to travel, they are embedded in virtually every part of our life. Life as we know it is simply not possible without hydrocarbons, and without them, our standard of living takes a draconian step backwards.
The reality is that life and civilization requires an enormous amount of energy, and no matter what energy source one champions, it will require resource extraction. Batteries and chips need metals to be mined. Wind turbines need steel and cement (and there is no steel without coal) and plenty of land. Machines (and the machines to make the machines!) of all sorts constantly need to be built, and lubed, and replaced...all that requires a ton of materials that need to be explored and mined and processed. Life is extremely resource intensive.
It's partly why I'm personally such a big champion of nuclear. It will not completely replace our entire use of hydrocarbons (because that's impossible), but at least in terms of our electricity needs, it's by far the cleanest, most efficient, and reliable energy source we currently have.