Arent there places in the Global South that regularly have rolling black outs and no electricity for days?
I also think a lot about how we dont have control over very much. I went inside a business that didnt accept cash, only card. How so many businesses want you to use apps and even if you wanted to reduce your energy consumption, it's not clear that you would be able to by very much. And not everyone wants to live in some shack in Gods nowhere with a well, an outhouse and no car.
Yes, in Africa more than half a billion people lack reliable access to electricity. In my experience they do really want it. Meanwhile we have it and worry about over-dependence and over-consumption. It's ironic in a way.
Yes, we have become totally dependent on electricity and, as in the case of any addiction, a moment of interruption causes panic, damage, discomfort... An ancient philosopher wrote that most of us are like objects floating on a river - we do not move forward by our will, we are carried. We can be kept afloat by a weaker current, we can be thrown onto a bank or thrown into the sea... Obviously, such a blackout has the benefit that (more) balanced and realistic solutions can be thought for the sources of obtaining electricity and their management. As you point out, in an ideal world it would be simple...
The irony is that I think of myself as someone who would by fine without modern services for a while. But if you don't know why or how long they are gone, it's quite difficult to suppress the anxiety and just enjoy the break.
It's understandable. I proposed that at least one day a week I would dedicate entirely to books. To free myself, even for a little while, from the attraction (and tyranny) of the internet.
Yes I try to do something similar! No devices or connectivity at all on Sundays. But I'm normally late for a deadline so it's difficult to stick to it.
It's really difficult. Especially since the brain always finds loopholes :). At one point I had to give up coffee because of stomach problems. In my case it had different roles: during the day - for increasing concentration, in the evening - for relaxation. After only a few days of "confusion" I started drinking decaf. However, I returned to the original, caffeinated coffee after a year - less and not at any time... Some evenings I still crave its calming effect.
Glad to see you prioritised the essentials - where would humanity be without red wine and chocolate!
A catastrophic event like that tests the resilience of our society. We seem to have survived surprisingly well this time, but it does remind us that we are only ever a few inches from the edge of the precipice.
Speaking of which, in the determined pursuit of green energy and Net Zero are we replicating the ever optimistic but eternally doomed Wile E. Coyote, chasing the unattainable, overshooting his target and crashing in flames? How many lives, how many chances do we realistically have?
Another curious aspect of these sudden breakdowns is that, even when we have warnings, we struggle to believe they will actually happen, but then they do. Covid was like that, and we've largely forgotten it already. As you suggest, we can handle a number of them, but not that many...
It feels like we're at the tipping point of catastrophe. The eco-zealots are rushing about like headless chickens shoring up their monstrous creation and the whole structure of Net Zero - a modern tower of Babel - is about to collapse in dust and ruin.
We may wish it hadn't happened in our lifetime, but all we can do is go with the flow, stay sane and survive. And support each other. Hopefully there will be enough connectivity to maintain conversations like this...
I don’t really understand the link with renewables. You know that the carbon fuels just convert to electricity through turbines? At a domestic level you can’t run a gas boiler without electricity…
One issue is that electricity generation by nuclear, hydro and fossil fuel plants are better than renewables at keeping the grid stable and balanced. Another issue is that things like gas boilers, combustion cars, and various industrial processes currently use carbon fuels but not electricity. Only 20% of the energy we use in Europe is currently electricity.
Arent there places in the Global South that regularly have rolling black outs and no electricity for days?
I also think a lot about how we dont have control over very much. I went inside a business that didnt accept cash, only card. How so many businesses want you to use apps and even if you wanted to reduce your energy consumption, it's not clear that you would be able to by very much. And not everyone wants to live in some shack in Gods nowhere with a well, an outhouse and no car.
This was very interesting. Thank you.
Yes, in Africa more than half a billion people lack reliable access to electricity. In my experience they do really want it. Meanwhile we have it and worry about over-dependence and over-consumption. It's ironic in a way.
Yes, we have become totally dependent on electricity and, as in the case of any addiction, a moment of interruption causes panic, damage, discomfort... An ancient philosopher wrote that most of us are like objects floating on a river - we do not move forward by our will, we are carried. We can be kept afloat by a weaker current, we can be thrown onto a bank or thrown into the sea... Obviously, such a blackout has the benefit that (more) balanced and realistic solutions can be thought for the sources of obtaining electricity and their management. As you point out, in an ideal world it would be simple...
The irony is that I think of myself as someone who would by fine without modern services for a while. But if you don't know why or how long they are gone, it's quite difficult to suppress the anxiety and just enjoy the break.
It's understandable. I proposed that at least one day a week I would dedicate entirely to books. To free myself, even for a little while, from the attraction (and tyranny) of the internet.
Yes I try to do something similar! No devices or connectivity at all on Sundays. But I'm normally late for a deadline so it's difficult to stick to it.
It's really difficult. Especially since the brain always finds loopholes :). At one point I had to give up coffee because of stomach problems. In my case it had different roles: during the day - for increasing concentration, in the evening - for relaxation. After only a few days of "confusion" I started drinking decaf. However, I returned to the original, caffeinated coffee after a year - less and not at any time... Some evenings I still crave its calming effect.
Glad to see you prioritised the essentials - where would humanity be without red wine and chocolate!
A catastrophic event like that tests the resilience of our society. We seem to have survived surprisingly well this time, but it does remind us that we are only ever a few inches from the edge of the precipice.
Speaking of which, in the determined pursuit of green energy and Net Zero are we replicating the ever optimistic but eternally doomed Wile E. Coyote, chasing the unattainable, overshooting his target and crashing in flames? How many lives, how many chances do we realistically have?
Another curious aspect of these sudden breakdowns is that, even when we have warnings, we struggle to believe they will actually happen, but then they do. Covid was like that, and we've largely forgotten it already. As you suggest, we can handle a number of them, but not that many...
It feels like we're at the tipping point of catastrophe. The eco-zealots are rushing about like headless chickens shoring up their monstrous creation and the whole structure of Net Zero - a modern tower of Babel - is about to collapse in dust and ruin.
We may wish it hadn't happened in our lifetime, but all we can do is go with the flow, stay sane and survive. And support each other. Hopefully there will be enough connectivity to maintain conversations like this...
Sounds like good advice to me.
I don’t really understand the link with renewables. You know that the carbon fuels just convert to electricity through turbines? At a domestic level you can’t run a gas boiler without electricity…
One issue is that electricity generation by nuclear, hydro and fossil fuel plants are better than renewables at keeping the grid stable and balanced. Another issue is that things like gas boilers, combustion cars, and various industrial processes currently use carbon fuels but not electricity. Only 20% of the energy we use in Europe is currently electricity.