Energy Transition

[ClydeR]

Trump made an interesting point about how the transition from gas cars to electric cars will affect the economy.

There is an historical parallel, of course, which was the replacement of horses and buggies by gas powered cars. Farmers all across the country lost part of their livelihood related to raising horses. Factory workers too. Unlike automobile manufacturers, who are concentrated in a few large factories, there were small factories all across the country manufacturing buggies. The economic upheaval was great.

The transition from gas cars to electric cars should be less disruptive, because it is a smaller change.

The horse, one of the most remarkable prime movers on the planet, pretty much ruled 19th century urban life and rural culture in both Europe and North America.

Then along came the combustion engine. But it took the automobile and tractor nearly 50 years to dislodge the horse from farms, public transport and wagon delivery systems throughout North America.

Contrary to public perception, the transition was not smooth or inevitable. Nor was it exclusively beneficial. “There were winners and losers,” says Ann Norton Greene, a U.S. historian at the University of Pennsylvania, whose remarkable book, Horses At Work, offers a fascinating portrait of how messy energy transitions can be.

“You can’t change the conditions of a system without damaging a lot of people, business, practices and habits that go with it,” says Greene. “People lose not from some fault of their own, but because they are in the wrong place in history.”

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[kutter]

I wonder how mad all these people buying electric vehicles are going to be when the government tells them they cannot charge them.

[ClydeR]

Oops. So sorry I linked to the wrong part of Trump's speech. The video I liked was a Whole. Nother. Thing.

Here is the correct part of the speech..

Some people think civilizations can be classified based on the amount of energy they consume, ranging from zero to three on the Kardashev scale. Humans are somewhere between zero and one on that scale. But we're making progress.

[Parkbandit]

This thread is about how ClydeR is transitioning.

I'm going to support your decision.

Live your life, ClydeR.

[Parkbandit]

ClydeR, I am going to give you some quotes of encouragement on your journey:

“Being transgender gives me my personality.” — Jazz Jennings