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Page added on November 1, 2020

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The Green New Deal transition

Public Policy

“Under a spreading chestnut tree

The village smithy stands”

—    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1841

The Green New Deal (GND) and similar climate proposals envision a transition to a zero-emissions energy economy in the coming two to three decades. These are clearly ideas whose time has come: recent polls show that almost 70% of 2020 voters support them. That percentage is likely higher in the population at large, as many in the upcoming generation who are too young to be counted in voter polls are nonetheless climate savvy and support climate campaigns.

Most of us will live through part or all of this transition, so it’s natural to wonder what it will look like, and how it will affect our daily lives and livelihoods. Will we be deprived of familiar comforts? Will our energy supply be reliable? Will the benefits, in terms of climate security, clean air and jobs outweigh any associated costs or “sacrifices?”

Fortunately, we don’t have to speculate too much about the future, because for the past several decades we’ve been living in the early phases of what can be called the “great green transition.”

In 1954 Bell Labs announced the invention of the first practical silicon solar cell, and its adaption to home energy production soon followed. By the 1970s, courses in passive solar building design were being offered at a community college in California. And notably, California instituted the nation’s first stringent energy-efficiency building codes, which have saved enormous quantities of heating and electrical energy, in 1978.

But these early experiments in alternative energy and energy efficiency were generally aimed at what later became known as the “peak oil” phenomenon, the idea that we would run out of fossil fuels but never run out of sunlight, so we should prepare for a coming energy shortage.

Then came the summer of 1988, the hottest on record until that time. The “greenhouse effect,” which had been known to science for almost a century, suddenly became a household term. Urgent media reports of the global warming trend — with dire warnings on the covers of magazines ranging from Time to Ms. — made the public aware of the real, if then somewhat distant threat of severe climate change.

That awareness has been followed by a halting but persistent growth in energy efficiency and green energy production. The Toyota Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle, was launched, with great success, in 1997. A number of all-electric cars have since been introduced to the market, and charging stations are popping up all over the country. Within a decade or two, people will shake their heads and wonder why federal and state fuel-efficiency standards were ever a point of political contention. Meanwhile, there is an ever-growing movement toward bicycle commuting — and telecommuting.

High-speed, solar-electric railroads connecting cities on the East and West Coasts and along the Mississippi corridor are under construction or planned. City planners are designing for pedestrian access. More states have adopted California’s energy-efficient building standards, and even more will adopt them in coming years.

And in a telling sign of the times, there are now more jobs in alternative energy than in oil in Texas. Texas.

Jobs, as has been noted, are one of the keys to the green transition. Jobs will be lost, it’s true. But even more jobs will be gained. At one time every village had its blacksmith, wranglers and horse corral. Then came the automotive revolution…and now every town has its auto shop(s).

Really, the only downside of the green transition is that it’s not happening fast enough to protect us from a climate debacle. But if today’s voters are heard, that will change quickly at our ecological house.

gazettetimes



112 Comments on "The Green New Deal transition"

  1. zero juan on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:25 am 

    Ppee juan, lunatic everyone knows it is you stupid. Tell everyone why you put REAL Green on ignore on the moderated side. Was it because REAL green kicks your ass and takes you name in any debate? When in a moderated setting where your mental illness is not allowed you are an extreme failure? LMFAO @ Ppeetroll

    REAL Green said You gotta wonder dumbcan. Who are we planning on s…

    dratrepus tak poor harvesters of pedifiler worship karen 3gd gona croak at 174.5m max is 175m said it gona croak soon. poor master race chinks who h…

    The Board said daVvee lunatic, All your socks are stupid and we h…

    The Board said daVvEe, lunatic, everyone knows JuanP is gone. He…

  2. FamousDrScanlon on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:30 am 

    Pennsylvania County Won’t Resume Counting Votes Until Friday Due To “Administrative Work”
    A county in Pennsylvania says it won’t begin counting over 35,000 ballots until Friday due to the need to perform “administrative work.” “Allegheny County, PA still has 35,413 uncounted mail-in ballots, but elections staff is taking today off for “administrative work” and will not resume count until Friday. “I can’t get an answer as to why,” says @bethanyhallam, a member of county elections board,” tweeted the New York Times’ Trip Gabriel. Allegheny County, PA still has 35,413 uncounted mail-in ballots, but elections staff is taking today off for “administrative work” and will not resume count until Friday. “I can’t get an answer as to why,” says @bethanyhallam, a member of county elections board. — Trip Gabriel (@tripgabriel) November 5, 2020 When Will Chamberlain tried to give his legal commentary on the issue, Twitter censored Chamberlain’s tweet. “They are waiting to see how many mail-in ballots they will need,” he tweeted. “No other good explanation This should be treated as evidence of intent to commit election fraud.” They are waiting to see how many mail-in ballots they will need No other good explanation This should be treated as evidence of intent to commit election fraud https://t.co/8X8GoEK0IL — Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) November 5, 2020 The tweet was censored behind a message that said the content was “disputed.” Chamberlain followed up by asserting that the situation was a clear sign “election fraud” was taking place. Allow me to rephrase, @TwitterSafety, you pedantic idiots. I *argue* that the only good reason to take a day off from counting votes in a closely fought election – as Allegheny County is doing – is to hold back your boxes to commit election fraud. https://t.co/cFUo74Qwbq — Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) November 5, 2020 “The only good reason to take a day off from counting votes in a closely fought election – as Allegheny County is doing – is to hold back your boxes to commit election fraud,” he said. Trump held a massive lead in Pennsylvania on election night, at one point above 700,000 votes, but that lead has continually narrowed as more Biden ballots are ‘found’ – and some media outlets are now saying Trump will lose the state.
    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/pennsylvania-county-wont-resume-counting-votes-until-friday-due-administrative-work

  3. The Board on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:38 am 

    daVvEe juan, lunatic, everyone knows it is you stupid. Tell everyone why JuanP put you on ignore on the moderated side. Was it because you think you know it all and you do not understand what a discussion forum is all about? When in a moderated setting even where your mental illness is allowed you are still an extreme failure? LOFAO @ DaVeetroll

  4. bochen787 on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:41 am 

    Can’t Count Votes? Just Draw Straws.
    It seems that we all will have to fill up our popcorn supplies as the rather comical and disgraceful process of U.S. vote counting is likely to continue until maybe December 8, the safe harbor date on which the states will have to certify their electors. The race is nowhere near where the Democrats and their supporting media had expected it to go. Just last week polls claimed that Biden would lead in Wisconsin by 17 percent. The current margin is a rather dubious 0.6 percent which upcoming recounts may well eliminate. That the Democrats lose House seats, do not win the Senate and barely manage to drag their demented presidential candidate towards a stalemate tells a lot about their lack of sane policies. A donor party completely disinterested in what the people really want – medicare for all, no fracking etc. – will have little chance to survive a future onslaught of conservatives with a more competent figure head than Donald Trump. There will be protests, probably violent ones, and more legal action from either side. I see no comprise possible that would satisfy both parties. I fear that, should Trump lose this election. Trumpism will only grow and make the U.S. ungovernable. Maybe Trump and Biden could publicly draw straws to get over with it.
    https://www.moonofalabama.org/

  5. More DaVeetroll ID fraud on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:44 am 

    FamousDrScanlon on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:30 am

    Election fraud. There can be no other reason why Trump the Terrible will not win.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/pennsylvania-county-wont-resume-counting-votes-until-friday-due-administrative-work

  6. FamousDrScanlon on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:44 am 

    The Awful Reckoning — Plus Thursday a.m. Election Update
    “Thursday morning and the election remains unresolved with the prospect of a long legal battle ahead. The most striking feature of all this is America’s failure to arrange a fair, honest, and coherent election system. Instead, we add layers of complexity that only increase the likelihood of failure and opportunities for cheating. But remember, one of the hallmarks of the long emergency is the federal government’s growing impotence and incompetence to deal with anything. As for red flags, we have the 4 a.m. Wednesday morning dump of 131,000 votes, all for Mr. Biden, none for Mr. Trump, emanating out of Shiawassee and Antrim Counties, Michigan, populations respectively 68,000 and 23,000. Some person in the chain there declared it was “a typo,” but the returns don’t reflect that the false number was retracted. A similar dump of 27,000, all for Biden, came out of Philadelphia, no explanation. And that was only the beginning of a Democratic Party wholesale mail-in ballot manufacturing effort that continues to this writing. The Democrats have established a Biden “transition team” to lay on a veneer of legitimacy to their scheme, with the expectation that the mainstream media will amplify the idea that it’s over… but it’s not over. The Trump campaign has also declared victory in PA, Michigan, and other states that are supposedly still reporting. All of this is tending to the Supreme Court where some people are gonna have to do some ‘splainin’. The chances are pretty good for all this to enter an ugly stage of violent intransigence, with Antifa / BLM mobs of Dem “allies” busting things up in Philadelphia and Detroit, to distract from what’s going on in the election district counting rooms. The legal battles could stretch out into December when states have to certify electors, and if that can’t be resolved, it’s on to the House of representatives for the first time since 1876 (Hayes-Tilden).”
    https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/the-awful-reckoning/

  7. zero juan on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:49 am 

    Ppee, you not famous, you are stupid and undeducated. Tell everybody about your GED, fuck face

    FamousDrScanlon said The Awful Reckoning — Plus Thursday a.m. Election…

    More DaVeetroll ID fraud said FamousDrScanlon on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:30 am Ele…
    bochen787 said Can’t Count Votes? Just Draw Straws. It seem…

    The Board said daVvEe juan, lunatic, everyone knows it is you stu…

    FamousDrScanlon said Pennsylvania County Won’t Resume Counting Vo…

  8. More DaVeetroll ID fraud on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:51 am 

    bochen787 on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:41 am

    The repugs are trying to stop American citizen’s votes from being counted. Why could that be? Maybe cause they don’t believe in democracy?

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/

  9. FamousDrScanlon on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:56 am 

    Still no winner declared?

    Such is life in a banana republic.

  10. The Board on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 11:57 am 

    DavVee, FamousDrScanlon is famous, or he wouldn’t be FamousDrScanlon. You are stupid and undereducated. We have one of the worst education systems in the world, fuck face

  11. Davy on Thu, 5th Nov 2020 12:08 pm 

    Most folks never get taught to count above 50 apeman. The size of the known universe. (When you add HI and AK.) After that we need a abacus.

  12. Cloggie on Sat, 7th Nov 2020 4:20 am 

    Between all the CW2 powder fumes, here some peaceful green news:

    https://deepresource.wordpress.com/2020/11/07/first-electric-plane-to-pick-up-service-in-2022/

    The first all-electric plane is to pick up service in New England by 2022.

    – Range: 1000 km
    – Speed: 444 kmh
    – Payload: 1,134 kg (max. 9 persons)

    Expect them to scale-up soon.

    In a post-globalist, “identitarian world”, 1000 km range is more than enough.

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