The Times wants you to know that our energy crisis is over, because there’s at least one abundant fossil fuel still standing between civilization and the abyss of energy poverty. In a piece remarkable for its complete failure to mention the option of renewables, a bunch of old-economy energy analysts describe a 21st century that looks only vaguely different than our recent past.
1. So much for nuclear power. Now that Fukushima is right on the cusp of becoming a verb, (“The insurance company cut me a check ‘cause it’s completely Fukushima’d, so, hello Carribean vacation!”) you cannot throw a rock in any statehouse or newsroom on the planet without hitting someone who wants you to know that the supposed “nuclear renaissance” is now about as likely as a Two and a Half Men reunion.
2. So much for oil. Deepwater drilling is going to come back, sure, but it’s going to labor under increased scrutiny. Also there is that small detail that oil is mostly just going to get more expensive from here on out.
3. Japan is going to make up for the shortfall in electricity production from nuclear power plants by buying more liquefied natural gas — lots more.
4. Energy companies are crazy for natural gas, and as supplies of easy oil dwindle, it’s the only way to continue to expand their total shipments of energy.
5. Natural gas extraction via “fracking” is potentially terrible for the environment, but its risks are neither as visible nor as dramatic as a nuclear meltdown.
Methane economy, here we come.
Read more:
Natural Gas Now Viewed as Safer BetThe New York Times
