In a strange turn of events, the war in Iran, which is at least in part about securing the free flow of oil and gas, is pushing a great many nations away from fossil fuels, and toward a greater reliance on renewable energy from solar, wind, and batteries.
Hmm, as between war and renewables; which makes more sense to you?
I struggle sometimes when it comes to defining the word “irony.” Thank God for Google. Situational irony is when the outcome of a situation is the exact opposite of what was intended.
President Trump is not exactly a champion of the fight against climate change, which he has called a “hoax.” He has glorified the use of coal, and is inclined to point out the ugliness of “windmills.” His administration has cancelled and nullified much of the government’s funding of initiatives to combat climate change, and has eliminated many of the regulations that were intended to keep the fossil fuel industry in check.
And yet, here we are.
In a classic example of situational irony, the war against Iran that President Trump has launched, which includes an effort to secure the free flow of oil and gas, has had the opposite effect of causing nations to rethink their reliance on fossil fuels, especially when these sources of energy are in the hands of ideological extremists, who are more than willing to use their supply of, and control over, oil and gas, as a weapon to weaken the global economy; as a way of exerting pressure to get their way.
Under these circumstances, a great many nations are switching over to renewable energy, which is a boon to China’s economy, because China leads in manufacturing solar panels, batteries, and affordable electric vehicles.
We recall the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, first sung by The Rolling Stones in 1969. The lyrics are apropos:
No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime, you might find
You get what you need
The Trump Administration does not want to go out of its way to fight climate change. It’s not really a priority for them. They want to invest heavily in fossil fuels as a means of achieving energy independence and growing the economy. They want other nations to follow suit, and are often heard criticizing nations which pursue green energy alternatives. They seem more than willing to ignore the telltale signs that the environment is imploding. “We’ll worry about that sometime later.”
And yet, it is not always the intentions of our leaders that carry the day.
When it comes right down to it, there is a reality at play that will have its say, no matter the best of intentions to the contrary.
The reality is that climate change is real. It is not a “hoax.” We are the hoax if we continue to convince ourselves that climate change is not an existential threat in our time.
The reality is that our atmosphere is quite thin, extending to only 62 miles above earth. If we continue to fill our atmosphere with deadly gasses, is it a wonder that eventually we will put our one and only home in jeopardy?
The reality is that our decision, some 250 years ago, to run our economies on fossil fuels, may have been a mistake; a dead end to the destiny of man. We are not the only species that makes mistakes. According to National Geographic, out of all the species that have ever lived here on this good Earth, some 99.9% came and went. They became extinct, including earlier versions of human beings. You don’t see any Homo Erectus guys walking around, do you?
And the reality is that God gave us the common sense to discern the truth, and to act on what we know to be true. We know that renewables are the answer. We know how to transition to them. We see that they are cheaper to operate. We realize that they will provide greater energy security. We won’t be as dependent on nutty extremists. An we will protect planet Earth, our one and only home. So, our leaders, even with the best of intentions, can put in place policies to bring about the change they envision. However, if their plans are not in sync with the exigencies of the moment; if they are not in line with how the world works; then reality will take over, and an outcome may come to be, which is the exact opposite of their intentions, but which is the natural result of what needs to happen.
President Trump may not get what he wants when it comes to energy policy. But in a strange, almost mystical way, he may end up getting what he needs; what we all need: a source of energy that protects the environment, that results in healthy economic growth, that brings about a truer version of energy independence, and that gives hope to countless generations yet to come.
If all that happens, then we could regard the President as a visionary, even though he may not have seen it coming.
If you want to learn more about the idea, please visit our website at www.MissingPieceForGreen.com and take a look at this 5-minute video.