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I mean, if your hope is for regime change, then I'd recommend an energy policy that is based on something a bit more realistic. Imagine telling farmers or busin

by rsj_hn 4y ago

I mean, if your hope is for regime change, then I'd recommend an energy policy that is based on something a bit more realistic. Imagine telling farmers or businesses in Germany or the UK that "Your bills will remain high until there is regime change in Russia". They would correctly view that as lack of an energy policy. Europe requires an energy policy for the world that exists, not the world it wishes would exist. We have not been able to change the regime in Syria, Iran or Cuba despite decades trying. Not sure why you think China or Russia is going to be a more realistic target. FYI, the successor to Putin is Medvedev, who is much more of an anti-western hardliner. If Europe is pinning its hopes for the future on regime change in Russia, then the people of Europe deserve much more competent leadership.

bjelkeman-again 4y ago
Tell me a region in the world which couldn't do with more competent leadership. :)
- rsj_hn 4y ago
  I think Europe is unique in terms of denying reality so much that they don't even have a plan. It's like the prospect of some things are so terrible as to be unthinkable and when something is unthinkable, you don't come up with a plan to deal with it. Instead, you shout down anyone who brings up the unmentionable thing. For Europe, the list of unthinkable things keeps growing: * What if they can't deploy enough energy storage at scale to make their renewable push actually work? Unthinkable! * What if there is no regime change in Russia, and the present situation just continues for a few decades. Unthinkable! * What will they do with millions of Ukrainian refugees that refuse to or are unable to return home? And the many millions more that will be flooding in soon? Unthinkable! So this deer in the headlights inability to face reality is the leadership problem. And the sad thing is that Europe does have options. There is coal in Poland, Natural gas in Germany, Nuclear in France, Wind in Italy. They can scale up production of domestic sources and deal with the stark reality that they need to become much more energy independent OR they can spend $200 billion subsidizing the purchase of imported natural gas for consumers, just hoping that things "go back to normal after the war".

by rsj_hn 4y ago

bjelkeman-again 4y ago

Tell me a region in the world which couldn't do with more competent leadership. :)

rsj_hn 4y ago
I think Europe is unique in terms of denying reality so much that they don't even have a plan. It's like the prospect of some things are so terrible as to be unthinkable and when something is unthinkable, you don't come up with a plan to deal with it. Instead, you shout down anyone who brings up the unmentionable thing. For Europe, the list of unthinkable things keeps growing: * What if they can't deploy enough energy storage at scale to make their renewable push actually work? Unthinkable! * What if there is no regime change in Russia, and the present situation just continues for a few decades. Unthinkable! * What will they do with millions of Ukrainian refugees that refuse to or are unable to return home? And the many millions more that will be flooding in soon? Unthinkable! So this deer in the headlights inability to face reality is the leadership problem. And the sad thing is that Europe does have options. There is coal in Poland, Natural gas in Germany, Nuclear in France, Wind in Italy. They can scale up production of domestic sources and deal with the stark reality that they need to become much more energy independent OR they can spend $200 billion subsidizing the purchase of imported natural gas for consumers, just hoping that things "go back to normal after the war".