> per capita coal emissions in the UK peaked more than 100 years ago. Some of that fall represents the offshoring of industrial processes, with the coal choking

> per capita coal emissions in the UK peaked more than 100 years ago. Some of that fall represents the offshoring of industrial processes, with the coal choking someone else, but most of it reflects the use of cleaner, more efficient technology. The UK's global empire existed 100 years ago. Not a knock against the UK, I think they've been by and large doing the right thing, but their policies over the last century has been managing the decline and dissolution of their civilisation in as graceful a way as possible. They're an inspirational case of a group of people regressing to the mean politely. But I'm doubting the intelligentsia can pull off the "this is really an improvement!" line. There is a lot of anger in the EU on the subject that we see in things like the Brexit vote and I suspect the AfD's polling in Germany is reflective of similar policy choices in Germany. France had the Yellow Vest protests. People don't like it when their energy access gets choked; it does a lot of real-world harm and this intellectual burying of heads in sand is unhelpful.