In the useless hope that it will convince people who otherwise don’t care about “green energy” that it’s something they should care about. If it ever worked in the past, the effect was minimal at best. As evidenced by the fact that its need is still “hotly debated” in this backwater shithole of a country.
Is it debated? Maybe there are Fox News talking points to drag renewables, but here on the ground, in the most conservative place I’ve ever lived, solar is booming. I cannot imagine talking to anyone, of any political stripe, would debate the usefulness.
I have a feeling home solar is big for the obvious reason: lower power bills. Depending on needs and future residence plans, they pay themselves off in somewhere between 12-20 years. What they tend not to like is government investment in research and municipal projects to build out green energy in the grid. That’s communism!
Plus, (human-caused) climate change denial is certainly back on the rise. It’s more than talking points with many of the right wing politicians. It’s funny. I remember when global warming “wasn’t a thing.” Then, after it was changed to “climate change,” they kept banging on about the global warming hoax with BS like snowballs on the Senate floor. Then they came around to, “OK, climate change is real, but it’s cyclical. This isn’t caused by us!” They keep tiptoeing to the left on this, and recently, they’ve regressed back to “clean coal,” and “drill baby drill!”
Even if the voters know it’s bullshit, and believe climate change is man made and a real problem, it isn’t affecting their voting, so what they actually think doesn’t really matter. At least not until they force their party to get its head out of its ass.
I dont mind them harping on it, being afraid of being overtaken is the only thing that’s driven US tech since the Space Race started (as long as we ignore finding ways to swindle or torture poor folk)
I just think it’s sad that the country needs a “Bad Guy” for the government to think about driving serious innovation that doesn’t just benefit the military (see: DARPA &, to a lesser extent, the Interstate Highway System).
Why is NYTimes saying this?
In the useless hope that it will convince people who otherwise don’t care about “green energy” that it’s something they should care about. If it ever worked in the past, the effect was minimal at best. As evidenced by the fact that its need is still “hotly debated” in this backwater shithole of a country.
Is it debated? Maybe there are Fox News talking points to drag renewables, but here on the ground, in the most conservative place I’ve ever lived, solar is booming. I cannot imagine talking to anyone, of any political stripe, would debate the usefulness.
Oh, and “is it debated?” Among rational adults, not at all.
I have a feeling home solar is big for the obvious reason: lower power bills. Depending on needs and future residence plans, they pay themselves off in somewhere between 12-20 years. What they tend not to like is government investment in research and municipal projects to build out green energy in the grid. That’s communism!
Plus, (human-caused) climate change denial is certainly back on the rise. It’s more than talking points with many of the right wing politicians. It’s funny. I remember when global warming “wasn’t a thing.” Then, after it was changed to “climate change,” they kept banging on about the global warming hoax with BS like snowballs on the Senate floor. Then they came around to, “OK, climate change is real, but it’s cyclical. This isn’t caused by us!” They keep tiptoeing to the left on this, and recently, they’ve regressed back to “clean coal,” and “drill baby drill!”
Even if the voters know it’s bullshit, and believe climate change is man made and a real problem, it isn’t affecting their voting, so what they actually think doesn’t really matter. At least not until they force their party to get its head out of its ass.
I dont mind them harping on it, being afraid of being overtaken is the only thing that’s driven US tech since the Space Race started (as long as we ignore finding ways to swindle or torture poor folk)
I just think it’s sad that the country needs a “Bad Guy” for the government to think about driving serious innovation that doesn’t just benefit the military (see: DARPA &, to a lesser extent, the Interstate Highway System).
Why not? It gets clicks, probably mostly panic clicks but that counts, and it’s solid analysis. Maybe there’s ulterior motives, maybe not.