Fossil fuel industry shill Tom Harris has been on a campaign recently denouncing wind power. The reason is pretty obvious - wind power cuts into coal profits. But, I began to wonder just how much of a threat wind posed to coal and did some math.
Looking up wind power in the United States and Canada (Mr. Harris' home country), I determined the two countries generated about 185,000 gigawatt-hours from wind power in 2014. To generate that much electricity using coal would take about 23 million tons of coal. Coal varies in price depending on the quality and source, but $40 per ton is a good working price. At that price, 23 million tons of coal would cost about $900 million.
In 2014 alone, wind power took about $900 million dollars out of the pockets of the coal-barons and that amount is only going to increase.
Now, we can see why Tom Harris is engaged in this campaign.
Harris is a manifest enemy of humanity.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the cynic in me, but I view Harris as a typical representative of humanity - motivated by greed and irrationality much more than by logic and care for others.
ReplyDeleteI think your description is a pretty good definition of "enemy of humanity."
ReplyDeleteIs Tom Harris really trying that one on? These people have no shame.
ReplyDeleteThere have been similar campaigns in Australia.
We must be right on target when our opponents resort to name calling and logical fallacies like Mr. Keating does above. Please keep it up. I track these every month and let our donors know who we upsetting.
ReplyDeleteSorry, there is no name calling. You are a paid shill and that is a fact, not name calling. And, there are no logical fallacies, either. Wind power is causing the coal industry to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in just the U.S. and Canada alone. But, I am glad you and your employers think I'm dangerous enough to keep track of me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOnly an idiot or someone being dishonest would say that calling someone a paid shill is not name calling. BTW, I have no employers. You just made that up too.
ReplyDeleteMy, my. Look who's resorting to name calling.
ReplyDeleteShill, n. the confederate of a gambler, pitchman, auctioneer, etc. who pretends to buy, bet, or bid so as to lure onlookers into participating.
The fossil fuel industry pays you (directly or indirectly, it makes no difference and you know where the money is coming from) to make false statements promoting their business and undermining their competitors for the sake of fooling the public. That is being a shill. And, it also qualifies them as your employers.
Or, would you care to rehash your long, storied career working on the behalf of the fossil fuel and tobacco industries?
The thing that I wonder about is why you are so determined to deny this when the public record on it is so extensive.
You are such a liar, Keeting. I have told you in the past that I have never worked for the fossil fuel and tobacco industries. In fact, as I explained to you before, I was an anti-tobacco activist and was instrumental in getting smoking banned on long haul flights in Canada. Geesh.
ReplyDeleteTake a look here:
ReplyDeletehttp://dialoguesonglobalwarming.blogspot.com/2015/07/tom-harris-paid-shill.html
A brief word on being an enemy of humanity. Energy from fossil fuels has provided the basis for virtually every advance in the quality of human life since the industrial revolution. If it was not for fossil fuels human life would still be full of darkness, disease, arduous physical labor, discomfort, poor nutrition and education, a lack of transportation and communication and a litany of other failings when compared to life today.
ReplyDeleteThe Moral Case for Fossil Fuels is brilliantly laid out in the book by Alex Epstein. The overwhelming evidence of the dramatic benefits of fossil fuel energy is clearly laid out for anyone who takes the time to think and learn. If human life is your standard of value as it is mine, then you will understand the (currently) irreplaceable value of fossil fuel energy.
The scientists, entrepreneurs and industrialists who discovered, commercialized and mass produced this life-giving energy should be celebrated as heroes of humanity instead of being vilified. The true enemies of humanity are those who would force the use of expensive and unreliable energy upon us. By themselves in a free country wind and solar would occupy a niche market and it is only through force that they are more than a tiny fraction of total energy production. These forced initiatives reduce the freedom, choice, health and wealth of humanity, especially the poorest who are most in need of cheap industrial scale energy.
I'm well aware of this book and it is a perfect example of how the fossil fuel industry engages in deceit. The thing that has benefited people is energy, not fossil fuel energy. If we replace coal and oil with something else, people still get the benefits of energy. And, by the way, I find it interesting how you failed to mention the cost of that fossil fuel energy. Where is your concern about the mercury, arsenic, particulate matter, SO2 and other poisons? Why don't you mention all of the cancer, asthma, heart disease and many other ailments caused by fossil fuel energy? Did you show any concern for the environmental devastation caused by the fossil fuel industry?
ReplyDeleteOh, please note who suffers the most from all of this - the poor. And, also note the fossil fuel industry has steadfastly refused to pay for the damage. Let the poor deal with it. It's there problem. Right?
Funny how all of that got left out of your message.