By Tom Caffery, Third Act Florida
A recent opinion piece repeated a self-defeating narrative that fossil fuel use is inevitable and there’s nothing we can do about it. Our club of solar panel owners and electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts feels differently.
Now is a perfect time to install more solar energy, because it insulates us against the wide swings in the cost of fossil fuels that are causing so much inflation. The scarcity and rising cost of natural gas doesn’t worry me much, because most of my energy comes from the solar panels on my roof. My EV means that I don’t have to worry about the cost of gasoline, other than what is reflected in the cost of my groceries and other essential goods.
Fossil fuels are no longer the most economical choice, even when you don’t factor in the cost of wars and the environmental damage that fossil fuels cause. The simple fact is that 90% of the new utility generating capacity in the U.S. last year came from solar and wind because it is the cheapest energy on the market.
The emissions in mining and transporting “clean natural gas” make it practically as dirty as coal. EVs have the lowest lifetime cost of ownership, even without the tax credits that the Trump administration clawed back — and Florida is the No. 2 state for new EVs sold.
Another advantage: When was the last time a war was fought over sunshine? That seems like a simplistic, naïve argument, until you consider how much of our military is devoted to defending our fossil fuel interests in the Middle East and globally.
The direct cost of our “little excursion” in Iran, on top of offering implicit protection to all our other fair-weather allies in the Middle East, is a direct cost in lives and treasure that all Americans are shouldering. This has seemed like a questionable investment, ever since the first OPEC embargo, as well as the Iranian revolution.
AI data centers are a cause for concern on many fronts, with many responsible organizations calling for a nationwide moratorium — but that’s another story.
Finally, many of us are still concerned with the pollution that fossil fuels cause, especially here in Florida, where the effects of climate change and sea level rise are becoming more obvious by the year. To pin our hopes on some far-off carbon capture technology is wishful thinking. As the old saying goes, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging!”
Kudos to The Invading Sea for keeping this issue in the limelight.
Tom Caffery is a member of the “Power Up Communities” team for Third Act Florida, a community of seniors working together to protest against the causes of climate change and protect our democracy. Banner photo: An electric vehicle charging from solar panels (iStock image).
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