Ronald Stein: It's Too Soon to Abandon Fossil Fuels

[Note: Another excellent piece of Energy Literacy from Ronald Stein. Enjoy.]

As the global conversation around climate change intensifies, the focus has been predominantly on the transition to renewable electricity sources like solar and wind. But, according to energy policy advisor and engineer Ronald Stein, it's a conversation that's dangerously incomplete. Mr. Stein, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book Clean Energy Exploitations and Senior Policy Advisor at the Heartland Institute, believes that the world's rush to reduce carbon emissions is overlooking an irreplaceable reality: the petrochemical foundations of modern society.

"If we stop using crude oil, we're working backwards – back to the 1800s," Mr. Stein states. He isn't being hyperbolic. From today's phones and medical devices to clothing, packing, and the very infrastructure of homes, most of the products that define modernity are either made from or rely heavily on oil derivatives. It's not just a matter of cutting down on gasoline or heating oil – reducing crude oil production affects the manufacturing of everything from electric vehicle batteries to renewable electricity infrastructure itself.

Many energy policy makers mistake electricity generation for the sole metric of electricity transition. But electricity is only one aspect of energy consumption. The more difficult truth is that fossil fuels don't just keep the lights on; they're embedded in nearly every stage of the supply chain, from raw material extraction to the production of finished goods. While the turbines and solar panels provide electricity, they do not replace the oil-derived components necessary to build those same renewable technologies.