Baygon,

Every aspect of the economy depends on the energy in one form or another. While efficiency can be improved, cutting out a huge source of energy without a cost-effective and reliable alternative source of energy is economic suicide and a recipe for widespread poverty.

Yes, it is completely nuts.

There was a time when your response was credible but if you follow the link you will see that this time is well and truly past. We can no longer be pushing solutions into the distant future it is time to act now. Since Glasgow global consumption of coal, oil and gas has only increased. These three energy sources remain the most efficient means of sourcing energy but the maths is clear we need to reduce our annual fossil fuel consumption by 10%. That is doable. It will mean phasing out using hydrocarbons for plastic bottles, it will mean transforming our cities so people do not need to commute; in short it means using our imagination so that our quality of life is not compromised.

Hi Baygon,

Yes, renewables are very expensive and unreliable as Europeans are starting to discover. As for nuclear being a diversion, forty years ago the greenies were screaming that we would all die horribly if we didn't eliminate nuclear. Now they say that we should have built nuclear forty years ago. Calling for de-industrialisation is just a throwback to the Marxist claptrap that inspired the likes of Pol Pot, and didn't that end well.

Look at what Russia and especially China have been doing with nuclear. I suspect that they have been funding their green minions for many decades as they realised that they were never going to beat the west in a technology pissing contest: Much better to white ant them.

May the pissing contest restart in earnest.

Baygon,

My background is as an energy systems engineer and have been working for decades to reduce energy consumption and more recently reduce fossil fuel consumption. And have done far more than any placard-waving greeny.

What is clear is that with effort fossil fuels can be replaced, but society cannot do without some form of reliable energy.