Environmentalism & Electrification
The Destruction of the US Economy
There are several things I have always been passionate about. One being control of pollution and the maintenance of our environment for our well-being. As a child, it would upset me, and still does, to see anyone throw garbage on the streets. It would upset me to go to a park and find bottles and cans from the weekend festivities casually thrown on the ground. I recall as a cub scout going to the parks and spending time cleaning up these messes.
As I got older and learned of more dangerous and horrific events of pollution it would make me even more convinced that the people needed to become more vociferous with authorities of the need to protect our environment for the common good. I recall the horrific poisoning of the Love Canal in upstate New York that was killing people and wildlife. The government was slow to react, and it took a lot of pressure before they finally began to understand the truth of the matter. The reckless poisoning of our land horrified me.
In the USA people have become aware of the threats to our environment and the need to be concerned about it now and for our future. Chemical dumping, oil spills, asbestos poisoning, lead contamination from mining, drilling, and manufacturing are just some of the many concerns we must follow. With a simple search on the internet, you can find a plethora of material to make your head spin.
A problem with any important cause for action is that people see opportunities for personal or political gain. Unfortunately, for the majority of us humans there are others that will nefariously take profit claiming to be concerned with the people or environment while allowing for pollution around the globe in places like China and Indonesia, knowing full well that in the western world for the average citizen it is a distant and difficult concept for us to become concerned with and so the crimes against the environment persist.
This summer for instance was not unlike many summers in my life, and I am now over 60 years old. The media went on a frenzy promoting the idea that this was the hottest summer in recorded history. It just did not matter that it was not true. Of course, our records are very scant and short, being that they only began keeping track and data on weather patterns consistently and across the globe around 1880.
Time and time again environmental calamity propagandists have been proclaiming the end of the world due to weather changes supposedly caused by human activity. The world was supposed to have starved to death in the 1990s, frozen to death by 1995 and been underwater by the year 2000. Gee whiz, I might not be a scientist, but none of these things have happened. Yet, the media for some reason unknown to me continues to try to scare the hell out of the public. Oh, and Hollywood elites are not to be forgotten in the whole Armageddon complex. I got so sick of it; I stopped going to the movies.
So, what is my point here? Good question. Now I will get to that.
In New York City, every September there is a gathering on one week, which many call Platinum week. This is because the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) holds a dinner on that week in which many companies arrange meetings, seminars and events all around the precious metals complex. I am very grateful for the fantastic research and information shared at these forums offered by SFA Oxford, Metals Focus, Heraeus Metals New York and the Metro NY Chapter of the IPMI to name a few. At these events real world statistics and information are shared. Unlike the fanciful comments of politicians and Hollywood hacks around the same subject.
The subject I am speaking about now is that of the electrification of everything. Even if you are not directly involved you would have to be blind to the diverse global government's push to what at one time was called alternative energy sources. I have no issue with advancing technology, improving the cleanliness of our environment, or alternative energy sources. In fact, I say the more the merrier! Innovation drives growth and prosperity. This is good for everyone on the planet.
However, what I learned this week was frightening to say the least. One of the biggest pet projects of diverse global governments is the propagation of electric vehicles. I don’t understand, why should any technology need underwriting and mandates if it is good for the people?
There are many companies that benefit from the mandates and there is certainly a sort of transfer of wealth and power from one set of elites to another. Sadly, there is also a transfer of wealth by the involuntary use of taxpayer funds to make a new set of businesses and their owners wealthy. Yet, this is still not the purpose of my diatribe.
During platinum week. I learned two very important things. First, that the preferential government mandates for electric vehicles will destroy the United States of America. The second is that to feed this monster called Electric Vehicles they will destroy the environment.
Addressing my first statement, at a recent forum Guido Vildozo a forecaster for S&P Global, commented over lunch that electric vehicles will be out of range for most individuals. The expected starting price point once incentives go away will be $60,000. I don’t know about you, but to me that seems an insurmountable number for a young family. Add to that the debt they already carry from their college education, and they won’t be able to buy anything. Then think about the jobs directly affected, which would be, let’s say conservatively 30% of the auto sector jobs, which would be around 510,000 jobs. I truly believe it would be 50% but let’s go with that number anyway. Estimations are that about 10 jobs are driven per person employed in this sector. That would be 5 million jobless and then of course there will be a trickledown effect. This does not take into account those employed in the petroleum industry.
If people can’t afford vehicles in this country where they must cover vast distances to get to work and there is no mass transit system to replace them, how will they survive? I sadly have no other recourse but to surmise a purposeful drive to destroy part of the backbone of this nation.
On my second point, listening to more than one analyst about supplies of the elements needed to meet the government mandates, one thing was abundantly clear. With the current quantity of mines and processors of these materials it would be impossible. According to Matt Watson, the commodity analyst of Precious Metals Commodity Management LLC, it will be necessary for the world to increase its mining processing capacity by 100%. In my mind, the willy nilly way that the politicians have promoted such an incongruous plan for conversion from Internal Combustion engines to Electric vehicles instills in me little confidence. Hence, to meet the needs of their own devised plan they will push mining and processing like we have never seen. In such a scenario anything will go and the environment that we live in every day will be exploited inappropriately to no end. In China and other parts of Asia this is already the case.
Additionally, in order to feed nearly half the planet, you have to have nitrogen which comes from fossil fuels. Moving completely away from fossil fuels would starve 1/3 to 1/2 of the planet, which of course would starve the poor to death. Are we, those with the power to make changes happen, that callous or is this an intentional goal of clandestine powers?
Where are all the zealots of environmentalism? They don’t seem to care how our earth is being plundered.
The world is a scary place when people who supposedly care about the environment close their eyes to the damage being done by the politicians who have glommed onto only one issue. Interestingly, the least likely to be of direct consequence to any person living on this planet now.
Energy and the proper use of energy is what drives life and all our livelihoods. The destruction of properly produced and managed energy such as the Nord Stream gas pipeline or the closure of the Keystone pipeline only causes more havoc on our environment. It is simple ignorance and arrogance that humans firstly believe that we can do without energy and arrogance to think that we are truly that important to the planet.
We are important to each other for safety, peace and joy. The earth exists for us to use its fruits and energy wisely and not to prioritize one system over another without a true democratic consensus. At this time, I fear the damage that will be done to individual freedom and prosperity under this current course.
However, the future is not set in stone and the winds may change and maybe the religion of environmentalism will not focus solely on the illusive nirvana on earth through decarbonization and focus on the overall health and well-being of the people and the planet we live on.
Bravo !