I have some thoughts on the war, many thoughts, most of them starting with ‘have none of you fucking assholes ever read a book?’; but rather than talk about that, I wanted to focus on one of the most interesting academic aspects of it all, and the lesson we should be learning.
(Please note: The war is horrible, causing unimaginable pain, suffering and loss. By talking about one specific piece of it, I am not diminishing that horror).
As the media has been screaming at us for the last 2 weeks, 1/5th of the worlds oil supply goes through the Strait of Hormuz. When that waterway is blocked off, or unavailable, the economic disruption is felt across the entire globe; even places that are net producers of oil.
When oil prices go up, everything goes up. Gas, Travel, Transportation, Food, Manufacturing; it’s all interconnected. While those directly involved pay the lion’s share of the cost, we are all affected. For those living paycheck to paycheck, which is roughly 70% of the North American population, that affect can be devastating.
But here’s the wild thing-
We don’t have to be that dependent on fossil fuels. It’s a choice, a choice the oligarchs made for us because it makes them more money.
Approximately 80% to 90% of global oil production is used for energy purposes; while 25% of the world’s electricity is powered by natural gas (40% of US power).
We have other options: hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear-
It’s all there, it’s all here now and the faster we move to these other sources, the less likelihood we’ll be back at war in another 10 years, pretending it’s because of anything else other than greed and ambition.
And speaking a language people will understand; maybe, just maybe, balancing the global economy on a waterway 30kms wide isn’t a wise strategy.
To those saying it can’t be done, please note that as of early ‘26, China’s renewable energy capacity surpassed it’s fossil fuel capacity. Over 60% of chinese energy is renewable.
Renewable Energy: Can we please just fucking do it already?
-sohmer
