Climate worry meets gas-price anxiety. Can US really ditch fossil fuels? – By Xander Peters (CS Monitor) / December 15, 2021
Michael Day has made a good life for himself as a laborer in the oil and gas industry. He’s just 25 years old, and he’s worked as an industrial mechanic in refineries since he was 18, fresh out of high school – a job that’s given Mr. Day, his wife, and their children a comfortable life so far.
He has plans for their future, too. Mr. Day intends to continue this work until perhaps his late 40s, when he plans to retire early. His earnings have recently allowed him to purchase a small plot of land near his home in Texas City, Texas, where he’s gradually building an RV park he’ll rent to travelers.
It’ll be his turn to kick back “and make money,” Mr. Day says.
WHY WE WROTE THIS
The long-mighty oil industry is under pressure due to climate change. Yet concerns about energy-price inflation reveal public ambivalence. It’s a reminder that reliance on fossil fuels remains large, and the weaning process won’t be easy.
Even as the threat posed by climate change has prompted insistent calls for the world to wean itself from fossil fuels, there’s little reason to think Mr. Day’s plan is implausible. The outlook – attested by recent global outcries over gasoline prices or natural gas shortages – is that the world remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels. Even with ambitious environmental policies, the weaning will take decades.
