Energy

Fossil Fuels are an Addiction.

I often like to compare fossil fuel addiction to heroin addiction

To which I often get response that fossil fuels aren’t chemically addicting, they don’t change the brain’s chemistry, re-wiring it to crave more and more of them. But is that true? There is a lot of evidence that humans become as addicted to fossil fuels as opioids and that the behavior around fossil fuels is very similar to a person who is addicted to heroin, although fossil fuel addiction is much more socially acceptable.

Speed, warmth, light tickle and change our brains

Humans crave speed, warmth, and light — especially colorful lights. Our fossil fuel society makes such things very possible and easy to access. How to make people happier? Go faster, make it more comfortable, make it more bright and colorful.

Spending enormous amounts of money on the habit

Fossil fuel production and consumption is an enormous part of our economy. The average household spends $1,977 a year on gasoline alone. Is that amount of money spent to incinerate refined dinosaur bones, a largely non-sensible activity, is a classic sign of an addiction.

Denial of an addiction

Most people are in denial that they have a problem with fossil fuels and energy consumption more generally. They often dismiss how much energy they consume, they make excuses that it is necessary for modern living.Β People often react strongly when their utility rates or gas prices go up, or efforts are made to restrict motoring by reducing the number of lanes on roads or parking spaces.

Bizarre behaviors as a result of addiction

Addicts often engage in bizarre behavior when they high. Not only are people likely to defend oil and gas development in terrible places, they’re much too willing to accept climate change, as the price of fossil-fuel freedom. Wasting energy is totally acceptable, if it makes us happy.

Seeking alternative ways to get high

How do people plan to address the climate crisis? Usually it involves building industrial wind turbines and large solar farms, and switching to electric cars. Conservation is often pushed to margins of debate. And lifestyle change is dismissed as being impractical. People — at least on paper — want to address climate change by driving to Walmart in electric car.

Another oil well along the road. Again, not running

Proposed Solar Farms in New York State

This map shows all several additional solar farms proposed for New York, many of much larger scale then existing facilities. Yellow balloons are (L) Regulatory approvals pending. Not under construction, Light Blue means (T) Regulatory approvals received. Not under construction, and Green is (P) Planned for installation, but regulatory approvals not initiated.

11/8/23 - UPDATED with September 2023 DATA This is an interactive map, so make sure to Zoom in to see the exact location of proposed solar farm, and click the balloon to get the full data reported to the Energy Information Agency.

Data Source: Energy Information Agency, Preliminary Monthly Electricity Generator Facilities EIA-860M, Released October 2023. Get the data: eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m