Whenever I see people discuss topics like this in person I usually ask them what percentage of crude oil is actually burnt?
To my surprise most people don't know where plastics come from and a myriad of other materials that are important in your daily life.
More than ~2/3 of crude is burnt in one way or another, but that remaining ~1/3 has life saving utility.
Even moving to an electric economy will still require crude oil: we need carbon composite wind turbine blades, plastic insulators on wire, feed stock to create bearing lubricants, chemicals to wash silicon to produce power inverting chips, coke to produce steel, interior plastics for cars trains buses etc.
I think it should go without saying burning hydrocarbons is not our best use of them, but this industry requires more than just outright banning/taxation, we do actually have to reach across the political bridge and begin to think intelligently.
To my surprise most people don't know where plastics come from and a myriad of other materials that are important in your daily life.
More than ~2/3 of crude is burnt in one way or another, but that remaining ~1/3 has life saving utility.
Even moving to an electric economy will still require crude oil: we need carbon composite wind turbine blades, plastic insulators on wire, feed stock to create bearing lubricants, chemicals to wash silicon to produce power inverting chips, coke to produce steel, interior plastics for cars trains buses etc.
I think it should go without saying burning hydrocarbons is not our best use of them, but this industry requires more than just outright banning/taxation, we do actually have to reach across the political bridge and begin to think intelligently.