{"id":1668817,"date":"2022-10-02T09:37:55","date_gmt":"2022-10-02T13:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1668817"},"modified":"2022-10-02T09:45:01","modified_gmt":"2022-10-02T13:45:01","slug":"michael-shellenberger-bidens-woke-green-energy-is-a-joke-that-makes-us-dependent-on-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-shellenberger-bidens-woke-green-energy-is-a-joke-that-makes-us-dependent-on-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Shellenberger: Biden\u2019s \u201cWoke\u201d Green Energy Is a Joke That Makes Us Dependent on China"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichael-shellenberger-bidens-woke-green-energy-is-a-joke-that-makes-us-dependent-on-china%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1668817&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>On Sept. 15, I testified to Congress about the unfolding energy crisis in Europe. When I explained how President Biden\u2019s own energy policies are harming our allies abroad and consumers at home, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShellenbergerMD\/status\/1573795999436328960?s=20&amp;t=sIG1BQYpFHHIQlvSeT1mCw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> to me, \u201cIf there was a war on energy, how is Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell making over 200% profits? You can\u2019t have a war on an industry and then they\u2019re having record profits.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The reason, I told Khanna, is precisely because the Biden administration has been stifling oil and natural gas production, thereby reducing supplies, and increasing prices and profits.<\/p>\n<p>Do Democrats really not understand how supply and demand work? Of course they do. They know that, by repressing oil and natural gas production, they\u2019re making these resources scarce and expensive. That\u2019s how they want it. They think high gasoline prices will force people to buy costly electric cars. But they know that their position of effectively rationing energy is highly unpopular, so they seek to scapegoat oil and gas companies \u2014 an easy target.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s true that the Biden Administration is not the sole cause of high energy prices. Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine rightly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2022\/03\/08\/fact-sheet-united-states-bans-imports-of-russian-oil-liquefied-natural-gas-and-coal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">led President Biden in March<\/a> to ban Russian oil and natural gas imports into the US. But the main reason for expensive energy prices is President Biden\u2019s suppression of oil and gas production. <\/p>\n<p>It would have been easy for Biden to make up for loss of Russian oil imports through expanded domestic drilling. Where the US\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/dnav\/pet\/hist\/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&amp;s=MTTIM_NUS-NRS_1&amp;f=M\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">imported around 18 million barrels<\/a>\u00a0of Russian oil\u00a0<em>per month,<\/em>\u00a0we\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/tools\/faqs\/faq.php?id=268&amp;t=6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">produce<\/a>\u00a019 million barrels of oil domestically\u00a0<em>per day.\u00a0<\/em>Instead,\u00a0Biden has leased less public land for oil and gas production during his first 19 months in office than any other administration since World War II,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/federal-oil-leases-slow-to-a-trickle-under-biden-11662230816\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to a Wall Street Journal analysis<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But all this is a prelude to the main way Democrats plan to make energy more expensive, which is by spending $370 billion of taxpayer money through the new (and misnamed) \u201cInflation Reduction Act\u201d to subsidize solar panels and wind turbines made in China.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/ro-khanna.jpg\"><\/a><figcaption>Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said: \u201cIf there was a war on energy, how is Exxon, Chevron, BP and Shell making over 200% profits? You can\u2019t have a war on an industry and then they\u2019re having record profits.\u201d <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/michael-shellenberer.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/michael-shellenberer.jpg\" alt=\"Author Michael Shellenberger, who recently testified before Congress about Europe\u2019s energy crisis, told Khanna that the price of gas is high because Democrats have made it scarce.\" class=\"wp-image-24040090\" width=\"618\" height=\"411\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/michael-shellenberer-1.jpg 1236w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/michael-shellenberer-2.jpg 927w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/michael-shellenberer-3.jpg 618w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/michael-shellenberer-4.jpg 309w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/michael-shellenberer-5.jpg 1024w\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Author Michael Shellenberger, who recently testified before Congress about Europe\u2019s energy crisis, told Khanna that the price of gas is high because Democrats have made it scarce.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Renewables make electricity more costly everywhere they are deployed at scale. Just look at California. It has the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/630090\/states-with-the-average-electricity-price-for-the-residential-sector-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second most expensive electricity<\/a> in the US after Hawaii, but it can barely keep the lights on.\u00a0Why? Because the unreliable nature of weather-dependent energy sources requires more backup power plants, transmission lines and people who can make electricity reliable. <\/p>\n<p>Consider what happened last month. On Aug. 25, California\u2019s government announced that a ban on all gasoline-powered vehicles would go into effect on 2030. Five days later, on Aug. 30, California\u2019s electric grid operator begged residents not to charge their electric cars and trucks between 4 and 9 p.m. for fear of overwhelming the grid and causing a catastrophic blackout. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/gas-prices.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/gas-prices.jpg\" alt=\"The most immediate -- and damaging \u2014 consequence on Biden&#039;s oil production squeeze is the surging cost at the gas pump, which is heavily impacting consumer spending.\" class=\"wp-image-24040095\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/gas-prices-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/gas-prices-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/gas-prices-2.jpg&amp;w=512 512w\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Democrats think high gasoline prices will force people to buy costly electric cars. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/electric-cars.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/electric-cars.jpg\" alt=\"But electric cars aren\u2019t a savior either: On Aug. 30, California\u2019s electric grid operator begged residents not to charge their electric cars and trucks for fear of overwhelming the grid.\" class=\"wp-image-24040113\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/electric-cars-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/electric-cars-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/electric-cars-2.jpg&amp;w=512 512w\" \/><\/a><figcaption>But electric cars aren\u2019t a savior either: On Aug. 30, California\u2019s electric grid operator begged residents not to charge their electric cars and trucks for fear of overwhelming the grid. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can\u2019t make it up.<\/p>\n<p>Renewables also cause inflation by driving up the cost of materials used in many other industries. Solar and wind energy projects <a href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattan-institute.org\/the-energy-transition-delusion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">require<\/a> 300% more copper and 700% more \u201crare earth\u201d elements per unit of energy than fossil fuels.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wind, solar and batteries require 1,000% more steel, concrete and glass, and 4,200% more lithium, 2,500% more graphite and 1,900% more nickel than fossil fuels to produce the same amount of energy, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitions\/mineral-requirements-for-clean-energy-transitions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Energy Agency<\/a>. Minerals comprise 60-70% of the cost of producing solar panels and lithium batteries.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/china-mine.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/china-mine.jpg\" alt=\"China has the monopoly on the mining of \u201crare earth\u201d materials, which are necessary to build renewables like lithium batteries and solar panels.\" class=\"wp-image-24040075\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/china-mine-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/china-mine-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/china-mine-2.jpg&amp;w=512 512w\" \/><\/a><figcaption>China has the monopoly on the mining of \u201crare earth\u201d materials, which are necessary to build renewables like lithium batteries and solar panels. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">VCG via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/xi-jinping.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/xi-jinping.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese President Xi knows the green energy push means an increasing reliance among Western nations for products from his country.\" class=\"wp-image-24040079\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/xi-jinping-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/xi-jinping-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/xi-jinping-2.jpg&amp;w=512 512w\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Chinese President Xi knows the green energy push means an increasing reliance among Western nations for products from his country.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Worst of all, our need for these materials means we become increasingly reliant on China. China\u2019s market share of renewables and EV minerals is already twice OPEC\u2019s share of oil. The US depends on imports for <em>100%<\/em> of 17 renewables and EV-critical minerals. For 28 others, we import more than 50% of domestic demand. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Warnings from business leaders are falling on deaf ears. In early September, 40 CEOs of European metal companies <a href=\"https:\/\/eurometaux.eu\/media\/qnhn5k30\/non-ferrous-metals-ceo-letter-on-energy-crisis-06-09-2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warned<\/a> of the \u201cexistential threat\u201d to their industries due to energy shortages. They noted that \u201c50% of the EU\u2019s aluminum and zinc capacity has already been forced offline due to the crisis.\u201d European leaders mostly yawned and re-committed themselves to producing more electricity from . . . renewables.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/liz-truss-7.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/liz-truss-7.jpg\" alt=\"Some European leaders are pushing back on green energy. New British Prime Minister Liz Truss has ended the ban on fracking in Britain, and approved new oil and gas drilling efforts in the North Sea.\" class=\"wp-image-24040069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/liz-truss-7-1.jpg 1023w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/liz-truss-7-2.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/liz-truss-7-3.jpg 341w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/liz-truss-7-4.jpg 1024w\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Some European leaders are pushing back on green energy. New British Prime Minister Liz Truss has ended the ban on fracking in Britain, and approved new oil and gas drilling efforts in the North Sea.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">ZUMA24.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/09\/uk-nuclear-power-plant.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/uk-nuclear-power-plant.jpg\" alt=\"Truss\u2019 \u201cGreat British Nuclear\u201d plan would see 25% of Britain\u2019s total electricity output generated by nuclear power by 2050.\" class=\"wp-image-24040063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/uk-nuclear-power-plant-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/uk-nuclear-power-plant-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/uk-nuclear-power-plant-2.jpg&amp;w=512 512w\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Truss\u2019 <em>\u201c<\/em>Great British Nuclear\u201d plan would see 25% of Britain\u2019s total electricity output generated by nuclear power by 2050. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If renewables are doomed for fundamental physical reasons, why do so many educated people believe we will transition to them? Most are just ignorant. They have been surrounded by professional ideologues who have deceived them for decades. They insist that the US will somehow be able to quickly build the massive solar factories, rare earth mines and mineral refiners that took China 20 years to build. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a sad joke. While we should repatriate those industries to the US, doing so will take decades, not years, and doing so will make renewables even more expensive than they are today.<\/p>\n<p>If there is any hope, it\u2019s that voters are rejecting woke green goals. Already this has occurred in Sweden and Italy, where voters threw out left-wing governments in part out of a rebuke of the policies that created the energy crisis. And Britain\u2019s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/speeches\/pm-liz-trusss-opening-speech-on-the-energy-policy-debate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> that she would lift a ban on fracking, approve new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea and launch \u201cGreat British Nuclear\u201d to generate 25% of Britain\u2019s electricity from nuclear power by 2050.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A growing number of policymakers and voters will soon conclude that nations must end their massive investment in renewables because they\u2019re neither cheap nor homegrown. And, perhaps most importantly, because they will make America and other Western nations dangerously dependent on China.<\/p>\n<p><em>Michael Shellenberger is the best-selling author of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Apocalypse-Never-Environmental-Alarmism-Hurts\/dp\/0063001691\/?tag=nypost-20&amp;asc_refurl=https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/10\/01\/bidens-woke-green-energy-makes-us-dependent-on-china\/&amp;asc_source=web\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\">Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All<\/a>\u201d\u00a0and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/San-Fransicko-Progressives-Ruin-Cities\/dp\/0063093626\/?tag=nypost-20&amp;asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2022%2F07%2F30%2Fhow-progressive-groups-like-the-aclu-make-nyc-more-dangerous%2F&amp;asc_source=web\">San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Sept. 15, I testified to Congress about the unfolding energy crisis in Europe. When I explained how President Biden\u2019s own energy policies are harming our allies abroad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1668819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1668817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1668817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1668817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1668819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1668817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1668817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1668817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}