.....politics has become the conservative religion where a ridiculous statement repeated by an opinion network enough times can become accepted dogma worth killing over....
- Adaption -Guide
As we rearrange the deck chairs on our own Titanic, one glaring truth comes into focus: the tools we use to measure disaster often fall short of capturing the full scope of destruction.
Take the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, for example. This scale, which rates hurricanes from 1 to 5, is based solely on maximum sustained wind speeds.
But anyone who's lived through a hurricane knows it's not just about the wind. Rainfall, storm surges, and tornadoes can be just as devastating—sometimes more so.
Why do we continue to rely on an outdated measure that ignores so many factors? Maybe it’s time for a more comprehensive approach, unless you’re voting CONservative in the U.S., in which case, don’t worry—NOAA forecasts might be optional soon anyway.
This leads us to the bigger picture: human behavior and our relationship with energy.
Our energy use is skyrocketing. This isn't a surprise. From the dawn of the Industrial Revolution to the present, human progress has always been powered by increasing energy consumption.
Transportation, heavy industry, mass production, and the computing revolution have all required staggering amounts of energy, and the next waves of innovation—artificial intelligence and global travel—will only demand more.
But in the midst of all this, we finally have some good news.
Today marks a historic moment: the UK has officially shut down its last coal-fired power station.
Uniper's Ratcliffe-on-Soar plant in Nottinghamshire has been taken offline, ending a 142-year legacy of burning coal to generate electricity.
Consider the contrast: in 1990, coal made up 65% of the UK's energy mix. A decade ago, it was still 1%. Now, it's gone. What happened?
The UK didn't simply wait for coal to phase itself out—it was actively driven out by high carbon prices that made it financially unsustainable, and by a concerted push towards gas and wind power.
The UK is now the first G7 nation to completely exit coal-fired power generation.
Yes, the UK isn’t part of the EU, but it’s still a global leader in this energy transition, with its own currency, nuclear defense, and—of course—fish and chips.
The country is moving forward, but let’s not romanticize it.
Labour still has the Herculean tasks of fixing the healthcare system and cleaning up rivers and lakes. But the progress made in energy policy?
That’s something to celebrate.
Sincerely and a bit jealous,
Adaptation - Guide
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