The End Is Nigh: There is no such thing as an energy transition – It’s a scam

Alright, listen up, you eco-optimists. I’ve been digging through the data, and let me tell you, the so-called “energy transition” is looking more like a scam than a solution. We’re being sold a fairy tale about smoothly shifting from fossil fuels to renewables, but the numbers don’t lie. Global energy consumption is still dominated by oil, gas, and coal, and in many places, it’s *increasing*. This isn’t just a slow-moving train—it’s a runaway freight car headed straight for a cliff.

The Illusion of Substitution

First off, let’s bust the myth that renewables are replacing fossil fuels. The current narrative paints a neat picture: out with the old, in with the new. But energy systems don’t work that way. Historically, new energy sources *add* to the mix rather than replace it. Take a look at the data from Our World in Data. Renewables are growing, sure, but they’re mostly supplementing fossil fuels, not displacing them. Jean-Baptiste Fressoz nailed it in *More and More and More*: past energy shifts were messy, incremental, and rarely clean cuts. We’re not swapping out coal for solar—we’re piling solar on top of coal, gas, and oil, which means overall energy consumption keeps climbing.

And let’s talk about infrastructure. Fossil fuels aren’t just powering our grids; they’re embedded in everything from industrial processes to transportation. You can’t just flip a switch and expect factories to run on wind power. The intermittency of renewables means we still need backup systems, often fossil-fueled, to keep the lights on when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. So much for the “transition.”

The Economic and Political Reality Check

Now, let’s get real about the economics. The “scam-induced transition,” as Steven Koonin calls it, is a financial nightmare. The costs of scaling up renewables to replace fossil fuels entirely are astronomical. We’re talking trillions of dollars, economic disruption, and potential social unrest. Politicians love to talk about green energy, but when the bills come due, the enthusiasm fades fast. The Wall Street Journal’s pre-bunking of Trump’s critiques of the Green New Deal shows just how politicized this debate is. Both sides are spinning narratives, but the cold, hard truth is that the transition isn’t happening fast enough—or at all.

And let’s not forget the geopolitical angle. Fossil fuels aren’t just energy—they’re power. Countries and corporations have built entire economies around oil and gas. A shift to renewables would upend global power structures, and not everyone’s on board with that. Plus, renewables come with their own set of geopolitical headaches. Lithium, cobalt, rare earth minerals—these aren’t just materials; they’re leverage. The transition isn’t just about technology; it’s about who controls the resources and who gets left behind.

The Uncomfortable Truth: We’re Consuming Too Much

Here’s the kicker: the real problem isn’t just *how* we generate energy—it’s *how much* we use. The focus on renewables distracts from the elephant in the room: our energy consumption is unsustainable, no matter the source. Chris Smaje’s piece in *resilience* hits the nail on the head. The idea that we can keep growing our way out of this crisis is a fallacy. “Transition fuels” like natural gas or hydrogen are just Band-Aids on a gaping wound. The apocalyptic fires, floods, and hurricanes we’re seeing aren’t just warnings—they’re the beginning of the end.

So, what’s the solution? Maybe it’s time to stop pretending there’s a smooth, painless transition. Maybe it’s time to face the fact that our current way of life is unsustainable. The scam isn’t just the false promise of a quick fix—it’s the refusal to acknowledge that we’re running out of time. The end is nigh, folks, and the energy transition isn’t coming to save us. It’s time to wake up and smell the fossil fuels.