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US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

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Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#901

Post by wolvoleo »

Danox wrote: post #764
IAmGraydon wrote: post #662

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean no disrespect, but if you're seeing a deep parallel between the Roman Empire's final days and what's going on in the US today, I would say you need to study Roman history more. It was in deep chaos that most people in the world today can't even imagine. The Empire was relentlessly invaded by tribes like the Visigoths and the Vandals, and they even sacked Rome multiple times in the 400s CE. There was a huge amo…

The Romans pretty much had their way (peak) for 300 years. Yes decline was not instantaneous, but no one can complain about having 300 years of relative success/dominance, which they did once they defeated the Carthaginians all the way to about 200 A.D. The Romans pretty much had their way. Their decline happened pretty much in the same way all civilizations end the elite’s participation in defending the empire or th…

> The way it currently looks 2100 is probably going to have a new number 1.

I'm sure 2050 will already have a new number 1. Which will probably be China, all things considered.

Whatever America is doing to perpetuate its hold on the world e.g. the petrodollar is only making it slip away faster, because it is based in a world that no longer exists.

If America would embrace the future it actually could change. But the ruling conservatives only look towards the past.

The idea about conservatism is all wrong though. They look at a changed world and the time that came before. And they think that if they recreate some of the conditions from that time, the whole world will rewind somehow. That's obviously false, the world has moved on.

Also, they look at that time with rose-coloured glasses. Like with MAGA, America never really was great. The time that MAGA seems to idolise had devastating wars for zero reason like Vietnam, despicable leaders like Nixon, and a population that was constantly afraid of a nuclear attack. But it's the time when boomers were young and had their entire future ahead of them.

If anything the 90s were pretty much the peak of the Western world in my opinion. The Soviet threat was suddenly gone, economy was booming, global warming wasn't really recognised yet and 9/11 hadn't happened.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#903

Post by frm88 »

hnra wrote: post #734
raphinou wrote: post #499

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was it a book you read? In interested.

Not OP but the book ”The storm before the storm” covers what sets in motion the fall of the republic. I think the foreword or opening chapter notes the similarities with the state of the US (Trumps first presidency at the time of writing). The author is the podcast host of ”History of Rome”, which is also great, and he does the audiobook narration perfectly.

He's also the podcast host and narrator of Revolutions, a deep dive into major revolutions starting in Britain with Charles Stuart and ending with Stalin (well, technically ending with a science fiction revolution on Mars), with stops in Haiti, Mexico, France, Germany. It ran weekly from 2013 to 2025. Absolutely recommend.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#904

Post by wolvoleo »

ricardobayes wrote: post #900
wolvoleo wrote: post #897

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in northern Spain and it really doesn't get that cold. There's about a month during which I need a little plug in heater to stay above 18 degrees C. Then after a few weeks I find myself using it less and less. Honestly I wouldn't bother investing in a central heating system for how little I need it. There's only a few days a year the temperature actually drops to around 5C and that's only in the deep of night…

That's kind of my point. It's not cold - to you - because you are used to it. In Hungary or Romania since energy is (or was) cheap, due to residual/waste heat from power plants everyone heats their homes to 23-24C. Because if you have "free" energy, why not? That's what people feel comfortable at home. If you would drop a Hungarian to your 18C northern Spanish home they would be incredibly uncomfortable, but the same…

Hmm no, 23-24 in winter is not comfortable for me. It's incredibly uncomfortable. I'm much happier in 18 degrees.

But I'm not from Spain. I have been to Romania a lot and I really hated how much they heated the office during winter. I'd go outside in the -15C in my shirt just to cool off during meeting breaks.

Honestly I'm super comfortable in Spain most of the year. Just 1 month I need a little extra heating and 3 months I need aircon, and a lot of it. But summer is also peak time for solar so energy wise it's not bad.

But I don't consider it poverty at all, really. It's also important not to have too much of a temperature mismatch with the outside because we spend a lot of time outdoors here. And not in airconditioned cars because I don't have (nor want) a car. I'm a lot happier with the freedom that public transport offers.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#905

Post by frm88 »

AnonymousPlanet wrote: post #399
zmmmmm wrote: post #310

I read up recently on the history of the fall of the roman empire and it was fascinating how eerily similar it was to the current state of the US. Overwhelmed by corruption and wars they make stupider and stupider decisions on ever larger scales, ever more frequently. And the population grows ever more cynical, eventually opting for authoritarianism before eventually the center can't hold any more and it all collapse…

Where did you read up on it? Any good sources you can recommend?

Not OP. The Storm before the Storm, Mike Duncan.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#906

Post by ricardobayes »

wolvoleo wrote: post #904
ricardobayes wrote: post #900

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's kind of my point. It's not cold - to you - because you are used to it. In Hungary or Romania since energy is (or was) cheap, due to residual/waste heat from power plants everyone heats their homes to 23-24C. Because if you have "free" energy, why not? That's what people feel comfortable at home. If you would drop a Hungarian to your 18C northern Spanish home they would be incredibly uncomfortable, but the same…

Hmm no, 23-24 in winter is not comfortable for me. It's incredibly uncomfortable. I'm much happier in 18 degrees. But I'm not from Spain. I have been to Romania a lot and I really hated how much they heated the office during winter. I'd go outside in the -15C in my shirt just to cool off during meeting breaks. Honestly I'm super comfortable in Spain most of the year. Just 1 month I need a little extra heating and 3 m…

Yes, for what it's worth, solar is an incredibly good start (for Spain at least) for said energy abundance. Approaching from the other way, there are actually quite a few Spanish who say using the aircon is wasteful, expensive or even claim that it's unhealthy. Most of these beliefs stem from the fact it's considered something exotic, expensive, consumerist and foreign. If energy was so cheap it costed basically nothing to run the AC, these beliefs would fade soon (as they had in the US, or China). My dream is to see a well-heated (to your personal preference), and well-climatized Europe where anyone can easily afford to do both.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#907

Post by padjo »

linux2647 wrote: post #545

> dangerous to wildlife Is this claim substantive at all?

Do you think the Trump administration really gives a damn about wildlife?

There is of course some danger to wildlife but compared to things like planes, cars and boats its pretty minimal and can be managed.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#908

Post by Flere-Imsaho »

Mawr wrote: post #884
Flere-Imsaho wrote: post #783

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The statistics for the number of deaths from climate-based disasters is clear: fewer and fewer people are dying the richer the world becomes. In fact the decrease in deaths is very significant: "Annual climate-disaster deaths averaged around 77,000 per year in the 1960s–70s, dropped to about 33,000/year in the 1980s–90s, and fell further to roughly 27,000/year in 2000–2019 even as the number of recorded climate disas…

1. The past is not a predictor of the future. Driving towards a cliff has very positive results right up until a sharply negative one. 2. Energy does not require damaging the environment through drilling. We can get it straight from our star, for example. 3. Dealing with the consequences of something is always more expensive than preventing it in the first place.

1. Of course it is. That is how models are built. They are not always correct of course, but it's the best we have.

2. We need to choose the cheapest energy option at the time. If renewables are cheaper then great, but making the poor even poorer to make is rich people feel better is not a good solution.

3. The consequences of making the world poorer is more people will die from climate related disasters.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#909

Post by consumer451 »

whack wrote: post #370
zmmmmm wrote: post #310

I read up recently on the history of the fall of the roman empire and it was fascinating how eerily similar it was to the current state of the US. Overwhelmed by corruption and wars they make stupider and stupider decisions on ever larger scales, ever more frequently. And the population grows ever more cynical, eventually opting for authoritarianism before eventually the center can't hold any more and it all collapse…

Never attribute to stupidity what can be attributed to self-interest. It sure looks stupid when you look at America or the Roman Empire as a whole. But when you look at the specific individuals doing these "stupid" things, and the individuals enabling them, it is perfectly aligned with their own best interests.

> Never attribute to stupidity what can be attributed to self-interest.

Sure, but in cases like the new Navy battleships... it's just plain dumb, no two ways about it. Aside from the new ship class name, I see no way that it could be attributed to self-interest.

Wait, it is all about the name and that it's big, isn't it. That is self-interest I suppose, but it's just vanity, which is the stupid form of self-interest.

Re: US strikes $1.2B deal to pay German firm to halt offshore wind projects

#910

Post by consumer451 »

gman83 wrote: post #198
juntoalaluna wrote: post #12

Insane. Over the last year, wind - mostly offshore - has generated more than 35% of electricity here. Gas is down to 27%. It's really, really good. And it looks cool.

This is the exact reason it's happening. Offshore wind is cheaper than gas /kWh and would therefore kill Trump's fossil fuel donor's profits. So kill offshore wind and the grid is forced to go to more expensive fossil fuel sources, which increased the grid price and means extra profits go to those companies. All this raises energy prices.

The oil industry is full of really smart people, but this all appears to be so stupid. Why don't the fossil fuel companies just expand their investment portfolios to include off-shore wind?

This is all in their wheelhouse: mega-scale construction, off-shore ops, dealing with the government in favorable ways, and such a simpler and lower-risk business!

It must be that they are just afraid of the entire idea of a competing sector? Or, they are addicted to the power they have controlling a more centralized energy distribution system? Or, what could it be? Again, I know these are not dumb people.

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