Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed John D. O’Connor.
As discussed previously, the dangers of increased carbon dioxide emissions have been hysterically overstated. In fact the very slight effect of increasing CO2 is now decreasing and approaching zero as the 14 micron infrared ray band, the forte of CO2, is being fully absorbed, such that additional CO2 has virtually no effect.
But let us assume that CO2, as postulated on the basis of computer models, has a continuing deleterious effect, and that fossil fuels are the main culprit (neither assumption proven). Do the postulated remedies of solar and wind energy, batteries and electric vehicles make practical sense?
As it stands now, an electric vehicle does not produce CO2 savings until at minimum 60,000 miles, and likely more for large-battery vehicles, because of the massive expenditure of CO2 needed to manufacture these huge batteries, consuming about 25 tons of CO2 before driven one mile.
But as demand for rare minerals for wind, solar, battery and EVs increases, the cost of minerals will now skyrocket, as the world’s supply is exhausted. Demands on mining are increasing, increasing the amount of soil despoiled and, with lower grade ores, increasing exponentially the amount of CO2 caused by mining activities.
So our future portends vastly increased financial costs, no discernible benefits, and great environmental harm. The doctrine of unintended consequences is applying with great force.