Hacker News Reader

Comment by EA-3167 | Hacker News Reader

I think at this point there's an element of, "If we don't have the money to wield absolute power, our own people are going to tear us to pieces before they retreat back into the sunset."

View on HN

If they keep up trying to keep the world on oil, we (collectively the nation states funding or providing military support to these kingdoms) should let their people at them. Some folks only understand that incentive mechanism (believing discussion, collaboration, and diplomacy weakness to be exploited, only responding to force, or the threat of it).

I really do think that's how this all ends, but not until said funding nations have settled alternatives to oil. Pretty much the day after that happens, I think it would be a bad time to stay in the Middle East.

Agree, but I also put forth that with EVs and renewables on a fast takeoff trajectory, that day is rapidly approaching. Were deploying more than 1GW of solar a day at current rates, and approaching 15M/units of EVs sold this year (1/6th of total global light vehicle sales), and these manufacturing and deployment flywheels are still coming up to speed.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/1gw-per-day-futureenergyventu...

Solar is definitely the big success story of my lifetime, one of the areas where the need for more generation, the need to decarbonize, AND the economics actually align.

Additional citations:

https://cleantechnica.com/2023/12/09/1-8-million-barrels-of-... (“1.8 Million Barrels of Oil a Day Avoided from Electric Vehicles”)

https://cleantechnica.com/2023/12/09/ev-sales-growing-faster... (“EV sales growing faster than expected”)

https://assets.bbhub.io/professional/sites/24/2023-COP28-ZEV... (“Zero Emission Vehicles Facebook”)

in that case he wouldn't be riding anything, he'd be dead.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com