Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskHis opposition was knee-jerk. “Clean energy has been branded a liberal technology. People literally say, ‘this is AOC coming into town,’” explains his son, Samuel, referring to, the left-wing congresswoman whose name pops up with almost flattering frequency among conservative Texans. Eventually, though, economic sense prevailed.
The first is that you do not have to believe in climate change to support renewables. Quite the opposite. For a portion of conservative America, things like climate change and carbon taxes are still viewed as big-government malarkey. Even greenery is despised as a term co-opted by the left. “When someone says we are embracing green energy, it’s like shoving an ice pick through our ears,” says Matt Welch, head of Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation, another pro-renewables group.
This is not just Texan recalcitrance. Wind power is abundantly harvested in states run by Republican governments and over land owned by climate-sceptic ranchers. The message they prefer is a more free-market one: that wind and solar are increasingly competitive sources of energy, help reduce electricity costs, foster entrepreneurship, and are no less American than oil and gas., which talks a good game about climate change and green energy, is on the forefront of renewables development.
That helps explain the next lesson. For all the mockery of AOC, it is from their own Republican ranks that wind-energy ranchers face the most antagonism—especially from fossil-fuel producers who fear being undercut by renewables. Organisations like the Texas Public Policy Foundation , which lobbies on behalf of oil and gas, and the Texas Landowners Coalition, backed by right-wing beneficiaries of the fracking boom, are fighting tooth and nail to curb wind development.
The third lesson is pragmatism. Even though Republican lawmakers unanimously opposed President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act , which provides hundreds of billions of dollars to curb America’s use of fossil fuels, red states like Texas plan to lap it up. The Davis family do not support the, but they hope its expanded federal tax credits will entice more wind and solar to rural Texas. The state also expects to attract big hydrogen and carbon-sequestration projects.
Time to stop kidding
The climate alarmist are the ones that are bonkers. We are informed. Looking forward to dead whale 8.
Like how you led the witness to believe that the climate skeptics are the ones who are bonkers. Maybe try to convince the clima-tards that they’re delusional.
“…convincing climate sceptics that they are bonkers…” really The Economist?
Nobody is saying not to go green when you can and as long as it makes sense…destroying your country to go green is not needed and a national security issues. This shouldn’t be political. The Dems will use it as a tool and it’s TRASH. Say no to the Death Cult!
Texas produces the most wind power of any state.
It just makes more economic sense (cheaper to install/ run & cost of generation can be fixed over long-term unlike FossilFuels), and has benefit of increasing energy security.
'sceptics'.
I'll stick to states with functioning electrical grids
Liberals don't need any lessons. Whiny fossil fuel corps and their supporters do. Petroleum and natural gas contain fossil sunlight energy. The sun is still shining and we can get that energy DIRECTLY from the source, more cheaply every day. The stone age is over.
36% electricity comes from renewable sources in Texas. You must look into California
Useful life of a blade is 25yrs
Actually Texas has a fantastic wind energy programme. From memory generates up to 30GW of renewable
So it's all in how clean energy is marketed is that it?