If Only

I've been wondering why I haven't heard much about how Trump's fuckup in Iran could be making for some very good reasons to push harder for wind and solar.

I asked Google's AI where we'd be if we'd stuck with renewables when we had the chance.

AI Overview

If the U.S. had kept its 1970s push for wind and solar, the nation could have "solved" its carbon footprint decades ago. America would have gained immense geopolitical power by ending reliance on foreign oil, and electricity would likely be a cheap, stable utility today.

In the 1970s, the U.S. faced severe oil shortages and gas lines. President Jimmy Carter treated this crisis like a war. He created renewable tax breaks, expanded early green energy research, and installed White House solar panels.

If the US had stayed on that path:

1. A different political and economic reality

In the 1980s, oil prices dropped. The U.S. shifted back to fossil fuels, and President Ronald Reagan removed the White House solar panels. If the US had stayed with wind and solar, it would have spent the last 50 years mastering clean tech instead of fighting endless wars to protect global oil routes. Everyday citizens would have been insulated from global gas price spikes.

2. Global leadership in green technology

During the 1970s, the U.S. led the world in developing early solar technology and modern wind power. When the U.S. cut funding in the 1980s, countries like Germany and Japan took American research and ran with it. If the U.S. had stayed the course, American companies would likely control the multi-trillion-dollar global green energy market today.

3. The climate crisis avoided

Today, about $1.4 trillion is spent globally each year on fossil fuel subsidies. If the U.S. had converted to wind and solar in the 1970s, greenhouse gas emissions would have plummeted decades ago. We would not face today's intense climate anxiety, and the aging US electric grid would have been modernized long ago.