Earth logo

Climate Change or Evolution? Let’s Shoot Some Horses

Fossil Fuels or Alternative Fuels – The cart before the horse

By Thomas EgelhoffPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
1
Image by brands amon from Pixabay

You can’t turn on a media device for very long and not hear the words “climate change.”

All the talking heads project gloom and doom if we don’t act immediately.

We’ve gone to unleaded gas, curly light bulbs, and energy-efficient appliances, yet we’re still on a downward slide to the end of civilization as we know it.

What Is This Climate Deal Anyway?

Is the world getting warmer? Cooler? Or staying about the same?

Thousands of scientists getting grants to prove we have a problem are proving we have a problem. At least to themselves.

But let’s assume for the moment they are correct, that the climate is changing, and humanity is the cause. Where do we go from here?

History Is a Superb Teacher

When we look at history and the building of our great nation, we seem to forget one critical word — evolution.

No, I’m not talking about Darwin and the evolution of plants and animals; I’m talking about the evolution of products and services that change our lives.

Because of our system of freedoms, it’s no accident that America was blessed with some of the greatest inventive minds in the planet’s history.

Edison, Bell, and the Wright Brothers changed the entire world forever. But they didn’t do it overnight.

The Evolution of Advancements

Alexander Graham Bell filed for a patent on the telephone on February 14, 1876, but no one went out and got a phone.

It would be another ten years before 150,000 people in America had a phone.

Why ten years? Because Bell had to refine the original phone to make it practical for commercial use. In other words, it had to evolve.

Bell didn’t move to texting on the phone as soon as it became popular.

How long did it take for the cell phone to replace the CB Radio? CDs to replace the eight-track?

We knew about jet engine technology during World War II, yet we had no jet planes.

We knew about computer technology in the 1940s, yet widespread computer use took 40 more years for everyday use.

The horse and automobile coexisted on farms and highways for 50 years.

I may be wrong, but I don’t think we could have sped up the evolution of the automobile by shooting all the horses.

Fossil Fuels and Shooting Horses

Trying to force the natural evolution of alternative energy by demonizing or attempting to eliminate current energy sources is just like shooting horses to advance the automobile.

Alternative energies will come like advancements in flight, telephone, computers, and big screen TVs.

But there’s a time frame for other technologies to come together and for products to improve and evolve.

Computers were room-sized until the transistor arrived and got even smaller with the microchip.

Why didn’t Bell just buy some microchips when inventing his phone and save us 100 years till we could text while driving?

Some Final Thoughts

Whether you believe in climate change or not isn’t the issue.

The issue is getting the entire world to buy into making lifestyle changes.

The government can force some changes on us, like the prohibition of incandescent light bulb manufacturing or unleaded gas.

It’s almost impossible to buy anything other than a low-flow showerhead, toilet, or energy-efficient appliance.

But turning down your thermostat or air conditioning or buying a hybrid vehicle is a personal decision.

I remember President Carter telling us to turn down our thermostats during the oil embargo of the 1970s.

We did for about a week.

My advice, sit back, and relax; fossil fuels will be a thing of the past when their time is up.

Until then, be happy we still have horses.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and that you'll subscribe and leave a pledge. Thanks for reading.

Climate
1

About the Creator

Thomas Egelhoff

Author, Radio Talk Show Host, blogger, YouTuber, Vietnam Vet, half-fast guitar player, average cook, and a really nice guy. I read all my articles; you should too and subscribe. Thanks very much.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.