AW1 General Chat, page-2271

The easily accessible energy is coming to an end. That's the (not so) hidden secret behind a lot of things going on.

Too much energy being consumed relative to what can be produced. Governments are ahead of the curve on this and this is why "resource nationalism" has reared it's head once more. I too have faith that humanity can overcome problems when it needs to.

It's also why a push for electrification is occurring. The west cannot hold the middle east and it knows it. Look into how vulnerable the strait of hormuz is to Iranian control. The American posturing about Iran is akin to north korea threatening south korea (they know it's a bad idea and only mention it for internal politics).

The west wants "clean" (cheap and cannot be easily cut off) energy (which is why nuclear discussions have re-started all around the world as well) and what's going to transport this? Copper. There's no other material we know of that can be used at scale for this.

While USA has enough oil for it's own needs if it really needs to, it's actually thinking very long term and also about supply of energy to it's allies. Energy underpins everything in the economy and it is absolutely critical. The demand for energy just keeps growing and never shrinking and it's a constant battle to keep pace. Also, solar panels on everyone's roof is a far more decentralized and safer power source (there are wartime implications behind this and defense related thinktanks discuss it).

This is a huge topic that also sits adjacent to the copper thematic. For example industrializing countries are going to want to try and raise their standard of living to western standards = more copper and resources in general

I'm sure someone will accuse me of wanting people's living standards to be lower but I'm really just pointing out common sense and advocating for resources to go to what matters instead. Go to one of the big American mega-malls we now have all over Australia and observe the mindless consumerism. Now imagine the energy and raw material inputs for that, day in day out, globally. For cheap crap that does not actually improve anyone's life. Now imagine 100 years down the line where this ends up.

I would prefer to see us use these materials responsibly to maintain society and what actually matters. People don't respect how precious civilization is because they don't study history.

Everyone's just way too extreme now and can't look at the obvious staring them right in the face.

I am very bullish on all forms of energy for the above reasons btw. Coal, oil, gas, copper for transmission, green...it's all good.