The Crash Course, Revised Edition

CHAPTER 19Necessary but Insufficient: Clean Energy, Nuclear, and Coal

The primary point of this book is that the economy to which we have become accustomed, along with our entire view of wealth in the forms of stocks and bonds, rests upon vast flows of energy (and other resources), the throughputs of which must not only be maintained but also exponentially increased each year. Without this constant growth in energy use, and every other resource, most of our creature comforts become much more difficult, if not impossible, to sustain. Having food, warmth, leisure, consumer goods—all on demand—is a wonderful thing.

The purpose of this chapter, then, isn't to completely cover the immense technical discussions that can (and should) surround energy, which economist Julian Simon rightfully called “the master resource.”¹ Nor will we exhaustively cover all the various technologies and sources that could be alternatives. Instead, for our purposes, we will look at our energy predicament from a level that will permit us to address the question How likely is it that other major sources of energy can seamlessly replace oil?

A prevalent and hopeful line of thinking found all across the political spectrum suggests we will simply transition away from increased oil, coal, and natural gas consumption toward some combination of nuclear energy and/or alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind, or maybe even algae biofuels. While each of these energy sources will play an important role in mitigating ...