- cross-posted to:
- aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/54245880
The U.S. war with Iran has raised fossil fuel prices so much that the resulting drop in oil demand has put the world on track to see a rare dip in carbon emissions from these sources in 2026.
Between 2019 and 2025, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels grew by about 0.8 percent annually, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change. But 2026 is set to buck that trend: high oil prices, as well as the continued rise of green technology—solar power, wind and electric cars—will cause a “short-term” 0.4 percent drop, according to the study.
“The high petrol prices following the war in Iran are reducing oil use and keeping emissions low,” says the study’s lead author Corinne Le Quéré, a professor of climate change science at the University of East Anglia in England. “But that’s not the whole story: The expansion of renewable energy has progressed a lot in recent years, led by China. And [along with electric vehicles], this is offsetting two thirds of the growing demand for energy.”
With all sources of carbon considered, including deforestation, total global CO2 emissions are set to continue increasing.
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Iran is environmentalist confirmed?
SO we should be celebrating that the price of gas which directly impacts the cost of goods to he consumer? I might be delayed a little bit so fuck me on this one but I’m just making sure, are we celebrating that we’re all fucked?
I mean cool for the emissions but the rise of green technology through being unable to afford the most abundant fuel, is not a feat by any means.
I know you’re all gonna go, “well then they should be making everything electric,” that’s not going to work for everything. Then we’re al gonna hear about the rise of the cost of batteries and hear about battery hoarders. Omfg then enshiffication of the car making you pay monthly to us it which again I’m sure you might want that but that’s delayed. You may as well rent.
Sucks how our quality of life has been made inversely proportional to the health of the environment. Most of us have been locked in to fossil fuel dependence whether we like it or not.
covid showed us that at a large scale. we all took a step back animals started reclaming the earth.
Thanks Iran
“Iran solves Global Warming” was definitely not in my bingo card for this century.
I want to know where they live that 91 octane is only $4.01 per gallon.
And yet, it makes absolutely no difference to https://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/
Because I know plenty of people like pictures just as much as I do…
It was 310 in 1960?
Jesus fucking christ
Yes.
I like to tell people we absolutely wrecked the planet in less time than it took us to go from a barely flying airplane to landing on the moon.
I honestly don’t see a way out of this. Its idoocracy with compound interest.
Sorry, there is no picture in your post.
Yup. I made sure to highlight and bold that part of the article.
This is why a carbon tax on fuel would help, and why ending fossil fuel subsidies would also help. Even both isn’t the end of government action, but they would both be good way to incentivize using alternatives.
The purpose of fuel taxes in Europe is essentially that, though more broadly for ICE car pollution rather than just CO2 emissions.
Thanks Trump?
Like Genghis Khan, who also caused a planet wide significant drop in CO2 emissions due to a war. Although, our friend Genghis was a bit more direct about the whole affair and didn’t claim to have “bone spurs” to chicken out of military service.
A lot of refineries in Russia are also put out of commission …
How is that everything that hits us globally ends up being good for nature
because our civilization is destructive
Not expensive enough yet.
So incompetent he even fails at killing clean energy
Our favourite president, Degrowth Don.
Not really, not even for long enough to enjoy the joke. The push to mow down the US national parks is still easy to recall.
The only real way to fight climate change is to make fossil fuels more expensive than alternatives. The vast majority won’t do it for environmental reasons.
It’s the only way we got rid of CFCs
Capitalism will kill us all because it’s profitable to do so
the corporations need to be brought on their knees. its either that or its us on our knees in the end.
I’ve always been of the opinion that gas should be more expensive. This idea has been unpopular in pretty much every group I’ve exposed it to.
We built a society on driving, we can’t punish people with without valid alternatives.
I’m trying to popularize the term “imagination deficit disorder”.
It’s really absurd that we are still subsidizing fossil fuels rather than increasing the tax rates on them.
The subsidies go to rich oil barons, too, not poor people who have to work til age 67.
The US is run by the companies approving and receiving those subsidies and tax breaks. The same companies who virtually refuse to manufacture electric vehicles.
well france tried that and people rioted. Trump (unintentionally) made gas prices skyrocket and just caused one of the most lopsided elections in modern US history. Asking middle and especially lower class people to pay more for energy, even just in the short term, runs the risk of turning them against eco-conscious legislation.
So I think a better strategy is just more incentives and funding for clean energy.
Trump (unintentionally) made gas prices skyrocket and just caused one of the most lopsided elections in modern US history.
To be honest, there is a massive difference between prices going up because of taxes and going up because someone started a stupid war and told everyone costs were going down.
one is easily attributable to whoever introduced the legislation and the other could be anyone’s fault (who knows it could be Iran it could be Israel it could even be Pete hegseth)
It’s greedy rich people.
Do you think all of the people who flipped blue really care about the war? They certainly didn’t before gas prices went up.
I said they noticed prices first and they probably wouldn’t care about the war otherwise.
I’m not sure I agree, I don’t think most people consider the causes that deeply. That’s how we ended up with trump in the first palce.
Asking middle and especially lower class people to pay more for energy, even just in the short term, runs the risk of turning them against eco-conscious legislation.
It’s not just about the ones that can’t afford to pay more for the energy, there also usually isn’t a viable alternative available for them to even look at moving toward instead. It’s one thing to make a decision pay more for convenience, if you have another option. If there is no other option, you just feel like you’re getting personally fucked.
In the US, all of the public transit infrastructure outside of like 4 major cities is dogshit. There may be a bus, that doesn’t go everywhere, runs at odd times, and is poorly maintained. Technically available, but if you need to travel across town to work, takes 3 hours one way to do so through 2 different transfer stations. And since everything was built around personal vehicles, things are also not within walking distance even if you are lucky enough to work from home or have something closer.
Having a car is a necessity for most of the country. Without having viable alternatives, increased fuel prices aren’t going to actually fix anything, just turn people even more against any changes.
This is why things like EVs are a good middle ground with the current lack of public infrastructure available nationwide. It’s an easy drop in replacement that’s a better ongoing option, with a side effect of also costing less to maintain along the way.
There usually is an alternative. I watch people richer than me, using more energy, complaining about the costs and how much they are struggling… Just don’t use all that energy then. But they won’t.
But that conversation seems to be impossible. They just say they NEED it. I don’t think they care, even the slightest inconvenience is too much.
Its not just energy, its almost every expense in modern life. Overconsumption won’t bring you happiness, working longer to buy more stuff isn’t going to improve your life.
agreed, and a lot of people have no choice for the fuel used to power their domiciles. If you want solar you have to own your home, not have a restrictive HOA, and have the cash (or credit rating for a decent loan) to fund it.
That’s true if you’re all-or-nothing on residential solar, but if you’re interested in making any small changes you can, a 30W solar panel is enough to charge smart phones and power banks. They come in portable versions with USB hookups and aren’t crazy expensive. Good for emergencies at the very least.
On a slightly larger scale, you can find portable power stations ranging from 500W to 2400W max continuous output, usually with built-in MPPT controllers and power inverters so you can charge them with solar and they can provide AC power. 100W panels are enough for the lower end of these, and can be daisy-chained in parallel to output higher wattage (parallel keeps the correct voltage while increasing amps; don’t do series unless you need higher voltage, which isn’t likely on this scale).
It’s not the same as running your whole house on it, but it’s better than say a backup generator, and the larger power stations can run most kitchen appliances. Or some you can use as a UPS switch, but only if it’s rated for that.
So there are options. By no means perfect. We’ll need more sweeping legislation to make residential solar more viable for more households.
Yeah, if we could have been building out the renewable energy infrastructure since 2021 like we needed to be doing, then by now it could already be a viable enough alternative that we would be able to end fossil fuel subsidies without too many people feeling the pinch, and even the stragglers would climb on board the green energy express shortly after. At that point it would be time to start ramping up taxes on fossil fuels to disincentivize it for the billionaires who would be insulated from the original price jumps.
But no, fucken Joe Manchin had to side with republicans on blocking the original Green New Deal so that we ended up with a fucking neutered compromise.
So now we have two roads in front of us: we can start building the renewable energy infrastructure and converting the grid. Or we can continue feeling the squeeze tighter and tighter each year until the price of oil is the least of our worries as food and water become scarcer and scarcer.
Choose wisely!
Rotating villains
I’m honestly starting to reassess whether it’s even worth it to put energy into a strong primary push, or if I should just sit it out and let it all crumble under its own weight.
But I know if I choose the latter, even then I won’t have the satisfaction of saying “I told you so,” because people will never learn from their mistakes, and they’ll still sideline voices like mine to be drowned out by the deafening sounds of handwringing and placating lipservice.
So reminding them that present circumstances were predicted years ago and that we should have listened then, they’ll just say “that isn’t helpful right now,” and then go back to their corporate-sponsored thinktanks who have been telling them to ignore it all along the way.
Maybe my energy would be wiser spent doing doomsday prep.
We’ll see how things go starting in January, and reassess by 2028.
I would say vote third. If an offered candidate has a history in representation, local, state, or national, you can check their voting record on ballotpedia or other sites.
Yep, massive expansion of solar, wind, geothermal, tidal and maybe nuclear power for some base load in combination with large amounts of battery capacity is the way to go. General enforcement of electrification is needed. Every instance where hydrocarbons are simply used for their energy content instead of their chemical properties has to be replaced by the grid (outside of emergency measures). I am sure that this would be more than enough to get global emissions under control, and would also lead to more geopolitical stability.
Make sure you remind people that this will save them on utility costs. Because that seems to be what most people care about.
Same thing for subsidizing cow milk instead of taxing it, and making the alternatives be cheaper, because they are.
Canada tried that and voters revolted. Very few people actually give a single fuck about C02 levels.
We still have corporate carbon taxes in effect, for now. I know there were talks about carving out exceptions for certain provinces that were hit hard by them but I haven’t kept up on that thread.
While I agree, it has to be done very carefully. Like, keep up with inflation with an extra cent or two on top, careful. The cost of petroleum is factored into everything due to transportation, so any change is felt practically everywhere by everyone.
Yes, that’s the point, to get all of those industries to move to renewables instead. I agree it would have to happen slowly, but you could take the money directly from the taxes and ending subsidies on fossil fuels and apply them to subsidies on renewable tech. It wouldn’t take too long before rhe crossover happened.
I don’t get it. I live in Texas and even with the brain dead $300 registration fee tacked on for EVs and the significantly cheaper gas prices compared to the rest of the US, it’s still multiple factors of cheaper to drive an EV.
I bought a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV. Even with excessive use charges from the electric company and the $300 annual registration spread out over 12 months, I spend around 1/3 to 1/2 of what my Prius cost in gas I had before this vehicle. And that was a PRIUS. I’m also not counting maintenance/repair items that only apply to a gas vehicle, like the head gasket it blew up, or the oil changes, or the coil pack that died in it…
I used 375 kWh last month charging. My electric rate is $0.075 per kWh until I use more than 400 kWh in a month. Then it goes to $0.096. Even assuming that all of my charging was at the higher rate, that’s $61 for the entire month of driving, if I break out the $300 annual fee across all 12 months. To drive the same ~1500 in my Prius V that got 38MPG on average between city and highway (according to the dash), that cost around $162 per month. And that’s in Texas, where gas is $3.25 a gallon right now. This is essentially worst case scenario for an EV, given all of the things against it, and it’s still barely above 1/3 of the cost.
Imagine someone coming from a fully gas SUV, in a state where gas is more expensive, where the registration fee isn’t 3x of the income of gas taxes, etc. It would blow that person’s mind that, instead of paying $50-60 per fill up one to two times a week, they could drive an EV for that much FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH.
It’s the sticker price of EVs that is the concern for people. Maybe also the price to install a charger at home? If car manufacturers would make more affordable EVs I bet more people would happily get one when they need a new car
On top of that it’s more convenient (if you have a garage) and more enjoyable to drive (quieter, better acceleration).
Absolutely
The only green that a lot of people think about is money.
Cut the subsidies they get, and put an environmental tax on its use. The problem is a lot of that will be passed to consumers and it will hit individuals more, so once again large companies won’t notice.
That’s the point though. When they pass the costs on to consumers, we significantly reduce our fossil fuel usage, and actively seek out alternatives.
I’m sure all of the poor people would take the bus if we had any buses.
True enough, if they can change. Not everyone can buy a replacement EV or put up some solar panels, they just have to use the same things they have now at a higher cost. The transition is the issue, and a transition without a way to help those hit hardest will hurt. But you’re right, demand goes down either way.
Sadly we used to have a carbon tax, but we had to appease the morons.
Creating carbon credits didn’t help. Traded like baseball cards, or more often “lost” in the shuffling around of buying more carbon producing time.
Yeah it’s a shame the most effective way used so much violence. It would be nice if we could just protest it away but sadly only the more radical solutions actually work in the end. Luckily we’re all the bigger person so none of us would do the violent thing. Let’s look at our heros for what to do in these situations. All those posters talked about Malcom X at school I wonder what he would do?
Dont forget demand destruction, I finally bought an electric car this year after years of putting it off. Since the oil companies jacked up their prices in response to a war for which they supported the very candidate who caused it, I said enough is enough. Hopefully I will never buy gas again in my life.
Which one may I ask?
The sad thing is that, like everything, the only people who can escape the insane prices are the ones in a place privileged enough to be able to afford to. I live in an apartment building and even if I was on the first floor and my landlord was ok with me running an extension cord out my window, across the pathway, and to the parking lot (I’m not and they’d kill me) fairly often I have to park my car 2 buildings away and walk the equivalent of a block and a half to my apartment. I also can’t come close to affording a new car, mine is from the early 2010s. I drive an hour to work and an hour to school in the opposite direction, and constantly driving 20 minutes to the nearest charging station isn’t a viable option either (nor is public transportation or an e-bike, because of the distances I go every day).
I’m all for electric and I’m glad you were able to make the switch, but a lot of us who can’t afford the gas prices sure as hell can’t afford to buy electric, because it’s not just the car, it’s the logistics. Until the infrastructure for electric becomes more common and apartment complexes put charging stations in (I’m sure some do, but I can’t afford rent in those places) electric cars are a privilege for the rich and those who live in houses and have private parking.
Why new car? There are electric cars from the early 2010s as well, some of them even have free charging!
I know this might sound offcolor, but why even have a car at all at that point? Why not move to a supermajor city where you can bike/transit everywhere instead?
I was in a very similar situation to you when I moved out of my parents’s house and above is similar to what I did.
Moving is extremely expensive. Besides passing for a truck and fuel, you pay first, last, and often an additional month’s rent, if renting, plus utility deposits, but any deposit refunds usually lag a month. Assume you also are still working trying to get all this done, or aren’t and on a fixed income.
Does your work or school not have charging points? If not, that’s the classic supply-demand problem…
Like, I don’t have charging at home either, but I can drive several hours without charging. You possibly could too. Have you checked your stretches on something like A Better Routeplanner for example?
Even if I was to use exclusively superfast charging, it’d still be cheaper than diesel. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, and drive to the middle of nowhere, the charge-anxiety can often be exaggerated, or at least it was in my case.
(I understand the real problem is an electric car might not be affordable enough for you, but I’ve become peeved about charge-anxiety)
My work and school do not have charging points. I also put in 70 hour weeks between work and school, I’m not spending any of my precious little free time driving 20 minutes away to sit in a parking lot and charge.
Technology connections pitches electric cars I think in the way that speaks to many more people than the usual environment pitch. Basically " wouldn’t you want energy independence?"
I’m actually surprised he didn’t bring up how the regular maintenance on an EV is non-existent; it’s a lot less hassle. There’s no regular oil changes, for example. Even your brakes can last longer if you’re good at single-pedal mode.
If you work with any kind of machinery the reliability of modern ice vehicles is crazy good. People treat them like shit often and they still go. Lots of other machinery has maintenance schedules in single digit hours.
can confirm. my vehicle is a piece of shit because I didn’t bother undercoating it, I drive it hard at times, I ignore CELs, I put off maintenance, etc
still running. mostly figured out that the idle and not starting after fueling issues I’ve been having was related to PCV valve and throttle body, but the exhaust still has lots of holes, the fuel tank will start leaking soon, and the suspension is entirely worn out (ok that one is just age)
and yet it keeps running
Its a little depressing that it’s the only argument that has a chance on most people. Killing millions? Don’t care. Saving a bit of money? Ohh yeah!
Yeah I hate people too
If I could be dictator for a day, climate change would be solved and so many would hate me.
I hope that for you too. Luckily, I live near very good public trans, so for me, an e-scooter’s really all I need.
I mean we as a society have to ask, would we accept this level of insane fluctuation from anything else we buy? If you went to the store one day and bread was $2 bux a loaf, then you go again 3 days later and its $17, then a few days later is $9… Society would collectively say get your shit together on pricing! And we’d never buy bread again.
Well now Im never buying gas again. And its their own fault.
Fuel prices went up a lot but the price swings are still nowhere near the example prices you gave there…
It went from 1,5 - 1,6 € per litre to about 2,5 € per litre here, not from 1,5 to 9. And the changes are happening, people are buying more electric cars and home batteries+solar is growing very rapidly… So no, people are not accepting it, despite the price increase still being manageable (and price still being rather steady, it basically just swung up quickly at the Iran fiasco and then plateau there)
It’s a nice thought, but presumably (based on geography) you might be able to live with lower gas consumption. At least here in the US, it’s wholly possible that you only have one place to acquire groceries where you live.
Well that’s a double edged sword. There’s so much fluctuation in part because it’s such a ubiquitous commodity, availability is high and margins are low.
If branding mattered more (like with groceries) then prices would be more stable (but higher).
But as it is, nobody cares that much what brand of gas they get, it’s just gas. A name brand can’t demand a higher price just because it’s a name brand, nobody cares.
Society would collectively say get your shit together on pricing! And we’d never buy bread again.
I mean, prices at the pump aren’t fluctuating that much, but I do get your meaning. That said, in general people don’t really have much of a choice when it comes to food, we have to eat. I mean, do you remember how eggs surged in price during the pandemic years? People still bought them, it just sucked. Oh we complained about it alright! But we as a society didn’t do anything
