The US is in an excellent position to massively harness wind and solar and yet right now it's dialing up the coal usage. I am comfortable celebrating Iceland's decision to not be maliciously dependent on fossil fuels.
Reference? This seems to be false. Coal is still on decline, while solar is what's ramping up [1][2]
[1] https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67005
[2] https://ieefa.org/resources/energy-information-administratio...
1. https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-...
Is there something I'm missing here?
The article you linked is mostly about a model of 2026 and 2027 and sure, in the model coal goes away but that's not a fact about coal it's just a model.
"Ramping up" means planned to increase.
Feel free to provide a reference that supports that it's "ramping up". I, and parent, couldn't find one. This is a super boring factual thing that I was curious about, where opinion has no place or purpose.
No it doesn't. It means increasing.
> The US is in an excellent position to massively harness wind and solar and yet right now it's dialing up the coal usage
they are not "dialing it up", they instead have planned reduction.
As I pointed out (please re-read my comment), it was increasing as of the most recent time for which we have data (not projections) available.
Okay, but you're celebrating make-believe virtues. Iceland is also not destroying its tropical coral reefs. That sounds nice...but it has none. Nor any sort of tradition or incentive to try doing that.
The US coal thing is all about widespread memories (and myths) of sustained good economic times, in large areas of the country which now feel destitute. Millions of voters feeling that they have no future. If not that the elites want them to hurry up and die.
To paraphrase Munger - if you want different outcomes there, then you need to change the incentives.