According to Forbes contributor and clean tech entrepreneur Wal van Lierop, climate change is such an emergency that Covid-19 lockdowns should continue indefinitely as climate change lockdowns.
We Need An Operation Warp Speed To Battle Climate Change
Wal van Lierop
Dec 19, 2020,04:42pm ESTWhen I wrote about the new Roaring 20s last December, the world was largely unaware of COVID-19. Although the pandemic has caused indescribable tragedy and hardship, it has also shown that with proper motivation and financing, humanity can do the impossible. That scientists developed safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year is evidence of our untapped potential to solve global problems.
The lesson for climate change is that if we act with equal vigor, we can solve this crisis. But we need an Operation Warp Speed for the Climate. Thanks to the European and South Korean Green Deals and President-elect Joe Biden’s $2 trillion climate plan, the world is positioned to do it. Just as the original Operation Warp Speed met the need for timely new treatments and vaccines, this operation would deliver game-changing innovations for our climate crisis.
…
1. Lock in lifestyle changes brought about by COVID-19
When COVID-19 lockdowns began in spring, people adjusted their behavior, and daily CO2 emissions worldwide decreased by an average of 17%. BP and other energy companies expect COVID-19 to permanently dent demand for fossil fuels.
We have discovered that worldwide lifestyle changes are possible and have a massive impact on emissions. A recent survey commissioned by JLL JLL +0.6%, a commercial real estate company, found that 72% of office workers want a hybrid model in which they continue work at home several days per week after the crisis ends. A quarter want to continue working remotely full time. Let’s lock those changes in to reduce commuter pollution. Meanwhile, we need a way to get people safely back onto public transport (its usage is down). And for cases where transportation is unavoidable or has even increased, like with online shopping and freight shipping, it’s time to scale electric trucks and hydrogen-powered cargo ships.
While we’re at it, let’s ensure that business travel never returns to its former excesses. Most of the time, there’s no reason to take one-day trips across the globe. Regular business meetings can be done more efficiently virtually, complemented by in-person contact only once in a while.
Governments could cement these lifestyle changes with tax deductions and by finally ending fossil fuels subsidies, as I wrote last year. In response, people would reduce their fossil fuel usage, and innovators would develop carbon-free alternatives sooner than they would otherwise. If a deadly virus changed our lifestyle at Warp Speed, why can’t a deadly climate crisis do the same?
…
Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/walvanlierop/2020/12/19/we-need-an-operation-warp-speed-to-battle-climate-change/
What about nuclear fission Wal van Lierop? Van Lierop mentions nuclear fusion research, but like most greens he completely ignores nuclear fission.
We know nuclear fission works. France decarbonised their economy in the 1970s, by replacing most of their fossil fuel plants with nuclear. They still get around 75% of their electricity from nuclear plants.
Rather than imposing permanent Covid-19 style climate lockdowns, the entire world could copy what France did in the 1970s. In as little as a decade, we could reduce anthropogenic CO2 emissions by at least 30%, with no lifestyle sacrifices whatsoever.
But for some reason hardline greens like van Lierop would apparently rather have us locked in our homes and local towns like sheep in pens, than promote a viable zero carbon option which allows us keep our current lifestyles.
Is the author in the position to prove that lockdowns à la COV-19 have any success in the climate case ? I doubt it.
The way the Wuhan virus was handled has no connection to handling Human-caused Climate Change, other than it gives authoritarians the idea they can control people.
Lockdowns haven’t reduced the CO2 going into the atmosphere except on a temporary basis back when manufacturing was curtailed, but manufacturing is increasing now, even under the current lockdown regimes so thinking lockdowns are going to reduce CO2 production doesn’t match reality.
They just want to control people’s actions. That’s what all this is “Reset” BS is about.
no…but he’s exactly right about it being exactly like climate change
China causes it…and get no blame
Gee Wal, no need to be a poker player to see the tell here. I’m sure a permanent lockdown would be a bonanza to a dirty little ‘clean tech entrepreneur’ that’s been on edge for the last 4yrs. Sheesh, even the classic “Robber Barons” of 19th Century US didn’t want to lock everybody up to enhance their businesses.
Why does the bright new world have to be so Pol Pot – Khmer Rougeish. BTW you should see the kindly Wiki bio of little Pol:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot
I think CS Lewis summed it up best
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.”
“I think CS Lewis summed it up best
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.”
It’s worse than we thought: We are living under *immoral* busybodies.
Revolution! they’re always up for it….remember comrades..
“The end may justify the means.” ― Leon Trotsky,
From the article: “Although the pandemic has caused indescribable tragedy and hardship, it has also shown that with proper motivation and financing, humanity can do the impossible. That scientists developed safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines in less than a year is evidence of our untapped potential to solve global problems.”
Yes, that took real leadership. Thankfully, we had the leadership we needed at the time.
Thanks, President Trump.
There is a world outside of the USA, you know?
Adam: A reactive one for sure! Trump ‘inspired’ others to develop a vaccine and he is an unsurpassed motivator. Nobody wanted to let Trump get this done all by himself. And UK ‘researchers’ conducted a massive overdose campaign on HCQ, killing patients to stop the use of HCQ because of Trump too, adding a phony research article on the dangers of using HCQ to forestall its use, despite good results in France and US. The retraction got no press. In a more sane world, these ‘researchers’ and the governors of several Democrat states in US who banned use of HCQ would be charged with homicide.
I hope a multi-trillion dollar class action lawsuit is their reward for having such criminal disregard for human life!
Many irresponsible people should be punished for discounting the effectiveness and usefulness of medications to treat the Wuhan virus. And this discounting continues to this very day.
We now have many drugs, up to a dozen, that have proven effective against the Wuhan virus, to one degree or another, if given early enough in the course of infection, and these drugs are all readily available including Remdisivir and the Regeneron cocktail given to President Trump.
And yet, even though these drugs are proven to keep people out of the hospital, and we currently have a serious situation where we are running out of hospital beds because of increased Wuhan virus infections, no official government or medical authority will come out and promote the Early Treament of the Wuhan virus!
This is a scandal of epic proportions, and has led to the unnecessary deaths of no telling how many people.
You can currently get early treatment for the Wuhan virus, and you should get treated as soon as you test positive in order to lessen the effects of the Wuhan virus, especially if you are in one of the vulnerable groups.
But, you have to request this from your doctor because there is no national policy for this.
I had a friend call me two days ago and tell me a couple of her relatives had tested positive for the Wuhan virus, and I told her to have them contact a certain doctor and ask him for the drug Bamlanlvimab. The couple were given that drug the very same day. I’ll let you know how they do with it.
The reason I knew how to make this recommendation is I saw a television news clip just a few days earlier, which mentioned this doctor and the medication he was using and he said he was doing it to help prevent people from going to the hospital.
So, there are at least a few medical people who have their heads screwed on straight.
If you test postive, go demand that you be medicated immediately. You can get it, but you have to be the one to suggest it. The government stupidly, is not suggesting it. Even when the hospitals are overflowing.
You have to be your own doctor, people.
I’m listening to HHS Secretary Azar and he is saying that even though the Regeneron cocktail taken by President Trump to treat the Wuhan virus, is available all over the nation now, that only five percent of doctors are using it on their patients, even though is has shown to be 70 percent effective at keeping people out of the hospital.
Secretary Azar says if you are over 65 years old or have health issues, you should ask your doctor “why are you not putting me me on these medications to help keep me out of the hospital?”
Azar was asked why more doctors are not prescribing medications to keep people out of the hospital and Azar said: “You’ve got one of the major infectious disease societies of physicians that’s telling their doctors that they don’t really see evidence behind these antibodies (Regeneron).”
Azar says there *is* evidence of the effectiveness of Regeneron and although stage-three tests have not been completed “The trends are very clear”.
So, again, we currently have medications that will keep people who are infected with the Wuhan virus, out of the hospital, but official government policy (with the exception of Azar) and official medical society policy is to ignore all these medications.
Our society seems to be getting dumber and dumber as time goes along. I suppose it corresponds with the rise of Socialism in the United States and the disjointed thinking that goes along with socialism.
If you get infected with the Wuhan virus, go tell your doctor you want what President Trump got for his infection, the Regeneron cocktail of antibodies. Tell the doctor the Secretary of Health and Human Services recommends it.
We’re surrounded by idiots.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/monoclonal-antibodies-may-have-helped-donald-trump-recover-from-covid-19-but-many-others-aren-t-getting-them/ar-BB1c7L3l?fbclid=IwAR2vnrrqlHp4irgv3TFKELkAHkFxhxC360gyMo3lGGps9-ndNighN248dn4
Monoclonal antibodies may have helped Donald Trump recover from COVID-19, but many others aren’t getting them
“President Donald Trump, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani all received monoclonal antibodies when they were treated for COVID-19.
And despite having risk factors such as age and weight that put them at risk of getting very sick, they recovered quickly, though Christie spent a week in intensive care.
They all credit monoclonal antibodies.
But only a fraction of those doses have reached the people who could benefit from them, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Monday.
The reason is a mix of science and politics, with some logistical and staffing challenges thrown in.”
end excerpts
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-antibody-cocktail-clearance-sars-cov-virus.html
WHO will prosecute it? And WHO will hold court?
The rest of the world has access to the vaccines developed for the coronavirus, too, you know.
And you’re welcome.
And the mRNA vaccines weren’t developed in less than a year. Work has been ongoing developing that technology for some time before the need arose.
Engineer, yeah right -a former researcher at Penn State had been thinking about it. Apparently, when Christopher Columbus sailed west to get to India, people thought the ships would fall off a plate shaped world. When he returned to Spain, the same sort of people said anyone could have done it!
This should be real popular with the people of the world considering how easy and carefree the quarantines/lock downs have been. If you understand what they are really saying it’s “destroy your freedom and economy and everyone will be happier”. Just think, we could stop doing all those bourgeois things like eating in restaurants, going to sports events, attending movies and concerts, family gatherings,vacations, flying, or anything that requires being around people or travel.
That’s all overestimated 😀
I guess that life itself is overestimated…
What is your underestimation, then?
We all know his lockdowns would not apply to him.
Shouldn’t he wear a face mask indefinitely?
and maybe a neck noose…
Oh, of course…there are those who identify as Globalists who would resort to killing people to regain power; what’s just another dead president, eh?
I hope we never have such weak arguments that we resort to that.
Sorry, Gregory, but that kind of talk is uncalled for. leave the death wishing to the 10:10 crowd.
“We have discovered that worldwide lifestyle changes are possible and have a massive impact on emissions.” Well, he could always lead by example: moving into a tiny house, drive a tiny “Smart Car”, give up his big TV, never fly in a jet, etc. Let’s see if he does that.
They didn’t apply to me either, because he never ordered any.
That should make you wonder who was enjoying their temporary role as tin-horn dictator, eh?
Not noticed what a hammering the economies of the globe have taken, has he?
Not relevant to him since he’s not personally affected.
“… daily CO2 emissions worldwide decreased by an average of 17%.”
Assuming for the sake of the argument that alarmists don’t have the cart before the horse with respect to the relationship between CO2 and temperature, one cannot find even half of that decline in the atmospheric CO2 for the March, April, May time-frame when the Northern Hemisphere sees the ramp up in concentration because the leafy sinks haven’t yet begun to withdraw CO2. OK, let’s suppose there is a time delay. One doesn’t see an increased rate of decline with the onset of photosynthesis, which would be reasonable with less CO2 being replenished. In other words, a grand experiment was forced on the world and there is no quantitative evidence that the AGW hypothesis works as advertised! Yet, acolytes are still demanding sacrifices without proof that anything will be gained with respect to growing CO2 levels, let alone an impact on temperatures.
A grand experiment is EXACTLY what it was, and an unexpected one at that. This point should be shouted from the rooftops.
The largest industrial shutdown in history had precisely ZERO measurable impact on global atmospheric concentrations.
What he meant to say is that it is estimated that anthropogenic production of CO2 was reduced by 17%. Since we account for approximately 5% of the world-wide production of CO2 (this value is quite uncertain), it’s not enough to make any difference except to bankrupt us.
Quote:
“”it has also shown that with proper motivation and financing, humanity can do the impossible””
Is that a fact. A cock-struck Prime Minister and a money printing machine?
Quote:
“”Governments could cement these lifestyle changes with tax deductions””
Is that another fact?
HM Treasury UK thinks different
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/government-mulls-tax-hikes-fund-electric-vehicle-transition
Quote:
“”why can’t a deadly climate crisis do the same?””
Errr, where are the bodies?
It will surely dawn, may take a long time but, the reason Covid killed as amany of who it killed was A Plant Based Diet. The Root cause of “Co-Morbidities”
i.e. A diet lacking essential mineral & vitamins plus loaded with Fibre – which does nothing more than pull those things straight back out of you.
(OK, it makes you windy as well. Believe it or not, WebMD sent me an email telling me if I broke wind less than 25 times per day I was unhealthy)
I would be tempted to say “Yes Lierop, bring it on”
I think we can all see that that would turn into the same mistake the Japanese made at Pearl Harbour and one of their generals *knew* it immediately *and* had the Trumpian strength of character to admit as much
i.e. They Woke a Sleeping Tiger
“our untapped potential to solve global problems. “
But AGW/global warming is NOT a scientific/medical problem,
…… its a psycho-illogical one
It exists ONLY in the minds of the brain-washed afflicted, and in unvalidated assumption driven models.
Anagram of Wal van Lierop.
vain walloper.
Those who live in or are from Scotland will know what a walloper is.
My wife and I visit Scotland five or six times a year a truly wonderful and beautiful part of the world, I’ve never heard of walloper though. Is it something you do on your own, if so I reckon most of the world is run by wallopers. Should of been twice in November and should be there now. All cancelled, supposed to be going Jan Feb and march not very hopeful thanks to the wallopers running UK.
:):):)
Yes CoViD panic has been so effective! So effective that variant CoViD Sars-CoV-3 has appeared – in China of all places, and now precisely a year since Sars-CoV-2.
The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense. Tests are rationed to keep the fearful panic stricken.
Months ago people predicted that covid-21 would appear as soon as the covid-19 vaccine became available. Now here it is, right on schedule.
When will people wake up to the covid scam?
Too many love to revel in their fear, so I doubt anyone who hasn’t already ever will.
The hospitals are overflowing with this covid scam. Just think, tens of thousands of people are involved in scamming (who, I’m not sure) by going to the hospital. They had nothing better to do anyway than get sick enough to go to the hospital.
Calling the Wuhan virus a scam is frankly, ridiculous.
People see what they want to see. Many times what they see isn’t really there. There’s a lot of that going on nowadays.
Following that fellow’s plan would ensure that China eats not only the world’s developed countries lunch, but their breakfast as well. Then many in those nations on forced rations would lose weight & be free from a major co-morbidity the Wuhan ‘Rona exploits. Turns the whole 1950’s U.S.A. rallying cry I grew up with of “Better dead than Red” on it’s head.
I reckon Wal could be on to something here.
If we double-down on lockdowns everywhere, consumption could be limited to a narrow basket of decreed essentials stipulated by say, the UN.
Then if CO2 emissions showed no signs of reducing in say 6 months, selected “non-essential” items in the decreed basket could be culled, say medicine & treatments for the elderly.
In no time flat the world would be relieved of a large tonnage of CO2 emitted by all those erstwhile breathing & consuming oldies. (They’re mostly boomers anyway)
They truly are a joyless lot.
The US fission industry was/is too full of BS artists to efficiently build commercial power plants. Westinghouse’s sale of their then worthless nuclear division to Toshiba was a disgraceful con game.
Wow, to summarize another post about the stages of a Marxist / Communist take over,
1) Demoralize or destroy the morals of a people. That started in the early 1960s on an organized basis. Marxist – Leninist morality is substituted, aka compassion and political correctness
2) Take over, weaken, then destroy the institutions. Examples include secondary education, universities, the press, legal (when is the last time such connected people as Hildabeast, the Biden family, all of those who brought false testimony forward about “Russian collusion”, election fraud, etc had to answer for any of this).
3) A crisis sich as a putsch, bloody or not, a civil war, perhaps beginning with an epidemic, riots in cities, etc. We seem to be here now.
4). The take-over, with millions confined, murdered, or sent to collectives, until only one ruling party is left, then
5) The press release to the world declaring that the nation has achieved a new normal.
This is a coup. No question about it.
A Slow-motion coup.
The Swamp is all in.
Here is John Titus’ latest re: QE and what happened during the pandemic featured at
the end of this video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rDtVABEzcy4&list=PLXr4cxq6ih6BL8pgXwNCrQuf45DpuWNk-&index=1
Watch the video first then read this:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-12-16/fed-mulls-shift-in-bond-buying-program-fomc-decision-day-guide
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/09/900675086/a-national-lockdown-could-be-the-economys-best-hope-says-minneapolis-fed-preside
Minnie Fed president is the same clown who created TARP in response to the GFC/mortgage meltdown–a Goldman Sachs lackey brought to Treasury by Henry Paulsen. Good times..
What these green extremist overlook is that without tourism there will be millions out of work all over the world. What do they think can replace all those jobs, all the shops, hotels ,bars and restaurants. They don’t really understand what they will get is a permanent recession.
Permanent recession – but not for subsidised intellectuals.
we used to get by fine without the tourism crapola Im sure having a job MAKING something of use not wiping tables and cleaning toilets might be a damn sight more life enhancing
Amen!
It’s not that they don’t understand, it’s that they don’t care. They don’t expect to be affected.
Perhaps it’s time to lock-out the journalism industry. They increasingly take up a lot of space, not to mention their unacceptable carbon footprint, and no longer serve any useful purpose. Fire them all and let them stay locked in their homes.
Does he realize that for most people, these lifestyle changes were increased poverty, hunger, loss of jobs and retirement income, etc? And yet there is no discernible effect on the rise of CO2. Let’s let him lead by example for a few years, collect some data when he is homeless, and then we can decide if we want to join him.
The powers that invented all this nonsense only care about power and control. There is no real concern for the environment or public health. The pandemic is fake. Man made climate change is fake. It’s all fabricated excuses to rob the poor and give to the rich.
The propaganda machine wants us to believe giving control over the economy to a bunch of elitist bureaucrats will lead to a better outcome than the free market could. Nothing leads to more waste and malinvestment than government control.
“The pandemic is fake.”
Wrong.
Excerpt from my recent email to our foolish Alberta Government:
The Big Picture:
The global warming / climate change scam, the Covid-19 full-Gulag lockdown scam, the specious linkage of these two huge frauds, and the leftists “Final Solution”, the Marxist “Great Reset”.
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM PRESENTS: THE GREAT RESET—
“YOU’LL OWN NOTHING, AND YOU’LL BE HAPPY.”
The World Economic Forum’s twitter account deleted the tweet in which this video was originally embedded in 2016.
The Alberta government, like so many others, has been duped and has adopted a failed strategy of trying to appease leftist fraudsters who are intent on destroying our free society. Alberta governments have caused more than a decade of strategic and economic failure.
Watch as Sky News Australia exposes the “Great Reset”, the wild Marxist “Final Solution” from the World Economic Forum (WEF), as espoused by its founder Klaus Schwab (aka “Doctor Evil”) and a host of bizarre villains straight out of an Austin Powers film.
(Schwab starts at 5:05 of the video)
Really good people, it is long past time that you realized you have been duped, for decades – it’s late in the game but not too late to wake up and do your jobs.
Regards, Allan MacRae, B.A.Sc.(Eng.), M.Eng.
Does the author actually believe that the economies of Asian countries, which are currently the greatest consumers of coal on earth, would suddenly go along with his proposals? And while turning to more nuclear plants is a good idea, that the IEA admits is the only power source that could make a dent in emissions, its most vehement opponents are the environmentalists themselves. They continue to believe that wind and solar can do the trick.
WFH is win win all over. Everyone gains. Cheaper fuel, less traffic, fewer roads, Higher profits, les expense, cleaner air, lower costs, lower wages, cheaper housing, distributed wealth, higher wages, more skilled employees.
Huge.
Forbes has gone crazy lately. In this case, part of the success of the lockdown was fear of the virus. No one fears climate change,
Not entirely true. Sadly there are many kids who’ve been indoctrinated into fearing it by the public school system and/or by their eco-loony parents
When the kids get older they will realized they were scammed about Human-caused Global Warming/Climate Change, just like us older folks realized we had been scammed by the Human-caused Global Cooling narrative back in the 1970’s.
You see kids, some of us have been here before. We have seen a lot of dire speculation about the Earth’s climate turn into nothing. I’m expecting the same to happen with the current climate scam, and we are right on track because every one of the alarmist climate scare stories has failed to materialze, just like with the Global Cooling scare stories.
The only difference between the Global Cooling scam and the Global Warming scam is today, all the Powers-that-Be in the world are on board this Global Warming gravy train.
All based on one fraudulent, computer-generated, “hotter and hotter” global surface temperature profile.
The real temperature profile of the Earth is one where it was just as warm in the recent past as it is today, which means CO2 is not a problem because there is much more CO2 in the atmosphere today than in the past, yet it is no wamer now than in the past. Therefore, CO2 has little effect on the Earth’s temperatures.
I probably should not call Human-caused Global Cooling a scam. I think all the scientists involved in that endeavor were sincere and really believed what they were saying. And there was no money or fame in it for them then, so it was a mental exercise not a commercial exercise.
The Human-caused Global Warming/Climate Change narrative is definitely a scam. There are people who have deliberately distorted the global temperature profile making it appear to be getting hotter and hotter for decade after decade and today is the hottest temperture in human history.
Nothing could be further from the truth!
The real temperature profile of the Earth shows that it was just as warm in the Early Twentieth Century as it is today. This is shown in all unmodified, regional surface temperature charts from around the world. This means that CO2 is a minor player in the Earth’s atmosphere since there is more CO2 now than in the past, yet it is no warmer now than then.
Unfortunately, the Elites of the world have discovered they can make a lot of money and gain a lot of power by promoting the Global Warming scam, and so they do, even though they could not prove the basic premis if their lives depended on it. It makes no difference to them, they are only interested in the money and the power.
Back in the 1970’s, the climate scientists were sincere. I can’t say that for all climate scientists today, although I don’t want to leave the impression that there are not some climate scientists who know their stuff, because there are, but none of them are on the alarmist side. 🙂
As soon as this hypocrite little clown boy moves into a 600 sf apartment stacked on top of 3000 like units. – And while you are at it moron, make sure encourage the Obamas to sell their ocean front mansion and Bernie Sanders sell one of this tree homes.
Egypt H5N8 HPAI outbreak, UK ‘locks down’ domestic and captive birds.
To a hammerhead, all is nail. Or a One Trick Pony tyrant.
The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.
In the news this morning, the CV19 virus in the UK has mutated into a new strain and Boris the Badenough has reinstituted his lockdown.
Also, two women who have no history of allergies had very bad allergic reactions to the Pfizer vaccine for CV19.
Where’s Wally at now because apparently his EVs haven’t grown exponentially like bacteria-
How Soon Will Electric Vehicles Kill The Gasoline Car? (forbes.com)
This writer is a mentally ill mad delusional man and he is the one who needs to be locked down/locked out away in the mental institution without access to the Internet!
We have traded liberty for the illusion of safety, the corruption of free stuff and the myth of non nuclear green energy. Green theocracy has become the latest means to advance totalitarian statism and the unspoken reality that engineered poverty is the means that justify their ends – all to the incessant sound tract of a complicit media, academia and plethora of exuberant corporate rent seekers.
“… by finally ending fossil fuels subsidies.”
The author should check out just how much of the “pump price” for automobile fuel goes to the “government” – as a tax. Subsidies? Depletion, depreciation just mean that the corporate tax is slightly lower, it’s not as if general tax-payers monies are being given to the producers.