Electric Propulsion Reality Check

time2roll wrote:
The real benefit of these emerging economies growing wealthy to first world standards will be the free choice of lower reproduction rates. That is the only hope I have. Let them burn coal to raise the standard of living until the world population begins the eventual decline. Going to take 200+ years for this eventuality. Not sure how the state of the world will be at that time. CO2 1500 ppm?

China is burning more coal. China is also installing tons of solar power. Not sure when coal might start to drop off in China as coal currently is doing in the US. China economy is still digging the middle class out of poverty as we know it.

Economics will dictate the changes more than political will.

Until then I will day to day enjoy the wonderful effortless clean and low cost power of my EV powered by my solar panels. And periodically enjoy an RV trip burning tons of gasoline.

Great observations and well stated!! You're pretty close to being right on the money.

However, I doubt that the China coal drop off - or any other country's coal drop off - can outrun the increase in the world's population, going forward.

If the world's total population could eventually (way out there in the future) stabilize at say, around ~1 billion, eveyone everywhere could:

1. Drive ICE vehicles, probably forever and still have normal weather.
2. Always find an RV campsite without making reservations.
3. Have city streets that we could still stroll down and on ... safely.
4. Visit, and be welcome at, world tourist attractions while being in small crowds.
5. Fish and still catch fish, in both freshwater and saltwater ... and have them be safe to eat.
6. Not have to wear breathing masks over our mouths when out shopping ... anywhere.
7. Travel in commercial planes with all seats being First Class size.
8. Attend opening night in the theaters with some seats not being filled regardless of the show.
9. Attend sports events via buying tickets right at the gate before we go in.
10. Not wait in lines to re-register or transfer title of, our vehicles.
11. Drive our RVs through downtown Chicago and New York.
12. Etc..

I'll never forget what I read in a National Geographic publication sometime ago that went something like this - "It would take four Earths for all of the world's population to live like the U.S. middle class does." Science and technology notwithstanding, I wonder how many Earths it will take when the world's population is 20 billion?

(The above is assuming we never become a Class 1 or higher civilization: https://veronicasicoe.com/2014/04/12/the-kardashev-scale-0-to-6/comment-page-1/)