Photoshopped image credit: Pixy
As we are all too aware, just before our beloved leader, Comrade Cindy, left for her first foray overseas as the first unmarried pregnant PM to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, she had a brain fart.
Obviously worried that she would not be noticed in the crowd, our comrade felt she needed to establish her bona fides as a big-noting world leader so, without consultation with her party, her caucus, her officials, her coalition ‘partners’ or anyone other than a bunch of hippie Greenpeace wombles on the steps of parliament, our comrade killed the New Zealand petrochemical industry.
Well done, Comrade Cindy!
Those of us who spend more than 30 seconds thinking about the implications of this idiocy would like to know:
How are you intending to deliver Shaw’s impossible renewable utopia without petrochemicals?
Just a little bit of thought would have shown that petrochemicals are used in everyday products, not just evil private vehicles.
Petrochemicals are used to manufacture many parts of the modern energy system, including solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, thermal insulation and electric vehicles.
International Energy Agency Executive Director, Dr Fatih Birol, is on record saying:Quote:
Our economies are heavily dependent on petrochemicals, but the sector receives far less attention than it deserves. Petrochemicals are one of the key blind spots in the global energy debate, especially given the influence they will exert on future energy trends. In fact, our analysis shows they will have a greater influence on the future of oil demand than cars, trucks and aviation. End of quote.
Unfortunately, in New Zealand, the sector has received far more attention than it deserves – it was taken out and shot at dawn, without a trial.
When a ‘green sustainability’ website says we need petrochemicals then maybe Russel and his Greenpeace thugs, Shaw, Ardern and Woods et al should take notice? Quote.
Petrochemicals—components derived from oil and gas that are used in all sorts of daily products such as plastics, fertilizers, packaging, clothing, digital devices, medical equipment, detergents and tires—are becoming the largest drivers of global oil demand, in front of cars, planes and trucks, according to a major study by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Petrochemicals are set to account for more than a third of the growth in world oil demand to 2030, and nearly half the growth to 2050, adding nearly 7 million barrels of oil a day by then. They are also poised to consume an additional 56 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas by 2030, and 83 bcm by 2050. End of quote.
But it will NOT be Taranaki natural gas, no siree! – We have to save the planet! Quote.
The Future of Petrochemicals is part of a new IEA series focusing on “blind spots” of the global energy system—issues that are critical to the evolution of the energy sector but that receive less attention than they deserve. […]
Petrochemicals are particularly important given how prevalent they are in everyday products. They are also required to manufacture many parts of the modern energy system, including solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, thermal insulation and electric vehicles.
Demand for plastics—the key driver for petrochemicals from an energy perspective—has outpaced all other bulk materials (such as steel, aluminium, or cement), nearly doubling since 2000. Advanced economies currently use up to 20 times more plastic and up to 10 times more fertilizer than developing economies on a per capita basis, underscoring the huge potential for global growth.
The dynamism of the petrochemical industry is also driving new trends around the world. After decades of stagnation and decline, the United States has re-emerged as a low-cost location for chemicals production thanks to the shale gas revolution, and is now home to around 40% of the global ethane-based petrochemical production capacity. Meanwhile, the Middle East remains the lowest‑cost center for many key petrochemicals, with a host of new projects announced across the region. End of quote.
We could have been part of that world; new projects, new technologies, new jobs – but a motley collection of Greenpeace wombles and our compliant comrade killed all that. Thanks, guys! Quote.
Petrochemical products provide substantial benefits to society, including a growing number of applications in various cutting-edge, clean technologies critical to sustainable energy systems. However, the production, use and disposal of petrochemical-derived products present a variety of climate, air quality and water pollution challenges that need to be addressed.
While substantial increases in recycling and efforts to curb single-use plastics are underway, especially in Europe, Japan and Korea, the impact these efforts can have on demand for petrochemicals is far outweighed by sharply increasing plastic consumption in emerging economies.[…]