… at least not every day.

(h/t RealClimate)

What to make of this statement by the N. Y. Times‘ Andy Revkin in a recent blog post titled, “The Energy Gap and the Climate Challenge“?

With or without the threat of human-caused climate disruption, it’s clear the world lacks the menu of energy options it will require to avoid trouble as the human population heads toward 9 billion people (more or less), all seeking a decent life.

You may agree or disagree with that statement, but it surely is not “clear.” I have spent a lot of time on this blog arguing it is simply false (see Is 450 ppm (or less) politically possible? Part 2: The Solution and Part 3: The breakthrough technology illusion and Part 5: So what do we do NOW?).

Revkin never bothers to explain or justify this statement. His link is to a long N.Y. Times series on energy that does not prove his point at all. Indeed, it includes Matt Wald’s piece on concentrated solar power: “The world appears to be on the verge of a boom in a little-known but promising type of solar power,” which may well be one of the key solutions needed around the globe (see Concentrated solar thermal power — a core climate solution). Bizarrely, Revkin claims:

By some credible estimates, triple today’s fossil-based energy supply is likely to be required by mid-century.

This is a heck of a statement to make with no sources whatsoever.

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The Presidential Climate Action Project (PCAP) has just released details of the new public opinion poll I mentioned earlier this month in my post about national security.

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