[tappio]

I like your optimism. I just don't see how we can produce and transport food, electronics, and specifically windturbines, solar panels and batteries on a global scale without using massive amounts of fossil fuels.

Actually, I would love to see a the real "energy footprint" of a solar panel. Like, how much mining, transporting, manufacturing and installing the panels consumed energy, and how many days it takes for a panel to produce more energy than the entire operation used. If anyone has such a breakdown I would be really happy to see it. If the numbers are good, maybe the future is still bright.

[ZeroGravitas]

You can find these online, they've been doing them for years. Though maybe note that "energy" isn't really the problem, it's the greenhouse gasses that have sparked this changeover. "Carbon payback time" is a common phrase. It's now getting into the "this is both cheaper and better regardless of carbon" phase, but it wouldn't have been pushed this hard if the numbers didn't stack up in theory.