----------------------------------------
       Green Energy in Iceland
       February 18th, 2020
       ----------------------------------------
       
       I don't complain about many things in Iceland because, frankly,
       there aren't a whole lot of things to complain about. By almost
       every measure, life here is superior to the United States. In
       fact, the thing I'm about to complain about in this phlog is
       nitpicking. The situation in the United States is worse, frankly.
       
       What I'm talking about in green power, or carbon neutral power, or
       sustainable energy, or whatever else you want to call it. You may
       be aware that Iceland's grid is pretty much 100% renewable energy.
       Put a period there at the end of that sentence and things feel
       pretty damn good. The island has rich resources in terms of
       hydroelectric power, geothermal power, and wind. You can read all
       about it on this site [0].
       
 (HTM) Why Iceland - Competitively Priced Green Energy
       
       So what's the problem then? Two things. I'll call one the lesser
       evil and the other one the great lie.
       
       
       The Lesser Evil
       
       Power distribution in Iceland is not balanced between individuals
       and corporations. The rates are different, their power channels
       are different, and their use and the care with which is is taken
       is different. In short, companies can get away with some shady
       stuff. 
       
       Is it as bad as the US? Oh hell no. After all, we're not dumping
       toxic coal ash into major waterways or anything [1] here. 
       
 (HTM) Duke Energy Coal Ash in North Carolina
       
       Even so, there's some ecological impact at stake, and a misuse or
       unbalanced use of public resources that favors large capitalist
       enterprise without paying back into the local economy. I could go
       into more detail here, but I'm just gonna leave it vague because
       I really want to focus on...
       
       
       The Great Lie
       
       Iceland sells its green resources as credits that companies can
       pay for to offset their own polluting behavior. If a shitty
       polluter like Duke Energy wants to seem cleaner, they can pay
       Iceland and claim the renewable energy as their own despite not
       using it. This lowers Iceland's real contribution to the Earth in
       a major way, all but removing it as a good from the world because
       it allows these other companies to continue their damage while
       claiming to be better.
       
       It's a short term gain for a country that was recently in
       a financial crisis. What a great way to bring in extra funds for
       doing nothing, right? Except it does have a major cost to the
       world as a whole.
       
       Is this worse than what the US is doing? Well, no. The US is
       actively polluting and subsidising fossil fuel industries. But
       that doesn't give Iceland a pass. This country has pinned its
       reputation in the world as a Green Nation while it makes back-room
       deals to sell off the fruits of that labor at the cost of our
       future. There are many MPs here who are working on this and
       a number of other issues. Fundamental to all of these efforts is
       the new constitution that was passed by public referendum years
       ago but has not been ratified by the alþingi, our parliament. It's
       a powerful document that returns natural resources to the public
       and out of the hands of a small number of oligarchs. You can see
       why it hasn't happened yet right there.
       
       The people all want it. Many MPs want it. It will happen. These
       petty corruptions that take advantage of the fisheries, of the
       power systems, of plundering the Namibian fishing quotas [2], they
       will all be outed. We'll get there.
       
 (HTM) Icelandic Fishing Company Engaged In Bribery, Tax Evasion, Plundering African Resources