I don’t have a dog in this fight. You know, sometimes science and fate work out to the very simple proposition that the first discovery, the easiest discovery and application (an use) may actually be the best.
In the perspective of things, I think petroleum based resources are here for their use. I also think that this “green cred” idea you mention can be borne, not of higher efficiency - better use - better application, but of pure politics and plain power-grabbing and ultimate control.
Mother nature has a way of backfiring on proponents like this. In some cases, batteries, despite all the graft greed and kickbacks, just can take the ultimate use comparison in actual application. They burn up - their charging stations in the ‘green homes’ burn up.
Likewise for the plastics reduction nuts. Plastic grocery bags - oooga boooga - are a big fricking no-no! Yet, now we see indications where all the good little “green-cred” wannabe ‘consumer ecologists’ don’t wash their cloth reusable grocery bags and disease and illness follows.
I’m out of all this. I’ll stick with gas as long as it’s available and you won’t see a hybrid, nor a charging station in my garage. Let the “green creds” have them. Our fire department first responders need the work it seems.
As the check out people at Trader Joes are bagging my groceries in plastic per my request, I use the opportunity to point out to them that 85 plastic bags can be recycled for the energy it takes to recycle one paper one.