Conservative leaders are telling their flock that there are endless deposits of fossil fuels all around them, if only those pesky Democrats and their regulations would get out of the way. The message is that the American way of life can continue forever, indeed that it is our patriotic birthright, but that Democrats want to take it from them. That goes deeper than energy. It’s about home and hearth.
In terms of broad cultural associations and identities, the issue of energy is wrapped up in a way of life that they claim is under threat from multiple directions. They’re saying that Democrats want to make America, the land of plenty, into Europe, the (imagined) land of tiny cars, cramped apartments, and high prices. Again, that’s about more than prices or watts. It’s about cultural identity.
This is in spite of the fact that the per-unit price of energy goes up, consumer bills can go down, through efficiency. It’s possible to use less energy while still enjoying the same high quality of life. There’s no other choice. Cheap, abundant fossil fuels are a thing of the past.
Reducing emissions enough to substantially slow climate change will inevitably involve being more judicious and intelligent in our energy use. Profligate, heedless consumption of disposable crap is going to have to be reined in. That will mean changing habits and land-use patterns. Insofar as those habits and land-use patterns are viewed as constitutive of a “way of life,” many will view that as a threat.
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