The piece, written by Sammy Roth, asked readers to consider what is more important: "Keeping the lights on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or solving the climate crisis?"
The article comes in the wake of a legal dispute over the operation of a gas-fired power plant in Glendale, California. The city argues that the plant is necessary to prevent blackouts and protect its nearly 200,000 residents from potential catastrophes.
The Los Angeles Times described the courtroom battle as a "highly technical dispute" and part of a larger conversation about the level of blackout risk that society finds acceptable. The article also questioned whether society's expectations should evolve in order to prevent climate catastrophe.
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Experts have previously warned that California's electric grid is at risk of blackouts and failure as the state pushes for a transition to renewable energy sources. While the state's grid is still largely powered by fossil fuels, there is a significant shift towards renewable power such as wind and solar. As part of his research, Roth conducted a Twitter poll asking whether society could start cutting gas usage sooner and save money by accepting more blackouts in the coming years. However, most respondents rejected the idea of more power outages, citing concerns beyond mere convenience.
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Critics of the article argue that orchestrated blackouts would not effectively address climate change. Media strategist Gabriella Hoffman pointed out that net-zero policies and decarbonization efforts actually lead to grid instability, energy insecurity, and blackouts.
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Steve Milloy, founder of Junk Science, called the article "peak climate idiocy," while energy-related public policy analyst David Blackmon accused the Los Angeles Times of running a propaganda campaign to condition people to accept frequent blackouts. Blackmon likened the article to religious cult propaganda and criticized the media for endorsing it. Climate analyst Ryan Maue simply responded to the article with a "yikes!"
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The Los Angeles Times article has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many users ridiculing the idea of accepting blackouts as a solution to climate change.
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Critics argue that sacrificing reliable electricity is not the answer and that there are alternative ways to address climate issues without compromising basic necessities. The article has also raised concerns about the role of the media in promoting certain narratives and influencing public opinion.
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