Ben thanks for your prompt for clarification.

Of course when we talk about destruction or creation, we have to mean the work of creation or destruction, rather than the energy used to do it.

Since we have mathematical relationships between energy and work, the sign of the process has to propagate mathematically to all variables in the equation.

We simply have not done that.

We consider all forms of energy as having no sign, therefore bundling things like nuclear, which is a form of extraction, with solar, which is like the opposite of extraction, and calling all of those "Renewables", giving rise to other flawed concepts like "Net Zero", and EROI applied to solar as if it is a kind of capital, when it absolutely isn't.

A physical example, and proof, of the outcome of the mathematical mistake, is in the link contained in the Missing sign story.

Pictures always help us analyse things, I think:

https://eric-bott.medium.com/the-reason-why-degrowth-is-not-what-is-needed-4416025899a2