Check out the latest on Solar from MIT. Like you, I think solar is the way to go. While we are at it...stick some uber solar panels in the Lagrangian point and use it to power earth and the moonbase...ah...sigh!
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html On Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 9:54 AM, Clogtowner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi y'all - I'm sure this article helps to sell newspapers. We are in a > business cycle that will eventually recover. Admittedly, its severity > is unusual, but it had to happen as we've been printing money and > borrowing without collateral for years. Of course we are not the only > ones, and to tie this in to your other Keynsian post, we are not yet > ready for a world bank. Had we been on the gold standard most of this > would have been avoided. > In my recent travels, I've been astonished at how fast the wind > turbine industry is growing. Solar panels are harder to spot, but I'm > sure they are there too. People want instant results and that won't > happen, but scaremongering sells papers and creates awareness. > Man has an infinite capacity to adapt and invent - there is nothing > new under the sun. I have confidence in my fellow man (as long as they > are not religious!) > > On Nov 25, 9:37 am, ornamentalmind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The current dialectic being touted appears to be: > > Healthy Planet vs. Healthy Economy > > > > My guess is that without the former, there will be no life left to > > enjoy the latter. While both are important, the conservation instinct > > seems to have to come first when it comes to prioritization. What do > > you think? > > > > ornamentalmind > > > > From the New York Times: > > > > November 25, 2008 > > Economic Slump May Limit Moves on Clean Energy > > By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL > > Just as the world seemed poised to combat global warming more > > aggressively, the economic slump and plunging prices of coal and oil > > are upending plans to wean businesses and consumers from fossil fuel. > > From Italy to China, the threat to jobs, profits and government tax > > revenues posed by the financial crisis has cast doubt on commitments > > to cap emissions or phase out polluting factories. > > Automakers, especially Detroit's Big Three, face collapsing sales, > > threatening their plans to invest heavily in more fuel-efficient cars. > > And with gas prices now around $2 a gallon in the United States, > > struggling consumers may be less inclined than they once were to trade > > in their gas-guzzling models in any case. > > President-elect Barack Obama and the European Union have vowed to > > stick to commitments to cap emissions of carbon dioxide and invest in > > new green technologies, arguing that government action could stimulate > > the economy and create new jobs in producing sustainable energy. > > But as the United Nations prepares to gather the world's environment > > ministers in Poznan, Poland, next week to try to agree on a new treaty > > to reduce emissions, both the political will and the economic > > underpinnings for a much more assertive strategy appear shakier than > > they did even a few weeks ago. > > "Yes things have changed," said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of > > the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in a phone > > interview. He is organizing the meeting in Poland. > > "European industry is saying we can't deal with financial crisis and > > reduce emissions at the same time," he said. "Heads of government have > > other things on their minds." > > The economic decline also could complicate the political calculus of > > limiting emissions in developing countries, especially China. > > China overtook the United States as the largest producer of greenhouse > > gases in 2007. But the surge in heavy industry there that produced a > > sharp increase in its emissions already has given signs of turning > > into a bust. > > Some experts argue that China's emissions — and the pressing need to > > limit them — may recede until economic conditions improve. > > No government has officially repudiated climate goals; in Bali last > > year, all the nations of the world promised to pursue an emissions > > control treaty. Mr. de Boer said he remained optimistic that major > > powers would ultimately stick to pledges to reduce emissions. > > "I don't think anyone will show the stupidity to focus on the short > > term and ignore the long-term issue because these decisions will be > > with us for 30 years," he said. > > Even so, there are signs of considerable backpedaling in at least near- > > term commitments to invest in green technology and alternative > > energy. > > Italy's environment minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, said last month > > that "profound changes" were needed in the European Union climate > > package because of the global economic crisis. Coal-based economies > > like Poland's have expressed similar worries. > > Theolia, one of France's largest alternative energy companies, has > > canceled plans for a subsidiary devoted to emerging markets, and > > pulled back on its goals of how much energy it could produce by 2009. > > In the United States, T. Boone Pickens, the Oklahoma oil tycoon who > > leased hundreds of thousands of acres in West Texas for a giant wind > > farm, has now delayed the project. He told reporters at a recent news > > conference that fossil fuel prices would have to rise again before it > > was economically viable. > > Barbara Helfferich, the European Commission spokeswoman on the > > environment, said, "Investing in reducing emission is more difficult > > to do in times of economic downturn than when you have money to > > spend." > > Mr. Obama, Mr. de Boer and Stavros Dimas, the European Union > > environment commissioner, all argue that by promoting new green jobs, > > even with heavy government subsidies, they could create an engine of > > economic growth that would help countries pull themselves out of the > > recession. > > Mr. Obama, without releasing specifics of his proposed economic > > stimulus package, called on the country to build "wind farms and solar > > panels, fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies > > that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our > > economy competitive in the years ahead." > > The European Commission says it is planning to stay its course toward > > lower emissions — a 20-percent reduction by 2020 — and in so doing > > hopes to have a "first mover advantage" in terms of job creation, > > renewable sources and energy innovation once the global economy > > rebounds. > > "I know it sounds counterintuitive, but our argument is that because > > there is an economic turndown, it is just the time to tackle the > > transition from a high-carbon to a low-carbon economy," Ms. Helfferich > > said. > > Recessions can be good or bad for achieving environmental goals, and > > it remains uncertain how this one will play out. > > In the short term, economic declines tend to reduce emissions, because > > industrial production slows down. Retrenchment will certainly curb > > fast-growing emissions from China, for example, where double-digit > > economic growth has been based partly on production from the most > > polluting industries, such as steel, cement and aluminum. But such > > reductions are inevitably temporary, rebounding when the economy picks > > up. > > Against this, the current economic slump could have serious long-term > > environmental consequences, because it may reduce investment in > > greener production technologies without fundamentally changing the > > longer-term emissions picture. With so many renewable energy projects > > and programs in their nascent stages, their success is easily undercut > > by lack of credit or financing. > > Centrica, a British company that has been building wind farms to meet > > its target of having 15 percent of that country's energy come from > > renewable sources by 2020, has put three planned offshore wind farms > > on hold, in part because of rising credit costs. Without projects like > > these it is unclear if Britain's ambitious emissions reductions target > > can be met. > > At the same time, the price of buying permits to emit carbon dioxide > > in Europe — a system the European Union uses to discourage companies > > from polluting — have fallen by half compared with the price a year > > ago, largely because of slower growth. > > Wind costs more than $2.5 billion per gigawatt to build, compared with > > $600 million for gas. Carbon permits and subsidies can narrow that > > gap, but the current low prices mean that it is cheaper to burn coal, > > even after paying penalties for the carbon dioxide emissions. > > The United Nations says that 40 percent of the world's power > > generating capacity has to be replaced in the next 5 to 10 years. Six > > months ago, high oil prices, easy credit and political pressure led > > many governments to promote biofuels, wind farms and nuclear projects > > and phase out fossil fuel plants. But the logic of spending more on > > such plants has at least partly evaporated. > > "If because of the current economic scenario, you choose cheap and > > dirty, we'll be in big trouble," Mr. de Boer said. > > Paradoxically, it may not look that way, at least at first. One big > > short-term effect of the economic situation is likely to be a > > reduction of emissions from the developing world. In the decade after > > the Eastern bloc countries gained independence in 1989, pollution > > dropped precipitously, as Soviet-era heavy industry shut down. > > Emissions dropped sharply between 1990 and 2000, only to start > > rebounding in the boom years after 2000. By 2006, for example, > > emissions dropped by 1 percent in industrialized countries (mostly > > those in Western Europe) that report their emissions to the United > > Nations. At the same time, they increased by 3 percent in the so > > called "economies in transition," including the former Soviet bloc > > states of Eastern Europe. > > In the current global recession China could follow a similar > > trajectory. > > The number of cement plants in China rose to 7,000 from 3,000 from the > > year 2002 to 2007, as China built new cities at a record pace. That > > catapulted China to top of the list of global emitters, more than a > > decade earlier than scientists had anticipated just a few years > > before. > > Yet straight-line projections about China's emissions are now again in > > question, said Trevor Houser, a visiting fellow at the Washington- > > based Peterson Institute for International Economics. > > "Demand for goods like steel, cement and aluminum is contracting > > severely, so the energy used to produce them is also severely down," > > he said. > > Last month, he said, China's energy use fell by 4 percent compared > > with the same month in 2007. A year ago, use was growing at an annual > > rate of 15 percent. > > That may ultimately be a good thing for the Chinese economy as well as > > the environment, because heavy industry produces heavy emissions, but > > very few jobs. > > Indeed, the slowdown may provide an opportunity for China, too, to > > reinvent itself with investment in a greener economy. "Slower energy > > demand provides an opportunity to move away from coal," he said. > > Still, such benefits may be more apparent to environmentalists than to > > factory owners and finance ministers trying to meet budgets and make > > profits. The European Union estimates that it will cost Italian > > industry 13 billion euros, about $16.7 billion, to reduce emissions. > > Italy puts the cost up to 27 billion euros, which is says it cannot > > afford. > > "Transitions are expensive, but this one will help avoid the ups and > > downs we've recently seen," Ms. Helfferich said. "This is a short-term > > bitter apple to create new sectors that are conducive to fighting > > climate change and jobs as well." > > > -- gnothe se auton --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
