Hear Hear Jean! If the devil existed and if he wore a disguise it would be in the form of coal.
James Hansen recently wrote that our only hope to saving ourselves and the planetary system from irreversible climate catastrophe was to phase out coal power generation altogether by the year 2020. That and start making carbon negative energy through pyrolysis and biochar production. Think coal companies will suddenly realize that they need to change their ways? Those invested in the status quo are the least likely to fix it. Unfortunately greed, ideological blindness, and ignorance run too deep in our society to reason the mass of people out of their comfortable but vulnerable, and soon, maybe, tragic ways of life. Perhaps peak oil and the ensuing economic destabilization that it brings will be a necessary wake up call--a slap in the face, if you will--to bring us to the realization that either we deal with the reality of the global situation (too many people exploiting too many other people and too many resources on too small of a planet). A better world is possible. We have to tools to craft more sustainable, healthier and happier communities in the face of these challenges and Ithaca is an ideal place to do it... We gotta lot of good work to be done in the next couple years! Peace, Ryan D. Hottle On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 2:02 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I should hope wind power possibilities are in the air again. It's only one > solution and it should be used to displace coal not augment it, but with > climate news getting worse every day my already thin patience with > roadblocks to windpower from small to large scale, wears thinner every day. > > Using windpower to purchase offsets for carbon trading doesn't work either; > it still builds in greenhouse gas emissions. > > Coal generated carbon emissions have to reduced at the source now. > > It's scary that they're now talking about building more coal plants even in > Europe. > Jeanne > > > > CO2, Methane Levels Rise Sharply in 2007. > > http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423181652.htm > > SciDaily, April 24, 2008. "Last year alone global levels of atmospheric > carbon dioxide... increased by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons. Additionally > methane rose by 27 million tons after nearly a decade with little or no > increase. NOAA scientists released these and other preliminary findings > today as part of an annual update to the agency's greenhouse gas index, > which tracks data from 60 sites around the world. The burning of coal, oil, > and gas, known as fossil fuels, is the primary source of increasing carbon > dioxide emissions. Earth's oceans, vegetation, and soils soak up half of > these emissions. The rest stays in the air for centuries or longer. Twenty > percent of the 2007 fossil fuel emissions of carbon dioxide are expected to > remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years, according to the latest > scientific assessment by the International Panel on Climate Change. Viewed > another way, last year's carbon dioxide increase means 2.4 molecules of the > gas were added to every million molecules of air, boosting the global > concentration to nearly 385 parts per million (ppm). Pre-industrial carbon > dioxide levels hovered around 280 ppm until 1850. Human activities pushed > those levels up to 380 ppm by early 2006. The rate of increase in carbon > dioxide concentrations accelerated over recent decades along with fossil > fuel emissions. Since 2000, annual increases of two ppm or more have been > common, compared with 1.5 ppm per year in the 1980s and less than one ppm > per year during the 1960s. Methane levels rose last year for the first time > since 1998. Methane is 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon > dioxide, but there's far less of it in the atmosphere -- about 1,800 parts > per billion. When related climate affects are taken into account, methane's > overall climate impact is nearly half that of carbon dioxide." > > > > > > From Telegraph co .UK (excerpt and link) > > Climate change 'may put world at war' > > By Charles Clover, Environment Editor > > Last Updated: 12:01am BST 23/04/2008 > > > > > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/04/23/eaclimate123.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox > > > > Climate change could cause global conflicts as large as the two world wars > but lasting for centuries unless the problem is controlled, a leading > defence think tank has warned. > > > > · The hidden threat from the world's water shortages > > · Food shortages: how will we feed the world? > > · Biofuel rules 'could make millions homeless' > > > > The Royal United Services Institute said a tenfold increase in research > spending, comparable to the amount spent on the Apollo space programme, will > be needed if the world is to avoid the worst effects of changing > temperatures. > > > > > > Governments should be preparing for the worst................. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > -- Ryan Darrell Hottle The Renaissance Group Program Manager www.ConserveFirst.com Global Climate Solutions www.GlobalClimateSolutions.org (coming soon!) Ohio Peak Oil Action (OPOA) Co-Founder, Director www.ohiopeakoilaction.org 30 N. Rose Blvd. Akron, OH 44022 (740) 258 8450 _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
