Michel Jullian wrote:
I say kudos too. But plug-in hybrids or CF
wouldn't qualify I am afraid. Unless I
misunderstood the rules, what Branson is after
is a technology to pump the CO2 out of the atmosphere, not to reduce emissions.
Huh. I am not surprised, but that's silly. The
two are functionally equivalent. It is like
making a distinction between filling a leaking
bucket faster or plugging the hole -- or between
giving a person a "tax break" or handing him a
check from the government. If you reduce
emissions enough, nature will pump the extra CO2
out of the atmosphere soon enough.
The best method to "pump" CO2 out of the air is
obvious, in any case. You reforest large areas of
formerly verdant land. This solves many problems
at the same time. Reforestation of desert areas
has lately been making more progress than people predicted. See:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/world/africa/11niger.html
"In Niger, Trees and Crops Turn Back the Desert
GUIDAN BAKOYE, Niger In this dust-choked
region, long seen as an increasingly barren
wasteland decaying into desert, millions of trees
are flourishing, thanks in part to poor farmers
whose simple methods cost little or nothing at all.
Better conservation and improved rainfall have
led to at least 7.4 million newly tree-covered
acres in Niger, researchers have found, achieved
largely without relying on the large-scale
planting of trees or other expensive methods
often advocated by African politicians and aid
groups for halting desertification, the process
by which soil loses its fertility. . . ."
- Jed
