On Being An 800 lb Gorilla
An 800 lb gorilla. That is what our own Al Gore called the U.S. while at the UN Climate Change meeting. Now, I know Al Gore is not a big hero with everyone who reads this website, but I respect his honesty. All the Chevy Volts and Opel Flexstreams, Segways and Vectrix vehicles won't look so good in the driveway IF the driveway is under water, in a fire-ravaged region of the country, or if the owner of said driveway is unemployed. The simple truth is we can't wait until 200 million hybrids/EVs/fuel cell vehicles appear to start reducing our carbon footprint. That will take about 20 years! We have to start NOW, right here in 2007. Or, at the latest, in 2008.
I am half transportation enthusiast and half energy/environment enthusiast. I enjoy driving when I do drive, but I do so as as little as possible. The U.S. uses 21 million barrels of oil a day - more than any other nation by far - and we are hoping the rest of the world will cut back on their global warming production rate so we can keep driving like there is an infinite oil supply! That is what our policy has been - protecting our old industry economy while other nations aggressively embrace new technologies. Maybe that is why the Japanese make the best hybrids, the Danes make the best windmills, and I don't know who makes the best photovoltaics. Is it the U.S.? Hope so. Others are taking the lead in new energy technologies while we resist change as the Congress did by not adopting a Renewable Fuel Standard in the new energy law.
Remember that pollution is a local problem but global warming and peak oil are global problems. Al Gore sees this but most of us don't want to admit it. Of course Al and the IPCC could be wrong - scientists have been wrong before. Even if they are, is it so bad to cut back a few hundred gallons of oil this year? Or to buy a car that only weighs 1.5 tons instead of 2 or 3 tons?
So, if you get up in the morning and the face staring back has a few more simian traits than it had previously, check the vehicle on the driveway. Is it parked or moored?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GreatGreenHammer 8:24PM (12/24/2007)
You're right, Al Gore probably isn't the most popular guy amongst readers here.-- likely because most of us have very different reasons for wanting an end to fossil fuel consumption. For many of us, sci-fi predictions of oceanfront property in Abiline, are: A)never going to happen, or B) going to happen a hundred years from now-- by which time our powers to terraform the earth will save us..
Although I share most environmentalists desire to end fossil fuel consumption, my reasonings are more immediate. Countries that happen to sit on large deposits of oil, end up becoming despot states with a one dimensional economy, and a neglected, surpressed populace. As bad as we think oil is for the environment, it's worse for the countries who have it. So long as we subsidize this vertical monopoly, we subsidize the thugs who hate us and their own people.
We can defeat our enemies by attacking the only resource that sustains them.
What I'm most thankful for this Christmas, is that for once, EnergyHawks like me can work together with EnviroAlarmists for mutual benefit. My only advise to them is this:
Don't let "man-made global warming" discredit your cause like "WMDs" ended up discrediting ours.
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ug 9:12PM (12/24/2007)
(Don't let "man-made global warming" discredit your cause like "WMDs" ended up discrediting ours.)
WMD's never had tens of thousands of scientists on their side.
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TX CHL Instructor 9:37PM (12/24/2007)
Excellent post, GreatGreenHammer! BTW, you know the largest current single source of CO2 emission in the world?
If you guessed autos in north America, you're wrong.
If you guessed autos in China, you're closer, but still wrong.
It's the coalmine fires that have been burning for the last few decades all over the world (with the highest concentration in Asia). Now, if we are going to get all torqued up over CO2, wouldn't it make sense to go after the largest source first?
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ug 7:22PM (12/25/2007)
They already are.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/21/content_7120136.htm
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jake 10:58PM (12/24/2007)
@sg
It seems those are the kind of things they do in the background that aren't really appreciated. Green house gases/pollution from cars are most visible, but green house gases/pollution from industry and power generation are not really focused on by the public. I think the general public will only notice when we begin adopting EVs and PHEVs. That's the main reason I am excited for EVs and PHEVs. It might get the American public to think about their energy usage beyond just driving a car.
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GreatGreenHammer 4:28AM (12/25/2007)
""WMD's never had tens of thousands of scientists on their side.""
Are those the same 10,000 scientists that predicted 2006 would be the worst hurricane season on record?
Dito for 2007?
You wouldn't be talking about the climate change panel at the UN would you?
I shouldn't mock -- At least the UN has finally found a "genocide" they're willing to stop.
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SenatorPerry 7:32AM (12/25/2007)
I really enjoyed reading the comments, but I think you missed some issues. The US did not block Toshiba's purchase of Westinghouse NG. Now all US nuclear plants are forced to overcome the currency devaluation issues. Specifically, some of the prices per KW are double what they were 16 months ago. This is similar for Areva for boiling water reactors.
We are not really facing an issue of the will of the people. We are hitting the barrier of the financial ability of the masses. How can we expect a company to drop 1.5 billion on a nuclear plant? How can we expect people going through a foreclosure to purchase a PHEV?
Answer the financing questions and I am sure that a majority of people will run with breaking us free of Oil and lowering polution. My suggestion is a 50 cent per gallon oil tax that goes towards building a new nuclear financing entity. Once we reach an 80% capacity, the fund get disolved and the remaining tax money go towards the development of nuclear re-processing facilities.
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Golden Boy 2:18PM (12/25/2007)
I agree with Great Green Hammer, we need to cut our dependence on these thug states with oil so we can deal with the threats. Iran's nuclear sites would be smoking craters already if it were not for the oil tinderbox that would go up in flames as part of the blowback.
As for the global warming business, I'll start acting like there's a crisis the moment I see Al Gore, John Edwards, and the other Eco-hypocrites doing it.
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BlackbirdHighway 3:56PM (12/25/2007)
Golden Boy, then I guess you'll be installing solar panels on your home to take care of your electricity needs:
http://www.truthandprogress.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=383
Hope you enjoy them!
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Dad 4:51PM (12/25/2007)
"Al Gore sees this but most of us don't want to admit it."
Al Gore and Clinton spent 8 years getting us hooked on BIG GAS GUZZLING SUVs and cheap gas. The two of them did NOTHING for conservation. Now, Gore talks about an 800 lb beast that he did nothing to prevent.
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Golden Boy 6:16PM (12/25/2007)
Blackbird,
Cool, only took him since 2002, the year he moved into his current mansion. So now he's saving a whopping 11% off his electric bill, still more than 10X as much as the average Great Unwashed citizen. Wow! Meanwhile, he's hectored the world over this "crisis" for decades, even while he was actually in a power position to do something about it.
He could try scaling back from his cavernous, empty rooms in his mansion with heated pool, forego private jets, and cut back on whatever methane spewing dead farm animals he stuffs his face with.
Then I might listen.
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mike baz 7:21PM (12/25/2007)
Odd there's also global warming on Mars. Quick send in CFR windbags
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070228-mars-warming.html
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Dad 9:10PM (12/25/2007)
"Gore could try scaling back from his cavernous, empty rooms in his mansion with heated pool, forego private jets, and cut back on whatever methane spewing dead farm animals he stuffs his face with"
VP Gore spent 8 years in office judging everyone (but himself) by a standard he cannot meet, why should he change now?
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