The International Energy Agency released a report covering the cost of inaction for abating Climate Change via not reaching a global agreement in Copenhagen this December. A key to the Copenhagen meeting is the USA passing national Climate Change legislation, without the USA little will happen as we are a world leader and the largest polluter in the world. The oil, gas and coal industries are increasing their efforts to kill the US Climate Change bill and supporters of the bill, mainly non-profits, are being outspent in advertising. 14 Democratic Senators have decided to back the coal industry and GRIST highlights this in a report, the Senators back the coal industry by supporting a way to give pollution permits under the national cap and trade bill that would, in effect, give lots of money to large polluters just because they pollute a lot. Giving away so many permits gives polluters money instead of gets money for out government which is currently in a financial crisis.
Standard Oil was John D Rockefeller's Company and its goal was to control the oil market, they were mostly successful until 1911 when they were broken up by the US Congress. Since Standard Oil was broken up into 32 companies they have reformed into several companies that, individually, make more profit than any companies in history (BP, Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and smaller ones like Valero). Since Standard the price of oil has not reflected market fundamentals (supply and demand), speculation on oil pushes the price up, Reuters covers the current state of oil prices and predicts another bubble like last year when oil shot up to $148 a barrel and oil companies broke all records for profits during a global recession.
The International Energy Agency claims that oil reserves have been inflated to not alarm people that we are running out of oil. This map from the Guardian shows Global Oil Reserves, check it out.
The Environmental Defense Fund claims that polls show that the majority of Americans want renewable energy now, and a climate change bill from Congress. The PR against getting out of the coal, oil and natural gas business comes from the coal, oil and natural gas companies claiming that doing anything now would raise energy prices too much. The overall cost of not switching to renewables now is the larger cost that we should be trying to avoid.
A group of Engineering experts claim that it is impossible for Britain to meet its renewable energy targets. A fleet of electric scooters was just put on the market in Britain; progress in environmentalism is still being made.
The Boston Globe published a list of the top ten green technology jobs. They are almost all green collar (environmental blue collar) jobs.
The Journal of Science highlights new study that claims that bad decisions are contagious when a decision maker is influenced by someone they identify with or feel close to. Good thing to be aware of.
Showing posts with label clean coal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clean coal. Show all posts
Friday, November 13, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Stumbling Foreword
An alternative annual report for Chevron was drafted. It highlights the human and environmental cost of Chevron's activities around the world and shines light on why we want a different system of procuring energy. Check out the site and the report.
With Obama in the whitehouse new coal fired power plants were supposed to not be built again, but the administration is rescinding and now in the Markey-Waxman bill new coal plants will be allowed to be built under certain conditions due to the coal industry's new lobbying effort that touts "clean coal" as the way of the future. The real gem behind "clean coal" is not an effort to protect the health of humans and our environment but is a desperate grasp at the remaining coal reserves that are large enough to power the US and China for the next 350 years. Clean Coal is a sham.
Check out this "off grid" home, it costs over $500,000 to make but it is more environmental than your home. It is shocking to me that people are so willing to spend money on luxury items, many people have homes worth over 1/2 million dollars so why not demand low emissions with your luxury goods? A note about the article: hydrogen power is a technology that is not developing quickly and it emits water vapor, many people do not know that water vapor is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2.
Check this funny thing out, the video is gross but helps your imagination become more active about the wide-reaching changes that Climate Change will bring. Apparently mucus blobs occur in the ocean and with recent changes these blobs are becoming more popular; they house dangerous bacteria and viruses and suffocate sea-life.
Climate Change Science needs to be as accurate as possible to help non-believers alter their beliefs. This article from Science reveals a recent study finding that CO2 emissions have been increasing for thousands of years due to natural processes, the earth is naturally heating up as it arises out of an ice age and we are speeding up that process making earth inhospitable to us.
To our knowledge Earth has been through 5 mass extinction periods, this is the 6th. The loss of habitat is the greatest threat, World Resources Institute provides some commentary, figures and facts.
Companies and scientists are trying to harvest hydrocarbons from algea, it would mean oil forever! This article follows a recent college graduate that tried to get a job with one of these projects and was unable. The promises from algae seem to be inflated and the government is throwing millions at it, and like hydrogen battery cells commercial viability is so far off we might be better off focusing on more promising technologies.
The developing world is spending its energy on growing their economy out of poverty, they have been demanding money from the industrialized countries to little avail. These countries will increase emissions greatly for the next several decades with or without our help. We can give them the tools to develop environmentally or we can leave them to act like poor people; poor people do what is necessary for survival today, not tomorrow. If I was in their position I would do no different.
River Delta's are sinking and Science reveals some new studies about it.
With Obama in the whitehouse new coal fired power plants were supposed to not be built again, but the administration is rescinding and now in the Markey-Waxman bill new coal plants will be allowed to be built under certain conditions due to the coal industry's new lobbying effort that touts "clean coal" as the way of the future. The real gem behind "clean coal" is not an effort to protect the health of humans and our environment but is a desperate grasp at the remaining coal reserves that are large enough to power the US and China for the next 350 years. Clean Coal is a sham.
Check out this "off grid" home, it costs over $500,000 to make but it is more environmental than your home. It is shocking to me that people are so willing to spend money on luxury items, many people have homes worth over 1/2 million dollars so why not demand low emissions with your luxury goods? A note about the article: hydrogen power is a technology that is not developing quickly and it emits water vapor, many people do not know that water vapor is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2.
Check this funny thing out, the video is gross but helps your imagination become more active about the wide-reaching changes that Climate Change will bring. Apparently mucus blobs occur in the ocean and with recent changes these blobs are becoming more popular; they house dangerous bacteria and viruses and suffocate sea-life.
Climate Change Science needs to be as accurate as possible to help non-believers alter their beliefs. This article from Science reveals a recent study finding that CO2 emissions have been increasing for thousands of years due to natural processes, the earth is naturally heating up as it arises out of an ice age and we are speeding up that process making earth inhospitable to us.
To our knowledge Earth has been through 5 mass extinction periods, this is the 6th. The loss of habitat is the greatest threat, World Resources Institute provides some commentary, figures and facts.
Companies and scientists are trying to harvest hydrocarbons from algea, it would mean oil forever! This article follows a recent college graduate that tried to get a job with one of these projects and was unable. The promises from algae seem to be inflated and the government is throwing millions at it, and like hydrogen battery cells commercial viability is so far off we might be better off focusing on more promising technologies.
The developing world is spending its energy on growing their economy out of poverty, they have been demanding money from the industrialized countries to little avail. These countries will increase emissions greatly for the next several decades with or without our help. We can give them the tools to develop environmentally or we can leave them to act like poor people; poor people do what is necessary for survival today, not tomorrow. If I was in their position I would do no different.
River Delta's are sinking and Science reveals some new studies about it.
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