Sucking the Oxygen Out of the Environmental Movement
I often conclude my presentations on climate that conservationists will likely look back in 10-20 years on the global warming hysteria as the worst thing that has ever happened to the environmental movement. While we focus 110% of our attention on a trace, naturally occurring atmospheric gas that our bodies exhale and plants need to live, here is what we are not focusing on.
All the problems in these pictures are ones we demonstrably know how to solve while still allowing for the economic growth that is pulling a billion Asians our of poverty. The same cannot be said for our current ability to eliminate CO2, and therefore most combustion, without imploding our economy.
Elliot:
Drudge linked this article suggesting that "Cap and Trade" was going to be put on the "back burner"? Have you seen anything to support this, or could it just be wishful thinking?
If I had to predict, I'd guess that if the Democrats pass some sort of sweeping health care deform that will embolden the leadership, making it more likely they will press hard for the "Cap and Trade" economic suicide.
November 13, 2009, 2:29 pmBrad K.:
I like the idea of requiring an EPA sticker on cars, that includes the amount of fossil fuel used to mine and prepare all the materials, expended in transportation of materials, components, and the finished product, on cars and appliances.
And also the carbon cost of all electricity, as if that device or car used electricity only from the least efficient coal fired plant, used to build the thing. And then the electricity cost in carbon for operating the appliance or charging the car each year.
Unless your car charger is plugged into your own private wind farm, the current you draw might be that least smidgin required to keep that last coal fired power plant on line - so the electricity you use causes carbon dioxide as if you were wired direct to a coal fired plant. No matter where the current actually originated.
I dislike the way the unscrupulous ad goes, that "our hybrid makes 250 miles to the gallon, between times we plug it in and drain the grid." When the reality is that making *any* new vehicle consumes more energy than a terrible oil burning, gas guzzling clunker consumes in 20 years.
November 13, 2009, 4:57 pmZZMike:
Small wonder the Chinese won't have anything to do with either Kyoto or Copenhagen.
November 13, 2009, 5:10 pmDrTorch:
Given that many environmentalists are explicit in their desire to see the human population decline...do they really see these pix pointing to problems?
November 16, 2009, 1:08 pm