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Always keep the bait dangling just out of reach

The July/August 2007 issue of World Watch magazine (produced by the Worldwatch Institute) includes a concise demolition of carbon geosequestration in the form of a letter to the editor by one Luc Gagnon, "a senior advisor on climate change for Hydro-Quebec."

I'd quote the letter but the Worldwatch site doesn't have it online yet. So I went searching for more by Gagnon and found this short, powerful PDF making essentially the same point (in almost the same language). An interesting table indeed, of "energy payback ratio of electricity generation options based on life-cycle assessments":

Short summary: No matter how much they dangle the subsidy-bait of carbon geosequestration back and forth like a gold watch in front of our eyes, trying to hypnotize us into the belief that the chimera called "clean coal" actually exists, there are a few key points to remember:

1. coal is the enemy of the human race, and
2. coal isn't all that hot as an energy source to start with, once you factor in all the other energy costs.

Even if we were to stipulate that perfect geological storage of CO2 (from a leakage perspective) was attainable, the cost in energy makes it a killer for coal.

And the punch line is quoted below:

TNR gives good Gore

After reading so many awful stories about Al Gore, it’s nice to finally come upon a good one. The reliably excellent Ryan Lizza gets it right in The New Republic. It’s also worth reading the transcript of his interview with Gore, which contains much tasty goodness, including this compact, dead-on description of modern presidential campaigns: […]

Did someone call for a smog machine?

No, that’s not smog. It’s all the dry, dusty dirt drifting everywhere I go here at Bonnaroo. It’s in my hair, covering my shoes, and stuck to every drop of sweat on my body. That I can deal with … The problem is that it’s also in my eyes, my nose, my lungs. I came […]

Umbra on passive solar

Dear Umbra, Not to belabor the home heating series, I’m considering installing a masonry stove. I’ve read that they’re quite efficient, though costly to build. What’s your take in relation to the other options you’ve discussed? What about other alternative heating methods like passive solar heating and radiant floor heating? John Logan, Utah P.S. I’m […]

We’ll Give You the Shirt Off Our Back

Grist fundraiser wraps up, still needs your help It’s almost time to hang up our summer fundraising efforts — and we’re so clothes to our goal we can practically taste it. That’s why we’re asking for your help one more time, and why we’re offering a colorful Grist T-shirt to the first 50 people who […]

Yeah, Right, and Pluto’s Not a Planet

Research team says Amazon River is longer than the Nile Every so often, a news story comes along that is so astonishing, so monumental, that it shakes the foundations of everything you hold dear, leading you to question fundamental truths. This … is not one of those stories, but it’s interesting nonetheless. A team of […]

Prospects May Have Shifted During Flight

Booming airline industry gives nod to climate change The world’s biggest air show opens in France today, and the commercial airline industry is all hepped up on salted peanuts: after two years in the red, it’s expected to reap $5 billion in profits this year. Both Boeing and Airbus announced billions of dollars of aircraft […]

Dorgan Grinder

As oil prices dip, industry faces questions about summer supplies Oil prices dipped from a nearly nine-month high today, and everyone’s atwitter over what the summer will hold. The industry is beset by turmoil, with hostage-takings in Nigeria and turf battles in Gaza the latest contributors to price and supply instabilities. In addition, the U.S. […]

Understatement of the week

A federal judge tells the Bush administration that, yes, there is a difference between wild fish and farmed fish.

"A healthy hatchery population is not necessarily an indication of a healthy natural population," [Judge Coughenour] said.

Insert your insult here ...

At a press-only Bonnaroo show

Caught a press-only acoustic performance yesterday with the Cold War Kids, Elvis Perkins, and Alec Ounsworth (dreamy!) from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The show was amazing; the guys played several songs from each band, ending with "Doomsday" by Elvis Perkins, which has amazing (and somewhat relevant) lyrics that I can’t seem to find online. […]