Climate Climate & Energy
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Umbra on wave power
Hello Umbra, I just read a little bit about wave power and was wondering what you think the future potential is for this clean and never-ending energy source? Peter Blomquist Orlando, Fla. Dearest Peter, Wow. I’m a sucker for anything with a good name, like “LIMPET.” There are fun technologies under development to harness the […]
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It’s not a ‘sustainable’ biofuel
So Europeans are buying Indonesian palm oil as a "sustainable" biofuel, but it isn't sustainable, as we've noted before. The tragedy continues:Palm oil companies are burning peat forests to clear land for plantations in Indonesia's Riau province, despite government pledges to end forest fires ... Blazes have started flaring again since the end of June with the start of the dry season.
How a big deal is this? As The New York Times put it earlier this year, "Considering these emissions, Indonesia had quickly become the world's third-leading producer of carbon emissions that scientists believe are responsible for global warming." [Note to NYT: you can drop the "scientists believe" crap. Carbon emissions cause global warming -- deal with it, MSM!]
The emissions from the 1997 fires alone are staggering, as Nature reported in 2002 (sub. req'd):
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Brazil …
… realizes that global warming is going to hurt it too, and starts to come around on the notion of market mechanisms that could prevent further deforestation in the Amazon, one of the principal global sources of greenhouse gas emissions. This is good news — it needs to become more profitable to save the forest […]
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Sleep tight!
I would be remiss if I did not point out that legendary climate scientist Jim Hansen finds it "almost inconceivable that ‘business as usual’ climate change will not result in a rise in sea level measured in metres within a century." That’s some scary sh*t. Hansen seems way out ahead of what any glaciologist is […]
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It’s not the same as a carbon tax, and it’s not cool
I’ve noticed that lots of people talk about a carbon tax and a gas tax as if they’re interchangeable, or the same thing, or connected parts of some larger package. That’s bad. Please stop it. A carbon tax is just that: a tax on carbon content. It could take numerous forms, but it’s generally agreed […]
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A note to the environmentally self-righteous
Frequently, when a small, incremental measure to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions is proposed, environmental commentators argue that it should be rejected. Why? Because it is a "distraction," a way of enabling us to continue our horrid, depraved lifestyle, methadone for our addiction to iniquity, a sop to our corporate overlords, mere playing of games, a highly […]
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Give a Hoot, Don’t Dilute
House leadership dilutes energy bill for easier passage As the U.S. House of Representatives edges ever closer to approving an energy bill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been orchestrating compromises to make it more palatable to the so-called “hydrocarbon Democrats.” Language that would have raised vehicle fuel-economy standards has been dropped. Dems are backing off […]
