New entries Wednesday &
Sunday evenings
(& sometimes in between)
- Contribute to this online
public conversation -
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1 - Global warming
2 - Dependence on
foreign energy
3 - Trade deficit
4 - Pollution from non-
renewable fuels
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Really bad news from someone that's taken the time to ask the key people. Watch Frontline's program Heat.
Excerpts Frontline's intro article (my comments in parentheses):
- "The report paints an ominous portrait. Despite increasing talk about "going green," across the planet, environmental concerns are still taking a back seat to shorter-term economic interests."
- "China. In the midst of unprecedented growth, the Chinese are clearly moving in the wrong direction. He visits Shenhua Energy, one of the largest and fastest-growing power companies in the world—a coal conglomerate with a huge carbon footprint. But its CEO, Ling Wen tells Smith that he answers not to the..... |
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Here it is.......
http://www.change.gov/yourvision
What is YOUR vision for America? Share it.
OK, odds are that President-Elect Obama is not going to personally read it, but I just submitted an email (on guess what topic?), and it does feel good.
The gist of mine - that within 6 years the problems resulting from global warming and peak oil are going to make our current financial 'crisis' seem like child's play. Because of the tremendous inertia of global warming and the rate at which world oil demand is increasing we need to act now. But we're not. As stated in past entries the analogy is this:..... |
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< Straying for an entry from energy policy to strictly tax policy >
Should individuals and corporations with very high annual incomes pay a significantly higher percentage of their incomes in taxes?
Well, of course they should. Here's why:
Let's say the CEO of a business earns $5 million in a year. If most of this organization's products and/or services are sold in the U.S., then the majority of the CEO's salary is the result of..... |
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What additional proof do we need to truly take significant action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions?
Hopefully this one will do it. From the telegraph.co.uk - Climate change is 'faster and more extreme' than feared Click on this link if only to see the photo of reduced Arctic sea ice between 1979 and 2007. Excerpts:
....the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - a study of global warming by 4,000 scientists from more than 150 countries which alerted the world to the possible consequences of global warming - is now out of date..... |
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The most important person on the PLANET with respect to reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be Senator Obama or Senator McCain. The U.S. is a close second to China in annual emissions of carbon dioxide. However, on a per capita basis we of course are much worse than China.
So, not only can we reduce greenhouse gas emissions the most, we can lead. Instead we've been acting like Neanderthals.
Our next President can change this (they both say they are going to). www.350.org is an organization dedicated to "make sure everyone knows the target so that our political leaders feel.... |
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Gasoline prices are down, now what?
Many have stopped doing the things they were doing when gasoline was 50-75 cents/gallon higher. You can be sure, that prices will go back up. Why? Peak oil. My wish is that we had the foresight and leadership to recognize that a revenue-neutral tax shift would keep non-renewable prices high and provide a real incentive for all of us to conserve. We'd also provide an incentive for businesses to create renewable energy systems.
Peak oil
Give or take a few years, most agree we'll reach the peak in five to ten years; some say we already have. Here's an article from last month..... |
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....when the road bends."
Romani proverb
This fits our global warming, dependence on foreign energy, and peak oil predicament. It also fits the U.S.'s financial crisis. When things are changing, we can't keep doing the same things. If we do, it's at our peril.
Our current financial crisis: Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said on 60 Minutes tonight, that government officials and the financial industry were "warned of danger two years ago." "It was foreseen. Economists aren't very good at predicting the precise date on which the whole thing was going to unravel, but that it was unsustainable..... |
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I don't think it will be effective (it hasn't been in Europe), but I hope it is at least somewhat helpful. We're running out of time.
I'm referring to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) - ten northeastern states will price and auction the right to emit carbon dioxide. It's notable that it's the first mandatory cap and trade program in the country.
Here's a July 2008 CommodityOnline.com article announcing the plan - Nymex to launch RGGI for carbon trading
Secondly, here's a reasonably balanced overview at ClimateProgress.org from a few days ago...... |
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Often leadership is speaking the truth, even if unpopular.
David Letterman gets some laughs in his rant earlier this month about doomsday resulting from global warming - but what the heck, anything that gets the message across.
Sometimes leadership is calling for action -- even if you are the owner of a greenhouse gas emitting race car team like Dave. In the big picture it's more important that someone as well known
as him is waking more people up that we need to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases NOW.
Here's the link to the three-minute video:..... |
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Our lack of an effective energy policy has created many big problems - the biggest are global warming and our dependence on foreign energy and fossil fuels. If
anyone doesn't believe this look at:
- the high price of oil, the price volatility and the associated negative effects on our economy;
- studies that point to global warming being man-made and that it is causing catastrophic events such as more and stronger hurricanes, more
flooding, and more and bigger forest fires.
The studies do not offer guarantees. Yet for many the evidence is enough to warrant action and, yes, even change.
The purpose of this blog is to:..... |
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The biggest decision we'll be making to solve the 4 biggies is who we elect as President in November. Not only will Obama/McCain shape domestic energy policy,
they'll lead the U.S. in international agreements (or not). Global warming is of course a world problem.
Here's an article by the Associated Press that provides a valuable high-level comparison of their energy positions - ..... |
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Here's another external cost of our energy use NOT being paid for at the time we use the energy. The cost of some of these storms is in the billions. Almost 2 million people were evacuated from the coast from Gustav a week ago - what was the economic cost of that?
From LiveScience.com - ..... |
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What's more important to us? Getting places quicker on the highway or reducing:
- greenhouse gas emissions,
- our use of fossil fuels,
- traffic fatalities
- air pollution?
Enacting a phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy will require a mindset change that would likely result in other changes; for example, a reduction in highway speed limits. Benefits of reducing speed limits include significantly increased vehicle mileage and reduced highway fatalities.
A June 2008 report by Consumer Reports lists exactly how much fuel is saved by slowing down..... |
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Compared to a federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy, carbon trading is a joke. It's overly complex, has a terrible track record in the European Union, is too broad to work as sulfur dioxide trading did, and will raise energy prices on energy just like a tax shift. Another problem? Taxpayers WON'T be getting these extra costs back in the form of lower income tax rates.
Why is it complex? Our elected representatives like it that way. It's a way to say they are making progress, but they (we) are not. To date, no representative I know of has had the cojones..... |
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Another cost of our over reliance in non-renewable energy sources - the brain function and health of our children. Another external cost that we're not paying for at the time we use the energy.
From livescience.com two days ago - One-Third of U.S. Schools in 'Air Pollution Danger Zone' Excerpt:
"....exposure of school-age children to traffic pollutants near main roads is associated with a greater risk of developing asthma and other respiratory problems later in life."
Next, a February 2008 report from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on the affect of carbon air pollution on children's IQ..... |
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Oil price update: now that oil is down to $113 per barrel, OPEC is talking about curtailing supply. Reduced U.S. vulnerability to oil market swings is a major benefit of a phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy.
Why? conservation will increase and entire tiers of renewable energy projects will become economically viable leading to significant reductions in non-renewable energy consumption.
^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^
A federal tax shift from income to energy has been proposed. Here's an example from CNNMoney.com..... |
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A letter and an article in this week's Isthmus (weekly paper in Madison, WI) had the same theme; density of population in Europe compared to the U.S. and the implications for energy use.
Both statements were in response to Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's support for "car-light" neighborhoods similar to ones he saw during a recent trip to Germany.
Excerpt of letter from Clareen Erickson:
" In Germany, the dense population came first, then mass transit to meet transportation needs. We are spoiled and spread out, which calls for a totally different strategy. I don't know what that strategy is, but..... |
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"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root"
~ Henry David Thoreau
This Thoreau quote applies to the global warming and energy problems we face. The "evil" part may be a bit much, but maybe not. People that are losing their homes in floods or find themselves in war would probably say that evil fits. Anyone that doesn't acknowledge the direct connection between global warming and Iowa 2008-type floods needs to get with the program; even the White House has (see the last link).
Many have different opinions about how to..... |
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To make conservation happen, give people a significant financial incentive - it's as simple as that. We live in a capitalistic society. There are financial advantages to many forms of conservation -- particularly lighting options, insulating homes, replacing inefficient furnaces, driving smaller vehicles and of course eliminating waste - "air doors" are my favorite. Based on results, the financial incentives are not large enough to spur action.
Here's a program that aired today on National Public Radio - Vermont's Unique Approach To Curbing Energy Use. The Efficiency Vermont program, which started in 2000, is better than nothing, but as stated in the program..... |
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....and coming to terms with our need for a sustainable energy policy.
Here's an informative article from Energy & Capital - On Accepting Peak Oil--And Finding Profit . Regardless of your thoughts on their investment advice, the article lays out some truths regarding our energy past, current mindsets and needed action. Excerpts:
"Whoever is elected to the presidency, the next four years virtually guarantee that he or she will soon see Stage Four: Depression. There are going to be some extremely painful and difficult choices to be made."
"How long have we been living on the banks of... |
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From the European Space Agency (ESA), July 10, 2008 - Wilkins Ice Shelf hanging by its last thread Excerpts:
"The Wilkins Ice Shelf is experiencing further disintegration that is threatening the collapse of the ice bridge connecting the shelf to Charcot Island. Since the connection to the island in the image centre helps to stabilise the ice shelf, it is likely the break-up of the bridge will put the remainder of the ice shelf at risk. This animation, comprised of images acquired by..............
Prof. David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said: 'Wilkins Ice Shelf is ... |
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It's possible to live on less energy and there are even advantages.
When we (in the U.S.) start to pay the external costs of our energy use at the time we use it......we'll have the incentive needed to conserve energy. The best way to move in this direction is a phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy. An added benefit will be the economic stimulus this shift will provide for the renewable energy industry. Not a new idea, but and idea whose time has come.
Here's an article on The Huffington Post on living on less energy..... |
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A valiant, worldwide effort to reach agreement on the need to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration below 350 ppm - www.350.org. Per Bill McKibben on Truthout.org, late last year we were at 383 ppm.
Once at the 350.org site, click on "About 350" to get the details. Excerpts:
"350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million,..... |
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The sooner we take significant action to reduce greenhouse gases, increase energy conservation and stimulate the renewable energy industry the better. A phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy is the best action we can take.
From the Los Angeles Times a couple of weeks ago - Climate change likely to trigger global destabilization, report says Excerpts:
"Global warming is likely to have a series of destabilizing effects around the world, causing humanitarian crises as well as surges in ethnic violence and illegal immigration, according to an assessment released Wednesday by U.S. intelligence agencies.
Overall,..... |
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Widening recognition of the ethanol/food price crisis connection will hopefully lead to an end of subsidies and quotas for ethanol. There can be debate about the size of current impact, but there is no question that it is immoral to be in our current position and increase U.S. ethanol production quotas (which is exactly what we've done).
From the BBC News:....... ... |
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From FRONTLINE: a 16 minute video - Asia and Africa: Living on the Edge
Excerpts:
"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 80 percent of all Himalayan glacier ice will be gone by 2035.
....glaciers are the world's natural water towers.'They kind of store water in the wet season and they disperse it during the dry season. And they do that for free,'
Half of the global population, Smith reports....." |
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Sen. John McCain said a couple of weeks ago that we should build 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030. We have 104 now. Nuclear power is not the answer to our energy and environmental problems. In an AP article in the San Francisco Chronicle on McCain's announcement, there were only two references to what we'd do with nuclear waste:..... |
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Oil is of course a finite resource. What are we doing to prepare for it's depletion? Very little. The sooner we act, the smaller the consequences.
Some day we'll thank OPEC for not completely "opening up the spigots." This would lead to an even bigger economic crash some day. The economic discomfort we're feeling now will
benefit us in the long run. Comparing our actions and OPEC's: they care more about the long-term health of our economy than we do. The sooner we start using less oil, the
better off we'll be.
Then there's that pesky problem of global warming. OPEC is..... |
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Drill offshore? Drill in the Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)?
These are two of the primary suggestions to try and reduce skyrocketing oil prices. What about the effects of these 'solutions' on greenhouse gas emissions?
According to James Hansen, one of the earliest to warn us about global warming, "this is the last chance." |
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From the Wall Street Journal Online two weeks ago - The Coming
Oil Investment Boom.
Some really bad ideas and points until the end when he points out that what's needed are "carbon taxes as a de facto consumption tax." Other excerpts with my comments:
"....it's working. Money is pouring into Canada's massive tar sands." [and, Canada is wrestling with balancing oil from tar sands with
greenhouse gas emissions.]
"If today's towering price of oil reflects some speculator's bet on a long-term scarcity of liquid motor fuels, this will prove the misguided bet of a
lifetime." [Wrongo. Oil prices..... |
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Concise. Powerful in its truth. By Charles Krauthammer on washingtonpost.com - At $4, Everybody Gets Rational
The excerpts I love (my bold) -
"America's sudden change in car-buying habits makes suitable mockery of that absurd debate Congress put on last December on fuel efficiency standards....
You want more fuel-efficient cars? Don't regulate. Don't mandate. Don't scold. Don't appeal to the better angels of our nature. Do one thing: Hike the cost of gas until you find the price point.
Unfortunately, instead of hiking the price ourselves by means of a gasoline tax that could be instantly refunded..... |
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[Solve4Biggies hits: 56,000.
Thanks for reading, commenting and forwarding........ a federal tax shift is not going to happen from the top, down.]
^ ^ ^ ^
From the New York Times - States Get In on Calls for a Gas Tax Holiday.
Excerpt (my comments in square brackets):
- Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida has been fighting to cut 10 cents from the state’s gasoline tax for two weeks in July. Lawmakers in Missouri, New York and Texas have also proposed a summer break from state gas ... |
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From the AP on May 29, 2008 - White House issues climate report 4
years late. Excerpts including the 'Big 6' problems coming at us (my bold):
"Andrew Weaver, a Canadian climate scientist who was not involved in the effort called it 'a litany of bad news in store for the
U.S.'
1_ Increased heat deaths and deaths from climate-worsened smog. In Los Angeles alone yearly heat fatalities could increase by more
than 1,000 by 2080, and the Midwest and Northeast are most..... |
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The last entry contained a link to President Carter's often derided energy policy
speech in April 1977. What a much better place we would be in if we had listened to him and acted....
Some key statements:
- The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a
nation. Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. This difficult effort will be the "moral
equivalent of..... |
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The title of this entry is from a Larisa Alexandrovna article on Huffingtonpost.com - You Want Courage? Are You Willing to Support It? Her article is about the new movie
War Inc. by John Cusack. She cites evidence of "a distinct stench of blacklisting."
There are parallels between the lack of a sustainable U.S. energy policy and the statement -- You Want Courage? Are you willing to support it?
Back in the 1970's President Jimmy Carter recognized and communicated the need for the U.S. to create a sustainable energy policy. Excerpts from his televised energy policy speech on April 18, 1977:..... |
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The same crap keeps playing out. This time I put much more of the fault with our elected representatives instead of the Big Oil executives. Fault for: 1) wasted congressional, executive and media time;
2) misplaced 'wrath' that does no-thing to solve our energy policy problems.
About a month and a half ago, House leaders 'summoned' oil executives to Capitol Hill: Disingenuous theater - congress and big oil.
Today our senators decided to look foolish. From the AP - Big Oil defends profits before irate senators. Excerpts (my comments in brackets):
"On a day oil prices leaped to unheard-of highs [$133 a barrel], senators lined up Big Oil's biggest executives and pummeled them with..... |
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May 14, 2008 (U.S. Dept. of the Interior news release): Secretary Kempthorne
Announces Decision to Protect Polar Bears under Endangered Species Act. OK, good - it's well documented that Polar Bears are in serious trouble as a result of global warming.
Seems that this would also be a prime opportunity to recognize the U.S. contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and do something to reduce them. (maybe save ourselves and future generations
from some serious problems too)
No. "In making the announcement today, Secretary Kempthorne reiterated President Bush’s statement last month that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was..... |
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Even with oil at well over $120 per barrel, we still need a phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy. We need to create a sustainable energy
future.
It was inevitable that the price of oil and gas would increase. It wasn't inevitable that Americans would, for example, be driving vehicles that cost $60-$100 to fill up (much more in some
cases). What are we going to learn and APPLY from the situation we're in now?
A week ago Amitai Etzioni penned this article on The Huffington Post - Economic Suicide. I think his "time machine" perspective won't be far from reality..... |
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Princeton University has been sponsored by BP and Ford since 2000 to "develop solutions to the greenhouse problem." Named the Carbon
Mitigation Initiative (CMI), one of the most valuable products of the venture is the Stabilization Triangle - comparing
carbon emitted on our current path to that of a 0% increase (flat path) between 2005 and 2055 creates a triangle. If we can stay on the flat path, and then reduce carbon emissions after 2055,
"we can steer a safer course."
Particularly valuable is how they break this triangle into eight wedges of one billion tons..... |
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Senator Obama has the right answer to Senator Clinton's backing of John
McCain's summer gas tax holiday proposal - it's ridiculous/asinine.
I have one question for Senators Clinton and McCain -
Right now, is it best for us to use more oil or less?
(Please - someone ask them this question.)
People are smarter than Senators McCain and Clinton give them credit for. Here are two articles on Senator Obama's denunciation of a gas tax holiday and Senator Clinton's support for
it.
Salon.com - The gas tax battle continues
Excerpts:
Some experts even support an increase in the gas tax, arguing that..... |
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Madison's City Channel 12 recorded the April 30, 2008 Rotary Club of Madison presentation -
If you don't have
"Realplayer" (a free download) - click on the blue and yellow icon. Then scroll down to "streaming video: special presentations" and the last item under "April
2008". The tax shift presentation starts after 12 1/2 minutes. (PowerPoint is below)
Innovative Solutions to Energy-Related Challenges
Overview -.....
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As mentioned a week ago in the entry Been living under a Popsicle stick?, "...we
are terribly vulnerable economically as we continue to import over 60% of our daily oil." For natural gas, in 2006 we imported 19% up from 16% in 2002.
We learned from Hurricane Katrina how a disruption in oil supply and gasoline refining caused gasoline prices to increase; reserves are low, there's little leeway. From an FTC Statement to
the U.S. Senate in September 2005 - Market Forces, Competitive Dynamics, and Gasoline
Prices -
"In the recent weeks since Hurricane Katrina, gasoline prices rose sharply to..... |
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What is the media’s role/responsibility in finding solutions to huge problems such as global warming and U.S. dependence on foreign oil?
I’d say it’s to present information on differing views and generate debate.
Don’t see much on tax shifting in the main stream media - why not?
Let’s try FRONTLINE. A shorter version of the letter below was forwarded electronically.
**********************
Dear FRONTLINE producers,
Your Hot Politics segment was invaluable -- fascinating, informative and
sobering. Thanks.
What's next for you on the issue of global warming and energy issues? Please do a show on potential solutions to..... |
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Enact a tax shift?....... raise non-renewable energy prices now?!
Oil was over $116 a barrel last week, we're in the midst of a credit and housing crisis, the number of jobs has decreased, we're seeing inflationary pressure, and most economists agree there's a
recession ahead.
Paul, have you been living under a Popsicle stick?
********************
No. Our energy use and mix are not sustainable. So, it's simple -- we can pay now or pay a lot more later. But, the "pay now" is not higher
taxes: the recommended federal tax shift will be revenue-neutral for the government, families and individuals. The "pay now" will add..... |
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Last week Senator John McCain proposed a federal gasoline tax holiday for the upcoming summer months; motorists would not pay the 18.4 cents/gallon
tax. MSNBC article here.
Some big problems this proposal creates:
- more greenhouse gas emissions;
- increased dependency on foreign energy;
- more air pollution;
- a larger trade deficit.
The best argument for a federal tax shift that lowers income taxes and raises non-renewable energy taxes may be seeing the problems an energy tax reduction causes.....
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The new 3.65 billion barrel of oil Bakken formation estimate in North
Dakota and Montana is not a big deal. To make a difference a new find/estimate would need to be larger and, more importantly, we'd need a nationwide commitment to use it
well. Meaning that when it's used up:
- we are not sad that we found it because of the increase in greenhouse gases/global warming;
- we used it to create a sustainable energy future.
3.65 billion barrels (mean value within the 3.0 - 4.3 billion estimate) is a 17% percent increase in U.S. reserves and represents a whopping 2 YEARS OF ADDITIONAL U.S..... |
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It's nice to have the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggest much of what's on this
blog. On February 22, 2008 the IMF released The Fiscal Implications of Climate Change.
Excerpts (my comments in parentheses):
Climate change
The potential fiscal implications are immediate as well as lasting, and liable to affect—in differing forms and degree—all Fund
members. Climate change is a global externality problem, calling for some degree of international fiscal
cooperation… (yes, we need to be paying the external costs of our energy use at the time we use it.)
Energy taxes vs. cap and trade..... |
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History will ask,
"How did the people living between 1950 and 2020 use the earth's finite oil supplies? (see oil history graph below) Did they use it to ensure future generations would have sustainable energy
sources?"
Here are two examples and a fossil fuel efficiency quiz..... |
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A sad spectacle. Both sides largely playing the game --> "....we go through this, it's not pretty, but then we get to go back to our comfy and powerful
lives with very little (if anything) changing for the good of the U.S."
I'm referring to Congressional questioning of Big Oil executives this week about why oil company profits are so high and why oil companies should continue to receive billions in tax breaks.
Now, of course, subsidies for energy companies are a bad idea so one part of the theater is good.
First: the questions are ludicrous. In the absence of breaking any laws..... |
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Thank goodness. House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is taking a real stand against increasing greenhouse gas emissions (GGE's).
As described in an AP article on LiveScience.com - Air Force Prod Aids Coal-To-Fuel
Plans - gasoline, diesel and jet fuel can be made from coal. The problem (from the article): "Without emissions controls, experts say
coal-to-liquids plants could churn out double the greenhouse gases as oil."
The Air Force has an admirable goal: "...wean itself from foreign oil..." Unfortunately, our dependence on foreign energy is not our only huge energy-related problem - global warming is too. We need an energy policy that addresses both..... |
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Cap and trade is not the answer to our global warming dilemma - it's complex, risky
for markets and costly for everyone (except for those that run the carbon markets).
From an article two weeks ago in The Wall Street Journal online - Economist Strikes Gold In Climate-Change
Fight. Excerpts:
Yesterday, Climate Exchange's stock jumped 16% after the firm reported a tripling in 2007 revenue to £13.6 million, or about $27 million. That gives the
company, which handles about 90% of the trading on carbon exchanges, a market capitalization of roughly $1.31 billion. Mr. Sandor's 20% stake is worth more than.....
P.S. - Participate in Earth Hour on Saturday March 29, 2008 at 8pm and spread the word!:
http://www.earthhour.org |
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The worst two things: war and making large parts of our environment, where people are living, uninhabitable.
Every day we're doing both and it's likely to get worse, much worse.
There never was a good war or bad peace.
Benjamin Franklin
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From an Associated Press article (October 2007):
"...the stresses of a changing global environment may heighten the 'danger of violent conflicts and wars, within and between states.'"
Norwegian committee of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
"'Climate change is and will be a significant threat to our national security and in a larger sense to life on Earth as we know it to be' retired General Gordon R. Sullivan,....." |
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Not to be outdone by the Bush Administration, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent
a letter to Vice President Cheney last week encouraging
begging for oil as a cornerstone of U.S. energy policy. In fairness, she also has led on legislation to end
subsidies for non-renewable energy. But, begging OPEC members to 'open the spigots' flies in the face of a sustainable energy policy AND contradicts the very goals outlined
in her letter. Excerpts:
".....our growing dependence on foreign oil have caused great hardship
for American families and businesses struggling to make ends meet in this economic downturn."
Yes
".....your upcoming trip to the Middle East provides an opportunity .....
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
P.S. - page views were over 1,500 last week. A new high. Thanks for reading. |
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When, according to the ABC News article - Bush Asks Saudi King to Open Oil Spigots,
our President publicly asks Saudi Arabia's oil minister to increase OPEC oil output, that's asking. When he's told no and then asks the King privately, that's begging.
Excerpt from the article:
"One hour after his plea for more Saudi oil was publicly rejected by the kingdom's oil minister, President Bush made a private visit to Saudi Arabia's King
Abdullah to again ask him to open the spigots." (he got a second 'no')
It's a sad (and criminal) story - especially given the lives lost in this Iraq War.
~ ~ ~ ~
A) In 1999, then Haliburton CEO Dick Cheney stated:
By some estimates, there will be an average of two-percent annual growth in global oil demand over the years ahead, along with,..... |
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Global warming is an external cost of our fossil fuel use. It's only the tip of the
iceberg, but here's a specific example -
Recent New York Times and Salon.com articles on an Alaskan village that is suing 20 companies over global warming. From the NYT - Flooded Village Files Suit, Citing Corporate Link to Climate Change. Excerpt:
- “There has been a long campaign by power, coal and oil companies to mislead the public about the science of global warming,” the suit says. The campaign, it says, contributed "to the
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A phased-in, federal tax from income to non-renewable energy is only going to be enacted when people believe it is needed.
Unfortunately, based on
progress so far, it's going to take catastrophic events larger than the ones we're experiencing now. For example, our war for oil in Iraq (I just heard on the radio that
the Iraq government just agreed to allow Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell to pump Iraqi oil out of the ground for them; they'll be paid, of course, in oil
-- what a surprise) and severe weather, floods and drought being experienced around the world ... |
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Sorry. Individual and local actions to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) while helpful, will do little to solve our
energy-related problems. Sure they help build awareness, support developing green businesses, and make people feel good about their contribution, but these small actions result in
relatively minimal energy and GGE reductions.
Let's not kid ourselves. To:
- reduce U.S. GGE
- become a world leader in the GGE reduction effort (instead of the current neanderthal stance)
- reduce non-renewable energy use, and
- avert an economic crash from global warming and/or global peak oil
we need significant national energy policy changes.
Here's why --> Tragedy of the Commons.
Some local actions WILL actually backfire. They'll hurt the people..... |
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If you're a past reader of this blog, you know that the problem I have with nuclear power is that we don't know what its full life-cycle cost is. (period) So why would anyone invest in it?
Quick, what was your first thought when you heard about the recent 6.0 earthquake in Nevada? Mine was, "wonder how close it was to the not-yet-being-used Yucca Mountain?"
A few recent articles on Yucca Mountain -
Yucca Mountain Nuke Dump
Above Fault Line (September 2007) (have you seen this is the main stream media??) Yucca Mountain has been..... |
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As reported earlier this month in the entry Representatives Baldwin and Sensenbrenner headline Midwest Climate Change Conference, Wiseye.org recorded all presentations and discussions. They are now posted.
Here is the link to hear the federal tax shift question and
Rep. Baldwin's answer (advance to about 33 min., 15 sec.).
Beginning of her answer:
"[A federal tax shift] definitely has some intellectual appeal to me and some of my colleagues, but I think it's pretty clear that congress is going much
more forcefully in the direction of a mandatory, market-wide cap and trade program instead. I think it's a..... |
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Sad to say....some U.S. leaders have communistic tendencies.
communism (noun)
......control of wealth and property to the state:
......the state controls the
economy.
Looking at the energy and environmental records and statements of the four most likely Presidential candidates on www.ontheissues.org (come on, you know Mayor Bloomberg is going to run as an independent) reveals some startling truths.
Should the market or the government be the prime mover to solve our environmental and energy issues? Which do you trust more to effectively utilize
tens of billions of dollars? How well did it work for the Soviet Union to have 'government..... |
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Step 1 is ending the majority of energy subsidies. Some federally funded research and development is a good idea. Although, the selection process for
technologies/energy sources to receive R&D funding should take external costs into account.
The problem with energy subsidies - they are exactly the OPPOSITE of what's needed. We need to begin paying the external costs of energy use at the time the energy is used. Subsides
REDUCE the amount we pay to use energy WITH OUR OWN TAX DOLLARS. Dumb.
Here's information on how your tax dollars are propping up non-renewable energy industry profits and creating a huge barrier to a sustainable energy future.....including subsidies for Exxon Mobil - |
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Monday of this week, February 11, 2008, WisPolitics.com hosted Future of Midwest Energy Coping with
Climate Change Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. (Thanks Mary B. for telling me about it)
There was strong agreement that we need to do something about global warming. Almost all had efficiency/conservation and renewable energy in their list of the top three tools to
solve global warming. Nuclear power was most often the third on lists.
Rep. Tammy Baldwin
I had the opportunity to ask Rep. Baldwin her thoughts on a phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy. The gist of her answer was
that cap & trade.....
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A possible criticism of increasing non-renewable energy prices is that people will be forced into lighter cars that are less safe. Not so, according to the
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. As reported on
Yahoo! GREEN:
"....the best scientific research shows that automotive safety has nothing to do with vehicle weight, but everything to do with vehicle size and
design."
Other excerpts:
Heavier cars are not safer in a collision. Why? Cars are not simple, solid objects that collide like billiard balls on a table; they have crush zones and structural features designed
to absorb impact. The more crush zone available..... |
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...should be spending countless hours investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball? In other sports?
I don't. And I think we'll rue the time they've spent on it. Let's compare: Global warming (which threatens life as we know it) vs. Roger Clemens; ineffective and dangerous energy
policy vs. Barry Bonds.
Since this Associated Press article appeared February 5, 2008 on the Huffington
Post, Clemens had a second day of meetings with members of a congressional committee following up on the Mitchell Report. Hours and days with federal
representatives and staff -- crazy. Excerpts:
"The star pitcher gave a sworn deposition for about five hours to congressional lawyers..... |
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This is great news! This is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They are business people and recognize that there is not going
to be a 100% free lunch when it comes to solving global warming and U.S. dependence on foreign energy.
(I hope) one of the reasons they are open to these taxes is so we start paying the external costs of using fossil fuels. A tax SHIFT is much better, but hey, if they're open to increases
in these taxes, a tax shift should be a slam dunk. The U.S. Chamber knows that unsustainable practices are not good for business.
As reported ..... |
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Last week the Associated Press/sacbee.com reported that Haitians are literally eating dirt. One reason: "Prices for basic ingredients such
as corn and wheat are also up sharply, and the increasing global demand for biofuels is pressuring food markets as well."
In the U.S., many continue to drive larger vehicles than needed, carpooling is practically non-existent, and most don't even know mass transit options, let alone use them.
According to the Energy Information Administration, ethanol supplied just under 3% of the gasoline
pool in the U.S. How hard would it be to cut our gasoline use by 3 or 4% - arguably all wasted anyway?
What's missing in the U.S. is a real incentive. Heck, most often I drive a minivan with just one or two people in it, I don't carpool and..... |
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It's very good for what it is - a Wisconsin state plan by Wisconsin Environment. Titled, A Blueprint for Action - Policy Options to Reduce Wisconsin's
Contribution to Global Warming, it concisely lays out the problem and lists 13 specific "key policy strategies" that include some innovative ideas (see below).
The problem: individual states shouldn't need to create these elaborate, in-depth policies. We are the United States - solving global problems like global warming is a
responsibility of our federally elected representatives. Did you know that Iraq just signed on to the Kyoto treaty? Iraq! (good for them) The U.S. is the only major industrialized country that has not signed-on -- unbelieveable; beyond words.
The important question: these strategies will cost more at the start and some have reasonable paybacks. But, do these strategies, at the levels proposed, represent the best return (reduced greenhouse gases) for our investment?
The answer: we don't know. And, we're not even giving it our "best shot" by using the most powerful tool we have -- the market. Instead of ..... |
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Let's talk turkey.
The big concern about a phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy....... that it will slow economic growth and cause inflation.
My answers (in order of importance):
1) We don't have a choice. Our actions and past energy policies are leading to slowed economic growth and inflation anyway; our actions
and energy policies are not sustainable. We're deluding ourselves if we think we can choose to NOT take significant action to solve global warming (Entry #1 and Entry #2) and
our dependence on foreign energy (including global peak oil - Entry #1..... |
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The title is from an article today by the Associated Press
on Yahoo!.
As covered in the entry Water, water not everywhere, one of the big problems with generating electricity
with nuclear and fossil fuels is excessive fresh water use. Some excerpts from the article:
Nuclear reactors across the Southeast could be forced to throttle back or temporarily shut down later this year because drought is drying up the rivers and lakes that
supply power plants with the awesome amounts of cooling water they need to operate.
Utility officials say such shutdowns probably wouldn't result in blackouts. But they could lead to shockingly higher electric ..... |
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This past week, Wisconsin's Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton and bill
co-sponsors Senator Mark Miller (D-Monona) and Representative Pat Strachota (R-West Bend) announced an "Energy Star Tax
Holiday bill." Lt. Governor Lawton is leading many important initiatives including planning a state climate change summit this Summer for municipal and environmental leaders,
advocating for increased mental health care, and working to end cervical cancer in our lifetime. Unfortunately, the proposed Energy Star Tax Holiday legislation is a bad idea.
Excerpts from the press release:
".... a bipartisan measure that would designate one week each year for people to buy .... |
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An open letter to talk show hosts and pundits in general -
While listening to Lee Rayburn yesterday morning on 92.1 the mic, I knew I needed to write this letter. Now.... it started with Lee, but it's a request I have for all of
you.
Lee, I enjoy your show when I get to listen. Given everything that this administration is being and doing, "frequent outrage" is justified and needed. Thanks.
Yesterday you were pointing out how ludicrous it was for President Bush to be in the Middle East asking Saudi Arabia to lead OPEC toward more oil being put on the market so we
Americans ..... |
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A phased-in, federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy will provide a financial incentive for energy conservation. But there's additional benefit; much more.
Remember that it's been estimated that in 2007 AT LEAST 150,000 people died from global warming-related problems - increased disease, drought and floods. The actual number may
be over 1 million. (see January 9, 2008 entry)
**********************
When this federal tax shift is enacted, there will be a widespread understanding of the need for resolute U.S. action to solve our energy-related problems -- that we need to
lead worldwide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources.
But, if we're only phasing-in, say, the energy equivalent of a $.15 per gallon of gasoline tax shift per year for 10 years, will this make a difference and change energy use?? Yes. Here's why.....
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Professor Jonathan Foley, Director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Sustainability and
the Global Environment (SAGE) presented Living on a Shrinking Planet today at the Rotary Club of Madison. Sobering information and facts.
My notes -
1) By "Shrinking Planet", he means that we (the human population and our demands on the earth) are getting bigger. We are "pushing the planet to the
limits." Some statistics: Between 1950 - 2000:
- world population doubled.
- the world economy grew seven-fold.
- fossil fuel use increased four-fold.
2) Global warming - the debate is over; the planet is warming and we're causing it. Fast fact: how thick is the atmosphere? ..... |
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Copied below is an edited version of an email I sent in September 2007 to the executives of the five leading U.S. oil companies (Exxon Mobil, Chevron,
ConocoPhillips, El Paso and Devon Energy), copying Senator Russ Feingold and various media reps...........................haven't heard back yet.
Is this the key to enacting a federal tax shift or the height of naiveté?
^ ^ ^ ^
September 2007
Dear oil company executives,
Chevron's primary answer to our energy problems (from their recent 2 ½
minute commercial), “Watch as we tap the greatest source of energy energy in the world – ourselves." This and the other initiatives you've started are not going to solve global warming and our dependence on foreign energy -- you know it. And, it's not your job to try and solve these problems.
Business questions:
1. What is the effect of global peak oil .....
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From an article by Bill McKibben on Truthout.org:
- "...what may turn out to be the most crucial development went largely unnoticed. It happened at an academic conclave in San Francisco. A NASA scientist named
James Hansen offered a simple, straightforward and mind-blowing bottom line for the planet: 350, as in parts per million carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It's a number that may make what happened in
Washington and Bali seem quaint and nearly irrelevant. It's the number that may define our future.
- Twenty years ago, Hansen kicked off this issue by testifying before Congress ..... |
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Chalk up another problem that can be reduced via a federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy sources. From a December 2006, Dept. of Energy
Report, Energy Demands on Water Resources - Report to Congress
on the Interdependency of Energy and Water:
- ....in calendar year 2000, thermoelectric power generation accounted for 39 percent of all
freshwater withdrawals in the U.S., roughly equivalent to water withdrawals for irrigated agriculture;
- Many power plants, including most of those built since 1980, withdraw much less water but consume most of what they withdraw..... |
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From a Wall Street Journal article Little Surprise: Oil Prices Will
Rise (free preview available)
"Analysts agree that the one force that could clearly nudge oil prices lower next year would be a sharp decline in demand in the U.S. and
China."
We could create a sharp decline in oil demand in the U.S. with a phased-in federal tax shift from income to non-renewable energy. When this legislation is enacted, the message
will be clear and forceful. Fossil fuels are a 'gift' to be used wisely - not wasted. The impact on energy use and the U.S. mindset..... |
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According to Alternet.org, the movie Charlie Wilson's War avoids "a key truth about 9/11." Fascinating information about the roots of this
tragic event - article here.
Connections between this and solving the 4 biggies? You pick:
- example of poorly thought out past foreign policy by our elected representatives;
- makes me question (even more) our current course of action in the middle east;
- why no mention of this in the main stream media? What else isn't being reported?
Happy Holidays to all and Happy New Year!!
P.S. - my take on the Christmas tree/Holiday tree thing..... |
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In the news a lot lately......"chronic air travel delays." From the New York Daily News:
Sen. Schumer eyes air traffic 'czar'
"New York's overcrowded air space - and its harried airline passengers - would benefit from the creation of an 'air czar' to coordinate East Coast flight traffic, Sen.
Chuck Schumer said Wednesday. The New York Democrat also urged the White House to permanently open the military air space temporarily freed up for heavy Thanksgiving commercial air traffic to
help alleviate chronic delays.
"Brian Turmail, spokesman for the U.S. Transportation Department, said both of Schumer's suggestions were ..... |
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From an article in Madison, Wisconsin's Capital Times:
COOLING COAL - SIERRA CLUB LAWYER HERE SUCCESSFULLY FIGHTS POWER PLANT
POLLUTION
Excerpts:
"In the last four years, local Sierra Club attorney Bruce Nilles has stopped 58 coal-fired plants from being built in the United States. As a result of his work, energy companies have abandoned
their plans, fearing going through the permitting process of getting a new coal plant built. Nilles, 39, is director of the organization's National Coal Campaign. He has stopped plants in
Kansas, Illinois, Florida, Texas and Nevada. He also had a hand ..... |
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Most are probably familiar with the "Marshmallow test" involving 4-year olds, delayed gratification, and predicting success in life. Here's a summary at Time Reports. Excerpt:
The EQ Factor
New brain research
suggests that emotions, not IQ, may be the true measure of human intelligence BY NANCY GIBBS
It turns out that a scientist can see the future by watching four-year-olds interact with a marshmallow. The researcher invites the children, one by one, into a
plain room and begins the gentle torment. You can have this marshmallow right now, ...... |
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Not a rhetorical question.....
The only way we're going to recognize that we need to act now to solve energy policy-related problems such as global warming and our dependence on foreign energy is for information on the
scope of problems to be readily available.
Starting at Grinning Planet's 2007 Eco Wrap-up, an article covering topics such as:
- Ethanoholics
- Climate Changesaurus
- Dollars and Devils
.............in the Climate Changesaurus section there's this:
"....actual measurements of sea ice and other factors are indicating that scientists' climate change models have greatly underestimated how fast the serious effects of..... |
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....to what may get us moving?
From a USA Today article yesterday:
- "Victims of climate change, real and potential, appealed Tuesday for a vast increase in international aid to protect them from and compensate them for
rising seas, crop-killing drought and other likely impacts of global warming. 'We cannot wait. We need to do something now,' said climatologist Rizaldi Boer of Indonesia, some of whose farmers
are already suffering from unusual dry spells blamed on climate change.
The 'Adaptation Fund,' being developed under U.N. climate agreements to enable poorer countries to adjust to
...... |
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As you've probably heard.....our elected representatives in Congress reached a general deal Friday on an energy bill - details still being worked out. As reported in
an article in the NY Times ---> The legislation
will:
- force American auto manufacturers to increase corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) to "a combined 35 m.p.g. fleetwide standard."
- require "a huge increase in production of fuels made from corn and other renewable sources."
- require "that most electric utilities produce 15% of their power from renewable sources, like wind and solar, by 2020."
Noticeably absent from the article are estimates of how much greenhouse gas ...... |
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More damning news. Damning:
1. proving guilty, wrong, or bad: proving or showing that somebody or something is guilty, wrong, or
very bad.
************************************
Virtually all scientists say global warming is caused by man. Heck, you don't even need to be a 3rd grader. From Climate Progress (World Meteorological Organization info):
"Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface
temperature."
"In January and April 2007 it is likely that global land surface temperatures ranked warmest since records began in 1880, 1.89°C warmer than average for January
...... |
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From AFP News today - Natural disasters have quadrupled in two
decades: study
Excerpts:
"More than four times the number of natural disasters are occurring now than did two decades ago, British charity Oxfam said in a study Sunday that largely
blamed global warming. 'Oxfam says that rising green house gas emissions are the major cause of weather-related disasters and must be tackled,' the organisation said, adding that the world's
poorest people were being hit the hardest."
"The world suffered about 120 natural disasters per year in the early 1980s, which compared with..... |
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There are leaders emerging in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Three Governors are calling on Congress to act now. Global warming is, of course, primarily a
federal issue.
Unfortunately, they suggest capping greenhouse gas pollution instead of just shifting taxes, but it's a start.
***********************************************
From the Wall Street Journal Online - November 15, 2007
Governors Push Washington on Climate Change (watch the
30 second tv ad -- link in article)
Excerpts:
"In an effort to ratchet up pressure on Congress to move quickly on comprehensive climate-change legislation, a bipartisan group of three governors appear
in a $3 million television advertising campaign starting ...... |
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Why isn't this front page news? (not a rhetorical question)
In one of our local papers, the Wisconsin State Journal, it was on page four. Why not first page, above-the-fold?? It doesn't say "some" scientists; it doesn't say "may", it says
"will." This is news!
It's from an article by the AP's Arthur Max, Report urges action on global warming, excerpts:
- "Global warming is "unequivocal" and carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere commits the world to an eventual rise in sea levels
of up to 4.6 feet, the world's top climate experts warned Saturday in their ...... |
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Had a great (and fired-up) conversation with a member of my Rotary Club at our meeting today. One of his points (paraphrased) -- "most people don't have an
understanding of the external costs of using fossil fuels."
He's right.... it is this very fact that has us in the mess we're in with respect to global warming, our dependence on foreign energy, air pollution, our landfills, and many others.
When we buy a car, a gallon of gasoline, or a personal computer do we pay the external costs related to the greenhouse gases emitted, the ground-level ozone formed, or the disposal of the car or
......
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