Recent Headlines
- President Hugo Chavez offers to swap a natural gas vehicle for his citizens "dirty" cars--including a year's supply of free fuel. 1
- "First Hydrogen-powered plane takes to the skies in Germany."2
- "Twice as nice: Combining a Wind Farm and Solar Energy in Italy."3
- "Sweden Aims to be World's First Oil-free Nation."4
- "46% of Brazil's energy comes from renewable sources."5
- "In the face of rising energy costs," the US DOE (Dept. of Energy) offers a new website called Energy Savers with low cost tips (and more) to help homeowners save energy & stay warm this winter. 6
Why is developing and implementing alternative energy important to the future of the US?
- It reduces the need for fossil fuel imports from other countries (i.e., Saudi Arabia)
- It positions us better on the world market because that energy money can be used elsewhere
- It reduces the need to borrow from other countries whose actions can seriously undermine the American economy (i.e., China)
- It reduces the amount of pollutants the US pours into the environment
- It creates new jobs in the energy sector in this country
- No matter how some politicians insist, drilling is hazardous to the environment, affecting local animal populations, and air & water quality. 8
- Other sources, such as geothermal, are less hazardous to the environment & can produce massive gigawatts of power. 9
- To start any new program, whether drilling or alternatives, takes time. Most sources agree on about 10 years before anything is actually pumped out of the system. 10
Why should I care about all this?
- "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established in 1988 to evaluate the risk of human-caused climate change." Since then, 4 reports have been released and "become the de facto conservative standard for accuracy about the scientific facts of global climate change." 11 IPCC reports reflect the work of over 2500 scientists from more than 130 countries, who have insisted that human activity has "very likely" been the primary cause of global warming since 1950. ("Very Likely, in science, indicates more than 90% certainty & is considered virtual confirmation.). No natural source for a CO2 buildup has been revealed, but utilization rates of CO2 from fossil fuels are well-known. 12 "Independent surface data from the atmosphere, the ground, and the ocean sub-surface, combined with evidence such as melting snow, ice, and permafrost, rising sea levels, and observed changes in plant and animal behavior make it clear the Earth's surface is warming noticeably."13 This translates into increased drought in the western US, more extreme weather patterns (heatwave in Europe, more violent hurricanes, etc.), melting ice & rising sea levels. Question: What kind of planet are we leaving our children?
- According to TBoone Pickens, the US imports 70% of our oil today. That's $700 billion dollars being sent to other countries each year. World oil production peaked in 2005, with current oil facilities producing less oil and fewer new oil reserves, large enough to produce what we need for any appreciable time, to be found. 14 Question: Do we want to continue to send our dollars abroad, often to countries who have reason to hate us?
- Oil supplies about 40% of the world's energy and 96% if its transportation energy. Consumption is expected to rise to 60% by 2020; transportation will be the largest growing sector. The 2 countries with the highest growth in consumption are China & India. These countries are fighting for control of the market to feed their economies. 15 In the US, the average piece of food travels almost 1500 miles before it gets to your plate. 16 Question: Since our food supply heavily relies on transportation, doesn't it make sense to reduce this cost?
- Where are the reserves? 66% are in the hands of Middle Eastern regimes. Russia increased its output so that it became the #2 exporter behind Saudi Arabia; however, it's reserves peaked in 1999 and accounts for only 5%. In Africa, total reserves account for only 7%. Because they've increased production, their reserves are expected to be depleted faster, hence making the Middle-east an even larger exporter of crude. 17 Question: If supplies are diminishing and we invest in alternatives Right Now, doesn't it make sense to create jobs for Americans at home?
Sources:
1. (Go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081005/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_free_cars;_ylt=Agr.HCK0vtr4XobOKKc1kpNvaA8F for full story).
2. http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=first-hydrogen-powered-plane-takes-2008-10-02
3. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=wind-and-solar-in-sicily
4. http://environment.about.com/od/renewableenergy/a/oilfreesweden.htm
5. http://news.mongabay.com/2008/0513-brazil.html
6. http://www.energysavers.gov/
7. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=using-plants-instead-of-petroleum-to-make-jet-fuel
8. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=to-drill-or-not-to-drill
9. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=google-invests-in-geothermal
10. http://www.nrdc.org/land/wilderness/arctic.asp
11. Mann & Kump, Dire Predictions, Understanding Global Warming, DK Books, 2009, p. 6.
12. Mann & Kump, pp. 34-35.
13. Ibid, p. 37.
14. http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/
15. http://www.iags.org/futureofoil.html
16. http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
17. http://www.iags.org/futureofoil.html
18. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=5951041&page=1
19. http://www.alternativeenergy.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1066929%3ABlogPost%3A30653
No comments:
Post a Comment