Global Warming is a lie

[at9]

And I very much doubt that humans, with all their best efforts, could cause any harm to this planet. This planet was around along time before us humans got here, and before any life at all, and it's put up with more crap than we've ever given it.

Absolutely right. However we may not be able to put up with what the planet dishes out to us. There are several well documented events when much of life became extinct. We are not sure why the dinosaurs died out - it could have been due to a big meteorite - but it may have been due to a huge volcanic event. Even in more recent times the human population has been through some severe declines. The Black Death is a well known example. The cause of that isn't known but it probably didn't help that a lot of humans lived close together in towns.

I think it's obvious (never quite 100% sure) that we can do nothing about huge volcanic events but I'm sure it's in our own best interests to try and keep this planet as a pleasant place to live. I strongly believe (and belief is appropriate here) that there need be no conflict between good business, high standard of living and keeping our planet in a decent state. I'm not claiming it's easy. It needs good science (entirely possible), good governance (I have my doubts but it may be possible) and goodwill (war hasn't died out just yet so I have my doubts).

[Dr. Shoe]

Absolutely right. However we may not be able to put up with what the planet dishes out to us. There are several well documented events when much of life became extinct. We are not sure why the dinosaurs died out - it could have been due to a big meteorite - but it may have been due to a huge volcanic event. Even in more recent times the human population has been through some severe declines. The Black Death is a well known example. The cause of that isn't known but it probably didn't help that a lot of humans lived close together in towns.

I think it's obvious (never quite 100% sure) that we can do nothing about huge volcanic events but I'm sure it's in our own best interests to try and keep this planet as a pleasant place to live. I strongly believe (and belief is appropriate here) that there need be no conflict between good business, high standard of living and keeping our planet in a decent state. I'm not claiming it's easy. It needs good science (entirely possible), good governance (I have my doubts but it may be possible) and goodwill (war hasn't died out just yet so I have my doubts).

The Black death was a plague though its exact identity is a mystery. One theory is is that the survivors survived purely because they happened to be immune and have passed that immunity to their progeny effectively eradicating it.

It is actually a lot easier to keep the planet in good order as you put it just by being environmentally conscious. Just by putting your litter in a bin is only a small thing but it helps. Recycling, using the car less, choosing products with less packaging (or none at all), taking a shopping bag to the supermarket, reusing "disposable" goods as much as possible and then putting them in the recycling bin, keeping the amounts of bleach and detergent to a minimum all help. Plant a tree in your garden, a fruit tree is most rewarding. Set aside a "rough patch" in your garden, it only needs to be a metre square, to attract bugs which are beneficial to your local ecology and compost as much as possible. Remember there is no such thing as vermin.

[JNR]

I think it's obvious (never quite 100% sure) that we can do nothing about huge volcanic events but I'm sure it's in our own best interests to try and keep this planet as a pleasant place to live. I strongly believe (and belief is appropriate here) that there need be no conflict between good business, high standard of living and keeping our planet in a decent state. I'm not claiming it's easy. It needs good science (entirely possible), good governance (I have my doubts but it may be possible) and goodwill (war hasn't died out just yet so I have my doubts).

Let's take this in a different direction. Far more damaging, in my opinion, is trash, garbage and sewage that is created by man. If municipalities do not find a better way of disposing of human created waste and sewage the earth, rather than expire due to global warmning, will drown in its own shit and commercial packaging.

[roniheels]

I believe it is the University of New Hampshire that heats and powers its entire campus or majority of the campus from a methane gas converter that uses garbage as the fuel for the power source. The initial start up was expensive, but now the system has almost paid for itself. The United States government has expressed so many reasons why this is not a good source of energy, even with current methane gas generators in operation. I know there might be an air polution issue, but why hasn't there been more exploration into not only the consumption of garbage, but using it as a power source? I know this is drifting away from the topic of global warming, but if anyone knows more about the methane gas energy source, please jump in.

[JNR]

I think I read an article about this in Popular Science last year. I can't recall the entire story, but the way the article described the process, it was farrly uncomplicated, created a great deal of heat that was used for electricity, etc. As to why there isn't more plants like this aroud our country, I don't know. Perhaps it has something (most probably) with politics?

[hoverfly]

I believe it is the University of New Hampshire that heats and powers its entire campus or majority of the campus from a methane gas converter that uses garbage as the fuel for the power source. The initial start up was expensive, but now the system has almost paid for itself. The United States government has expressed so many reasons why this is not a good source of energy, even with current methane gas generators in operation. I know there might be an air polution issue, but why hasn't there been more exploration into not only the consumption of garbage, but using it as a power source?

I know this is drifting away from the topic of global warming, but if anyone knows more about the methane gas energy source, please jump in.

Yes it's UNH, I visited the Wast Management land fill and they were all ready generating electricity for 4 receipting engines and two turbines form Caterpillar. Before piping it to UNH, the issue was to reduce the amount of non combustible gases extracted out of the land fill mainly CO2 to make it practical to transport the mathane gas. This will power and heat UNH for the next 20 to 30 years. Sadly it's better to burn the methane gas than to let it go freely in to the atmosphere along with the CO2 from decomposistion of trash.

[JNR]

In so far as the oil situation in the USA is concerned, I ran across this article earlier this evening. While it doesn't directly address the issue of Global Warming it does add to the mix information as to how to keep the USA (Global) economy on track.

April 09, 2008

North Dakota Discovery - 200 Bn Bbl Of Oil Two hundred billion barrels of oil have been discovered in North Dakota.

America is sitting on top of a super massive 200 billion barrel Oil Field that could potentially make America Energy Independent and until now has largely gone unnoticed. Thanks to new technology the Bakken Formation in North Dakota could boost America's Oil reserves by an incredible 10 times, giving western economies the trump card against OPEC's short squeeze on oil supply and making Iranian and Venezuelan threats of disrupted supply irrelevant. In the next 30 days the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) will release a new report giving an accurate resource assessment of the Bakken Oil Formation that covers North Dakota and portions of South Dakota and Montana. With new horizontal drilling technology it is believed that from 175 to 500 billion barrels of recoverable oil are held in this 200,000 square mile reserve that was initially discovered in 1951. The USGS did an initial study back in 1999 that estimated 400 billion recoverable barrels were present but with prices bottoming out at $10 a barrel back then the report was dismissed because of the higher cost of horizontal drilling techniques that would be needed, estimated at $20-$40 a barrel.

Business Week confirms the report.

A long-awaited federal report on oil that could be recovered in parts of North Dakota, Montana and two Canadian provinces is to be released this week. The Bakken shale formation encompasses some 25,000 square miles in North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. About two-thirds of the acreage is in western North Dakota, where the oil is trapped in a thin layer of dense rock nearly two miles beneath the surface.

Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said the number of wells in the Bakken increased from about 300 in 2006 to 457 at the end of last year. Bismarck-based MDU Resources Group Inc. announced its first venture into the Bakken this week.

The study being released Thursday by the U.S. Geological Survey was done at the request of Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., over the past 18 months.

[Dr. Shoe]

Let's take this in a different direction. Far more damaging, in my opinion, is trash, garbage and sewage that is created by man. If municipalities do not find a better way of disposing of human created waste and sewage the earth, rather than expire due to global warmning, will drown in its own shit and commercial packaging.

Exactly!

Now do you see why "CO2 emmissions" seems to be so important to the government?

If you use your head, it is possible to live a completely "waste neutral" lifestyle. Firstly, only buy goods in recyclable packaging unless you can get it loose, wrapped in paper like meat, veg and fruit (in paper bags). Then you obviously put all your recyclables in the recycling bin, veg waste goes on the compost heap, waste raw meat can be left somewhere to become maggotty (good for the ecosystem), waste cooked meat can be left out on the lawn for foxes, hedgehogs etc. The bones can be sent for bonemeal or turned into fertilizer. Nothing is wasted, there is no landfill... If you have a waste disposal system any other foodwastes can be ground up and sent down the drain, easy! When you go to the supermarket, take your bags with you or reuse carriers you got earlier.

Keep bleach and detergent usage down to the barest minimum, do not use blu-blox in your toilet cistern, they are terrible for the environment. Use half the manufacturers reccomanded dose of washing powder and mix your washing up liquid 50/50 with water before you use it (or use half as much). Use oxygen based bleach wherever possible as this is actually beneficial to the environment.

Don't worry too much saving water unless there's a drought on...

[roniheels]

Dr. Shoe... Those are some excellent ideas on activities where daily recycling can be incorporated. And they are simple and uncomplicated.

[yozz]

Those are very good ideas. They will however need a reeducation of a sizable fraction of the population. Knowing the dutch government they will probably introduce a littertax "to educate the people" (I hope they don't read this). Little known fact: all of shipping causes more pollution than all of flying and gives cars a close run for first place. (at least according to a radio program I heard last week on the dutch radio). How are we going to take care of that if we cannot even get national laws to take care of local pollution? I guess we should just start with being environmentally aware ourselves and hope that others will follow the example. Even if you don't believe this is necessary, see it as a sport. A challenge. But don't overdo it. They say that not having any children is environmentally the best action you can take during your lifetime. Y.

[amandahls]

I saw that movie, "An Inconvienent Truth" and it was pretty convincing on what Al Gore has to say. I was quite drawn to it.

[hoverfly]

Little known fact: all of shipping causes more pollution than all of flying

and gives cars a close run for first place. (at least according

to a radio program I heard last week on the dutch radio).

How are we going to take care of that if we cannot even get national laws to

take care of local pollution?

Y.

He he, your are going to love this....all the left overs from making gasoline and light fuel oil is actually is burned as bunker oil on board ships. Stop burning that oil, solves one problem pollution, and creates another how to dispose of it. Sad thing is 98% of crude is converted over leaving the 2% as unusable other than bunker oil. Cleaner burning engines are mandated and coming out to market but an average life of a ship is 30 to 40 years. Currently upgrades are not required and a supper container ship engine will put out approx 100 megawatts or 120,000 shp. A lot of energy consumed just to move stuff from China, and it's the most efficient way of moving goods.

[Dr. Shoe]

I can't remember who said it: "If you want to change the world, you must first change yourself." I think it might have been Mahatma Ghandi.

[JNR]

Geee! What an imperfect world this is!

[hoverfly]

Geee! What an imperfect world this is!

Really?!?

[roniheels]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.