New coal plants could swamp Kyoto 23 December 04

Hi Mark,

This article just highlights the scale of the problem. The efforts of individuals is swamped by such massive developments.

I have just replied to Keith with a message “From Antarctic Ozone to Climate Change” which covers looking at the big picture. I would be interested in your comments.

We need only look at global population growth + global economic development to = big trouble for the green house gas situation. Look at the destruction of forests and open farm country in the USA and world wide to get even a more grim insight into the future. It will never stop until a tipping point pushes us into crisis. I welcome anyone to show me just one thing that will stop or slow down this runaway train of development short of crisis. Who wants to be the first to give up his income or his hopes of a more affluent future for his children or give up the hope of buying a car etc. etc.?? Hang on for a wild ride the next 20-30 years.

Coal Power plants are more evil than nuclear power plants right now. I would love to see sequestering work and if I had no other alternative, I would gladly choose nuclear over another coal plant.

With all the talk about the long-term problems of securing radioactive wastes, I have to think about how ridiculous this argument would seem to a person in the 22nd century in a climate-changed world.

If those from the future were to speak to us today, they might say that it was OK to use nuclear, and they would gladly deal with securing long-term radioactive storage in exchange for the people of the 21st century providing them the climate intact!

Now, what other choices do we have?

Another way to help prevent more coal power plants is through energy conservation and improved energy efficiency from all of us. The only reason for more power plants is because there is a demand for electricity. All of us in the USA especially must take a proactive role in reducing the demand for electricity through our own efforts and what we can do to help others improve.

I bought over 100 compact fluorescent light bulbs and most of them have been given away as gifts. The response from some of my friends was extremely positive and this woke them up more than all the talk in the world I did for years. Now, action is what is needed.

Helping others to improve is an important concept in regard to preventing climate change. If you do things for yourself in terms of increased energy efficiency, please understand that it does not matter where the compact fluorescent bulb is screwed in. It will reduce emissions if it is in your home or in the home of family, friends, or even strangers. All of us can play this vital altruistic role which is essential for success.

Christmas is almost here and it is not too late. Please consider giving a gift that can also help save the climate. That is what I spent my money on this Christmas.

This will not only be appreciated and increase awareness, but it makes a statement about you that everyone will hear loud and clear.

They will clearly know who the hell you are!

Very gloomy reading. One thought I had is that it might help to shake the US government out of their complacency. It is not just the US taking a free-ride on the environment, and if the US government changed direction, they might be better able to pursuade the Chinese and Indians to also look after our atmosphere.

The US has some of the best scientists and resources in the world to understand climate change, and a lot of concerned citizens (as shown by the input into this site) – so I hope the US government will start to wake up.

Merry Christmas Peter! And give my best to your family and loved ones.

Your insight and comments are always appreciated. You do see the larger picture better than most and you are quite correct about your observations. However, because I live in the USA, I may be able to add further insight.

First, the Chinese and Indians work for the USA in a way because many of our products are made in China and many service jobs using a telephone employ Indians. So, the emissions of China and India are directly related to their own growth in prosperity based on trade with the USA.

Therefore, although we are not alone in sharing responsibility, this fact still makes us the most responsible country and since we do have good people and resources, then it seems we not only have a greater responsibility but a deeper obligation as well.

The concerned USA citizens are a very small minority and what you see on Mark’s site is not the main stream in the USA. This minority is not even organized. It is fragmented and composed mostly of isolated individuals like myself who for the moment have very little actual influence.

For me, the question always becomes at the end of the day: What am I going to do about it? What do I have to offer?

The answer I receive is that I am only a mere human like you or anyone else. Like you, I have a brain and a heart. With my brain, I can analyze a given situation to understand it better at depth. With my heart, I cam employ the use of my own human emotions which can enable me towards greater action.

When emotion is coordinated with intellect, then I am able to be free of all influences of my world to use the infinite qualities of my own human imagination. Only in this state of mind can the ideas toward solution manifest.

Never underestimate the power of a good idea to solve a problem. Albert Einstein said that imagination was more important than knowledge. The Bible says: What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. The Bible also says: Without Vision, the People Perish!

So, if you buy into the fact that the potential of human ingenuity is vast but requires the correct coordination of emotion and intellect, then saving the planet becomes merely a state of mind!

On Christmas Day, we honor ONE man considered the Son of God by many who was able to inspire the collective imaginations of billions of people toward thoughts of goodwill.

Again:

What am I going to do about it? What do I have to offer?

I do know this to be true:

What lies behind me and what lies before me are tiny matters compared to what lies within me!

Again:

Merry Christmas Peter!

Thanks for your good wishes. I am sure we can all make a difference.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Peter

Like everybody on Mark’s site, you care deeply. I hope what I post here has had some benefit for others. I may need to tone down and be less dramatic.

I must confess that things are not easy for me here when talking to my family about climate change. Many think I am crazy. The light bulbs did not go across too well with some of my relatives. I tried.

Mark mentioned once in a post that folks in the UK must nurture their relations with Americans. If you could only know how true that really is.

I think I write to help encourage others but actually I think I write mostly for myself to bolster my own spirits. I have my down moments like everyone. Without this greater community, I would not be able to cope as easily.

Merry Christmas and thanks for your support.

I hope the saying “It’s always darkest before the dawn” is right.

It’s correct that India & China are “progressing” due to involvement in the global economy. However, they could progress up Amory Lovins’s “soft path” of efficiency and alternative energy. There are still some villages in India that do not have electricity, and their children deserve one 40 watt tube light so they can study at night and go to college, just like others in the world. And of course, a fan is good to help keep the mosquitos off at night. But all this can be done efficiently & with alternative energy, and the U.S. OWES it to them to help in this direction…..

Merry Christmas Lynn!

I agree. Americans use many times more than this. Just changing one 60 watt bulb to a 14W compact fluorescent does this.

The bulbs I bought for others would help over 200 Indians go to college and have a fan.

We just need about 1 percent of the USA’s population to do what I already did and consider it done for all of India.

I am sure this will be discussed at some point so I thought I would go there now.

Sad state of affairs for all those people. I have heard enough news on it and it becomes to painful to read too much more about the human suffering. Mom and I are sending a check for relief efforts.

For me, this also demonstrates the power of Nature to change human events and that this would be an example of part of the destructive aspect of climate change which is difficult for the masses to imagine or even ourselves.

With the tsunami tragedy, we have an example of what climate change could do. It has my attention at least in its real life imagery in my own mind of the power of Nature and the need to be sensitive for us not to disturb the delicate balances of Nature.

This can become a comparative example when I mention anything about climate change to others, now, in conversation.

It does point to the need for detection systems to protect people by advanced warning not only the Indian Ocean but the Atlantic as well. To my knowledge, I think only the Pacific has this system.

Just sharing my thoughts. I wonder what others on Mark’s site are thinking.

Dan

I think it depends on whether the incentives are there or not to do something about it.

http://www.homerdixon.com/download/energy_box.pdf

Peter, this was an informative article. Sequestering seems to be an important part of the solution as the article suggests. We have enough ingenuity and all we lack is enough desire especially among political leaders. Your right, incentives are needed.

As I read the article, I wondered what could happen if the carbon dioxide leaked. It seems that a little leakage is harmless and may be not enough to matter but if a large concentration of carbon dioxide leaked out quickly in a valley, then it could suffocate all the oxygen breathing life including humans in that valley.

I doubt this would happen if the research is done correctly but I pose the question for the benefit of the group.

Conservation was not mentioned as a resource. From my vantage point, I do see people waste energy by their habits. I try to modify my own habits.

I think that the increase in energy demand could be curbed more than the article suggests. I still do not understand quite fully why we have such high emissions per capita than the UK and other countries.

It seems to me that somewhere we could do better in the USA and actually reduce emissions. If we were at your current per capita level, then we would reduce significantly.

Concerning efficiency, I think we still have much potential left since highly efficient appliances and cars have not been widely introduced.

Many old inefficient appliances, homes, and cars will need upgrading. It seems incentives are needed for this as well.

Dear Robert,

I’m very interested that you raise the issue of population. I think it a real political hot potato, and one that needs taking very seriously.

I used to belong to a small group called ECO (The Campaign for Political Ecology) with which you may not be familiar. They developed as an offshoot of The Green Party, at the stage when it was being hijacked by all and sundry, to try to establish the moral high ground in politics based on what it called ‘the ecological imperative’. It eventually provided a forum for an exchange of ideas and then developed a serious interest in population. I visit its website from time to time, but I think the group is no longer specially active. However, it has some interesting articles there, in particular http://eco.gn.apc.org/Population/immigration.html which you may find interesting.

With best wishes,

Ant Peter

I will followup later and read this website and I do appreciate your feedback very much.

Happy New Year!