Re: the Headline says it all
The patient won't die if we actually admit we have the ability to save it--and then go do it. I agree, we can't rely on one single solution, but a combination of solar, wind, hydro, and whatever else we can throw at it would certainly put a lot of power into the grid and reduce the need for carbon sources. But that's not what big business wants to have, because there are an awful lot of profits to be made by whomever gets to go into ANWR or whatever other oil fields still lay ripe for the plundering.I guess what I'm saying is that I'm very frustrated with all the handwringing and lipservice given to the problem by our business and governmental leaders, but from what I can see there has been nothing substantial done about it. It's so bad that I live in an area that is so anti-bicycle that they've paved over the bike lanes to make the right turn lanes wider. I live 7 miles from my office and could easily keep my petroleum sucking SUV off the road if I had decent bike lanes, saving myself hundreds of dollars a month and reducing my carbon footprint by a whole lot. Not to mention lose the gut I've been carrying around for the last 5 years. But I can't because somehow it's more important to be able to go 2 wide in the right turn lane than to make it safe and efficient for bikers to share the road. How effing revolting is that? I realize that it's a local, and reasonably minor complaint, but it shows how averse or society really is to doing something responsible and doing it now.Out of curiosity, do you work in the energy industry? I thought I picked that up from one of your posts way back, but I could be misremembering. And FWIW, my income is linked quite handily to the automotive industry. The more gas-guzzler's sitting on dealers' lots, the more my bonus is at the end of the year. Not to say that a shift to cleaner, more replenishable power plants will impact my bottom line negatively, but I'm nonetheless a minor little cog in the whole auto/oil cycle.
P
pkjensen
(view)
The patient won't die if we actually admit we have the ability to save it--and then go do it. I agree, we can't rely on one single solution, but a combination of solar, wind, hydro, and whatever else we can throw at it would certainly put a lot of power into the grid and reduce the need for carbon sources. But that's not what big business wants to have, because there are an awful lot of profits to be made by whomever gets to go into ANWR or whatever other oil fields still lay ripe for the plundering.I guess what I'm saying is that I'm very frustrated with all the handwringing and lipservice given to the problem by our business and governmental leaders, but from what I can see there has been nothing substantial done about it. It's so bad that I live in an area that is so anti-bicycle that they've paved over the bike lanes to make the right turn lanes wider. I live 7 miles from my office and could easily keep my petroleum sucking SUV off the road if I had decent bike lanes, saving myself hundreds of dollars a month and reducing my carbon footprint by a whole lot. Not to mention lose the gut I've been carrying around for the last 5 years. But I can't because somehow it's more important to be able to go 2 wide in the right turn lane than to make it safe and efficient for bikers to share the road. How effing revolting is that? I realize that it's a local, and reasonably minor complaint, but it shows how averse or society really is to doing something responsible and doing it now.Out of curiosity, do you work in the energy industry? I thought I picked that up from one of your posts way back, but I could be misremembering. And FWIW, my income is linked quite handily to the automotive industry. The more gas-guzzler's sitting on dealers' lots, the more my bonus is at the end of the year. Not to say that a shift to cleaner, more replenishable power plants will impact my bottom line negatively, but I'm nonetheless a minor little cog in the whole auto/oil cycle.
