The New Debate over Climate Erupts at the Times
November 14, 2007 |
Yesterday the New York Times' Andy Revkin wrote a story about us and two other "environmental centrists." It's sparked a heated debate on Andy's blog, and at Grist.
Ted and I have both written responses. Click here for mine and click here for Ted's.
Comments
Just $2.00 a month. I do not have extra money. Hell why don't you tree huggers just take all money. I know I am just being selfish. But it is my money and I earned it. I pay enough in taxes already. Keep your nasty hands out of my pocket.
By Jc on 2009 06 29
If you are uninsured and does not have insurance, you should check out the website http://UninsuredAmerica.blogspot.com - John Mayer, California
By Johnmayer on 2009 04 17
There is no such thing as a self powered generator. Devices like the Lutec 1000 have been repeatedly shown to be scams. The perpetual motion machine repeatedly shows up throughout history, and does nothing for our energy picture except make a few people money, and discredit supporters of renewable energy.
DK
By dooberheim on 2009 04 05
I'm an inventor. I'm prolific. I'm currently sitting on far more breakthroughs then you can imagine one person having. Sitting on them. For years, for decades.
I'm sitting on more cost-efficient space heating and water heating for buildings. The farther north you go, the more advantage my patent-pending system gains. I'm working on cheaper biofuels, possibly far cheaper than you and OPEC will really expect. I believe I can push alternative energy generation down to new lows, with 24/7 energy storage for peak power use. I have various automobile gadgets but I'm much more proud of my proposed transit program, which features about 150 innovative pieces working together. Finally, I have easily buildable, low-impact devices to inhibit a runaway Arctic methane release, heading off the worst worldwide impacts of global warming for the planet.
This new climate change bill continues our country's long-standing betrayal of anyone with a socially responsible innovation.
By the way, does the Breakthrough Institute have anything to do with advancing global warming and energy independence breakthroughs of this type? It would be nice to build a prototype to prove the concept, then build a demonstration model, then prepare to scale up. Unfortunately I'll still be sitting on these inventions tomorrow while I'm working my day job, and next week,... The inventions are quite useless as long as the prototyping work doesn't get done.
By PaulK on 2009 04 03
Revolutionary breakthroughs will do the trick much more easily than legislation!
One system will make possible the elimination of the need for batteries in electric cars. Self-powered magnetic generators, tapping ambient energy, are expected to replace the need to plug-in a plug-in hybrid. 2,000 watts can be taken from a typical wall socket. A 2,000 watt self-powered generator is on the horizon. It will eventually demonstrate a capability to end the need to plug-in.
If the development of self-powered generators is put on a 24/7 footing, it may be possible to provide 100 kW systems on a prototype basis far more rapidly than might otherwise be expected. If that occurs, since no fuel or battery recharge is required, automobile manufacturers may conclude that engines requiring fossil fuel are en-route to becoming obsolete. Consumer purchasing patterns could begin to reflect a new reality, with the market deciding most future cars will never need gasoline or diesel fuel.
The economics are likely to prove compelling. Until now, car ownership has been an expense. Vehicle to Grid Power (V2G) has been explored in a modest way for hybrids. When equipped for V2G, plug-in hybrids, equipped with a two way plug, can feed power to the local utility while parked. This is 95% of the time for the average vehicle. Professor Willet Kempton, at the University of Delaware, has stated the car
By Mark Goldes on 2009 04 02
Your blog is very nice & beautiful, So i like it.
Thanks.
By Debt Help on 2009 02 20
I think we should pay most attention to producing alternative energy, like sun, wind and bioenergy. I've heard that the latter is received from waste, which is very attractive in terms of both ecology and economy.
By John, school teacher on 2009 02 08
You are just right that markets, like other institutions, are instruments. They are tools we can use (or not) to coordinate our interactions in various domains. You hunt down:
Dani Rodrik. 2007. One Economics, Many Recipes: Globalization, Institutions, and Economic Growth. Princeton University Press.
And virtually anything Roberto Mangabeira Unger has written over the past decade or so.
JJ
By Jim Johnson on 2008 12 30
As long as there are people I was under the assumption that there was still history.
Certainly we are in a different phase of history, with what appears to be a large confluence of events (e.g., plateau of oil, rise of the developing world, climate change, etc.). Enough opportunites for everyone to be part of history...
By R Margolis on 2008 11 21
Let's stop all this talk about "letting the automakers go under/fail/etc". THEY HAVE ALREADY FAILED. If congress does not "bail them out" it's not congress's fault. The decisions that have been made, that brought us to this point, have already been decided by these organizations themselves. I think there is actually little fear that this will be any worse of a fallout than the banking debacle we're already dealing with so WOULDN'T THIS BE THE BEST TIME TO LET IT DIE AND BE RESTRUCTURED FROM THE GROUND UP?
By KeyboardCowboy on 2008 11 19
. . . and what are you going to do if they take your money and then don't make the cars? or if they just make really crappy electric cars that won't sell? If you can't let these companies go under now, you won't be able to do so in a few years. Are you going to spend more tax money for rebates so people will buy inferior cars from GM, Ford, and Chrysler? None of these companies have kept any of their promises to consumers or shareholders for years.
By Robert L. www.neolibertarian.com on 2008 11 19
Personnally , I believe that health insurance has driven up the cost of health care. There was a time when everyone could go to a doctor because all
doctors were accessible. There was a thing such as sliding scale and doctors who knew you personally.
I also feel this is all linked in to the cost of education which is linked to student loans which
drove up the cost of cost of education which increased the need for student loans which then in the case of healthcare professionals increased their fees and in turn created a larger need for health insurance and so the decline in affordable health care and education.
This is my theory which probably has holes in it and I could be wrong.
By Zoe on 2008 11 17
The last generation of nuclear units were 1000 MW or larger. The new designs such as AP-1000 or EPR are larger. With several of these designs under construction in China, we should be able to see if they will be practical. The experience in South Korea and France is that if you stick to a few designs and have a dedicated crew, you can get the needed economy of production while staying safe.
By R Margolis on 2008 04 23