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Technology ArchivesCar Culture
Remember the first word in "carbon" is "car" lets hope the better-buy will be the clean-buy.
Based on a reading of this blog and the comments from readers, it seems reasonable to assume that this conversation is dominated by a modern cosmopolitan culture. It is a culture of self-identified progressives living a post-material existence; in fact the closer one approaches zero-impact-person the better. More specifically the merit of a particular technology or policy is often evaluated on a per-unit-of-carbon basis. Yes, there are divergent and impassioned views over any specific technology, policy or definition of "the problem," but the discursive space and basic units of evaluation (carbon, dollars, votes) are quite consistent; this is Culture. Apres Earth Day, Le Coal
The New York Times today reports that Europe, which will meet its Kyoto obligations by purchasing pollution credits from other countries, is turning back to coal. Europe will construct 50 new coal plants over the next few years (that's about...
The New York Times today reports that Europe, which will meet its Kyoto obligations by purchasing pollution credits from other countries, is turning back to coal. Europe will construct 50 new coal plants over the next few years (that's about what China constructs in six months). This is more evidence that global warming's Gordian Knot, and the technology gap, exert a powerful influence even on the wealthiest countries in the world. GMOs: Organics Best Friend?
Two recent articles create an interesting juxtaposition and raise the ironic question, "will genetically modified crops save the organic food industry?"
Yesterdays New York Times ran a piece describing renewed interest in genetically modified crops (GMOs) even in countries that had "longstanding resistance" to their use. The piece is interesting because is ran shortly after "Sticker Shock in the Organic Isle" which describes how the rise in the cost of organic foods may begin to price people out of the market. Can a Coal Power Plant Ever be Good?
Insofar as a coal-fired power plant replaces forms of power generation that are far dirtier, like diesel generators, and make electricity available to people without electricity, a relatively efficient coal-fired power plant should be seen as a good thing
Recently, plans for a new "Ultra Mega" 4,000MW coal fired power plant in India has come in for much criticism from environmentalists. Writing on Grist.org, environmentalist Nathan Wyeth has called this a "monument to a failed approach". According to him, Investing in coal generation and plugging it into an unreliable grid (rather than building renewables close to consumers or fixing the grid) has the effect of - get ready for this - spurring the construction of small-scale fossil fuel generation on the other end, which is ... incredibly dirty. Maybe Horses Will Fly - Developing Countries and Global Warming
The satisfaction of the material needs of food and water and shelter is not an obstacle to but rather the precondition for the modern appreciation of the nonhuman world
Last week, the New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin blogged about the World Bank's decision to finance a major new coal fired power plant in India. Revkin ended his blog with a question: "Is all of this bad? If you're one of many climate scientists foreseeing calamity, yes. If you're a village kid in rural India looking for a light to read by, no." Continue reading "Maybe Horses Will Fly - Developing Countries and Global Warming " » On Scientific Progress and Politics
You want breakthroughs on the frontiers of science? Provide long-term support for the people, experiments and infrastructure vital to the enterprise.
The latest news from the stem cell world is quite promising. Setting aside the hype and politics, normal science (where allowed by law) has been proceeding along a trajectory intended to develop cellular treatments for disease. The latest report in Science details remarkable progress in methods for developing cell therapies that treat disease without causing immune rejection. While some critics have already disparaged the report as "only a mouse study," this latest work represents another important step in the field. Department of Energy grants $14 million dollars to Solar
In other words, It finds some change in the couch...
On Thursday, March 13 2008, the Department of Energy announced 11 grants totaling $14 million dollars to various research projects aimed at driving down the high-cost of solar energy equipment. In their words: The[se] solar projects have the potential to significantly reduce the cost of electricity produced by PV products from current levels of $0.18-$0.23 per Kilowatt hour (kWh) to $0.05 - $0.10 per kWh by 2015 - a price that is competitive in markets nationwide. [We think it'll take more like $50 billion, by the way] Continue reading "Department of Energy grants $14 million dollars to Solar" » The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind--and cheaply, too!
Re-imagined tech brings electricity to the world's poorest
When we talk about Breakthrough technologies, most of us think of large-scale research communities where all the scientists dress in white clean-suits. The IKEA version of the future comes to mind. But in between Arthur C. Clarke and Phillip K. Dick, there is the middle ground of real-world development. The "Wind Belt", a winner of the 2007 Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics, was the result. Continue reading "The Answer is Blowin' in the Wind--and cheaply, too!" » Al Gore Misrepresents the Emissions Challenge
Gore makes it look easy to address the emissions reduction challenge, when in fact, it is far, far more difficult.
AFP reported over the weekend that Al Gore wants to see more discussion of the challenge of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in the U.S. presidential race. Thus, it was surprising to see Mr. Gore mischaracterize the policy challenge in two fundamental ways, making it look easy to address the emissions reduction challenge, when in fact, it is far, far more difficult. Gore is quoted as saying of the challenge: "We have the technology. If we just had one week's worth of what we spend on the Iraq war we could be well on our way to solving this challenge." This is misleading for two reasons. 1. We don't have the technology. I will be posting more on this in coming weeks. 2. The Iraq war, regardless of over what time period its substantial costs are accounted for (e.g., see this Congressional CRS report (PDF), made available by FAS), costs less than $2 billion per week. To suggest that we could be "well on our way" to "solving this challenge" with a mere $2 billion of investment is to fundamentally misrepresent what it will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The actual investment required is orders of magnitude higher. The first step in confronting a large challenge to to accurately understand its magnitude. Al Gore's comments are simply wrong. High Energy Fashion
Will 'energy scavenging' fabric turn you on?
A recent report describes how researchers in the US have invented a yarn that can generate electricity simply by being bent or twisted. Clothes made from the fabric could generate enough electricity to power a mobile phone or iPod, the scientists say. So Much for Peak Oil, Plug-In Hybrids, and Reliance on Foreign Dictators
Cross-Posted from Prometheus. In the New York Times Kenneth Chang reports on a novel application of air capture of carbon dioxide that promises carbon neutral gasoline forever. If commercially viable the technology could prove enormously disruptive to all sorts of...
Cross-Posted from Prometheus. In the New York Times Kenneth Chang reports on a novel application of air capture of carbon dioxide that promises carbon neutral gasoline forever. If commercially viable the technology could prove enormously disruptive to all sorts of interests. Continue reading "So Much for Peak Oil, Plug-In Hybrids, and Reliance on Foreign Dictators" » The Little Car that Environmentalists Love to Hate
Car A gets a fuel efficiency of 46 miles per gallon. Car B gets about 50 miles per gallon. Car A is called the Toyota Prius and is hailed by environmentalists as a step towards solving global warming. Car B, a new car called the Tata Nano unveiled by an Indian company, is reviled by environmentalists as disastrous for global warming.
This is a guest post from Siddhartha Shome, of Fremont, California. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and works as an engineer in Silicon Valley. He writes about international development, global warming, and India. ----- Car A gets a fuel efficiency of 46 miles per gallon. Car B gets about 50 miles per gallon. Car A is called the Toyota Prius and is hailed by environmentalists as a step towards solving global warming. Car B, a new car called the Tata Nano unveiled by an Indian company, is reviled by environmentalists as disastrous for global warming. The New York Times devotes an entire editorial condemning the Tata Nano. Columnist and author Tom Friedman calls for the Tata Nano to be "taxed like crazy." The reason for this extreme criticism? The Tata Nano is cheap - very cheap. It is a revolutionary new car design that will cost only about $2,500 and will bring car ownership within reach of millions of new people in the developing world. Continue reading "The Little Car that Environmentalists Love to Hate" » A Small Step for CA
Will California's small-bore energy policies snowball? Let's hope so.
Today's San Francisco Chronicle reports that the state Public Utility Commission will consider a surcharge on utility bills to fund a proposed institute for climate solutions. The surcharge would provide a projected $60 million per year to address gaps in existing research funding. Putting the Green in Green
The good news: financing a clean energy future is a topic of interest in our leading business publications and many entrepreneurs are committed to moving the field forward.
There are a number of items in today's Wall Street Journal that underscore the role of stable financing for clean energy technology. Is Clean Tech the Next Bubble underscores an inconvenient truth regarding clean technology products - consumers are not willing to pay. According to this report "a whopping 47% of U.S. adults say they just don't care" about clean technology products. Connecting the Dots
If you believe it is time to reduce coal and oil consumption, then it is time to connect the dots - recognize human intervention has become the meaning of the earth and embrace invention as the key to eco-triumph.
Two articles in today's Science Times reinforce major Breakthrough themes - human have become the meaning of the earth and it is time to imagine eco-triumph through that most core human value, invention. A Hybrid is Born
Human intervention has created new hybrid species of wolves blurring the concept of the natural condition. Like it or not, the Wolfe story is one more example of how humans have become the meaning of the earth, so lets move on.
While you were reading the New York Times on Break Through, you may have noticed the article about how the Great Lakes wolf has hybridized into a new species. The article describes how human habitat destruction, followed by protection created conditions for the Great Lakes gray wolf to cross breed with other wolves and coyotes. Based on DNA analysis the "pure" wolf has effectively become extinct. Off Message
The ascendancy the political right has been marked by the emergence of a communications machine. Stem cell research has created a conundrum with an ironic result.
The ascendancy of right-wing politics has been marked by the emergence of a communications machine. Messages are developed to reinforce a series of strategic frames to be disseminated through an extensive political and media network - that vast right wing conspiracy. Discipline results from casting issues in stark terms, such as good vs. evil, with no middle ground. The anathema to the system is cognitive drift, a decidedly democratic attribute, where the speaker articulates a nuanced policy position or engages in deliberative give-and-take. Given the success of this formula, it has been intriguing to see right-wing think tanks and politicians break from this game plan on the issue of stem cell research. Prins and Rayner in Nature
In this week's Nature magazine, Gwyn Prins of the London School of Economics and Steve Rayner of Oxford University make a strong case that climate policy decidedly does not need more of the same approach that has not been working....
In this week's Nature magazine, Gwyn Prins of the London School of Economics and Steve Rayner of Oxford University make a strong case that climate policy decidedly does not need more of the same approach that has not been working. They write: We stare at stark divergences of trends. On the one hand, the International Energy Agency predicts a doubling of global energy demand from present levels in the next 25 years. On the other, since 1980 there has been a worldwide reduction of 40% in government budgets for energy R&D. Without huge investment in R&D, the technologies upon which a viable emissions reduction strategy depends will not be available in time to disrupt a new cycle of carbon-intensive infrastructure. Read the whole thing free here. Political Science
At a time when we face complex ecological challenges and remarkable technological opportunity, we must resist the temptation to select science to fit preconceived positions. Science can direct technology towards specific goals, but goal selection will lie firmly in the domain of values.
Health is arguably the most universal human values. Consult any parent and the health and of their child(ren) will consistently draw top rank. Consult the Global Burden of Disease project's infant mortality data and the contributors to children's health are evident - food, safe water and immunization. Absent these fundamentals dysentery and infectious disease run rampant and deadly. If you are reading this, chances are you live in a corner of the world where food is abundant, sanitation systems are established and vaccination has created heard immunity. The conditions of affluence, especially the absence of rampant infectious disease, have given rise to a modern anti-vaccination movement. Abstract Art
China-bashing fails to recognize that until countries achieve a desired level of economic development, they will make limited gains on social and ecological concerns. It's abstract art at a time when we need realism.
All too often current events provide a canvas to project our political anxieties. Consider the recent spate of China-bashing resulting from contaminated pet food, toxic tooth paste and leaded children's toys. Early reports characterized China as "a marketplace teeming with unlicensed operations and entrepreneurs willing to cut corners to make a bigger profit." From Pinots to Firestone 500s corner cutting is hardly a uniquely Chinese phenomenon - its synonymous with capitalism. Toxic by Nature
Potentially, toxic "natural" herbal remedies are the "health" rage illustrating how social forces make categories impervious to deconstruction regardless of their incongruence. Naturally, a politics of possibility requires transcending such categories..
My neighbor recently had the unfortunate experience of being jettisoned from his bicycle into the back of a car. The incident resulted in a painful blow to the neck followed by a Good Samaritan rushing to his aid with an offer of herbs which she "takes all the time for pain." With the explosion of homeopathy, the slightest sniffle or cough can result in an offer of a specialized supplement followed by an herbalist's statement that it is "natural." The Nokia Effect
The Nokia story is one of pragmatism illustrating how strategic initiatives consistent with a nation's core social and historical traditions can appeal to post-material values. These values are strikingly universal, and in an era of global warming preparedness, perhaps it is time to take a page from Nokia's book. You make the call.
Inglehart's modernization theory predicts that nations undergo economic transformation from industrial to post-industrial societies. This transformation coincides with a cultural shift from material (standard-of-living) to post-material (quality-of-life) values. A rule of thumb based on the Eurobarometer values survey is that post-material countries tend to express pessimistic views of technology while material countries are optimistic. Concern over the impact of technology, like environmentalism, appears to be a decidedly post-material value. Rusanen has highlighted one interesting exception to this rule, Finland, a post industrial society with very high support for applied biotechnology in both agriculture and industry. Risking it All
A disproportionate emphasis on risk perpetuates a "technology as threat" culture at a time when we need to innovate ourselves out of a set of destructive technologies that are at the center of the ecological crisis we face.
In June of this year, Environmental Defense and DuPont introduced the NANO Risk Framework to "evaluate and address the potential risks of nanoscale materials." Nanotechnology refers to applied science and technology whose unifying theme isthe control of materials on the molecular level and the fabrication of devices within that range. What is striking about the framework and an earlier editorial published in the Wall Street Journal by Fred Krupp is the reliance on the eco-tragedy meta-narrative combined with the risk assessment sub-plot. |
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