Day: December 22, 2009

There Is An A/Hole Born Every Minute!

WAIT!  Wait! wait!  There is more on the climate change front….just when we thought that it was safe to read the news……

No matter which end of the environmental spectrum you care to dwell there will always be one a/hole that has a more outlandish theory…….my fav was cow farts…..but now we have a new reason for people, especially the idiotic, to hate animals……

Man’s best friend could be one of the environment’s worst enemies, according to a new study which says the carbon pawprint of a pet dog is more than double that of a gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle.

The Vales, specialists in sustainable living at Victoria University of Wellington, analysed popular brands of pet food and calculated that a medium-sized dog eats around 164 kilos (360 pounds) of meat and 95 kilos of cereal a year.

Combine the land required to generate its food and a “medium” sized dog has an annual footprint of 0.84 hectares (2.07 acres) — around twice the 0.41 hectares required by a 4×4 driving 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) a year, including energy to build the car.

Cats have an eco-footprint of about 0.15 hectares, slightly less than driving a Volkswagen Golf for a year, while two hamsters equates to a plasma television and even the humble goldfish burns energy equivalent to two mobile telephones.

pets’ environmental impact is not limited to their carbon footprint, as cats and dogs devastate wildlife, spread disease and pollute waterways, the Vales say.

With a total 7.7 million cats in Britain, more than 188 million wild animals are hunted, killed and eaten by feline predators per year, or an average 25 birds, mammals and frogs per cat, according to figures in the New Scientist.

Likewise, dogs decrease biodiversity in areas they are walked, while their faeces cause high bacterial levels in rivers and streams, making the water unsafe to drink, starving waterways of oxygen and killing aquatic life.

And cat poo can be even more toxic than doggy doo — owners who flush their litter down the toilet ultimately infect sea otters and other animals with toxoplasma gondii, which causes a killer brain disease.

But despite the apocalyptic visions of domesticated animals’ environmental impact, solutions exist, including reducing pets’ protein-rich meat intake.

Okay, I have officially had enough!  What is next with these “people”….will we show how devastating babies are to the environment….with pampers and diapers and poop and………?  If one sets one’s mind to it….we could make a case for everything is killing the planet…..just depends where you want to stand in the debate….I put these “people” in the same category as PETA……see what happens when you do not eat enough red meat……..YOU BECOME A MORON!

An Ignored Idea

In keeping with the subject line of posts I will have another one onb alternatives….some good….some not so good…..but as I have been saying….it is time to FIX the damn problem and stop giving it lip service only……

There is a plentiful source of alternative energy that is being ignored……I know…Professor, do tell….do tell…..

It’s natural gas, the same fossil fuel that was in such short supply a decade ago that it was deemed unreliable. It’s now being uncovered at such a rapid pace that its price is near a seven-year low. Long used to heat half the nation’s homes, it’s becoming the fuel of choice when building new power plants. Someday, it may win wider acceptance as a replacement for gasoline in our cars and trucks.

Natural gas’ abundance and low price come as governments around the world debate how to curtail carbon dioxide and other pollution that contribute to global warming. The likely outcome is a tax on companies that spew excessive greenhouse gases. Utilities and other companies see natural gas as a way to lower emissions — and their costs. Yet politicians aren’t stumping for it.

about 27 percent of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power plants, which generate 44 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. Just under 25 percent of power comes from burning natural gas, more than double its share a decade ago but still with room to grow.But the fuel has to be plentiful and its price stable — and that has not always been the case with natural gas. In the 1990s, factories that wanted to burn gas instead of coal had to install equipment that did both because the gas supply was uncertain and wild price swings were common. In some states, because of feared shortages, homebuilders were told new gas hookups were banned.

This is truly a low emissions industry and it is a good alternative for the foreseeable future…… then why not push it tooth and nail?  Lobbyists are the main answer….too many power generating industries are paying good money to keep this off the agenda….

In the area I live there are many, many natural gas wells that have been drilled but capped…..why?….because the oil companies were looking for more oil, not natural gas….

I will be watching the next big Washington sideshow….the energy debate…..to see if alternatives are there or if the gas companies get the same deal insurance companies got in the health debate……

Artificial Trees?

I know it is the Christmas season but these are not the artificial trees that we buy and hang energy consuming lights from….these trees can be used to clean the CO2 from the air we breath……NO!  Really!

I recently had a discussion with a good friend, Quin of Quintessential Havoc (go to blogroll and visit…a very thoughtful blog) about these trees that could be made that would help eliminate the CO2 from the air……at first I thought he was pulling my leg…..but on further examination I found the rest of the story…….

I found this on the company that is pioneering the technology:

A new kind of tree could cool the planet by removing a major greenhouse gas from the planet’s atmosphere.

What researchers are calling artificial trees, actually towers filled with various materials that adsorb carbon dioxide from the air, could play a major role in reducing climate change — if they prove profitable.

GRT’s artificial tree is based on an environmentally friendly resin, originally developed by Klaus Lackner, a professor at Columbia University in New York. The alkaline resin reacts with acidic carbon dioxide, holding it in place. After one hour exposed to the air, the resin is completely saturated with CO2.

Dry resin soaks up the CO2. Adding water releases the CO2, which is then captured and stored. Drying the resin again restores its abilities, a cycle that can be repeated indefinitely.

GRT plans to sell the purified CO2 to a range of buyers. Oil and natural gas companies are probably the biggest customers for the artificial trees. Petroleum companies pump CO2 underground to raise the pressure and force oil to the surface. Greenhouses could pump in extra C02 to help plants grow. Fizzy soda drinks and sanding auto parts also require concentrated CO2.

Another use for the artificial trees would be in the cap-and-trade carbon credit system. The idea is that companies that produce CO2 would pay another company, like GRT, to get rid of it. The most likely place to put the C02 is in the salt-lined caverns that once held oil, a process known as carbon sequestration.

This is my apology to Quin for thinking he was blowing smoke up my butt…..

Quin I appreciate the heads up on this fascinating subject….