tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post5584099005464259539..comments2013-03-18T19:07:34.140-04:00Comments on Bent Mountain Virginia: Let's Have a Serious DiscussionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13424919953307497780noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-31108438462507795412012-04-05T19:26:12.345-04:002012-04-05T19:26:12.345-04:00And thanks to you again Mike for entering in the d...And thanks to you again Mike for entering in the discussion.<br />Hopefully, more folks will become attracted to a civil discussion of ideas instead typical politically based demogoguery.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424919953307497780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-13017837963341799632012-04-05T19:10:09.232-04:002012-04-05T19:10:09.232-04:00Still here. Still have to do it sometimes. Questio...Still here. Still have to do it sometimes. Question of balance, you know.<br />I have been giving thought to your last queries, however. I did view all of the links you suggested. I'm a fan of TED and particularly TED ed.<br />I have no doubt that man has contributed to the climate change we seem to be experiencing.<br />Although, as rather unique ego-centric beings, we seem to gravitate toward the thinking that we are capable of omnipotent influence on our universe. Yet, I have absolutely no idea of the magnitude of impact we actually are imposing upon our own environment. I can observe that our rapidly growing population seems to be causing dramatic changes in our landscape and is accelerating our consumption of natural resources.<br />As Americans, we are the most voracious of all people on the planet in terms of the rate of consumption of our natural resources, while declining in productivity in terms of our resource replenishment. As the "most technologically advanced" of our species, it seems that it should be easy for us to embrace more frugality in our consumption.<br />QUESTION OF BALANCE.<br />I don't believe that focusing upon our CO2 emmissions should be a dominating focus of our strategy to achieve a necessary balance. Flora over our entire planet absorb and thrive on CO2 and replenish oxygen in our atmosphere.<br />Deforestation may well be equally as devastating (or possibly more)to the natural balance of our atmosphere as carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. I believe that our "single-minded" focus on our form of electrical energy production leads to but a small fraction of our necessary response to climate change.<br />I say, FIRST, let's get frugal with our consumption. let's curtail our demand before we start destroying more natural resources to feed our pipe dreams of "free energy."<br />A year or more ago, I was suprised by a local past president of the Sierra Club bragging about his installation of night lights (120v, no less) along his driveway. I had some 12v lights installed in garden areas around my home that I enjoyed turning on by day-night timer. I turned them off 18 months ago and have only used them once or twice since.<br />Gotta go fix supper now, but I look forward to coming back and continuing tomorrow.<br />Thanks for feeding the discussion. We MUST continue. I'm pleased to say we are getting a bunch of page views.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13424919953307497780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-72532086308323538582012-04-05T18:30:02.254-04:002012-04-05T18:30:02.254-04:00Sorry Steve,
I've been trying to get some proj...Sorry Steve,<br />I've been trying to get some projects out the door. I appreciate your willingness for a discussion.<br />I will continue but it will have to be tomorrow.<br />Thanks again,<br />MikeMike Millsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-67217234611895212242012-04-05T15:46:07.771-04:002012-04-05T15:46:07.771-04:00What happened to the discussionWhat happened to the discussionSteve Sundermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17823962535951317735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-66577092683173017752012-04-05T07:59:50.772-04:002012-04-05T07:59:50.772-04:00I have posted a few comments and questions.I have posted a few comments and questions.Steve Sundermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17823962535951317735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-24995041180052574272012-04-05T00:28:44.650-04:002012-04-05T00:28:44.650-04:00What if James Hansen is right and there IS man-mad...What if James Hansen is right and there IS man-made climate change? What is the worst that can happen if we do nothing? What is the worst that can happen if we try to do something to minimize it?<br /><br />What if there is NO man-made climate change? What is the worst that can happen if we do nothing? What is the worst that can happen if we try to do something to minimize it (non-existent climate change that is)?Steve Sundermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17823962535951317735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-68735622327440742902012-04-03T22:30:59.265-04:002012-04-03T22:30:59.265-04:00PS:
James Hansen: Why I must speak out about clim...PS:<br /><br />James Hansen: Why I must speak out about climate change<br /><br />http://www.ted.com/talks/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change.htmlSteve Sundermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17823962535951317735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-60261569796374004032012-04-03T20:38:42.592-04:002012-04-03T20:38:42.592-04:00You may be interested in the below TED video that ...You may be interested in the below TED video that shows recent efforts to advance Tesla's wireless power transmission theories.<br /><br />http://blog.ted.com/2009/07/23/eric_giler_at_t/ <br /><br />I understand your position and I do not wish to try to dispute information that I have not researched or vetted. There are always going to be different perspectives on almost any issue and I think that that is good because it hopefully causes people to think a bit deeper about a subject.<br /><br />Obviously, I am not a scientist and I well understand that there are sharp divisions among people on cause and effect of climate change. I have not sought information to necessarily disprove climate change, but I have seen a lot of evidence and reports that it is happening. I'm a glass half full kind of guy! Yes there are climatic cycles, but like the stock market the trend has been steadily upward over time. Based on so much evidence and scientific studies I tend to believe that CO2 emissions are a major global warming piece of the puzzle. I personally cannot say without a doubt that it is the sole cause or even the most significant cause because I do not know for absolutely sure. I leave that to smarter people than me.<br /><br />I think we can all agree that CO2 is, in fact, a greenhouse gas - correct? I think we can also agree that we (especially the industrialized countries) emit a tremendous amount of CO2. Americans represent about 5% of the world population yet consume 25% of the annual resources (coincidentally those same figures apply to American incarceration rates because of our unsuccessful "war on drugs") so just imagine what is going to happen as the non-industrialized nations continue to grow and seek our life style (as they are now doing). The planet may not be able to sustain it so we can certainly count on much higher costs and reduced standard of living as a result. "The race is on and here comes pride down the back stretch."<br /><br />In very simplistic terms (and yes I know that climate is an extremely complex topic) it seems to me that since our emissions are not "natural" we are likely interfering with the natural process. The debate for some rages on, but even if our CO2 emissions are not a major problem, does it not just make sense to try to do better? Less fossil fuel combustion means less pollution, less greenhouse gas, less dependence on foreign suppliers, etc. It costs much less to conserve energy than it does to create energy.<br /><br />I heard that in China a woman is giving birth to over 200 babies per hour. What we gotta do is find this woman & stop her. :)<br /><br />I have been involved in energy conservation since the mid 70's because I wanted to save money, reduce pollution, conserve energy, avoid foreign imports and make better and smarter buildings - period.<br /><br />At the end of the day I fear that it is too late to reverse climate change, at least in the foreseeable future. The best we can do is minimize its effects and learn how to deal with it best we can. My hope is that some genius will come up with a wonderful solution, like fusion, that will be a game changer. If the storage batteries thing works then wind and solar will be a viable and very effective alternative.<br /><br />I am not concerned about saving the earth. It will take care of itself as it has for a very long time. I am concerned about people & animals and their well being.<br /><br />I am confident that I cannot change your mind with debate just as I know that you cannot change mine, so I only hope that we can all accept that we have differences of opinion but that we can find common ground to be better citizens and help each other as best we can because it is pretty tough going these days.<br /><br />Whew! There I did it! Time for a beer!!!Steve Sundermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17823962535951317735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4245322394206409324.post-59619187197026879802012-04-03T16:14:36.538-04:002012-04-03T16:14:36.538-04:00Kudos to you Steve for stating that you are not as...Kudos to you Steve for stating that you are not as well versed on the details of renewable energy. As you said its a principle, but not thankfully a blind belief.<br />I too agree with incentives for alternative(any) ideas that can help our world be a better place. The issue I have with wind energy is best said by these <br />http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2012/02/06/why-wind-power-doesnt-work-2/<br /><br />or this excerpt from Matt Ridley at the Global Warming Policy Foundation:<br />To the nearest whole number the percentage of the world's energy that comes from wind today is:zero. Despite the regressive subsidy(pushing pensioners into feul poverty while improving the wine cellars of grand estates),despite tearing rural communities apart, killing jobs, despoiling views, erecting pylons, felling forests, killing bats and eagles, causing industrial accidents, clogging motorways, polluting lakes in inner Mongolia with the toxic and radioactive tailings from refining neodymium, a ton of which is in the average turbine- despite all of this, the total energy generation each day by wind has yet to reach half a percent worldwide. If wind was going to work, it would have done so by now. -End-<br />The wind industry has been subsidized for twenty years now by taxpayer money, both here and abroad.There are literally hundreds of thousands of giant turbines worldwide.And as the author said, they can't eek out a half percent of production. The wind industry to me has ridden the wave of "climate change", heck they may have helped coin the term itself. But what is clear, is this about money and not saving the planet.<br />Interesting as a side note; if you are against wind energy you are a NIMBY who is afraid of change. Well, the whole premise of "climate change" plays on the people's adversity to change, and so they give us a "solution" to that change. Certainly a slick marketing tool.<br />As Eldon stated, it is the Sun which predominately controls our weather and climate.<br />There are other(minor) factors, but the branding of "climate change" to create such things as the carbon exchange, fees for carbon expulsion, etc. is absolutely ludicrous. <br />What really burns me is that Nikola Tesla proved in the early 1900's that we could have power without wires that was "free' due to the Earth's magnetic poles. Where are the people talking, demanding that this be put into place????<br />Again, its all about the money,control,etc.<br />What a shame.Mike Millsnoreply@blogger.com