A lot of the scientific research conducted now examines how humans can help to reduce the rate of climate change, and many discoveries have been made that could help to achieve this. The best way to achieve this is through renewable energy generation, which is considered ‘clean’ as it produces no carbon. Fossil fuels will always produce CO2 when they are burnt; natural gas produces less CO2 than other fossil fuels, but research has shown even this source will produce more CO2 if it is transported through ‘dirty’ pipes.

Other ‘Greenhouse’ gases

The other two gases that are important are CO4 (methane) and N2O (nitrous oxide) would be more damaging for our atmosphere if they were released in greater volumes. CO4 and N2O are generated in much smaller volumes than CO2, but have the potential to have a much bigger impact on global warming. This means that smaller fluctuations in the volumes could have much more significant implications for climate change than changes to the CO2 levels.  There are many people that think that the continued use of fossil fuels is necessary for continued economic development, so could reductions in the levels of CO4 and N2O provide more realistic short-term targets?

Methane

Methane is a very common gas in nature, and can trap 20 times more heat than CO2 There are many activities that can release CO4, and Human-influenced sources include landfills, natural gas and petroleum systems, agricultural activities and coal mining. Human activities could account for more than 50% of the methane that is released into the atmosphere, so a reduction in the amounts of CO4 produced from these sources could have a significant impact on climate change. There are several approaches that could be taken to reduce the amounts of methane that are produced by agriculture, and the burning of fossil fuels is also a major source of CO4.

Nitrous Oxide

The amount of Nitrous oxide is very small, but it is about 310 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2. The main sources of nitrous oxide that come as a result of human activities include agricultural soil fertilizers that are high in nitrogen and animal manure fertilizers that are high in nitrogen, sewage treatment and nitric acid production. Nitrous oxide is also emitted naturally from a wide variety of biological sources. Levels of N2O in the atmosphere have almost doubled since the industrial revolution, as the burning of fossil fuels is also a major source of this gas.

Reducing CO4 and N2O

Although finding alternative methods of energy generation to fossil fuels is essential, international governments could meet more short-term emission targets for greenhouse gases by reducing the amounts of methane and nitrous oxide that are released by their countries.  These efforts are more likely to be successful with respect to methane, as the number of ways in which this gas is produced gives more opportunity for production to be mitigated. Ideally these efforts would coincide with a concerted effort to develop renewable energy generation, as the achievement of carbon neutrality will ultimately have the greatest impact on climate change.

Glaciers and polar ice are melting, ocean levels are rising, hot, dry weather, huge forest fires, water restrictions, crop failures…

You name it, if these don’t feature in your life yet, they soon will. Global warming and climate change are facts of life now, according to the International Panel on Climate Change, and many scientists.

Huge problems beyond our control!

But are you hot under the collar?

If you’re not, you probably live in a city where half of the Earth’s citizens live now and take much for granted. Because in city living we are far removed from natural processes that deliver our food, clothing and energy.

Does your child even know that milk comes from a cow – or a soya bean if you’re that way inclined – and not from a milk carton?

Even in the city you cannot stick your head in the sand (or under the asphalt?) and you are not immune from climate change. Witnesses are the 15,000 mostly elderly people that died in Paris alone in the sizzling hot European summer of 2003. Or the many killed in New Orleans at the ‘hands’ of cyclone Katrina.

And if you are hot under the collar, do you think perhaps that there will be some miraculous scientific break-through so they ever-responsible ‘They’ will fix the Earth? The ultimate stem cell technology maybe that can clone a new home for us!

Seriously, for many of us it is just all too hard.

All we want is to live a life where we may raise our children to have a future.

A future of some predictability: of schooling, a job, a family, community, of achievements and an enjoyable life – on a healthy planet Earth.

Is this a fading dream, once a reasonable expectation?

Maybe, maybe not.

Our world is changing. There are great challenges ahead and it is too late to stop global warming. The Earth has changed and the processes it uses to regulate itself are adjusting themselves. And these changes will not suit human life as it is.

But you are not powerless.

Each person alone can change the world, one by one. Let me explain.

Do I say that these problems are under our control then?

Well, yes and no.

We are talking about a severely disabled world really.

And from the experience of disability we can learn how to survive and thrive!

“Come on, get real”, you say? Do I hear: “Just show me the right alternate energy sources and we’ll get out of this mess.”

Yes, we desperately do need to switch to renewable energy sources that do not make a greenhouse out of our home, the Earth. But all the technology in the world will never be enough to survive  and flourish.

Renewable energy sources alone will not teach us to accept limits, unpredictability and what it is to lead a rewarding life.

How we have lived collectively, in our billions, for the last few hundred years, has got us to this point. And by changing what we do we can live through climate change as best as we might.

Even now.

It’s simple and it’s hard work. No way out of that.

Many people with severe disabilities know this. And they report the same or better life satisfaction as anyone else–under highly challenging, vulnerable circumstances.

So, we can learn to live well in a disabled world.

Regardless of what is to come you and I will be well served by the beliefs and strategies that people with disabilities use to – not just to survive – but to live well.

These are true alternate energy sources.

Those that guide us how to use what we have sustainably.

These ‘disabled people’ believe this:

* Accept that all of us are fragile and vulnerable

* The world is full of limits. We need some of these to live well

* Vulnerability and dependence are an inevitable part of a whole life

* No-one is independent, but interdependent

* Connection with others is our lifeline and our wellbeing

And they do this:

* Engage with others to build positive relationship, where you live, work and play

* Pay attention to other’s needs and that of the environment

* Take responsibility for the situation you’re in

* Care for others and the environment competently

* Be assertive and use your humour and creativity

Not all people with disabilities act in this way of course. And I’d be the last to portray people with disabilities as heroes. We’re just people – trying to get on.

You try that!

Talk to that elderly woman in your street. Offer a hand when someone needs it.

Doing such small things will connect you with others and your environment.

And do also use the ‘regular’ renewable alternate energy sources, and recycle too.

You can change your local world by acting in these ways.

And if all fails – regardless?

Well, it’s the only way to go!

Perhaps your world might be just as hot but it’ll be cooler under your collar!

Here’s their weak argument: First, “You don’t raise taxes in a recession.” Correct, but we’re not talking about raising taxes on 98% of us, which would be devastating. We’re talking about taxing the 2% of Americans who currently have over 90% of the disposable income in America – in savings accounts! What good is that? If all that “extra” dormant money were working to build a better economy we’d all win, and yes, the 2%-ers would eventually benefit from the stronger economy in huge ways!

Their second argument is that the 2% already pay more than the bottom 50% in taxes, so they’re already overtaxed. No! They’re NOT! See the above: They’ve got 90% of the money and available cash flow! Why not make them pay 90% of the country’s bills?

Another preposterous “reason” for the proposed insane budget slashing is to “Save our children from a future of overwhelming debt.” Completely wrong again! What they leave their children will be a run down, weakened nation, with crumbling roads and bridges, wildly polluting and inefficient sewage problems beneath their feet, a disastrously underfunded school system, a shrinking middle class verging on poverty, and little hope of living the comfortable life that their parents lived while watching it all crumble. THAT is what defunding America leaves the next generations. A mess!

So what if…? We tax a trillion bucks out of places it’s hiding, and use it all to employ millions of workers to begin the task of saving our children from the bleak future that seems so obvious at this point. What if we employ hundreds of thousands of Americans and start fixing the broken infrastructure rather than passing the problem to the kids? What if more hundreds of thousands of those 98% are given jobs strengthening our energy situation by adopting the Pickens Plan which takes steps toward a cleaner, more renewable, more energy-independent America?

Why isn’t anyone saying what the vast majority of us are thinking? If we tax the rich, and use that money to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, pursue cleaner renewable energy, and create a million jobs in doing so, America gains not only strength, but national pride. Imagine being proud of our country again!

Sadly not one politician has taken a strong stand to make any of this happen. Instead they cower behind their paychecks and watch America crumble. Maybe it’s because virtually every one of them – belong to the 2%?

Enjoy your lobster, Senator. Some day maybe you’ll understand what you’ve done to the greatest country on Earth. I hope you choke on it.

So if someone comes out with a renewable energy their product won’t see the light of day. (Many have come close but can’t get the funding or get railroaded by the government.) These corporations have too much financial interest vested in OIL to let it happen. The less oil on the planet the more they can charge. If we started to really try to educate children instead of making them focus on grades ( ei) a shorter book= less learning but makes it easier to get a higher grade) we would have independent thinkers. Not conformity which the government (aka corporations) needs to ensure they can run the country as it like. School would become less stressful and kids would retain their knowledge longer (studies have proved this). They would grow up to SEEK information and not readily ACCEPT what the MEDIA places in front of them.

Until we can vote corporation CEO’s I don’t believe in the democratic system put forth. We do not have a voice we have a pacifier. The government is a comment box at a terrible job; they pretend to listen to people’s concerns so we feel we have some say. In reality the Corporations are the Management of this terrible job and they’re GREEDY as sin. They disregard the comments and manipulate our business to further their gain. They know that if they DO try to work in OUR best interest they would LOSE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. They sit above the law which makes them the most dangerous and powerful group in the world.

We have our power too and it’s not voting. It’s being informed and staying informed. If we can get the majority of people truly informed  we can set something in motion where WE DO HAVE A VOICE. One day we will take back our government the way JFK had it run. He did not believe in letting private companies run our National bank. We could have a perfect form of government where we come together to decide what is right for us. More power should be given to City Officials (once we’ve clear as much corruption and capitalism as possible) but in turn these officials should know personally the people that live in their area and WHAT their opinions truly are. I personally have never met a government official in my city.

There is so much more to know. I am barely at the tip of the iceberg. I hope that everyone feels the responsibility to be informed. If not, this is the mentality I would like to set in motion. 

Tomorrow

By Jonathan Linhart

            When Al Gore gave his “Repower America” speech on July 17, 2008, at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitutional Hall in Washington, he painted a pretty grim picture of the status of America, and our environment.  But, more importantly, he shed light on the fact that we could change this, and even gave concrete step of how to do exactly that.  Now, almost two years later, Repower America has become much more than a speech that was given in some old hall in Washington, it has become a movement to transition America to clean, renewable energy, and in the process to revitalize our economy, strengthen our national security, and solve the climate crisis that affects our planet.

            The Repower America website (www.repoweramerica.org), lists these reasons why to transition to clean and renewable energy, and even gives us the steps to take in order to just that. Why do this?

·      To Revitalize our Economy.

Transitioning from fossil fuel to renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar, would add a net increase of 1.7 million American jobs.  At the same time strengthening our manufacturing sector that has been in decline for some years now.  These are jobs that could not be outsourced, and therefore would be given to Americans, growing our workforce and contributing to our GDP.  The average American family would also benefit for this transition in the way of lower energy cost.  The average American household could start seeing savings within just a few years, and these savings could reach an average of $900 per household per year by 2030.  This transition would also restore America’s economic leadership that we possessed for so long, and have now lost.

·      To Strengthen our National Security

The effect of this transition would be that we, as Americans, could stop sending hundreds of billions of dollars to the most unstable and dangerous regions of the world, thus protecting our National security from those that seek to harm us, and our way of life.  Transitioning to a clean energy economy would rely on renewable domestic sources that reduce this risk to almost nothing.

·      To Solve the Climate Crisis

Our climate has been changing rapidly, way more rapidly than scientist have even predicted.  Greenhouse gas emissions at an all time high have brought droughts, floods, extreme weather patterns; all due to global warming.  These impact our economy, and national security, as well, but also our way of life.  Fear of our planet is no way to live, and for our children’s sake this must be addressed.  Comprehensive clean energy policies help to solve the global climate crisis, and the transition from dirty fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas), to renewable sources (wind, and solar) would reduce those greenhouse gas emissions.  Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the number one cause of the global climate crisis, is not only good for environment, but also for our health.      

Great in theory, but HOW do we do all this you ask?  Simple.  By taking action: by signing the petitions that will force local, state, and the federal government to make these changes.  By getting the federal, and state government to set limits on greenhouse gas emissions.  By getting the federal government to set a Renewable electricity standard (RES) which mandates by law that a certain percentage of all electricity sold in the US has to come from renewable sources, such as wind and solar.  By giving tax incentives, grant programs, funding research and development programs, and help fund activities that would reduce or avoid carbon.

Mr. Gore put this challenge to America almost two years ago starting a movement that some, myself included, would call visionary.  These changes have no down side to them, a true rarity in the world we live in.  This is a transition that will benefit America, and the world as a whole.  It will benefit our environment, our economy, our peace of mind, and most importantly the next generations.  You can learn more about this or get involved in this movement at the Repower America website mentioned earlier.    

Image by ProgressOhio via Flickr

Geothermal schemes can be extremely expensive. Though prices may differ by location and brand, fixing this scheme in a house or building will almost cost greater than a conventional cooling and heating scheme. Familiarity is another problem. Similar to owning a luxury car, this scheme is unique. If some problems come in this system, repairing this is very expensive. A lot of people don’t know that some geothermal schemes really utilize fossil fuels. To use this system, a homeowner must have electrical energy to run the mechanisms or pumps which move heat from the land to the house. Expending 50 dollars each month to work your system approximately defeats the function.

In the end, this heating house heating system utilizes liquid to transport heat to the ground. Frequently, this liquid is a type of refrigerant than can be poisonous. Alternatively, systems utilizing water don’t have this trouble. On the whole, geothermal is really a portion of the answer to fossil fuel. However, supporters have to know that it’s not the ending all resolution. Actually this system is not totally eco-friendly since they utilized refrigerants and electricity also requires to be drained from the grating to control the pump.

Another means getting round this next point is to fix two solar panels in order to work the pump and create the scheme more superior for the surroundings. In addition to this, the preparation of this scheme is definitely pricey. A house that measure about 1500 square foot will cost more or less 25,000 dollars to provide with a proficient closed circle geothermal scheme for cooling and heating. The standard time taken to give itself of is about fifteen years and this goes downward to more or less ten years for new houses. On the other hand, the economics can be developed by a financial support from the electrical power company of 3000 dollar or so.

“Instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy sources, we need to invest in tomorrow’s. We need to invest in clean, renewable energy,” he said.

“Yes, we have to get rid of wasteful spending — and make no mistake, we’re going through every line of the budget scouring for savings. But we can do that without sacrificing our future,” he added.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in response to the president that the Obama administration over the past two years has “declared what can only be described as a war on American energy.”

“It’s canceled dozens of drilling leases, imposed a moratorium on drilling off the Gulf Coast and increased permit fees. It’s done just about everything it can to keep our own energy sector from growing,” McConnell said.

McConnell said more must be done to increase domestic oil production.

A free site for all and innovative, a trend highlighted by the media and a growing demand for energy savings by project leaders

in new and renovation. 

Energy Work is aimed at individuals and companies looking for efficient solution for heating … Solutions such as heat pumps, the air heater, geothermal, solar, or photovoltaic.

The entrepreneur who wants to improve the comfort of his office, passing by the farm operator that focuses on electricity production and ending with the individual who wants to reduce his heating bills, Energy Work on site is open to all.

Energy Work is also an information portal on various ecological processes as possible using the new energies such as solar, air, land or water to your heating, your hot water or your production electricity.Tax incentives in regional grants, special funding for renewable energy work, this site is a source of information.

This service provides a time saving project leader but also a choice between the various services offered.

These choices ecological require significant investment but a definite profit over the long term energy saving thus a final bill and lower purchasing power increasing more.

What can I say?

    Firstly I’ld like to tell you about how much waste we produce a day,the average Canadian wastes about 2.2 kilograms of garbage everyday!That’s a lot of garbage considering the Canadian population consists of 33,100,000 people multiply that by 2.2 and you get 72820000 kilograms of garbage if you think that’s not a lot then multiply 2.2 by the entire worlds population which is 6,869,900,000 by 2.2and you get 15113780000 kilograms of garbage!!!One way to reduce garbage is by recycling, it just recycling is do it lazy people!Another way is composting, but some of you might not be ale to compost.the last one is the easiest reuse, reusing is just a process of seeing if you can reuse an item then reuse it.

   Well moving on, we need to use renewable energy because its more beneficial than nonrenewable energy e.g oil, gas .etc. one way its has more benefits then oil is; it cant run out, it doesn’t cause pollution etc. we use a lot of energy and the worst part is that 80% of it is nonrenewable energy. We can help the environment by purchasing hybrid vehicles but I’m not suggesting buy them right NOW. We can also help by saving energy by doing simple things like turning off lights for an hour or when there not in use, taking shorter showers and saving water.

I hope you learned something from this article. 

Alos see my other articles:http://gameolosophy.com/games/online/runescape/runescape-easy-f2p-beginner-money/

 http://computersight.com/computers/dreamboard-cydia-app/

 http://quazen.com/shopping/consumer-electronics/how-to-jailbreak-iphone-4-2-1-firmware-using-greenpois0n-rc6/

Introduction

In an interview with The Weekly Standard, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) characterized his personal concern over the state of energy policy – or the lack thereof – in the United States, stating: “What we’ve had for 30 years which is basically a nuanced version of where everybody gets together and sing Kumbaya and save the environment while we try to avoid $5 a gallon gas. But the problem is that we’ve run out of options” (quoted in Hemingway, 2011).  Now, with rising tensions in the Middle East, combined with a resurgent economy, causing oil prices to surge upward once again, there is renewed attention on how to curtail our dependence on traditional sources of energy and create a more self-sufficient energy policy in the U.S.

Image via Wikipedia

A Roadmap for America’s Energy Future

In response, Rep. Nunes has proposed what he terms “A Roadmap for America’s Energy Future.” It is comprised of four main components, all of which are aimed at increasing domestic energy production in the U.S. and lessening our nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Among the provisions in Rep. Nunes’ plan is to increase both fossil fuel production (by opening up the ANWR – Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – as well as areas in the Rocky Mountain states and Outer Continental Shelf to oil and gas production) and green energy production (by licensing up to 200 new nuclear power plants by 2030).  

The uniqueness of Rep. Nunes’ model is that, for the first time from a public policy perspective, there would be a linkage between incentives to develop more  renewable, alternative energy solutions to greater production of traditional energy sources. Specifically, the roadmap creates a Renewable Energy Trust Fund, which would be funded through royalties that the federal government receives on oil and gas production leases. In turn, these funds – generated by the extraction of fossil fuels from public lands and waters – would help fund the green energy revolution. In the passage below from the summary of his roadmap, Rep. Nunes describes how the Renewable Energy Trust Fund would work.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Renewable Energy Reverse Auction

It is important that the free market determine our energy future.  However, the American public has made it clear they want to transition our nation to alternative energy. Unfortunately, these technologies have not matured to the point where they can be self-sufficient in a free market.

While renewable energy will most certainly need some sort of taxpayer assistance for the foreseeable future, the Energy Roadmap approaches such federal assistance based on market principles rather than the current random nature of federal support.  The Energy Roadmap does not pick winners and losers; it bases federal support on free market principles using funds that were deposited in the American-Made Energy Trust Fund. The Energy Roadmap sets up a reverse auction for renewable energy in which projects will bid for federal assistance on a per megawatt basis.  The lowest bid wins – irrespective of the technology.  Auction winners would enter into a contract with the federal government to generate a specified amount of renewable energy and do so in a specified time frame.  The auction winners would also forgo existing federal tax credits to receive funding from the action.  They would further have to provide a deposit to the federal government to ensure the winners will follow through with the contracted amount of energy.  If they fail to fulfill the contract, the federal government will retain the deposit.

Source:  Nunes (2011, n.p.).

______________________________________________________________________________________

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Analysis

While there can be no doubt that the road to passage in Congress will be bumpy for Rep. Nunes’ plan, “A Roadmap for America’s Energy Future,” his plan is uniquely structured to address both our nation’s near-term need for greater domestic oil and gas production (thus lessening our dependence on foreign oil and the military and economic vulnerability we face because of it) and our longer-term need to develop alternative energy on a larger scale.  From an economic perspective, there would be significant incentives under the Nunes’ roadmap to develop green energy sources in the most cost-effective manner possible. This is because under the Nunes’ plan, funds would be allocated to the alternative energy projects that generated the most kilowatt hours of electricity at the lowest costs, regardless of the type of energy production involved (i.e. wind, solar, hydroelectric, etc.). Thus, the free market principles built into this plan mean that clean energy companies would be motivated to develop energy production sources that generate the most “bang for the buck,” while knowing that the government subsidization of the program would allow for their private sector-developed alternative energy solutions to reach the market and scale far-faster than without the help of the public sector. Through such an effort, the nascent clean energy industry in the U.S. could make great strides, all while using taxpayer monies in the most efficient manner possible.

Image via Wikipedia

References

Hemingway, Mark (2011, March 2). The Roadmap for America’s Energy Future: Can Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., provide America with a much-needed comprehensive energy policy? The Weekly Standard. Available at http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/roadmap-Americas-energy-future_552750.html.

Nunes, Devin (2011, March). A Roadmap for America’s Energy Future, Available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/49803471/Summary-of-the-Energy-Roadmap.

Biography

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of works he has helped his students to turn into editorially-reviewed publications at the following sites:

• Management Concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• Book Reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• Travel and International Foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).