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DrumBeat: March 6, 2007
Posted by Leanan on March 6, 2007 - 9:45am
Topic: Miscellaneous
Can militaries the world over go green? Yes, in facilities and buildings. And No, not in platforms (war machines). Instead of wishful thinking we should face the bitter realities.
This sounds like something Homer-Dixon would say: Food sector vulnerable to emergencies, says study
Being lean and mean in the food and drink manufacturing sector might pay off in terms of profits, but the practice has left the supply chain vulnerable to a crisis, according to a UK government report.The government-commissioned report concludes that the drive for efficiency and the just-in-time philosophy used by the industry has progressively reduced stock levels throughout the supply chain -- with the resulting damage to its resilience when an emergency occurs.
The Philippines: Another energy crisis?
Fifteen years ago, the country reeled from the consequences of neglecting the power sector. People in Metro Manila and much of the rest of Luzon didn’t know what hit them: one day the lights went out, and stayed out for up to 12 hours every day. Household appliances broke down, water could not be pumped for distribution, and office workers sweltered in buildings designed for air-conditioning. Investors who endured the discomfort both in their workplace and at home couldn’t wait too long for the crisis to end; many fled the country, taking their money with them.
China about to pass U.S. as world's top generator of greenhouse gases
Far more than previously acknowledged, the battle against global warming will be won or lost in China, even more so than in the West, new data show.A report released last week by Beijing authorities indicated that as its economy continues to expand at a red-hot pace, China is highly likely to overtake the United States this year or in 2008 as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
Russian Court Sentences Former Yukos Execs to Prison Sentences
A Moscow court on Monday sentenced two former executives of one-time Russian oil major Yukos to prison for embezzlement and money laundering, Russian news agencies reported.
Kurt Cobb: A question of scale
So it follows that the way back to sustainability is to break the stranglehold of the globalized economy on our local economies. Herein lies the problem of scale for organizations seeking to act as midwives in this process. In the United States and probably many other countries serious regulatory and legal obstacles can get in the way of any relocalization project. State and federal rules may frustrate and even prevent wise sustainability practices and rules.
Chávez's oil largesse winning fans abroad
London is the latest city to get a fuel deal as part of the Venezuelan leader's '21st century socialism.'
Expert calls for tapping solar energy
Qatar, which gets abundant sunshine, should tap solar energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels, noted environmentalist and a world leader in sustainable ecology Dr David Suzuki has suggested.
Analysis: Nile Basin energy future
Plans to coordinate the energy resources of the Nile River basin countries are attracting international support, but some critics argue the plan's reliance on large dams and electricity grids are inefficient and will distract from more effective energy alternatives.
Venture capitalists explore replacing crude oil with algae
The idea of replacing crude oil with algae may seem like a harebrained way to clean up the planet and bolster national security.But Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones and her husband, David Jones, are betting their careers and personal fortunes on the prospect that they can raise the slimy plant and utilize its natural photosynthesis process to produce a plentiful supply of biofuel.
Energy: The new Democrat-led Congress can, with a few bold strokes, help win the war on terror while slashing America's dependence on foreign energy. Will it have the vision and courage to do so?
Japan finds 40 trillion cubic feet of gas hydrate reserves
Japan's government said an offshore field in the Pacific Ocean holds an estimated 40 trillion cubic feet of frozen natural gas, equivalent to the country's gas demand for about 14 years.
Greenhouse gas credit-trading beckons investors
The United States might have turned its back on the Kyoto Protocol but U.S. investors have not, tapping the roughly $25 billion in carbon emissions trading that's a direct result of the global environmental agreement.
GCC pushes for atomic programme
Saudi Arabia said yesterday Iran’s nuclear programme was an extra burden for the Middle East, but Gulf Arab allies had the right to their own atomic ambitions.
Asian pollution affects Pacific storms
Pollution from Asia is helping generate stronger storms over the North Pacific, according to new research. Changes in the North Pacific storm track could have an impact on weather across the Northern Hemisphere. Satellite measurements have shown an increase in tiny particles generated from coal burning in China and India in recent decades, researchers report in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
GM targets 2010 production for electric car
Lutz said the major uncertainty facing the Chevrolet Volt, a concept vehicle GM unveiled in January, was whether lithium-ion batteries can be developed to power it economically and safely.
Challenges, Threats, and Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture, Part I
In summary, as agricultural modernization progressed, political and economic forces allowed the agricultural structure to become dominated by large corporations who took advantage of existing policies that favored large farm size, specialized production, crop monocultures, mechanization and agrochemical dependency. The result has been the setting in motion of a process of economic devastation with grave consequences for the nation’s family farmers and rural communities. The current dominant system does not provide farmers with an adequate income, does not ensure regional self-reliance, promotes production methods that do not meet key environmental and animal welfare standards, does not produce healthy food, and does not lead towards the renewal of rural communities. This affects the poor in the rest of the world, as the excess US production results in the subsidized dumping of surpluses in developing countries, with disastrous results for the livelihoods of poor farmers in the South.
U.S. Inflation Rate: Time to Sack Some Bankers and Govt. Officials
If you are tired of my constant, irritating harangue to buy oil stocks, in one way or another, based solely on my Stupid Mogambo Say So (SMSS), then I proudly present John Loeffler, appearing with James J. Puplava on the Financial Sense Newshour, who buttresses the “Peak Oil” case by saying that, when looking at oil production, “If we look at the number of countries that have peaked versus remaining, so far 64 countries have peaked in oil production; 36 remain.”
Russia ready to expand ties with Chile, build nuclear plants
Chile, which meets 90% of its demand for natural gas with imports from Argentina and is facing an energy crisis, is considering the possibility of building nuclear power plants.
The New Great Game: Opportunities for Trans-Atlantic Cooperation in the Caspian Region
Natural resources in the Caspian region are vital to the European Union's future energy policy. Though the United States has been focusing on the region since the 1990s, European decision-makers have largely neglected its strategic importance.
Korean Air-led group in oil deal
Korean Air Lines, the country's largest carrier, and its affiliates have agreed to buy 28.4 percent of oil refiner S-Oil for 2.4 trillion won (HK$19.92 billion) to secure a stable supply of jet fuel.
UK plans to cut CO2 doomed to fail - scientists
An independent scientific audit of the UK's climate change policies predicts that the government will fall well below its target of a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 - which means that the country will not reach its 2020 milestone until 2050.
Industry closes anti-coal website
The website's hosts were forced to remove it within 24 hours of its launch, after the Minerals Council issued a notice under the Copyright Regulations 1969 complaining the content and layout infringed copyright.Rising Tide remade the website, using its own photographs and layout. However, the council lodged a second complaint.
"They are trying to silence us," said a Rising Tide member, Steve Phillips.
The anti-Crichton: Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson is [ticked] about what humans have done to the world, and he's not mincing words. But he also believes deeply in our capacity for change and rebirth. He thinks we can do better.
How to change the world in 10 easy steps
So I offer 10 strategies for how to win the peak oil and climate change PR battle and change our society and the world. This is not something I can do by myself - so some of you had better get to work on this stuff. I will point out that I have ethical issues with lying here, so that somewhat limits the possibilities for me, but not all that much. I recommend against lying, because it can come back to haunt you. Besides, we're unlikely to be better at it than Karl Rove. Better we spend our time making him, and the rest of the voices look stupid. That's not so hard.
Apples shipped from New Zealand. Pears grown in Chile. Spinach picked in Mexico. A stroll through your local grocer’s produce section is like attending a United Nations meeting. But time is running out for this model of oil-based agriculture, Colorado farmer David Lynch said.“Every bean, every carrot travels an average of 1,000 miles to get to your grocery store,” Lynch said. “We have created this industrial food system that hinges on cheap oil, and cheap oil is a thing of the past.”
Jeff Vail: Why the Free Market Fails Consumers in Sustainable Energy Innovation
The free market will ignore solutions that can’t turn a profit. Any firm that fails to follow this simple maxim won’t be in business for long. The corollary to this maxim is that the free market will ignore any solution that cannot be controlled, either through property interests (enforceable intellectual property, monopoly licenses, etc.) or because economies of scale demand centralized operation. This means that free market innovation is structurally incompatible with a huge portion of the universe of possible energy solutions.
Iraq Oil Law Details Untouched Fields, Blocks - Document
Iraq's draft hydrocarbon law, the centerpiece in the development of the country's shaky oil industry, details dozens of untouched oil fields loaded with proven reserves and scores of exploration blocks that may prove a magnet to international oil companies, according to a document seen by Dow Jones Newswires.
Imperial poised to reveal huge oil reserves in Russia
One of the biggest oil explorers on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) is poised to disclose that it is sitting on reserves of more than three billion barrels in Russia, The Times has learnt.
Canadian Oil Sands Nuclear Plant Seen for 2016
The first in a series of nuclear power plants planned for the oil-rich tar sands of Western Canada should be operating by 2016, the head of the project said Thursday.
The plan, officials say, is to build on reforms and leverage the state's competitive advantages - targeting energy-intensive industries, such as aluminium, steel and plastics, and utilising its location on the Red Sea.
Venezuela makes deals on oil projects
Several major oil companies reached agreements Monday with the leftist government of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela over his plan to nationalize multibillion dollar projects in the Orinoco belt.
East Africa: Uganda Oil Can Feed EA Region
"Uganda is very poor. As I flew to this area I noticed that everywhere there are grass thatched houses. I ask Heritage company to speed up to ensure that we also ran faster and assist our people out of poverty."
The Political Economy of Alternative Energy
Al Gore is trying to say that by investing in alternative forms of energy, he is "offsetting" the heavy use of conventional electricity for his home. This is like saying that eating salad entitles a dieter to enjoy cake for dessert.
Citizens and business split on future EU energy supply
While Europe's citizens feel that the way to tackle climate change and energy security is to increase the share of renewable energy, business says that the future is nuclear.
Indonesia's biofuel drive not fully thought through
The current craze for the breakneck development of biofuels ignores the fact that biofuels by themselves cannot fully replace fossil fuels, such as gasoline and diesel, but always have to be used as a blend (e.g. ethanol blended with gasoline or "gasohol", or palm oil blended with diesel), and that to the extent edible products like palm oil are diverted for use as fuel, their price for human consumption may go up with corresponding adverse economic effects. What is burned as a source of energy is not as important as how efficiently it is burned since any waste heat added to the atmospheric gases is as bad as the greenhouse gases themselves.
Economy worries may slow gas price rise
U.S. consumers will pay more for gasoline in the weeks ahead as fuel demand picks up going into the spring driving season, but a slowing economy may keep pump prices from rising as much as normal, energy experts said on Monday.
Smart car weakness drags down Mercedes-Benz
Sales of the Mercedes brand alone were up 2.6 percent at 78,000 units, while Smart sales slumped by 48.1 percent to 4,000 units, largely as a result of the imminent model changeover, the car maker explained.
Swiss resorts ponder snow decline
Some of Switzerland's most famous ski resorts have published a report looking at the consequences of global warming on their winter tourist business.
WITH PRESIDENT BUSH finally acknowledging climate change but still opposing mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions, environmentalists have to content themselves with limited victories in the effort to curb global warming. There were two such signs of progress recently.
Iran Still Enriching Uranium...and Looking for Higher Oil Prices
Iran's economy is set to collapse under the weight of its energy situation. Despite holding the third-largest global oil reserves, Iran's rising consumer appetite is driving its energy exports down.
Al-Qaeda Claims Deadly Attack on Russians in Algeria
Al-Qaeda's branch in North Africa claimed responsibility for a attack on Russian gas workers in Algeria, in an internet message, saying it was to avenge Russia's actions in Chechnya.
Latest EIA Data:
Ethanol production Thousands Brl’s/d and Thousands Brl’s/month
2005
Jan 241 7,471
Feb 245 6,860
Mar 243 7,533
Apr 238 7,140
May 237 7,347
Jun 249 7,470
Jul 258 7,998
Aug 260 8,060
Sep 261 7,830
Oct 269 8,339
Nov 275 8,250
Dec 280 8,680
2005 255 92,978 thousands of Brl’s/A
3.905 Billion Gal’s
2006
Jan 288 8,928
Feb 302 8,456
Mar 301 9,338
Apr 289 8,656
May 293 9,093
Jun 318 9,532
July 316 9,804
Aug 329 10,185
Sep 333 9,992
Oct 333 10,308
Nov 343 10,279
Dec 356 11,023
2006 317 115,604 thousands of Brl’s/A
4.855 Billion Gal’s
356*365*42=5.457 Billion gallons
Another 25% increase this year is 6.785 Billion gallons for 07
Or 2.6 billion bu’s of corn About 25 % of the crop.
US-Iran: Raid on nuclear fuel market http://www.courtfool.info/en_Raid%20on%20Nuclear%20Fuel%20Market.htm
This may have been discussed here before, in which case I missed it. In any case, I think the article is very interesting indeed.
Is the the beginning of a Nuke Cartel? Radioactive OPEC?
Interesting.
It is interesting how demure little Canada never gets mentioned. We are such a quiet, friendly corner of the world.
Canada will be out competing for reactor sales on the world market, just as Westinghouse will be competing to sell reactors to Canada.
An ex-Iron Curtain nuclear engineer once told me that our CANDU plants are of a terrible design - no different than what was used in Chernobyl.
If he was a nuclear engineer, Chernobyl was no surprise.
CANDU's are good designs that are stable, with full containment domes. They have negative void coefficients, excellent neutron economy, and can be run on natural uranium fuel.
The old RBMK however had a positive void coefficient. The advantage of the RBMK was you didn't have to do any isotope separation to run on natural uranium fuel, but it was unstable. In addition, it was an excercise in everything to do wrong when constructing a reactor. No containment vessel, scram rods that make the core explode, graphite tips on the control rods that increase the reactivity when they're first inserted into the core untill the neutron poison is all the way in. It could only be marginally worse designed if they mandated sticking a giant tank of nerve gas on the roof.
LOL
Yes and the shear number of Uranium Companies trading on the Toronto exchange as well as large Canadian uranium deposits will position Canada nicely.
Russian journalist who died in fall reportedly probed weapons deals
Sounds like the cold war all over again. Can't say I'm suprised with Putin's tone over the past few months. His soul ain't looking so good anymore.
re: Journalists disappearing, getting shot at, etc.
http://www.cpj.org/
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/05/1515205
Iraqi Newspaper Editor Found Dead
The body of an Iraqi journalist who disappeared last week has been found in the Amal district of Baghdad. Jamal al-Zubaidi was the managing editor of Baghdad's al-Safir newspaper.
Russian Critic Shot In Maryland Days After Appearing on NBC
Meanwhile here in this country, an outspoken critic of the Kremlin named Paul Joyal was shot and injured Thursday outside his home in Maryland. The shooting occurred four days after Joyal appeared on Dateline NBC and accused Russian agents of being involved in the radiation poisoning of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. On the program Joyal said a ""message has been communicated to anyone who wants to speak out against the Kremlin: "If you do, no matter who you are, where you are, we will find you and we will silence you in the most horrible way possible."" Another person who appeared on the same Dateline NBC program, the journalist Daniel McGrory of The Times of London, died in London two weeks ago. At the time, MSNBC reported that the cause of death was a heart attack.
More on Joyal: Paul M. Joyal is a Vice President at National Strategies, Inc. and directs the Law Enforcement and Public Safety division of the company.
http://www.nationalstrategiesinc.com/team.htm#pj
http://www.inthenationalinterest.com/Articles/Vol1Issue8/Vol1Issue8Joyal...
More at link above.
A link to an attack on Al Gore's energy usage? Jeesh. I suppose it is just to generate comments. Let's move beyond that. Somehow, I think we burn through more energy and emit moe carbon on one routine patrol in Baghdad, or on one Bush fundraising trip on Air Force One, than Gore has for the past six years.
Ole: It is funny how the MSM never bothers to report on the energy requirements of that big white mansion Chimpy resides in.
Most of this whole discussion below misses the point of the linked article... it's not about Gore.
It's about carbon credits and emissions trading, and the deep problem with the idea that, at this late stage in the climate change game, it's OK for ANYONE to go on emitting carbon into the atmosphere based on (1) the idea that they will pay someone else to build additional capacity somewhere else that will emit at a lower rate, or (2) the idea that you should be able to buy a credit to keep on emitting at a high rate to force someone else to emit at a lower rate.
The fraud lies at the level of the proposed fix. Gore's only culpability exists to the extent that he or any of his allies promote the idea that carbon credits and emissions trading and similar fraud schemes are doing any good.
He's not alone in that delusion.
But what should the one man who has done more to change US awareness of climate change than any other have done? Had he not emitted untold tons of carbon traveling around spreading the word, he might not have succeeded in getting the message out. The problem is that EVERYONE thinks he or she has a good reason for that next airplane flight. Most of us probably don't have as good a reason as Al Gore did.
And he doesn't have any more justification for his energy hog house than the next person.... or President.
The problem with Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth flick is how it ends... in a call to take small personal half measures... buy a hybrid, whatever. It was ridiculous. A classic delusional American message, to the effect of "The planet is almost dead! Shop wisely!" It almost reminds me of what King George said when after the terrorist attacks.... "Don't do anything differently... go shopping!"
No Al, and no George, we've got to move a lot faster than that. Shopping won't save us this time.
We need a large and increasing carbon tax that begins to move every incentive in every corner of the global economy away from carbon emissions. It's going to hurt, but atmospheric CO2 emissions are going to hurt a lot worse pretty soon.
Yeah the ending was dumb. I saw the movie at pre-release screening with Dem politicos, environmentalists , and media types in attendance. At bar afterwards (where else do politicos hang) the one thing all agreed on, even those who had been personal friends of the Gore family many years, the ending was dumb.
I think Gore's energy usage is completely legitimate issue. It brings up the question of off-sets, which are bullshit, carbon trading and all the rest.
America must cut our energy consumption period. If your traveling around the world claiming climate change is going to be a historical disaster and we have ten years, and then you've done nothing to cut your personal energy use, I think it's completely legitimate to shine a light on, using an efficient bulb hooked to pv of course.
Right, in order to have any credibility Gore should move into a one room shack with a wood stove.
Christ, some people will seize on any issue in an attempt to smear Gore. Get a life!
Ron Patterson
Abraham Lincoln has a lot of credibility -- maybe because he lived in a one-room cabin with no electricity and learned his alphabet by writing on a fire shovel?
Ron: Good one. Then if he actually did this, the MSM would say "Don't listen to this guy, he's a "wierdo".
If you're worried about what the corporate media is going to do with you, then you're a fool to be talking about these issues. If you think your going to co-opt the corporate media by talking out of both-sides of your mouth, you're even a bigger fool.
Gee did i say that? How about offering some personal leadership to a country that's going to have change its lifestyle in order to do anything about both climate change and peak oil. Walk the walk, and if you don't it's legititmate criticism. Let's see Al lead now, I'd like really like to see it.
It all comes back to ELP. Conservation has to start AT HOME first. Standing on the soapbox and screaming to the masses while you consume prolifically IS hypocritical. "Do what I say, not as I do" is a crappy argument.
And this whole idea that because Al Gore is a former VP and has to entertain people to a certain standard is crap too. If he's got the money to buy a big estate, he's got the money to make it green.
You people are so damn disconnected from reality. Ted Turner has also came out and said we need something like the effort Roosevelt gave to win WWII if we are to have any effect on global warming.
Does that make Turner a hypocrite because he has the audacity to warn us about global warming while being rich? If we looked at Turner’s electric bill and found it a bit excessive, should disqualify him from saying anything about global warming? Should we turn to him and say na-nana-na-na, while giving him a raspberry?
If you have a problem with the people who are trying to warn us about global warming you should find some other dirt to smear around, their electric bill is a non issue.
As I said before, get a life!
Ron Patterson
Yes, we're going to have an effort like Roosevelt's save us, when all the corporations empowered by fossil fuels control DC, and our democratic system in pieces, all we have to do is elect Al Gore! Don't worry about your SUV, your air conditioning your hundred inch television screen. DC is going to save us!
Excuse me if some of us in fantasyland don't find that too realistic and simply mentioning the former VP might have to now start broaching the real changes necessary to do anything about the problem and that is in fact exponentially more difficult than acknowledging them, is unjustified attack.
So because Ted Turner is rich he doesn't have to participate in the massive effort he's calling for?
Because he's rich he gets a free pass on the amount of carbon he spews?
WTF?!?!?
Would it be ok if Al Gore spoke out against animal furs while wearing a Mink coat? You can't preach what don't embody.
Garth
We're apes. All apes do is talk.
If we were ducks, we'd be shitting in the water to solve our problems because that's what we ducks do, constantly shitting in the water and constantly congratulating ourselves about how much we shit in the water.
No one is going to do anything for anyone else. You have to do it for yourself. It has nothing to do with "virtue" but survival.
I care not one wit for Gore.
As I said before, you are totally disconnected from reality. Can people raise the alarm about peak oil and still drive a car. I have seen, on this list, people bitching about technology while using their computers. We all drive, heat our homes in the winter and cool them in the summer with air conditioning. We all eat food shipped from halfway around the world. Every American, Canadian or European consumes far more energy than our fair share! Dues that make us all hypocrites?
Every calorie of food we all eat took about 10 calories to produce. Hell, why are not we walking that walk while talking that talk? Should not we all clean up our own house? And that includes all you Gore bashers!
You just do not understand the momentum our lifestyle has. Neither Gore nor Turner can move into a tiny shack anymore than you can grow all your own food our give up riding in gasoline powered vehicles.
None of us who are talking that talk are really walking that walk!
You Gore bashers make me sick. You will grasp at any straw to make him look bad. Perhaps you think that will make Bush look better. Well, I don't think so.
Ron Patterson
In a word, yes.
A lot of people who've taken the former VP to task haven't bashed him at all. You are the one who does the real disservice:
So, that's the choice ehh? Either spend 30 grand a year on electricity or stack wood. We all need to begin cutting back our energy use, all can show others how.
Ron,
I'm not saying Gore can't use energy. He's entitled just like the rest of us. But if he stands on a soapbox and starts preaching that we need to change our (that would be yours, mine, AND his) ways it rings hollow if he is burning energy at the rate of 18x that of an ordinary American.
I have zero problem with Gore having a 10,000 square foot house. But A $1200/month electric bill? Come on! Turn of the flood lights already.
If the average American consumes more then his fair share, what does that say about Gore then?
I'm working hard to reduce my carbon footprint. I take the train to work. I had cellulose installation blown in in my house last year. And I'm planning on adding more this year along with an instant hot water heater. My electric bill is $40.
If you want to be the nation's conscience, you have to be doing cleaner and better then the next guy.
Garth
PS - This isn't political - I can't stand Bush.
We all air condition? Speak for yourself.
Al Gore is not a hypocrite. He would be IF his message was for individuals to go home and use less energy. But that's not his message. His message is that we, as a society, need to recognize how the use of fossil fuels are damaging the environment. His message is that we need inform, educate and implement legislation to change consumption habits. And that is exactly what he is doing.
If you think the solution to global warming is for individuals to reduce their consumption volunterily, you are very naive.
Well lets pass a bill to get Al start first - that should be easy. If you think you're going to simply "implement legislation" to radically change individual lifestyles, without the active buy-in of a significant segment of the public, send me the drugs you're on, i could use them.
While I think that there is a possibly valid way to argue that Gore is not a hypocrite, the reality is that most people don't have time to ferret out the subtleties in Gore's stance on global warming. I think the issue is not so much that Gore is a hypocrite, it is that he seems to be blind to the fact that his massive electricity use will make it that much harder to get his message across.
I am tempted to be satisfied with the fact that Gore uses offsets which is more than most people do in his class, wealth, and station. I find it difficult, however, to comphrehend how he can be using so much energy, even given the size of his house, the climate, and his need to entertain and keep a staff in his house.
The other thing I think that Gore preaches is that we can have it all. We can have the big house, the big Lexus, and we do not have to care one wit about our historical patterns of consumption. Technology and offsets will fix it all. I would like to believe that but I don't. We can do a lot of conservation and we can improve efficiency without significantly affecting our so called standard of living. At some point, howerver, some people are going to be inconvenienced and we might even see some groups of people see their income and lifestyle impacted.
In sum, I think the unfortunate message that Gore sends out is that we just buy our way out of the problem. The wealthy and profligate can continue business as usual. Want that monster SUV. Just buy some offsets. I just don't think that is going to work; that attitude is not going to have much impact on our carbon emissions.
Really? What about this? http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction
Al Gore is a hypocrite. That doesn't mean he's not right about climate change. It doesn't mean he's not a nice guy. But he's telling people that they need to reduce their energy usage while not doing much about it himself. I've never seen a confirmation of the numbers published by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, but if Al Gore does use over 200,000 kilowatt hours per year, then there's no way that is acceptable. That's an enormous amount of electricity.
Now I realize that many people don't like Al Gore and will take any opportunity to bash him. But that doesn't change the fact that he's unwilling to change the way he lives for something he claims to believe in. Here's a quote from climatecrisis.net:
If the situation is that dire, then why isn't Gore making more changes in his personal life? Why isn't he willing to lead by example?
Hahahahah... it's on the internet so it must be true? I suggest you research this "Tennessee Center for Policy Research" and see just what a joke and a sham it is. Then, if you follow the NY Times blog where the story first broke, you might discover an MIT professor lecturing TCPR on their fundamental misunderstandings of kilowatts versus kilowatt hours. Finally, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann ripped this entire story to shreds. You'd think Fox News might not want to get their faces associated with this sort of reporting but I guess they do not care.
Ghawar Is Dying
The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function. - Dr. Albert Bartlett