A Generational Challenge to Repower America

This speech was given today at the D.A.R. Constitutional Hall

Ladies and gentlemen:

There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon dispelling illusions and awakening to the challenge of a present danger. In such moments, we are called upon to move quickly and boldly to shake off complacency, throw aside old habits and rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of big changes. Those who, for whatever reason, refuse to do their part must either be persuaded to join the effort or asked to step aside. This is such a moment. The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more -- if more should be required -- the future of human civilization is at stake.

I don't remember a time in our country when so many things seemed to be going so wrong simultaneously. Our economy is in terrible shape and getting worse, gasoline prices are increasing dramatically, and so are electricity rates. Jobs are being outsourced. Home mortgages are in trouble. Banks, automobile companies and other institutions we depend upon are under growing pressure. Distinguished senior business leaders are telling us that this is just the beginning unless we find the courage to make some major changes quickly.

The climate crisis, in particular, is getting a lot worse -- much more quickly than predicted. Scientists with access to data from Navy submarines traversing underneath the North polar ice cap have warned that there is now a 75 percent chance that within five years the entire ice cap will completely disappear during the summer months. This will further increase the melting pressure on Greenland. According to experts, the Jakobshavn glacier, one of Greenland's largest, is moving at a faster rate than ever before, losing 20 million tons of ice every day, equivalent to the amount of water used every year by the residents of New York City.

Two major studies from military intelligence experts have warned our leaders about the dangerous national security implications of the climate crisis, including the possibility of hundreds of millions of climate refugees destabilizing nations around the world.

Just two days ago, 27 senior statesmen and retired military leaders warned of the national security threat from an "energy tsunami" that would be triggered by a loss of our access to foreign oil. Meanwhile, the war in Iraq continues, and now the war in Afghanistan appears to be getting worse.

And by the way, our weather sure is getting strange, isn't it? There seem to be more tornadoes than in living memory, longer droughts, bigger downpours and record floods. Unprecedented fires are burning in California and elsewhere in the American West. Higher temperatures lead to drier vegetation that makes kindling for mega-fires of the kind that have been raging in Canada, Greece, Russia, China, South America, Australia and Africa. Scientists in the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science at Tel Aviv University tell us that for every one degree increase in temperature, lightning strikes will go up another 10 percent. And it is lightning, after all, that is principally responsible for igniting the conflagration in California today.

Like a lot of people, it seems to me that all these problems are bigger than any of the solutions that have thus far been proposed for them, and that's been worrying me.

I'm convinced that one reason we've seemed paralyzed in the face of these crises is our tendency to offer old solutions to each crisis separately -- without taking the others into account. And these outdated proposals have not only been ineffective - they almost always make the other crises even worse.

Yet when we look at all three of these seemingly intractable challenges at the same time, we can see the common thread running through them, deeply ironic in its simplicity: our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels is at the core of all three of these challenges -- the economic, environmental and national security crises.

We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that's got to change.

But if we grab hold of that common thread and pull it hard, all of these complex problems begin to unravel and we will find that we're holding the answer to all of them right in our hand.

The answer is to end our reliance on carbon-based fuels.

In my search for genuinely effective answers to the climate crisis, I have held a series of "solutions summits" with engineers, scientists, and CEOs. In those discussions, one thing has become abundantly clear: when you connect the dots, it turns out that the real solutions to the climate crisis are the very same measures needed to renew our economy and escape the trap of ever-rising energy prices. Moreover, they are also the very same solutions we need to guarantee our national security without having to go to war in the Persian Gulf.

What if we could use fuels that are not expensive, don't cause pollution and are abundantly available right here at home?

We have such fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year. Tapping just a small portion of this solar energy could provide all of the electricity America uses.

And enough wind power blows through the Midwest corridor every day to also meet 100 percent of US electricity demand. Geothermal energy, similarly, is capable of providing enormous supplies of electricity for America.

The quickest, cheapest and best way to start using all this renewable energy is in the production of electricity. In fact, we can start right now using solar power, wind power and geothermal power to make electricity for our homes and businesses.

But to make this exciting potential a reality, and truly solve our nation's problems, we need a new start.

That's why I'm proposing today a strategic initiative designed to free us from the crises that are holding us down and to regain control of our own destiny. It's not the only thing we need to do. But this strategic challenge is the lynchpin of a bold new strategy needed to re-power America.

Today I challenge our nation to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.

This goal is achievable, affordable and transformative. It represents a challenge to all Americans -- in every walk of life: to our political leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, engineers, and to every citizen.

A few years ago, it would not have been possible to issue such a challenge. But here's what's changed: the sharp cost reductions now beginning to take place in solar, wind, and geothermal power - coupled with the recent dramatic price increases for oil and coal -- have radically changed the economics of energy.

When I first went to Congress 32 years ago, I listened to experts testify that if oil ever got to $35 a barrel, then renewable sources of energy would become competitive. Well, today, the price of oil is over $135 per barrel. And sure enough, billions of dollars of new investment are flowing into the development of concentrated solar thermal, photovoltaics, windmills, geothermal plants, and a variety of ingenious new ways to improve our efficiency and conserve presently wasted energy.

And as the demand for renewable energy grows, the costs will continue to fall. Let me give you one revealing example: the price of the specialized silicon used to make solar cells was recently as high as $300 per kilogram. But the newest contracts have prices as low as $50 a kilogram.

You know, the same thing happened with computer chips -- also made out of silicon. The price paid for the same performance came down by 50 percent every 18 months -- year after year, and that's what's happened for 40 years in a row.

To those who argue that we do not yet have the technology to accomplish these results with renewable energy: I ask them to come with me to meet the entrepreneurs who will drive this revolution. I've seen what they are doing and I have no doubt that we can meet this challenge.

To those who say the costs are still too high: I ask them to consider whether the costs of oil and coal will ever stop increasing if we keep relying on quickly depleting energy sources to feed a rapidly growing demand all around the world. When demand for oil and coal increases, their price goes up. When demand for solar cells increases, the price often comes down.

When we send money to foreign countries to buy nearly 70 percent of the oil we use every day, they build new skyscrapers and we lose jobs. When we spend that money building solar arrays and windmills, we build competitive industries and gain jobs here at home.

Of course there are those who will tell us this can't be done. Some of the voices we hear are the defenders of the status quo -- the ones with a vested interest in perpetuating the current system, no matter how high a price the rest of us will have to pay. But even those who reap the profits of the carbon age have to recognize the inevitability of its demise. As one OPEC oil minister observed, "The Stone Age didn't end because of a shortage of stones."

To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world's scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don't act in 10 years. The leading experts predict that we have less than 10 years to make dramatic changes in our global warming pollution lest we lose our ability to ever recover from this environmental crisis. When the use of oil and coal goes up, pollution goes up. When the use of solar, wind and geothermal increases, pollution comes down.

To those who say the challenge is not politically viable: I suggest they go before the American people and try to defend the status quo. Then bear witness to the people's appetite for change.

I for one do not believe our country can withstand 10 more years of the status quo. Our families cannot stand 10 more years of gas price increases. Our workers cannot stand 10 more years of job losses and outsourcing of factories. Our economy cannot stand 10 more years of sending $2 billion every 24 hours to foreign countries for oil. And our soldiers and their families cannot take another 10 years of repeated troop deployments to dangerous regions that just happen to have large oil supplies.

What could we do instead for the next 10 years? What should we do during the next 10 years? Some of our greatest accomplishments as a nation have resulted from commitments to reach a goal that fell well beyond the next election: the Marshall Plan, Social Security, the interstate highway system. But a political promise to do something 40 years from now is universally ignored because everyone knows that it's meaningless. Ten years is about the maximum time that we as a nation can hold a steady aim and hit our target.

When President John F. Kennedy challenged our nation to land a man on the moon and bring him back safely in 10 years, many people doubted we could accomplish that goal. But 8 years and 2 months later, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the moon.

To be sure, reaching the goal of 100 percent renewable and truly clean electricity within 10 years will require us to overcome many obstacles. At present, for example, we do not have a unified national grid that is sufficiently advanced to link the areas where the sun shines and the wind blows to the cities in the East and the West that need the electricity. Our national electric grid is critical infrastructure, as vital to the health and security of our economy as our highways and telecommunication networks. Today, our grids are antiquated, fragile, and vulnerable to cascading failure. Power outages and defects in the current grid system cost US businesses more than $120 billion dollars a year. It has to be upgraded anyway.

We could further increase the value and efficiency of a Unified National Grid by helping our struggling auto giants switch to the manufacture of plug-in electric cars. An electric vehicle fleet would sharply reduce the cost of driving a car, reduce pollution, and increase the flexibility of our electricity grid.

At the same time, of course, we need to greatly improve our commitment to efficiency and conservation. That's the best investment we can make.

America's transition to renewable energy sources must also include adequate provisions to assist those Americans who would unfairly face hardship. For example, we must recognize those who have toiled in dangerous conditions to bring us our present energy supply. We should guarantee good jobs in the fresh air and sunshine for any coal miner displaced by impacts on the coal industry. Every single one of them.

Of course, we could and should speed up this transition by insisting that the price of carbon-based energy include the costs of the environmental damage it causes. I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn. This is the single most important policy change we can make.

In order to foster international cooperation, it is also essential that the United States rejoin the global community and lead efforts to secure an international treaty at Copenhagen in December of next year that includes a cap on CO2 emissions and a global partnership that recognizes the necessity of addressing the threats of extreme poverty and disease as part of the world's agenda for solving the climate crisis.

Of course the greatest obstacle to meeting the challenge of 100 percent renewable electricity in 10 years may be the deep dysfunction of our politics and our self-governing system as it exists today. In recent years, our politics has tended toward incremental proposals made up of small policies designed to avoid offending special interests, alternating with occasional baby steps in the right direction. Our democracy has become sclerotic at a time when these crises require boldness.

It is only a truly dysfunctional system that would buy into the perverse logic that the short-term answer to high gasoline prices is drilling for more oil ten years from now.

Am I the only one who finds it strange that our government so often adopts a so-called solution that has absolutely nothing to do with the problem it is supposed to address? When people rightly complain about higher gasoline prices, we propose to give more money to the oil companies and pretend that they're going to bring gasoline prices down. It will do nothing of the sort, and everyone knows it. If we keep going back to the same policies that have never ever worked in the past and have served only to produce the highest gasoline prices in history alongside the greatest oil company profits in history, nobody should be surprised if we get the same result over and over again. But the Congress may be poised to move in that direction anyway because some of them are being stampeded by lobbyists for special interests that know how to make the system work for them instead of the American people.

If you want to know the truth about gasoline prices, here it is: the exploding demand for oil, especially in places like China, is overwhelming the rate of new discoveries by so much that oil prices are almost certain to continue upward over time no matter what the oil companies promise. And politicians cannot bring gasoline prices down in the short term.

However, there actually is one extremely effective way to bring the costs of driving a car way down within a few short years. The way to bring gas prices down is to end our dependence on oil and use the renewable sources that can give us the equivalent of $1 per gallon gasoline.

Many Americans have begun to wonder whether or not we've simply lost our appetite for bold policy solutions. And folks who claim to know how our system works these days have told us we might as well forget about our political system doing anything bold, especially if it is contrary to the wishes of special interests. And I've got to admit, that sure seems to be the way things have been going. But I've begun to hear different voices in this country from people who are not only tired of baby steps and special interest politics, but are hungry for a new, different and bold approach.

We are on the eve of a presidential election. We are in the midst of an international climate treaty process that will conclude its work before the end of the first year of the new president's term. It is a great error to say that the United States must wait for others to join us in this matter. In fact, we must move first, because that is the key to getting others to follow; and because moving first is in our own national interest.

So I ask you to join with me to call on every candidate, at every level, to accept this challenge -- for America to be running on 100 percent zero-carbon electricity in 10 years. It's time for us to move beyond empty rhetoric. We need to act now.

This is a generational moment. A moment when we decide our own path and our collective fate. I'm asking you - each of you - to join me and build this future. Please join the WE campaign at wecansolveit.org. We need you. And we need you now. We're committed to changing not just light bulbs, but laws. And laws will only change with leadership.

On July 16, 1969, the United States of America was finally ready to meet President Kennedy's challenge of landing Americans on the moon. I will never forget standing beside my father a few miles from the launch site, waiting for the giant Saturn 5 rocket to lift Apollo 11 into the sky. I was a young man, 21 years old, who had graduated from college a month before and was enlisting in the United States Army three weeks later.

I will never forget the inspiration of those minutes. The power and the vibration of the giant rocket's engines shook my entire body. As I watched the rocket rise, slowly at first and then with great speed, the sound was deafening. We craned our necks to follow its path until we were looking straight up into the air. And then four days later, I watched along with hundreds of millions of others around the world as Neil Armstrong took one small step to the surface of the moon and changed the history of the human race.

We must now lift our nation to reach another goal that will change history. Our entire civilization depends upon us now embarking on a new journey of exploration and discovery. Our success depends on our willingness as a people to undertake this journey and to complete it within 10 years. Once again, we have an opportunity to take a giant leap for humankind.

Comments

[OldKnute]

OK,, Here is power-save. An Advertiser I saw hear at Huffington Post.

http://www.power-save.com/solar.html

They have cost breakdowns for us all to look at and read about. I was very close I what I told you guys. They sell a complete system, 1000 Watts for $6,000. Seems right around what I quoted. $5 per watt.

Their Wind Turbines are not that odd looking. A One, rooftop, pole mounting and complete system for GRID replacement power and electrical generation.

http://www.power-save.com/wind.html

Here is a link to what Jay Leno is putting up at his garage. Vertical Axis. I like these. They need no orientation, to face into the wind. The wind can come from any direction.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/jay_leno_garage/4216780.html

Ed Bagley Jr. Wind Power. Ed is another American that is doing all he can. He lives the life and walks the walk. His home, his cars and he is out in the Alternative Energy circuit giving talks and interviews.

http://www.livingwithed.net/energy.asp?target=17

Just some things I found.

Sheeese.

[NotPC]

You might want to check out the following piece on the APS......looks like they aren't going along with the whole GW thing. This report sort of takes the wind out of the GORACLE's sails, so to speak!

http://www.dailytech.com/Myth%20of%20Consensus%20Explodes%20APS%20Opens%20Global%20Warming%20Debate/article12403.htm

[unenergy]

May pay to verify this story with a second source.
Checking the APS 'official' website presents a different view than the one individual's opnion published via the link above.
http://www.aps.org/
The American Physical Society reaffirms the following position on climate change, adopted by its governing body, the APS Council, on November 18, 2007:
"Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate."

[fumes]

"Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate." combustion from human and natural activities causes three emissions: heat, humidity, and co2. which of those three items would you think contribute to global warming by the trapping of heat? hint: desert nights are cold, humid nights are hot.

[worldsforgottenboy]

I read this sceptic's (Moncton's) latest paper, and the heart of his case is that since computer models based on laboratory tests of greenhouse effect contributors have failed to forecast reality, he can slash the contributors' estimated influence by a factor of three compared to generally accepted best estimates. His calculations contain some rather bold approximations, and he makes no specific note of airborne pollution which may be suppressing the pace of the warming (until the Chinese decide they could use some clean air).

It is actually bad that there is so much consensus and there are so few strong sceptics out there, because sensible scepticism should drive the science. As an example, Einstein did wonders for quantum physics, by posing hard questions which forced people to try new experiments and discover some amazing things.

It amazes me that people expect this global warming depate to be "settled" one way or the other. Global warming is the reason we are alive, and quantifying how much humans are increasing it is inherently fraught with great uncertainty.

We do know this, however. Species which have thrived on Earth in hostile conditions for a very long time, have done so by adaptation and by hedging their bets. Humans should be no different.

[BlackbirdHighway]

Your link is to dailytech. Here's is what you'll find on the APS site:

"Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide as well as methane, nitrous oxide and other gases. They are emitted from fossil fuel combustion and a range of industrial and agricultural processes.

The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the Earth’s physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.

Because the complexity of the climate makes accurate prediction difficult, the APS urges an enhanced effort to understand the effects of human activity on the Earth’s climate, and to provide the technological options for meeting the climate challenge in the near and longer terms. The APS also urges governments, universities, national laboratories and its membership to support policies and actions that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases."

They sound like the Al Gore fan club.

[BlackbirdHighway]

Watched Al Gore on MTP this morning. Brokaw wasn't throwing any softballs. I'm not sure if he is a really a doubter or just wanted to show "journalistic integrity".

I thought AG hit a lot of base hits and couple of home runs. Overall, a great interview!

I just wished that Brokaw was better informed when he made the statement about how there hasn't been any major oil spills in 40 years. Well, there was the Exxon-Valdez. Granted, it was a tanker, not an oil well that spilled, so how about the 124 spills from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, for a total of 743,000 gallons? Maybe that's not major enough for Brokaw. He would probably think differently if it was in his yard, not someone else's.

[dannyS]

I'd like to see the discussion brought down to earth soon.
Make people understand what they can do NOW.
Give people a chance to participate. The only participation he is asking for is to "call on your elected officials" - yeah, right.
Here's what I do:
-Reduce, reuse, recycle
-Drive less, drive slower, combine trips, ride a bike, take the bus
-Don't shop, or consume needlessly
-Turn off the light when you leave a room
-Wear extra layers in the house in the winter
-Set an example for other people. Reach in the garbage can and grab the plastic water bottle and recycle it.
What will you do?

[knowhelpnow]

Yes we can all do those things, but we have to do more, more research on what is the best way to change from damaging carbon fuels to I say Algae based fuels that can use desert lands instead of agricultural lands, solar on all roof tops at a reasonable price, wind, geothermal all of these things in places where suitable. We don't have much time and most of the world knows that we have to lead or at least follow the countries that are already reducing their carbon signatures. This takes huge amounts of money but if we want to live on this earth we better get it done. We have a President that is not concerned about the future state of the world or he wouldn't be saying drill on the coast, the man has been in his job for almost 8 years to long as far as I'm concerned and Congress sits their doing nothing about this, they can't get enough votes to over ride a veto or are beholding to the oil companies so we are stuck. I don't want to say I told you so, I want to live and my children's children to live in a better world.

[OldKnute]

OK,, Lemmie think a moment.

What can I give you that will teach you about how all this works?

I know!!!! I KNOW!

A FREE ENERGY LAWNMOWERS.

DIY.

Go get a normal lawnmower.
Buy an RV,,, Solar,,, Trickle charger,,,, Say,,, 32 Watt.
Go to Youtube and look up Water Gas, Hydroxy, HHO Gas, Green Gas. There you will learn how to make your own hydrogen/Oxygen production cell. A SMALL ONE.
Strap the HHO cell to the lawnmower, and a fair sized Motorcycle battery. Hook the battery to the HHO, Hydroxy cell, run a rubber hose from the cell to the open carburetor, then, use the trickle charger to charge the battery.

Fill the Hydroxy cell with water. Turn the mess on, wait about 2 minutes and pull the start cord.

NOW,,,, go mow your lawn on WATER and Solar Power.

Soon as you are done,,, teach others how!

Why need Americans do this???

Because,,,,, WE CAN!

That’s why!!!!!

All the best

Knute Neo-LIB

[BlackbirdHighway]

Yes, those things are all great to do, but unless we shut down our coal power plants, that's like trying to keep the Titanic afloat by bailing it out with a couple buckets.

Hence, the need to to get people in office who will make the changes that are needed. Given the weak politicians and strong coal lobbyists, I don't have too much hope in near future. But still, that's what we need to do.

So yes, do all those personal things to help, but the biggest thing is work the policy side.

[OldKnute]

Awww Postagestamps,

Not so. We need those COAL plants for a little while. We just need to capture the CO2 and USE IT!

SEE: Posting this later thread.

WE do however need to stop BURNING UP,,,, all those RESOURCES.

We need,,,, the Plastics and Insulating Foams that are made with Natural Gas.

WE Need,,, the carbons and oils that come from COAL.

WE NEEEED,,, the plastics, resins, solvents, volatiles, asphalts, acetones, suffers, phosphates and potassium that come from OIL.

WE just need to stop,,,,,,, BURNING THIS ALL UP.

Carbon! Coal.

You are made from IT!

Carbon,,,, 10 times as strong as steel and 10 times as light.

Ask Boeing!!!!

These Industries,,, OUR American companies,,,, NEED be made, prosperous, healthy, vibrant, profitable and useful. This is why I suggest we give them all the power they NEED.

For FREE!

The NEW Patriotism! TO GIVE BACK!

Americans, with Solar Cars, Electric Cars.
An American flag on the front porch and a solar panel on the roof.
The same American flag to move in the wind, proudly, gracefully, the same wind that rotates the turbine of the roof.
The same Flag to fly over our many company headquarters with pride, companies we have shown how.
The same American flag to welcome our sons and daughters HOME FROM WAR.

Powering America!

Not power TO the people,,,, but power FROM the people!

WE,,,, the people!

THEN,,, WE,,, teach others!

WE GIVE BACK!!!!

WE CAN!

All the best

Knute Neo-LIB

[OldKnute]

Oh Danny, That is what well all think is necessary and nedded.

To sacrifice.
To change our lifestyles.
To give up travel, independence, freedoms.

I do this too.

I am blind, don’t use lighting,, and take my wheelchair around to collect plastic and aluminum cans to recycle and pay my bills. I do use a computer with an electronic voice to Read and Type to you,,, but my carbon footprint is smaller than A BUG.

I don’t mind, but this is NOT what is needed.

What I can’t do without is FOOD. I still need FOOD.

FOOD that is shipped to me, transported, chilled and delivered to the store. There, my carbon footprint is like anyone else.

Have you ever looked at the top of Trucks and Trains???

Flat, hot, exposed to the sun,,,, all day.

Solar,,, Photovoltaic, can produce much more that 12 watts per square foot of area. A large,, RAIL,, Boxcar means you have over 10,000 Watts of potential POWER,,,, EACH.

And they have 4 axles that could be powered,,, independently. Easily controlled from the Diesel/Electric locomotive cab, AND,, already HALF electric, anyway.

A 100 Car Train,,, covered in solar cells that last 25 years,,, would then offer that company, 1.000.000 watts of continual electric power, all day long.

How to work these Trains? Run on Solar,,, FOR FREE,,, during the day, run on Diesel/Electric,,, their existing,,,, Hybrid,,,,, power at night.

WE just need RE-THINK things.

All the best

Knute Neo-LIB.

[SimonNZ]

Let me make 2 predictions:-

1) Al is 100% right. If we want to ensure the future of human civilization on the planet we need to slash our carbon output drastically. Failure to do so will have catastrophic consequences.

2) We'll spend the time needed to reduce our carbon output talking, bickering and stalling. We will suffer
catastrophic consequences.

[countrycontemplative]

I'm with you Al. Thanks for your leadership on the issue.

[hozer]

BlackLight has invented a new primary energy source with applications to heating, distributed power generation, central power generation, and motive power based on a new chemical process of releasing the latent energy of the hydrogen atom, the BlackLight Process. In this process, the electron in an ordinary hydrogen atom is induced to move closer to the proton, below the prior-known ground state to form more stable hydrogen atoms called hydrinos. The large energy released exceeds that required to extract hydrogen from water, such that water may serve as the hydrogen fuel source for the process.

BlackLight's experimental results are published widely and have been replicated by independent groups. The process, apparatus and compositions of matter are covered by patents pending and issued. BlackLight will license companies for the commercialization of our technologies as we continue to develop new technologies related to the BlackLight Process.

[worldsforgottenboy]

This process seems to have some disagreement with quantum physics.

See the attached link:

http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1367-2630/7/1/127/njp5_1_127.html

This looks like a pretty convincing shoot-down of this theory. Good luck, anyway......

[dobberdoss]

Some of you wont like this but here is the ANSWER, (I`m serious by the way)

Reduce the population of human beings! We are 3 billion people over-populated due to the pipe dream of fossil fuels lasting forever. I know, how do you get rid of 3 billion people without hardship & suffering?
Simple, sterilize by lottery.
Morality does not come into this, IF we are serious about survival, Nature has no morality remember, that is a human failing.

[emilmoller]

the number of people is not the issue; the ecological footprint and the distribution of wealth are

[worldtraveller]

Hmm.. how could the number of people not be PART of the problem if it is the multiplier by which ecological footprint must be calculated???

[worldsforgottenboy]

Dobberdoss,

This planet can carry tens of billions of people without too much trouble. How do you explain the fact that Japan is able to feed its 120 million people with its own agriculture, using less than 0.1% of the Earth's surface?

Solar power may not be very cheap yet, but there is plenty of space for solar plants to support a far greater global population than we have now (and all the food & water needs that come with it).

[meanguy]

dobberdoss...are you volunteering? let me put it to you his way...anyone comes looking to take me away to be sterilized will end up helping with the 'overpopulation problem' in a deeply (6 feet deep) personal way

[Raymondf]

Wind will not work in mountains either where I live if we get 5 mile per hour winds it is rare, the highest wind ever recorded here was 50 miles per hour in 1936.

[vipersdad]

Wind turbines easily generate electricity at 3 - 5 mph prevailing winds. If you look at the statistics for most of the US, there are few areas where prevailing winds are not commonly above those levels.

[Fernando]

Ray, I live in Seattle and we buy part of our electricity from California, about 1,100 miles away.What is needed is the political will to get started, once you do the industry will begin spawning more advances.

In 1960 the Russians were beating our butts off in the space race, nine years later we whooped their butts. In 1987 not many people had computers, by 1997 the entire world was doing business online.

People overestimate what they can do in a year but underestimate what they can do in 10.

[mouselion]

Ridge tops are where wind turbines are located in Vermont. I guess it depends on your geographic location -- but you are making a sweeping generality that is definitely not true.

[SirReal1]

There is one sure way for us to fail!

That is to begin our effort with the words "_____ will not work.

If America embraces the idea that we can't,

we never will.

This mindset plays in nicely to those who would prefer that we don't try to effect a change.

[emilmoller]

tapping into the wind at higher altitude (which is much stronger) can be an interesting option: http://www.ockels.nl/
using kite sails for merchant ships can reduce fuel consumption by 30%: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/look-its-a-freighter-its-a-sailboat-its-both/

[Raymondf]

Solar power does nothing to ease gas prices. We tried solar power 30 years ago, and most people that built solar homes converted back to something else. What about people that live in the mountains, where the sun may shine 2 hours a day. If we try bio-fuels, and ethenol when we have the big floods that wiped out the corn belt this year, this type of fuel causes higher prices at the grocery store. Lets drill, drill, drill. Work with clean coal that can right now be turned into liquid or gas. I for one cannot affrod to trade cars. so I guess I will just have to cut back more when gas goes to 8.00 a gallon. Oh! well I want be around when we become energy independent sinc I'm already 65, and probably want live 10 more years. I guess my son and granddaughter will see it happen if it ever does.

[vipersdad]

we tried rationing gas 30 years ago too - and it worked but we didn't stick with it.

Comparing solar technologies from 30 years ago to those of today is almost like comparing apples to watermelons.

Eventually you will buy a new car - it's just a matter of time. Millions of new cars are sold in the US every year. If a percentage of them are hybrids and eventually electric, the benefit to the environment is amazing - There is no room in this war for naysayers. There are a TON of non-carbon based energy sources and bio fuels have a space in the future landscape.

We need to leave the coal in the ground where it belongs. I have had it with polluting industries who play with semantics and relable their poisonous products as "clean" and "green."

[Fernando]

The operating words being "30 years ago". What if you had said in 1940 that the aviation industry was doing nothing for the US economy, would you had given up on it? What about electricity, which during the 18th Century was used by scientists mostly for entertainment of the rich, what if we had given up on their practical applications that later took place? What would the world be like?

What Gore proposes is even more poignant because it is not our only our commerce or technology at stake if we give up on the environment; it is the lives of our children. Plain and simple. So we can do something bold, free ourselves from this dangerous addiction and think of our children's future or we can keep putting money into the pockets of people who want to kill us while poisoning ourselves.

[emilmoller]

Dear Raymond F,

I expect you to be inspired by the potential (partly realized) of solar thermal energy.
And how it can power electric (hybrid or not) vehicles.

Please read http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan , http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/04/14/solar_electric_thermal/index.html , http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/files/MillsMorganUSGridSupplyCorrected.pdf

And tell us what you think.

Thank you,

Emil Möller
Maastricht, Netherlands

[Kassandra]

This guy says ethanol is a problem, not a solution.

http://pr.cannazine.co.uk/content/view/422/27/

If you want to read some sciencey stuff from people who take this issue VERY seriously, the Brits...go read this.

[Raymondf]

Ethanol is a problem, it is made from corn, soy beans, and sugar. We will still have to give a foreign country money for sugar. A lot of food products are made from corn and soybeans, which will cause food prices to rise. We have to choices Drill, or clean coal thats it.

[djkrlsn]

while there are better sources for biofuels than corn, soybeans and sugar--much of the infrastructure is not in place--some of the sources I am aware of include:conversion of used cooking oil to diesel (small piece), better utilization of energy from waste streams (including maximizing methane production from waste water plants and greenwastes in cities, using trash to generate electricity (which has the additional benefit of greatly reducing the volume to be disposed of), using the nutrient rich water from the methane digesters and the CO2 from the electrical plant to grow algae for more biodiesel and animal feed. I do know farm wastes can be used far more efficently than they are by utilizing corn stover, straw,orange peels, coffee grounds and much more as feed for goats, sheep and cattle (since their stomachs can digest things our stomachs can't)--and using the manure for methane to generate power and the CO2 to again grow more algae (IIRC--you can get 5000 gallons of biodiesel per year from alga)--so if we do it right it is possible.

[1will]

Good speech. I don't like Gore but someone needed to say what he said.
We NEED to get off of the foreign oil tit ASAP. Oil is bleeding this country dry and our politicians are doing nothing about it (on either side). More drilling is a necessary short term solution (7-10 years is short term) but we need to put the same effort into solving our energy problems as we did with the moon landing and the Manhattan Project. The government should be giving large tax breaks to those that put solar panels on their homes and buy hybrids. This is just a start. Every energy saving method should be partially subsidized by the government until the usage is large enough for the marketplace to make it affordable. Lower the speed limit back to 55 (ouch) and raise the mpg requirement on vehicles too.
For those that don't believe Global Warming is manmade this carbon based energy use is still an economic and national security issue.

[UnknownSoldier]

Funny how someone pointed out that we put a man on the moon before we put wheels on luggage.

[TekBoss]

Al, we are not rich, but we have figured out how to design and build a carbon free home. America CAN do this. We just need to try.

[TreesPlease]

Can you share the solution? I have been struggling to find the answer to how to make my home carbon free and to add incrementally the other solutions such as - re-using grey water (I now use a bucket to catch water in my shower), solar panels (I can't find a reasonable way to get this going)

[GravitonX]

This idea goes into the wastebasket of nice-but-t­otally-unr­ealistic ideas like Reagan's Star Wars and cold fusion.

[KingGeorgetheShrub]

Are you so addicted to fossil fuels that you will give up without trying?

[shedances]

I agree, KingGeorge! And I think Al Gore ~ an amazing individual ~ deserves a lot of credit for his 'farseeing' ideas into renewable, alternative energy sources & changing the way we treat our environment. Future generations will inherit this rock we all call home. Why do we have to destroy so much of it, beforehand?

K

[avalokiteshvara]

Better take it out of the wastebasket!

Cold fusion was a an error by researchers (a mistake or a fraud). Star Wars was not necessary. Switching to solar from oil is absolutely necessary!

Oil addiction is THE problem. The need to get off carbon is a do-or-die reality. It had better not be unrealistic, or we're all going back to the 18th Century. Cars will have to be electric and the electricity will have to come from the sun -- photovoltaic and wind. Volcanic places like Iceland and Hawaii (the Big Island and Maui) can do well with geo-thermal. For the rest of us, some kind of solar-electrical answer is all we have for the huge amounts of energy we are accustomed to using.

The only other possibility (which IS unrealistic, so far) is controlled thermonuclear fusion. It is very far in the future, if possible at all. Conventional nuclear is not a long-range solution because uranium is not a renewable resource -- and there is not much of it.

We have to start seriously going solar -- NOW. Gore and Obama are our truly great leaders.

[davidpeace]

It's amazing how many issues can be tied to global warming: food shortage, oil and gas prices, general inflation, financial crisis. Now add campaign finance. Most of the established Democrats, those in office, elected or appointed, at all levels are too entrenched in the system to be trusted to change it. The saying, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you", applies. We, the People, the masses, are not the chef; we're not even washing dishes. People say, "Wait, we'll elect more Democrats," it won't matter if that happens. Witness the results of the '06 elections. They promised to end the war; we voted for them; the war continues despite having the tools and the numbers to do what they promised; they could cut all funding for it. Other items, ie. FISA: they have not stood up and done what the majority of the people have wanted. This is because we are not their masters. If you want real change, improvement, then more Democrats in office is not the answer. With them you'll only get a change of nameplate and still business as usual. For real change, we need real new people, third parties. And if we want those changes to stick then we are going to have to vote them out of office entirely in about a decade unless we can make some permanent changes to the Constitution and get real campaign finance reform that the Supreme Court can't throw out.

[avalokiteshvara]

We need leaders who are not themselves oil-coholics. When you're an addict, everything goes wrong because of your addiction. America must get into recovery fast, and lead the world into carbon-free sobriety. That means leaders like Gore and Obama. Pray for Obama if you want the world to get well.

[OldKnute]

But, no government is needed. WE ALL SEE this change.

RIGHT NOW.

Freedom is happening all around you. Everywhere you go.

When driving, when you see solar panels on a roof, a wind turbine silently spinning away, making you power,,,, “HONK” your horn. They are making you FREE. They are bringing you freedom.

When you pass a Toyota Prius, give them a thumbs up. They are making you FREE. When you go to a car show, see the BMW, The Honda, The GM Volt,,,, form a crowd,, Gather around,,,, and CHEER! The freedom they are bringing to you,,, is there,,, there in the cars they are now offering.

Next time you are at the gas pump,,,, listening to the numbers click by,,, just know, there is a revolution underway,, a revolution that is making you FREE! It is all around you. On rooftops, on the highway, on school buildings, on farms,, there you will see this struggle being fought.

They are making you FREE.

The next time you find one of these new cars at the grocery parking lot,,,, STOP,, think of all these people are doing to support these new Free Energy cars. Each one that is bought supports, this new FREEDOM. Your freedom.

Some owners are rich, some saved and spent their last dollar to buy these new cars,,, but everyone of them are helping YOU!

Helping your AIR.
Helping support this industry.
Helping YOU breathe.
Helping America,,,, BE FREE.

All the best

Knute Neo-lib

[emilmoller]

power corrupts indeed
but we have to make do, David

compare with plug in hybrid cars > most people being more or less addicted to the idea, the gut feeling of being able to drive 400 miles without stopping and therefore they want a hybrid (at high fuel prices). All unneccesary complexity, materials, cost we have to accept for now, knowing this format won't scale (for the rest of the world, the only relevant bottom line).

so, get the democrats into office and bring your issue to the fore

one step at a time, otherwise we'll not be able to make the next step
(like in marketing: a new product in a new market won't work; a new product in an existing market, or a new market for a product are ok)