Understanding the Extent of Climate Change
Here’s a great piece of animation on climate change for people whose learning styles favor graphics. Scientific American has done a great job with this subject for many years.
As you watch, keep in mind that the U.S. is vigorously promoting coal as its go-to energy source.
Craig,
Could you please explain how the message contained within the photo has any practical value ?
Do you really believe anyone, apart from a small group of absurd extremists, actually believe the message has any possibility of occurring outside of fantasy ?
What is annoying about such nonsense is while you waste time on silliness, you are not doing any positive about promoting the technologies which can solve environmental problems. It’s no good being just against something, you must also be “for’ something. Anything else is just a self-indulgent delusion.
When I say, “for” I mean “for” something practical, tangible and real. Over 95% of total energy consumed in the US comes from fossil or nuclear fuels. Do even the earnest sign holders really believe the American people will all become Amish ? Even the Amish burn wood for fuel.
Do you really think 330 million Americans could survive a transformation to a pre-industrial era ?
The sign is about oil, but, as you point out, it could also apply to coal. Coal generates slightly over 32% of US electricity generation and is proving a valuable export commodity.
The boom in cheap plentiful Natural Gas has seen a drop in Coal generation. However, as the demand for LPG increases and the price of natural gas increases coal is once again becoming competitive.
More importantly, Coal use is increasing in the rest of the world, particularly the developing world. Currently, Coal generates 41% of the world’s electricity. That figure is expected to rise by 2028 to 56%.
Wind and Solar technologies can be useful contributors but are inadequate to meet the demands of developing and industrialized societies for “Power On Demand”.
For concerned environmentalists, there are only two choices;
1) Keep doing nothing practical while placing faith in political/ideological campaigns to “Keep it in the ground” while advocating inadequate technologies with no capacity to replace coal, gas and oil. In other words, do nothing and waste time and energy on pointless Symbolic activities.
2) Help support and promote new emerging technologies to mitigate and utilize the harmful emissions and environmentally negative aspects of Coal, Oil and natural gas. The adoption of these new technologies will not be easy, and like all new technologies it will take time, but great strides are already being taken with many exciting developments occurring.
This year my team and I sold and installed 14 Giant EV lawn mowers, with accompanying bio-feed reactors and Solar Panels (even two small wind turbines).
Not a huge victory for the environment, but I would argue, far more effective than standing with a sign advocating “Leave it in the Ground”.