The only good reason to want to live in the 21st Century versus say, 50 years ago, is that the breadth of technology makes our lives longer, healthier, and more convenient. Medical, informational, communications, entertainment, and automotive technology seem to be improving at roughly the same rate that the other things that matter in life, chiefly moral character, are going to hell in a handbasket. (more…)
As shown in this short video, Chile has taken aim at eliminating its coal consumption. They’re installing solar in their vast deserts, and, adding in wind and geothermal, they’ll be at 60% renewables by 2035.
Like everything else in life, this all happens according to a plan. One makes a decision to go in a certain direction, and one follows that plan. The issue with the United States is that we have no plan, other than to prop up the fossil fuel industry as long as possible, as that’s where the dollars are.
IMO, one of the biggest reasons that Trump is still in office and is predicted to survive impeachment when the Senate trial finally rolls around is precisely this: we forget. As presented here, this list of atrocities is so long, and the period of time before Trump commits his next one so brief, that no one can keep pace. (more…)
For those keeping score, 330+ U.S. coal-fired power plants were put out of operation between 2005 and 2016, saving the lives of an estimated 26K people. Cause of coal plants’ demise? Glut of cheap natural gas, plummeting prices of solar and wind.
We’re getting there.
Some ideas for creating a sustainable planet are beyond inane.
This coffee cup grows a tree “when thrown away?” Are you suggesting throwing away this coffee cup somewhere you’d want a tree to grow? Have you ever heard of littering?
Texas may be known for its oil, but it’s sure doing a good job with wind energy. Moreover, Duke Energy is best known for its coal-fired power plants, but here we have an announcement that Duke has opened a 200 megawatt (MW) facility, with 56 wind turbines each 3.6 MW from Danish firm Vestas. (more…)
An interesting bit of history here, courtesy of Eleanor Roosevelt.
My first recollection of hearing the word “liberal” used disparagingly was in a GHW Bush (41) speech he gave in my then-home town, Los Angeles suburb Woodland Hills, in 1992 when he was running against Bill Clinton. (more…)
From this article:
The oil industry, a staunch opponent of electric vehicles (EVs), received an early Christmas present from the White House as President Trump reportedly intervened to quash an EV tax credit expansion from inclusion in a government spending package. (more…)
This conversation about lightbulb efficiencies was going on long before I came onto the environmental sustainable scene, and I’ve never understood the issue with mandating energy-savings technologies. The only theory that could possible explain it goes like this: Somewhere in our great land, the Republicans have a secret warehouse of incandescent light bulbs that’s the size of Manhattan, and they want to ensure there is a continuing market for their product.
How much do we really know about the hundreds of different factors that function to change our planet’s climate?
On a radio interview I caught the other day (sorry, can’t recall which show), the speaker explained that climate science today is where our understanding of our solar system, the galaxy, and the rest of the universe was in 1960 when the space program began. (more…)
