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Automotive News & Views Are automobiles a major cause of global warming?
6895 messages, Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 10:28 AM
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Replying to: ruking1 (Jul 14, 2009 6:24 am) |
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 13, 2009 7:15 pm) That is certainly one approach - wait to see what happens and deal with it as it arrives. Personally, I would prefer we understand the issue first. We may want the option to try to mitigate some of the impacts. "Why all of a sudden do we need to cope with a theoretical problem that is maybe 100 years from now or maybe never." If you notice from my previous posts I am not advocating too many solutions at this point. The actions I would like to see are rather low key and very long term (decades). I do not advocate shutting down coal power plants, nor do I recommend any quick changes to the auto fleet. I am actually encouraged by the options we now have and will have in the transportation sector (hybrids, diesels, electric cars, powerful yet fuel efficient 4 cylinder cars...). I am also encouraged by other developments like this: http://www.psc.state.nd.us/consinfo/GraphicsJuly2008/WindGraphicFinal7-15-08.pdf- You do realize that by calling climate change a theory you are admitting it is a fact - just like the theory of gravity.  http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p67.htm
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 15, 2009 6:47 pm) 
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"Researchers Find that CO2 Forcing Alone Doesn’t Explain Magnitude of Ancient Global Warming Episode" http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/07/petm-20090715.html#more Translation: more study is needed and it could get a lot worse.. "New Molecule Could Lead to New CO2 Capture Methods" http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/07/tossell-20090715.html#more Will the cure be worse than the disease? "DOE Takes Another Step Toward $2.4B FutureGen Project " http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/07/doe-nepa-20090715.html#more I am glad to see the project is moving forward. I also thought one of the posters had an interesting comment: "...but as a resident of Alaska who is acutely aware of the accelerating effects of pronounced warming in the arctic (e.g. arctic ocean losing its ice pack at an alarming rate, permafrost thawing, coastal villages washing away, spruce forests destroyed by insects now able to winter over, etc. etc.) your promise of a coming ice age is laughable."
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 15, 2009 8:37 pm) The comic was funny because it actually has things reversed. When I ride my bike I usually watch the faces of the drivers. The number of stressed drivers out there is actually rather disturbing. While on the bike I'm in casual mode. A move over into the slow lane comment is much more likely from the hummer driver. FYI - riding a bike is much more fun, especially on those nice sunny days. I would also recommend checking out an electric bike if you have hills or a long distance to work. 
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 16, 2009 5:50 am) As much as man would like to make the earth a static entity, they are not going to do it. The earth is always changing, and there is little we can do to stop it. Heck we cannot even stop the wind, let alone the climate 100 years from now. I was walking through our lovely Balboa Park last Tuesday. There was trash lying in the bushes everywhere. We should start by eliminating people that pollute on purpose. When we get that down we can go after those that do it as a consequence of surviving. We start with the most illusive of pollution and don't bother with the mundane. |
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 16, 2009 6:05 am) The China thing emphasizes the futility with cutting CO2. The less we produce the more they will produce. They are 50 years behind US standard of living wise. Stopping them from having what we have will be impossible. The less we use the more for them and India. China has passed US in vehicle purchases the first half of 2009. That is 7 years before it was projected to happen. The third World wants what we have flaunted the last 50 years on TV. I have a hard time blaming them. It is human nature you are trying to change. Not the climate.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 16, 2009 6:23 am) Of course there is another level of schzoid in the oil importation metric. As we so called "seek to bring the oil importation percentage down": we systematically cut off domestic drilling which would... allow domestic oil supplies.... or aka, actually bring DOWN the oil importation percentage !!!??? 
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 16, 2009 6:23 am) That is probably true. The only thing that will slow them down is higher energy prices. Even increased coastal flooding may not make much of an impact. They are rather good at making millions move as in the case of Three Gorges Dam. I still think we can set a better example. Does it cost anymore to buy a four cylinder Camry or a six cylinder? The four gets better mpg, costs thousands less over its lifetime and also reduces the amount of CO2 emitted by almost a ton a year. There is no good reason for buying the six. Yet, people are so ego driven that they think they need 265 hp in their family sedan. They don't. |
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Replying to: ruking1 (Jul 16, 2009 6:46 am) Restrictions are not the issue. The number of drilling rigs is dropping. Why? I has to do with the price of oil. Here in North Dakota the number of rigs dropped and people were laid off. Did the state government suddenly stop drilling in the Middle Bakken? No. It was the under $50 oil that stopped the drilling. Domestic oil production is dependent on the price of oil. Even if we opened up ANWR and some additional offshore drilling we would not see an impact now or in the next ten years. As I mentioned before, the higher oil prices in the future will likely have a bigger impact on CO2 emissions than any cap & trade legislation. What I do not know is when we will see $100 plus oil. My best guess is the summer of 2010. Over the last year I have changed my mind about Global Warming. The thing that changed it was $147 a barrel oil. At that price the global economy started misfiring. In the next few years we might be able to tell how much CO2 emissions decreased because of the downturn.
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