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Are automobiles a major cause of global warming?

6985 messages,  Last post on Dec 07, 2009 at 6:41 AM

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#5805 of 6985
Re: Survey [avalon02wh] by gagrice
Jul 15, 2009 (8:37 pm)
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 15, 2009 6:47 pm)

I don't think anyone would argue that Climate does not Change. It is how much man influences the change that is being theorized about. I have no problem with making long term changes to better use our natural resources. Working to keep our air, water and environment cleaner is good. That is not what people like Al Gore and Barry Obama want to do. They want to start as soon as possible putting additional taxes on all the energy we use. Not a week goes by that something else we do is worse than the week before. It is eco terrorism aimed at the simple minded populace. Using lies about polar bears dying etc etc. This is what the future looks like for the USA with the current trend in legislation.
 
#5806 of 6985
New Info by avalon02wh
Jul 16, 2009 (5:50 am)
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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."
#5807 of 6985
Re: Survey [gagrice] by avalon02wh
Jul 16, 2009 (6:05 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 15, 2009 8:37 pm)

"This is what the future looks like for the USA with the current trend in legislation. "
 
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.
#5808 of 6985
Re: New Info [avalon02wh] by gagrice
Jul 16, 2009 (6:14 am)
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 16, 2009 5:50 am)

You should look at the bright side. With less ice in the Arctic it will make oil exploration easier. It may even open up travel across the Arctic ocean. We can capture the methane that is now trapped in the tundra. As far as the Spruce trees the Feds sold them off to the Japanese decades ago. The Spruce beetle is their problem.
 
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.
#5809 of 6985
Re: Survey [avalon02wh] by gagrice
Jul 16, 2009 (6:23 am)
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 16, 2009 6:05 am)

I love riding my bike. We live in a very hilly area and the roads are narrow and rough. Makes for scary riding. I go off road mostly.
 
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.
#5810 of 6985
Re: Survey [gagrice] by ruking1
Jul 16, 2009 (6:46 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 16, 2009 6:23 am)

I also think we have been sold a faulty and bad assumption, dare I say almost schzoid, that we (USA) have to slip into self imposed arrested decay for countries like India, China, etc. to progress. Not only is it wrong headed, it is outright dangerous to national security, if the so called "oil importation percentage" going up is any indicator.
 
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 !!!???
#5811 of 6985
Re: Survey [gagrice] by avalon02wh
Jul 17, 2009 (7:11 am)
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Replying to: gagrice (Jul 16, 2009 6:23 am)

"Stopping them from having what we have will be impossible."
 
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.
#5812 of 6985
Re: Survey [ruking1] by avalon02wh
Jul 17, 2009 (7:52 am)
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Replying to: ruking1 (Jul 16, 2009 6:46 am)

"we systematically cut off domestic drilling which would... allow domestic oil supplies.... or aka, actually bring DOWN the oil importation percentage !!!??? "
 
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.
#5813 of 6985
Re: Survey [avalon02wh] by ruking1
Jul 17, 2009 (7:55 am)
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 17, 2009 7:52 am)

No, that is a particularly short sighted view. The reasoning indicates the absolute INVERSE is happening !! OPEC was formed for the purpose of making the prices as high as possible (in a given market) . The argument is best a strawman. OIl went from an interesting $147 per barrell to mid 40's, all within a very compressed time frame. It happened when demand was cut back only 3%. Now a cut back of 3% in the context of 104% growth per year is still a 1% growth rate !!!!!!??? Bloomberg market hack indicates a barrel of oil is $63.25.
 
So in that sense, they have for multiple decades followed this strategy and the % of oil importation has grown to 70%. (or so they say) Indeed the price of oil is higher than its ever been (historically high) and guess what? Oil importation is 70% (even higher) . Indeed European importation is higher than that and they have even HIGHER at the pump fuel prices !!!! You can repeat this short sighted argument untill we start to import upwards of 90% of the oil and then...what would you have then accomplished!!??
 
So very simply, if you want to increase oil importation, follow the present strategy (ever increasing prices and taxation) . Believe it or not.... it works!!!
#5814 of 6985
Re: Survey [avalon02wh] by gagrice
Jul 17, 2009 (1:38 pm)
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Replying to: avalon02wh (Jul 17, 2009 7:52 am)

If the US government was not so anal about oil exploration the Oil companies would be more inclined to drill and cap wells until the price goes up. Personally I would rather use up Middle East oil first and save the best for last. If we wait till we are in dire straits as we were in the 1970s as you say it takes 10 years to develop a field. Yet another oil find in the USA announced this week.
 
Lynn Helms, director of the state Department of Mineral Resources, said recent production results from 103 newly tapped wells in the Three Forks-Sanish formation show many that are “as good or better” than some in the Bakken, which lies two miles under the surface in western North Dakota and holds billions of barrels of oil.

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