I agree that we have to do something about worldwide CO2 emissions. I'm hopeful that the US can at last work together with other countries to have a consistent policy to address the emissions.
John
It has been said, I can't remember by whom, that "If the people will lead, the politicians will follow." Don't expect any government to do anything substantial to turn this mess around without tremendous pressure from it's citizens. Write the President, write your congress people, write your senators, write your governer, write anyone who might have some power, even a little, to do something about this problem. Write them often.
Demand that they do something about Global Warming starting yesterday. If you want to really get their attention, then sit down and type or write your letter on paper and send it by snail mail. Few do anymore and those who do get noticed. The institutional excuses that it will take too long to convert to sustainable energy systems or that it can't really be done because: (pick one) A. The science to produce these fuels/power isn't far enough along; B. It will cost too much and we're already in an economic mess; C. It will take too long to produce this new infrastructure; The fuels/electricity will be too expensive to be cost effective; are pure bunk. Right now there are several systems for recycling anything organic (carbon based and already out on the surface of the earth and part of the active carbon cycle) into oil, one of a couple of types of alcohol, butane or other fuels are up, functioning, turning out and selling fuel at competitive prices. One of these, for example, Changing World Technologies, has a large plant producing bio-diesel using a two-step, self-fueled process from the offal from poultry processing operations in Carthage Missouri. They found that they were able to make a profit at oil prices of less than $40.00 per barrel. Look them up at:
http://www.changingworldtech.com/
There are other systems that are being purchased and used now by the U. S. military. See The Energy Blog.
On the other side of the problem, carbon sequestration, there are many, many things that are available right now, that if implemented could put us on the fast track to both reversing Global Warming and making us, or almost any nation, energy independent. MIT announced a few weeks ago that they have discovered that simply by bubbling the exhaust from power plants through sea water, 90% of the CO2 is removed. Furthermore, it turns out that this process also creates a kind of cement that can be used to replace much of the huge quantities Portland Cement now being produced by heating powdered limestone to about 3000 degrees, thereby releasing immense quantities of CO2. This causes a double whammy so that there is a net gain in CO2 reduction by this process. There are many other processes to scrub CO2, many of them quite reasonable in cost. Some years ago I read that the CO2 being released into the atmosphere could be fully sequestered by re-foresting an area the size of California. I suppose that now we might have to add Washington and Oregon to that...... All of these things are in the public record. Look them up. A good starting place would be the two links I posted earlier. Another company that is doing a lot of good work in this (and many other areas) is Idealabs. Look them up at:
http://www.idealab.com/ .
For your children, your childrens children, for your own best interest, do something. I'm not being histrionic. This problem is real and it is happening faster than anyone imagined it possibly could.
