writeaboutwarming

August 27, 2012 - Did you know that a large number of ethanol refineries in this country are owned by corn farmers?  I wonder if the owners are family farmers or agribusiness farmers; there's a big part of me that suspects the latter.  Perhaps you've heard that the President has been asked to order reduced corn ethanol production, as a result of the drought.  The corn is needed for, of all things, food.  More than 150 members of Congress asked the EPA  to relax government rules regarding the percentage of corn used in ethanol manufacture.  This idea surfaced weeks ago, and has still not been acted upon.  Refineries have produced about ten percent less ethanol this year, due to a scarcity of corn coupled with a higher price.  (The Bush II-era law mandates an increased percentage of ethanol in our gasoline every year.) That hungry people should have to compete with ill-advised government programs runs counter to every basic survival instinct ...

August 20, 2012 - You know, it's hard to decide what to write about these days.  Climate extremes are happening all the time now, and I don't ever want to treat what people are going through as if it were unimportant.  On the other hand, it's very easy to tell what my readers like, and want: you guys want to hear some good news.  Last week's blog article was the most popular I've ever written, bar none.  So this week I'm going to mix it up.  First, let's all admit that it's impossible to ignore the fires burning in the western United States. I know - they're getting a lot of coverage, and it's pretty scary stuff.  There's nothing I can say to make the situation less horrible than it is.  We all want so very badly for the fires to just stop burning!  Fact is, dead trees as dry as tinder are always going to catch fire when they're struck by lightning.  This is a good time to remind ourselves of one of those basic facts of life: we c...

August 13, 2012 - Ceres is an organization made up of investors, companies, and public interest groups that work to accelerate and expand adoption of sustainable business practices.  They, along with collaborators M.J. Bradley & Assoc., the National Resources Defense Council, Entergy, Exelon, Tenaska, and Bank of America, issue a report every other year that assesses the environmental performance and progress of electric power companies.  This year's report is the eighth edition of Benchmarking Air Emissions, and it makes for enjoyable reading.  Lo and behold, the United States is in the midst of a clean energy transition.  At last!  Here are some of the long-awaited particulars: From 2008 to 2010, emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from electric power plants fell by over 30 percent. During the same period, carbon dioxide emissions fell four percent.  Preliminary data show another five percent reduction took place in 2011. When la...

August 6, 2012 - If someone were to ask you about President Obama's record on the environment, would you have a hard time answering the question?  I realized I would, so I went straight to the horse's mouth: http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy .  Since this is the administration's side of the story, I found that they occasionally chose to laud themselves regarding matters which I thought counterproductive, i.e., approving a permit for a nuclear reactor in Burke, Georgia.  (Everybody: Huzzah!)  Overall, I think it is safe to say that the President has done a lot more than most people realize.  While some of what's been done falls under the heading of "let's talk about that some more," there have been real, honest-to-goodness accomplishments, as well.  In the interest of a well-informed electorate, here is a list of President Obama's accomplished goals, so far (in some cases, legislation or directives have taken effect, with the completion date lying at so...

July 30, 2012 - Thanks to The Christian Science Monitor for discussing the inroads being made by Holistic Management in this country.  I'll be talking about some of what I learned from their article today.  If you'd care to read the CSM article, you can find it here: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2012/0729/New-breed-of-ranchers-shapes-a-sustainable-West Or, if you'd like to learn a little background about the subject, here's a past post of mine: http://www.writeaboutwarming.blogspot.com/2011/10/change-for-better.html Imagine this: Ted Turner is one of the leaders of the HM movement in this country!   It may not surprise you to find out that he doesn't know he is, but he is.  (Turner is an oddly prescient human being who often sounds/appears not to know what the day of the week is.  His business decisions frequently seem to rest upon what feels right.  His instincts, and values, are good, however, and he can many times be foun...

July 23, 2012 - Since these things all need to happen sooner or later, why not sooner? 1. Shut down all coal-powered power plants immediately.  Impact: Millions of people without power.  Probably a lot of tree cutting and illegal activity so people can survive.  Additional impacts: Millions of people can breathe more easily.  Millions of people get more exercise as they substitute people power for electric power. 2. Renewable sources of energy in high demand.  Impact: Lots of new jobs created.  A time of upheaval, as the old ways die, and the new ways gain acceptance. 2. Corporations ordered to function at 30% of normal electrical power usage.   Impact: Endless numbers of lawsuits.  Energy efficiency in high demand.  Energy consultants in high demand. 3. Everyone ordered to telecommute OR work week shortened to two-ten hour days.  Impact: Many millions of people with far more free time.  Families start eating meals...

July 16, 2012 - Bankers, governments, corporations.  It sure looks like they're all in this together.  I'm not quite sure - yet - what "this" is, but it's taking shape.  Commentators, pundits, experts; those in the know refer more and more frequently to criminal behavior.  Gangster-"like" behavior.  The stealing becomes more widespread with every passing week.  Those whom we look to for the execution of justice breathe not a word.  See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.  Seems to me like this is what the world looks like when organized crime runs the world. The small-timers join gangs, the erstwhile major leaguers get a broker's license, governments enable all of it.  The CIA oversees drug trafficking, the Supreme Court thinks corporations are people - very, very shady types of people, and the Republicans are gaming the voter franchise.  Just like in 2000.  Ever wonder why Jeb Bush will never run for President?  Because he...