Focus the Nation

Eban Goodstein is leading the charge with Focus The Nation; instigating a formidable dialog - and country-wide event - about global warming (read: climate disruption). This event is happening soon (1/31/08) , so check it out!

"Can I buy your vote?"

It seems the presidential candidates are falling all over themselves to see who can send you more money - as a way to "help us out" of our economic problem. Since when is it the Government's job to help us spend more money - to "keep the economy going"? (Besides, if both the Republicans and Democrats think it's such a great idea that taxpayers have their own money back, why don't they just lower our taxes and spend more wisely... like we have to?)

More importantly, the effects will actually make our dependence on foreign oil worse, not better!

The sooner we allow our economy to go through its normal cycle, the sooner there will be downward pressure on the price of oil. Less economic activity = less use of oil = lower prices. So, by trying to buy your vote, the candidates are supporting the steep price of oil, which - guess what - puts downward pressure on the dollar, increases inflationary pressures and sets us up for a stagflationary cycle, ala the 1970s.

Where is John Anderson when you need him?

What will a 2 to 3 degree change mean to the environment?

An article by The Economist describes the effects of climate change, when in 1783 an effusive volcano reduced the average temperature a couple degrees: The Summer of Acid Rain.

In another article, we see that bio-fuels (palm-oil in particular) have unintended consequences (again).

Global warming vs. Climate Disruption

This week's tornado in Vancouver, Washington got me to thinking, and it should you, too. We may have a lot higher conversion rate of people wanting to do something about renewable energy if we talked in terms of Climate Change, or even "Climate Disruption" instead of Global Warming.

The effects of Climate Change includes parts of the world getting warmer, for sure. But it also causes disruption in weather patterns, that may cause more rain, even cooler temperatures in some places. People understand larger and more hurricanes, tornadoes in places where they don't usually occur, and droughts where food-growing ability all but evaporates. They don't really mind "warming" (especially in the winter). And they can't buy into that.

Warming is the cause of climate change. And since people tend to respond better to results / effects more than root causes, let's call it by that. So, please - let's talk about what is really going on in our day to day lives: Climate Disruption.

Here is the dilemma: Talk about the effects (to enable more buy-in), while working on the causes (to leverage our limited resources in the most effective ways).

Let's solve the problem by getting at the root causes: Mainly non-renewable energy production and use, which arguably is the largest single contributor to Climate Disruption.

==> Source #1, Source #2, Source #3, Source #4

And to be fair, a competing perspective.

50 mpg here, now.

Tata motors has developed, and is selling a 4-wheeled 50 mpg vehicle (in India) for $2500. So I guess it's there, now. Any dealers / importers up to the task of bringing this to the U.S. market?

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President's Speech I'd like to Hear

What if a sitting U.S. President gave this speech? I'd like to see it.