Climate Files 14 / Nuclear Power Potential

By SL in Climate Files Podcast, Climate News, energy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

fn14cop15web2This episode presents four scientists and environmentalists making the case for the use of nuclear power.

It’s believed by some people that environmentalists should be against nuclear power — I completely disagree. We are trying to find ways to solve and stop climate change, not fight the possibilities and the ideas for doing that.   Nuclear power has improved a lot since the 1970′s, and it’s a strong source of nearly CO2-free power.  Nuclear energy is not a political issue, it’s just a form of energy, and for the near future at least,  a necessary one. There are many environmentalists who are for the development of new nuclear power,  Generation IV or IFR — Integral Fast Reactors. This episode discusses nuclear power, why it may be necessary, why new power plants are safer, and why it might be a good source of heavy-duty power for many years to come.

Read chapter 4 on nuclear power from the new book  Prescription for the Planet, — “Newclear Power” –  by downloading it here.  Author Tom Blees has generously decided to put this chapter (pg 117 — 139) on the web to allow a more rapid dissemination of the basic facts about IFR to everyone you know (family, friends, fellow environmentalists, politicians, the media) — so please do pass on the link: http://tinyurl.com/cwvn8n

Also visit the site for the book and download chapter 1.  This notification came from a very good spot online for energy information:  Brave New Climate.

More on the The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) project  here.

Also interesting: George Monbiot does not reject nuclear power. Neither does climate scientist James Hansen, or UK scientist James Lovelock. Neither does Energy Secretary Steven Chu. If nuclear will be a necessary power source for the future, when can we start building them?

Nuclear Energy Must Power Our Future — an Intelligence Squared debate, and two viewpoints on nuclear energy are in this episode.

The graphic for this episode is from the COP15 logo. You can sign up and submit your thoughts to the UN’s “Climate Thoughts”. A very cool globe of thoughts from all over the world.

Music: Afro Celt Sound System “Dark Moon, High Tide”

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Climate Files 13 / Busta Myth

By SL in Climate Change, Climate Files Podcast, Congress/Legislation, energy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

crystalballBusting the myths of the cost of changing energy and capping emissions. But is the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 cap and trade bill right for right now or is it a waste of time? I gaze into my cloudy crystal ball and find — the answer is not so clear. It’s tough to predict the future.

The cap and trade bill is rushing through Congress yet it provides huge giveaways for polluters and focuses an awful lot on coal funding and the myth of clean coal. Will carbon capture and sequestration ever work? Steven Chu is betting 2.4 billion that it will. Many scientists say it’s just not feasible. There is no such thing as clean coal!
Read about the new superfund lawyer here.

Disturbing news about the EPA approving 42 out of 48 permits for mountain top removal in Appalachia and their response, which is lame.

Two interviews are played in this episode; one with John Berger of Standard Renewable Energy, and the other with Björn Stigson, president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, during the Energy Efficiency Global Forum. You can find more news and interviews at E&ETV. You will also hear from Kevin Knoblach, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

There are a lot of myths about what is happening in the rest of the world — one myth is that the EU’s emissions trading is not working and it is (reportedly) working. And yes, China is doing a lot on climate change. China is in the process of greening up their country, and spending a lot on doing it too.  Spending more than the U.S. in fact.  China and India should not be used as an excuse for the U.S. to not act aggressively on climate change!

Various news stories on the climate bill that might be of interest.  An analysis of the cap and trade bill from the Wall Street Journal article that I discussed is here:  “Panel Adds Free Permits to CO2 Bill”

This cap and trade bill does not go far enough on emissions and it makes too many allowances, especially for coal.  Why? The top 3-takers of coal money, are Democrats — Dingell, Boucher, & Hoyer.  Follow the coal money.

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FN12 / Take Action / A Republican Mis-Leader

By SL in Activism and Protest, Climate Change, Climate News, Congress/Legislation, Experts/Scientists, Interviews/Authors, Obama Administration, Politics Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

future-worldwebWe need climate legislation before it’s too late. According to a new May 5th CNN poll a majority of Americans DO want something done about climate change. Congress, are you listening? They need to hear from us. May 6th and every day is CALL IN day to Congress. But there are several key Democrats that really need some pushing on a climate bill. You can read about this action here and get the list of congressmen to call, their phone numbers, and even a script.

So Today –Take action on climate change legislation today and every day until legislation passes. See the recent action alert at ChesapeakeClimate.org (CCAN) The phone-in day is today but you can call every day until we get something passed!

See more at the Futurism Now blog — Action Day on Climate Legislation.

James Hansen, NASA climate scientist, wrote a letter to the Australian minister of climate change, which you can read from his website link. (It’s a pdf.) I only read his note explaining his frustration that he sent out to those on his mailing list.

Newt Gingrich spent some time in Congress last month misleading the American people and Congress on the economics of climate legislation. There were some mild fireworks, but there need to be more. Some Newt is played, but don’t enjoy it too much.

The government can fund all the new energy it wants, but people need to get those dividend checks from the tax and dividend or cap and trade legislation that is passed. That is what the Larsen bill and the Van Hollen bill describe. So mention those two bills when you call your Congressmen.

Better climate bills:

Larsen Bill H.R. 1337 — America’s Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2009

Van Hollen Bill H.R. 1862: — Cap and Dividend Act of 2009

Read these two bills, they are better than the cap and trade bill!

China IS studying carbon tax ideas, despite what Newt Claims.

CSPAN energy meetings can be found here. (Look under “Energy”).  There were 3 days of debate and discussion in April, starring Al Gore and Steven Chu and Lisa Jackson and many others.

The sad melted Bolivian glacier story is here. It lasted 18,000 years… and mere mortals finished it off.
Music at end by John Doe, The Losing Kind
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FN11 / Major Economies Forum

By SL in Conferences and Meetings, Congress/Legislation, Experts/Scientists, Liberal/Progressive Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

fn11worldflagsThe road to Copenhagen continues with the U.S. State Department’s Major Economies forum, the world meeting on climate change, the last week in April. It was convened by President Obama. This episode plays the overview speech of Secretary Clinton at the beginning of the forum, and the televised interview with UN Secretary Yvo de Boer after the forum. Here’s a list of interesting articles related to and about the forum.

Major emitters talk, one viewpoint.

Draft climate proposals reveal split on new pact

Submissions to the UNFCC by individual countries.

The recent EPA endangerment finding

U.N.’s Top Climate Change Official: A New Willingness to Tackle Emissions

“Major developing countries like China are doing far more to address climate change than most Americans realize, the top climate change official at the United Nations said yesterday after a meeting in Washington of ministers from the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters.”

Secretary of State Clinton speech to the Major Economies climate change forum, including transcript.

Todd Stern Q&A about the Major Economies climate change forum:

MR. STERN: We had quite an extensive conversation about the whole subject of mitigation, and to include the question of midterm targets, to include the question of what the United States is talking about. So yes, those discussions came up. People expressed their views. We expressed our views. Some people agreed with us, some people pushed back with – on us, we pushed back on them. It was a good conversation. There were plenty of people there who – I mean, there were all different views represented, and it was, I think, again, a very constructive conversation. It’s very much what we wanted. We wanted to not be dodging things.

You know, in – on your second question, I guess I would say that I come out of this meeting, if anything, a bit more optimistic. I think that I don’t ever underplay the size of the challenge here, because it is really very – the size of the challenge in terms of getting an agreement. Remember, the issue for me is – an issue for us is always an agreement that you can get, that – a consensus – an agreement that – a deal that can reach – that can produce consensus internationally and it can also be approved back at home. And those are the two things that are very challenging, and they can – and they’re still challenging, but I would say that I walk away a bit more optimistic. It was a very good exchange today and yesterday.

Read the whole thing here

State Dept. Chairman’s summary of the forum.

More information on the Futurism Now Blog.

UNFCCC
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Music: All I Want Is You by Barry Louis Polisar.


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