US CO2 goals 'to be compromised' (Energy Sec. Steven Chu)

[Turborama]

Source: BBC

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the US will not be able to cut greenhouse emissions as much as it should due to domestic political opposition.

Prof Chu told BBC News he feared the world might be heading towards a tipping point on climate change.

This meant the US had to cut emissions urgently - even if compromises were needed to get new laws approved.

Environmentalists said Prof Chu, a Nobel physicist, should be guided by science not politics.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8061929.stm

---

What he said later about coal fired power plants is very worrisome.

[Lorien]

1. Politics or death

hmmm...kind of a no brainer. If we had a bunch of five year olds in charge they would probably be making wiser choices on this issue.

And the insane part is that the economy would be boosted by green, clean energy-but our fossil fuel overlords won't have it.

[ronnie624]

2. Insanity.

A quick Google search reveals no major U.S. news outlets reporting this. Too busy running state propaganda for the "war on terror", I suppose.

[hatrack]

3. Shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you!!!

:eyes:

Have fun at Copenhagen, Dr. Chu. We'll call the Maldives and Bangladesh in your absence . . .

[tom_paine]

11. "Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." --Rick

[villager]

4. What!? A "Democratic" congress selling out environmental issues

...to appease their bankrollers!?

[griloco]

5. What's the big deal?

I breathe CO2 all the time.
You can, too.
Just put a plastic bag over your head
and breathe normally.

[quidam56]

6. Appalachia is past the tipping point,

We are being bombed, blasted and bulldozed right into a 3rd world toxic moonscape with toxic watersheds. I'm not sure Wise County, Virginia can stand anymore of this progress and prosperity. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=138

[Kolesar]

7. Chu is hung up on the powerlines dilemna

Wind and Solar resources are not where the demand for electricity is, per his analysis.

I disagree.

Solar photovoltaic electricity could be generated on rooftops about everywhere except Alaska. Wind electricity should be generated off the coast of the eastern megalopolis (Boston to Baltimore) and on the Great Lakes.

Storage of photovoltaic energy would be by compressed air in underground wells per that big plan in Scientific American magazine.

[Sirveri]

8. Thermal Solar works better.

Also most houses use more than a traditional PV equiped roof can supply. But that's not really the issue, putting PV on every rooftop in America would be a great step forward. The issue is that we don't have the production capacity to do it. Berkeley, CA is experimenting with the idea of a green home initiative, which would fine everyone who didn't modernise their homes. Actually our whole energy infrastructure is in horrid shape, we need to revamp most of our transmission system. The entire situation is complicated by the idea that capitalism is best, even though they generally have an incentive to not be forward thinking. Why upgrade the transmission system when you can simply keep charging to repair something that is broken? Why build new clean plants when old dirty ones are cheaper? A large stock of the public simply doesn't understand that in order to get capitalism to actually do something useful, you have to prod them with the big stick of money. If you continue to do X, you will lose more money than you would doing Y. Best way is to do that with regulation that levies signifigant penalties and has a sensible time frame.

[Turborama]

10. Re: the big plan...

Have you got a link? Sounds very interesting...

[Kolesar]

14. Sci am archived is $$$

http://www.sciamdigital.com/index.cfm?fa=Products.ViewIssuePreview&ARTICLEID_CHAR=87AA497D-2B35-221B-696443DCBCF961FC

They proposed a huge solar electricity generation capability and a huge new set of powerlines to move the electricity from the sunny states to the east where the population was concentrated. Storage was by reusing gas wells as pressure tanks, IIRC. I do know that natural gas is seasonally stored in old underground formations and in some new underground caverns.

The subject was discussed in the DU EE forum.l

[Triana]

9. "domestic political oppositon" - why are we being cowed by that when the future of HUMANITY

is at stake?

jesus christ can we please GET OUR PRIORITIES IN ORDER?

[tom_paine]

12. Beacuse, with the rarest of exceptions, that is the nature of the great mass of humanity.

And that was BEFORE the rise of the Imperial American Corporate-controlled M$M, which is the Greatest Propaganda Machine and Pleb/Prole Docilizer in human history.

Do I count myself among the exceptions? No.

[PurityOfEssence]

13. The problem: when you're a compromiser, and start from a watered-down position,

the end result will be even more watered-down than that.

Yes, leadership is about coaxing others into marching with you, but it's also about standing up for things that aren't popular and making things stick.

Same problem with health care, same problem with creeping theocracy, same problem with letting big finance continue to fleece us and not be held accountable.

Everything to everyone isn't much of anything.

The big danger that I've been dreading for quite some time is that these guys will pull the party to the right--just as Clinton did--yet somehow fail, ushering back in reactionaries while also having shifted the whole political spectrum to the right. The right looks whipped right now, but they're not; things can change quickly, especially in times of strife.

[ohio2007]

15. China says rich nations must cut emissions by 40 pct ( yes, THAT CHINA )

Nice to see they are ready to dictate policy
:sarcasm:


China confirmed Thursday that it will demand rich nations cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 in upcoming global climate change negotiations.
In a position paper published for negotiations to be held in Copenhagen in December, China -- one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases that cause global warming -- did not commit to any legally binding reductions.
"Developed countries shall undertake to reduce their GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in aggregate by at least 40 percent below their 1990 level by 2020," said the paper, posted on China's planning agency's website.
snip

As a developing nation China under Kyoto did not accept cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, which are blamed for global warming, higher sea levels and other potentially disastrous changes in the climate.

"Fully aware of the seriousness and urgency of climate change and with a deep sense of responsibility for the long-term development of mankind, China is firmly committed to sustainable development," the position paper said.

"In the face of international financial crisis, China remains determined to take unrelenting efforts to address climate change."


http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.34524d91ed9226d24f193be246b20ea8.191&show_article=1

Nice to have the "developing nation" status