Rob Smith’s Recent Comments

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  Public doesn't know Urgency of Global Warming

  I just ran across a useful piece of work by Dr. Jon Krosnik of Stanford University, who finds that:
  

  Public agrees global warming exists but also divided over severity of problem
  

  
  Here's a link to the whole story:

  http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2007/february21/gwa ...

  So-- it seems that urgency should be communicated wherever possible. One key site to do that is the Union of Concerned Scientists, who have an animation showing temperature changes based on current climate models.  View how your state will change: http://www.ucsusa.org/greatlakes/glimpactmigrating.html

  The United States is predicted to lose up to 35% of soil moisture with a doubling of carbon dioxide-- at the current rate of pollution this will happen by 2057. That translates into crop failures, dust storms-- similar to the weather in Australia today.
  source: An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore, page 121
  

  On NYT energy/environment coverage is top notch posted 2 years, 8 months ago 6 Responses

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  Global Warming creates Huge New Product Markets

  Global warming will require cost effective non-carbon-based fuel for every system-- be it home, transportation, hot tub, etc. in the world.  

  New products, and education for every adult and child worldwide is required-- fast! That's alotta sales!

  Let's ask world industry take the challenge. For example, there is a compressed air technology for automobiles. Let's see Detroit, China, Germany hop on that opportunity!

  Information on the Air Car (which does not seem to be in production yet-- but might be with a little competition beating down the door): http://www.theaircar.com/On It's seductive -- and wrong posted 2 years, 9 months ago 54 Responses

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  Fluorescent Bulbs -- Choices we have Today

  The choice we make today is not what is a better wavelength for reading, or whether to use a recyclable bulb vs. one that currently is not recyclable.

  Our choice today is: can we reduce our carbon dioxide production in time to stop the pendulum of global warming before it has so much momentum we may not affect it at all?

  With that in mind, making every change possible to non-carbon fuel sources is required. This is a planetary emergency -- no choice if we hope to survive as a species on this planet.
  

  We can choose to redesign the product to remove/minimize mercury, to set up systems to recycle the bulbs.  Right now, we still have this choice.

  We must not delay, or we will find ourselves in the position of Sophie, in William Styron's Sophie's Choice.On They've Had Their Filament posted 2 years, 9 months ago 8 Responses

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  Fluorescent Bulbs-- Excellent Start; Next: Solar!

  Fluorescent bulbs for the entire country is fantastic: part of that has to be recycling the bulbs properly so that mercury does not get into the system. The other part: requiring industry to change  (over 5-10 years, as is feasible) from using mercury in this product to not using mercury/neutralizing the mercury by designing better product.

  ---
  NEXT STEPS:
  Australia should Phase In Fast solar and wind powered energy. They have these resources in abundance. Phase Out Fast: coal and any other carbon-based fuels.

  --
  On They've Had Their Filament posted 2 years, 9 months ago 8 Responses

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  buy more green gew-gaws of course

  I think we should support businesses that truly go green- and give them our hard won moolah.  There is a synergistic win:win effect, and hey, we can feel good when we want just one more thing!On With big biz jumping on the green bandwagon, should activists cheer or jeer? posted 2 years, 9 months ago 13 Responses