Bill Hewitt’s Posts

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  Biochar as the new black gold 7

  Posted 3 months, 1 week ago

  Could biochar -- the carbon-rich remains of "burning" organic matter via an oxygen-free process -- be the solution to two of the biggest problems facing mankind: climate change and food security?

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Bill Hewitt’s Recent Comments

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  This is pretty darn important development. I wrote about this yesterday: “An Idea Whose Time Has Come.”
  There is also the question of the disparity of fossil fuel subsidies to those for renewables. See this excellent graphic
  from the Environmental Law Institute for the US.On G20 cans fossil-fuel subsidies, but fails to make other climate-conserving moves posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago 7 Responses

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  JD - First of all, good on 'ya for being in the business you're in. You are on the cutting edge. Second, you are definitely preaching to the choir here when it comes to the US Senate. See SPQR from my blog. Finally, as to changing our consumption patterns, I am also definitely with you. I've written about that a number of times, including in a post titled "Galloping Consumption." BillOn Lamar Alexander loves the earth too much to support solar and wind posted 2 months ago 12 Responses

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  Nuclear - and fossil fuel - advocates like to perpetuate the myth of the "intermittency" of renewables. In May I cited an ass-kicking, myth-busting initiative in Europe in which it was demonstrated that ��renewable power can produce baseload electricity in a secure and reliable manner without help from conventional power.� (See http://climatechange.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/05/26/renewables-in-the-picture-at-the-ft/)On Lamar Alexander loves the earth too much to support solar and wind posted 2 months ago 12 Responses

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  Lamar Alexander would rather cut off the tops of mountains for coal than site wind turbines on them. "Energy sprawl" is a specious argument anyway. It's like the argument against Cape Wind made by people like Bobby Kennedy, Jr. ("You don't understand. That's where I learned to sail." - See the excellent "Cape Wind" by Williams and Whitcomb.) You really can't get the total bang from renewables if you're still supporting nuclear power. (See my recent post at the FPA blog on climate change on nukes and a particularly good paper from David Elliot - http://climatechange.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/09/19/another-note-on-nuclear-power/) As to the availability and reliability of renewables: It's not even close. We are in a revolution. It's happening all around us, all over the world, now. The only question is to what extent the oil, coal and nuclear interests will continue to hold back the tide. (Oh yeah, there's plenty of energy in the ocean too.)On Lamar Alexander loves the earth too much to support solar and wind posted 2 months ago 12 Responses

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  Billhook - The folks at Green Resources in Oslo would agree with your assessment.  See their letter in the "Financial Times" in response to Fiona Harvey's excellent article on biochar.  As to any "endorsement" of feedstocks, I wouldn't presume to make one - I was reporting the view of one of the leading biochar experts in the world. 

  On Biochar as the new black gold posted 3 months ago 7 Responses