meacassidy’s Recent Comments

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  Out to the public

  This article covers one of the most important topics under consideration today.  The emphasis on the timeframe needed for change is the keystone issue.

  Why is this not on the forefront of every media outlet and educational forum?  The general public knows little or nothing about the urgency of the energy issue and if you are following the presidential candidates potential energy policies, it seems they are undereducated on the urgency question as well.

  With Earth Month, networks and publications carried story after story about "greening" technologies and home energy saving strategies.  Not once did I hear any hint that major policy shifts have to occur in a matter of years for those CFLs and additional insulation to count on a global stage.

  We need to devise policy and funding to deploy the off-the-shelf technologies along with conservation and efficiency immediately.  But we also need an educational component that will reach the public domain in an accurate and understandable form.  Try asking five people you run into today which choice is better for a promising energy future - higher percentage funding for  available technology or for R&D.

  I would encourage authors and researchers to work harder to get their information to the main stream media when energy bills come before Congress and when candidates stump for elections.On Existing technology is faster and far more practical than hypothetical new inventions posted 1 year, 6 months ago 22 Responses

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  Success Stories

  When presenting "What if there were a better say?", I find alot of people believe that we don't have viable options to fossils without a life of subsistence or deprivation. I would like to see the campaign feature the many effective and proven conservation/efficiency programs already in play including off-the-shelf technologies that are already saving individuals/companies/communities major dollars in the long run as well as signficantly reducing carbon emissions. Many more major players would implement the right strategies if given the right information.  

  Also needed with a individual empowerment program is a national legislative policy reformation to put us on the right path.  The up front cost of some of the better technologies are deal breakers for many.  This is where a national and legislative/policy drive has to be part of the equation and not policies that simply rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic.  On Gore group will launch climate marketing campaign posted 1 year, 8 months ago 4 Responses

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  CTL as GHG an economic problem

  A study from the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center (CEIC) concludes that while enacting policies to subsidize the production of coal-to-liquids transportation fuel would enhance national security by lowering oil imports, encouraging plug-in hybrids powered by coal-generated electricity is a less costly policy that also reduces oil imports and does more to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

  Not that I am promoting keeping on the fossil track but I think it says alot when CEIC says CTL is not the technology of choice.On CTL fuels: still a bad idea posted 1 year, 8 months ago 6 Responses

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  90% certainty

  In discussions surrounding the new IPCC report, I have found there are people that want an "extremely likely" or "virtually certain" degree of confidence that human activities have caused global warming before they act, citing the major economic and corporate shifts required.

  Although an argument could be made that shifting from fossil fuels has many other advantages along with mitigation of global warming, the fact that science can not always deliver a 99% confidence level, particularly for complicated systems seems to cause hesitation for some to act.  Perhaps it is a lack of scientific understanding of risks, a stricter observance of the precautionary approach, or maybe it is just another way of staying in denial.

  In any event, could you please provide a few examples of other issues where the scientific degree of uncertainty was 90% or less.  I think placing the 90% certainty in context would help those outside of statistics appreciate that societies have made major decisions based on a lesser degree of certainty in the past.On The scoop on the new IPCC climate-change report posted 2 years, 9 months ago 11 Responses