Comments Danothebaldyheid has made

  • Lovely idea

    This concept is very graceful. Along similar lines, I'd wondered about placing solar panels along the tracks of sunny stretches of railway line - the number of trains passing over would have minimal effect upon energy created due to the minimal amount of time they take to pass through. Electricity generated could also feed into the grid, and railways contain large amounts of unused space which would be thus utilised....On Upgrade freight rail: Save 12 percent of oil, 4 percent of emissions, and jumpstart renewable grid posted 10 months, 2 weeks ago 16 Responses

  • I support my opponents....

    Global warming always makes me an opponent of those whom I wish to be right.

    I fervently hope that global warming is a massive error and does not really exist. However all the data seems to lead me to oppose those who assert this position.

    I desperately hope that we do not need to engage in geo-engineering strategies to promulgate any semblance of current patterns of life on earth. However all the current data seems to suggest that even a best case scenario in which emissions are practically stopped tomorrow will not be enough to continue any credible continuance of instituted living systems. Maybe you 'optimist's are right in this case, however I fear not....

    The question, then, is what counts as 'geo-engineering'. Increasing agricultural uptake and soil storage is often treated as a 'non-geo-engineering' phenomenon, when it is clearly artificial. It seems much better to 'piggyback' current natural cycles of carbon uptake, if possible, than to institute radical artificial methods of planet cooling. However, I want to see the arguments for different models seriously discussed, rather than endless discussions of 'is eo-engineering a good idea or a nightmare waiting to happen?'. It is quite clearly both, depending on the situation.

    Again, I hope those I oppose are right....On Desperate enough to contemplate geo-engineering posted 11 months, 1 week ago 22 Responses

  • Economy

    I think there is a massive opportunity for an optimistic message being missed in all this.
    A huge amount of the value of money (it sounds stupid but think about it) is raw energy. For instance - The ability to extract iron from ore gives it value. The ability to move olives from Spain to Britain gives them an increase in value. The ability to turn sand into glass gives it value. OUR ECOMONIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY BECAUSE OF ENERGY. That is the story of the growth of Western civilization.
    The replacement of limited fossil fuels with the comparatively limitless energy of the sun, then, will usher in value to our economies that will be able to provide a modern standard of living to the rest of the world, a situation which will enrich our lives nearly as much as theirs.... The rewards of this change, which will cost us a few years of current artificial growth at most, are massive and unimagineable - just as a Playstation 3 would be incomprehensible to Louis XIV.On Climate action advocates need a simple, compelling message on costs posted 1 year, 5 months ago 15 Responses

  • seal?

    When I originally saw a headline and thought it meant Seal (as in 'a Kiss from a Rose'), this story was even more interesting.....On There's a metaphor in here somewhere posted 1 year, 6 months ago 4 Responses

  • Public Travesty

    Wanted green for their farmies or whatever,
    Picture me giving a damn - I said never.On I read a letter to the editor, the other day, I opened, and read it, it said they was suckas posted 1 year, 6 months ago 22 Responses

  • Thankyou

    Just wanted to say thankyou for telling truth to power. If only there were more like you.....On James Hansen writes to Duke Energy on coal posted 1 year, 8 months ago 11 Responses

  • embarrassed

    It makes me cry. And I'm not even American!On Dipdive posted 1 year, 10 months ago 19 Responses

  • Hahahahahahahahaha!

    Thanks - it's good to see that Global Warming deniers and complete nutters are now of about the same ratio in blog comments (That may be for a reason!) Christ, I thought you lot had given up a while ago. I'm just thankful to everyone else who is willing to accept scientific fact and prepared to point out reality for THIS long - I'd have left the mentalists to it a long time ago!
    Right - I'm off to do something far less pointless!!! Have fun out there folks. And remember don't ever let a good fact get in the way of your dogmas.......On More bogus climate skepticism posted 1 year, 10 months ago 227 Responses

  • Dear Americans

    Look, this is none of my business.
    No - that's not right - you've made it my business, by making it impossible for me to switch on the internet, or look at a t.v. without seeing this ridiculous kerfuffle. I live across an ocean and I can't escape this bloody rigamarole! Is that not ridiculous.... Are you electing president of the world?
    Anyway, I have read Senator Obama's books. Because I was interested in him - before he declared he was running for president. And I have to say - if there was anyone I'd want representing me, it'd be him.
    If you all choose Hillary, that is your own business, but she seems like a desperate attempt to return to the nice days, before the rest of the world saw America as a bully instead of an ally. She is an establishment icon - slightly more well-meaning than the current form, but still cut from the same cloth. Remember the complacency back then? Remember the stranglehold of conventional wisdom? You deserve something better (or at least different).
    Obama seems familiar with places which poor Americans recognise. He is an optimist and an inspiration. If you choose to throw that possibility away, that is your choice. But I can tell you, you will be throwing away the most potent symbol you have to show the rest of the world that you do not cling to prejudices of race and celebrity when you are challenged. The rest of the world is waiting for America to be a beacon again - to inspire the rest of us. If you do not take up that mantle now, you will lose it forever. That may be a good thing. Perhaps other sources of hope will arise on this planet, before it is irreparably damaged. But it will be a shame to the rest of us who enjoy being inspired by your example.
    Again, I am sorry, it is not really my business. But you lot made it so......On Barack Obama at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 20 Jan. 2008 posted 1 year, 10 months ago 7 Responses

  • Wow!

    He gets some fair speed on that thing! And what a simple idea. We should all get these - built into electric bikes....On Clever video posted 2 years, 4 months ago 1 Response

  • Godspeed

    Explosions in the Sky are certainly good, but if you like this, try some Godspeed You Black Emperor! They do a similar thing but with a wider array of instruments, giving them a bit more emotional range. The most intense live band I have ever seen without a shadow of a doubt....On Big, wide-open tune to start your weekend posted 2 years, 4 months ago 4 Responses

  • Moron 5

    Such a shame they're terrible....On Pop band Maroon 5 launches 'carbon neutral' tour posted 2 years, 4 months ago 1 Response

  • A carbon tax

    which would replace V.A.T. and pay for ALL public transport to be free. On What rules would you impose to address global heating if you were posted 2 years, 5 months ago 7 Responses

  • Which is true...

    My point is that, to be quite honest, most people have no idea about how disastrous are the consequences of runaway global warming, and will not accept a drastic curtailment of their energy use. They are selfish and short-sighted, I agree; however they will not change to the necessary extent WITHIN THE NECESSARY TIME FRAME. Not only will they not, but the latest comparisons between real world warming and the models lead to the the conclusion that they probably CAN not. Anybody who thinks this is gonna change without a cataclysmic disaster, is kidding themselves. If you are hoping for that cataclysmic disaster, you are on the wrong side of this argument and are a presumably the kind of person who hopes for train wrecks.....On A new solution from a plasma physicist posted 2 years, 5 months ago 15 Responses

  • Yep

    JMG. That plan's certainly working out well....On A new solution from a plasma physicist posted 2 years, 5 months ago 15 Responses

  • Give it a chance

    Global warming is too big and too immediate for this not to be given a shot. We have accidentally engineered ourselves into a serious (and probably even worse that Al Gore suggests) crisis. Latest reports show that even the worst models don't show as much warming as we are now experiencing.
    Don't get me wrong - we have to make sure things are done right, but anyone who refuses to listen to ideas for a way out of this hole is condemning nearly every living thing to at least severe hardship and possibly death. Good luck out there....On Putting iron in the ocean posted 2 years, 7 months ago 47 Responses

  • This headline

    is going to look very stupid very quickly...On Electric motocycles may be bridge to electric cars posted 2 years, 9 months ago 18 Responses

  • The answer

    I have been avidly watching renewable energy developments for the last few years, and I'm convinced that concentrated solar thermal (maybe along with Kitegen) is the main answer to our combined ills (global warming and peak oil). A recent German report even factored HVDC cables into the equation - transferring electricity from Algeria to London would lose less than 15% of the power created. It would also be on a par with the cost of electicity at the moment in Europe.
    In a marked contrast to oil, the scenario is beneficial for everyone involved, with desalinated seawater available as a side effect of power production, and the possibility of agriculture under solar troughs. Local people, then, would gain employment and vital resources.
    The difficulty, then, is in creating the social momentum this all needs.
    Does anybody know if there is a website where people can discuss the intricacies of such a project? I mean, for instance, - how can projects get funding - which governments are open to this kind of scheme - how to influence authorities - how to start a company etc.On One research org says so posted 2 years, 10 months ago 16 Responses

  • Can't count

    Those wacky lexicographers can't count! That's quite clearly two words. Being good at English is no substitute for mathematic expertise....On You'll never guess posted 3 years ago 5 Responses

  • Britain

    One other technical note - it is the government of Britain, not just England! I note this as a proud Scot (it may seem irrelevant to many, but is quite important to the Scots, Northern Irish and Welsh).On The Stern report on climate change posted 3 years ago 6 Responses

  • Nitrogen fixation

    There was a recent segment on the Channel 4 news (UK) about this very subject. Some scientists have isolated the nodules in legumes which enable them to fix nitrogen and they are working towards transferring them to common crop plants. This would largely eliminate the need for nitrogen from fossil fuel sources.
    I tend to think that, sooner or later this will have to be the way things go. Unfortunately such a route would entail the destruction of the current, ridiculous property rights system of gene management ( since when has discovering something been enough to patent it as happens now with genes?! Good thing Columbus never patented America or you would all owe his descendants a pretty packet).
    The probability of that happening without a serious fight is surely remote....On Weigh in on the question posted 3 years, 1 month ago 44 Responses

  • sing!

    Why, after reading all this and thinking about the reality of attempts to reduce CO2, do I end up unconsciously singing in my head 'We're not going to make it' by the Presidents of the USA? Maybe my brain's trying to make a point!On Can you say misguided? posted 3 years, 5 months ago 16 Responses

  • Misguided

    That sounds eminently more sensible,I got the impression that you disagreed with the very idea of geo-engineering in ANY circumstances.

     I'm not advocating giving up in the fight against CO2 (beleive me, my friends are sick to death of me going on about it!) I just think that this fight may be won too late to prevent a feedback loop resolutely trashing the earth's systems and everything and everyone who relies on them. The latest studies show methane escaping from degrading arctic tundra in worrying quantities. We HAVE to be prepared to face these circumstances, in the event that this plays out in the darker end of scientific expectations (which it is currently looking like it might).

    I understand that there are people who will not accept that this is happening, and that discussions about a quick fix might prevent them acting. But in this forum I am fairly certain that  most are already convinced. So let's examine ALL the options.On Can you say misguided? posted 3 years, 5 months ago 16 Responses

  • Guided

    This is the biggest problem I have with the environmental blog movement. They endlessly insist that we can somehow make do with simply cutting fossil fuel use. Listen carefully here:- IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ENOUGH.
       Most relevant scientists (whom at least the environmentalist left are willing to beleive - unlike those on the other side) are saying that we would need to cut CO2 production by 70% IMMEDIATELY to have any hope of stabilising the planet. That is not going to happen under any scenario that most people can envisage. Not only is this extremely unlikely (some might say impossible), all the signs are that political will is too weak and individual self-interest too strong to even keep CO2 levels from going in entirely the opposite direction. The idea that we can dodge the bullet is a fallacy - the bullet is just about in our faces. We have to do SOMETHING to keep the planet habitable while we carry out the changes necessary. I'm afraid that that something will HAVE to be a geo-engineering project.  
        Those who deride such notions are playing as dangerous game as the deniers - too little too late is as bad as nothing at all. It infuriates me that we are not all prepared to investigate every option in the (lets face it) quite likely event that the scientists are actually RIGHT!
         You can choose to keep your head in the sand all you want, but that sand is going to burn you and everybody in it.
         Those who talk of adaptation are going to be responsible for the deaths of all those poor who live in low lying islands and more. There is no grey area in climate change - it is all or nothing at all. Lets keep our coping options open.On Can you say misguided? posted 3 years, 5 months ago 16 Responses