<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Gore calls for carbon tax, 100 percent renewable electricity by 2018]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Pangolin http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:00:32 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/1 Thanks Al

I have been critical of Al Gore in the past for failing to practice what he preaches but this time he's got his concentrator squarely tracking the sun. We need to get our nation in gear and proceed to convert to a non-fossil fuel economy on a war footing.

Every soldier, contractor and piece of gear in Iraq and Afghanistan is needed back here to assist in this project. Literally every person who can collect woody debris to convert to biochar should be employed if they are not engaged elsewhere.

I've spent a month choking on smoke from fires that were months earlier than the normal fire season and far more numerous than even the 90 year olds can remember. Climate change is HERE, and it's kicking us in the teeth.

It's time to get to work.

Put the Carbon Back

]]> Thanks Al

I have been critical of Al Gore in the past for failing to practice what he preaches but this time he's got his concentrator squarely tracking the sun. We need to get our nation in gear and proceed to convert to a non-fossil fuel economy on a war footing.

Every soldier, contractor and piece of gear in Iraq and Afghanistan is needed back here to assist in this project. Literally every person who can collect woody debris to convert to biochar should be employed if they are not engaged elsewhere.

I've spent a month choking on smoke from fires that were months earlier than the normal fire season and far more numerous than even the 90 year olds can remember. Climate change is HERE, and it's kicking us in the teeth.

It's time to get to work.

Put the Carbon Back

]]> Comment #2 by christophersj http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:58:36 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/2 Joseph Romm

Joseph Romm, Gore doesn't call for "100 percent renewable energy by 2018", he calls for 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2018.

Although he mentions transportation and oil in the body of his speech his thesis is very purposely ONLY about electricity and NOT oil and liquid fuels.

I think this confusion about Gore's thesis is his own fault.  And I'm his biggest fan saying this.

Am I the only one noticing the careful wording of Gore's thesis?  He NEVER says all carbon based energy gone in 10 years.

He wouldn't have repeated like that if he didn't mean it that way.

]]> Joseph Romm

Joseph Romm, Gore doesn't call for "100 percent renewable energy by 2018", he calls for 100 percent carbon free electricity by 2018.

Although he mentions transportation and oil in the body of his speech his thesis is very purposely ONLY about electricity and NOT oil and liquid fuels.

I think this confusion about Gore's thesis is his own fault.  And I'm his biggest fan saying this.

Am I the only one noticing the careful wording of Gore's thesis?  He NEVER says all carbon based energy gone in 10 years.

He wouldn't have repeated like that if he didn't mean it that way.

]]> Comment #3 by sunflower http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:18:18 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/3 Wishing upon a star

I wish for carbon-free district heating, clothes drying, home heating, cooling, hot water, and for carbon-free industrial process heat.

I wish I had somebody to call...

]]> Wishing upon a star

I wish for carbon-free district heating, clothes drying, home heating, cooling, hot water, and for carbon-free industrial process heat.

I wish I had somebody to call...

]]> Comment #4 by amazingdrx http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:01:02 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/4 Revenue neutral

"I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn. This is the single most important policy change we can make."

Great Al!  I haven't heard of this before.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin


]]> Revenue neutral

"I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn. This is the single most important policy change we can make."

Great Al!  I haven't heard of this before.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin


]]> Comment #5 by amazingdrx http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:18:31 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/5 Only a few things wrong

He mentioned geothermal, but didn't mention ground source (sometimes called geothermal heating/cooling) heat pump heating/cooling of buildings.  That's good for 36% of GHG elimination, with renewable electricity powering it.

Geothermal electric power is just too water intensive and eathquake prone to be practical.  Wind, solar, wave, ocean current power, and biogas/organic ag, that is enough power without geothermal.  And by harvesting coastal wind/wave power and using biogas for distributed grid backup,the huge grid upgrade isn't needed.

Grid capacity would be enough, but the grid would have to be transformed into a distributed smart grid.

He should add direct subsidies to the plan, 5 to 10 cents per kwh for renewable genweration and conservation. The subsidies diverted from fossil fuel industries.

As far as letting nukes keep running?  Yes, until they can be phased out by renewables.  They would provide enough baseload power to transition to a grid that doesn't operate on the old 100% dispatchable central design.

Great inspiration though!  Go Al!  Just mind these changes.  Feel free to call me for pointers, hehehey.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

]]> Only a few things wrong

He mentioned geothermal, but didn't mention ground source (sometimes called geothermal heating/cooling) heat pump heating/cooling of buildings.  That's good for 36% of GHG elimination, with renewable electricity powering it.

Geothermal electric power is just too water intensive and eathquake prone to be practical.  Wind, solar, wave, ocean current power, and biogas/organic ag, that is enough power without geothermal.  And by harvesting coastal wind/wave power and using biogas for distributed grid backup,the huge grid upgrade isn't needed.

Grid capacity would be enough, but the grid would have to be transformed into a distributed smart grid.

He should add direct subsidies to the plan, 5 to 10 cents per kwh for renewable genweration and conservation. The subsidies diverted from fossil fuel industries.

As far as letting nukes keep running?  Yes, until they can be phased out by renewables.  They would provide enough baseload power to transition to a grid that doesn't operate on the old 100% dispatchable central design.

Great inspiration though!  Go Al!  Just mind these changes.  Feel free to call me for pointers, hehehey.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

]]> Comment #6 by 1Eco http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:11:12 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/6 ground source heat pump

Geothermal allows for one work that gets the message across.

http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/

I like the pond closed loop.

Ecosystems empowerment for the rural poor.

]]> ground source heat pump

Geothermal allows for one work that gets the message across.

http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/

I like the pond closed loop.

Ecosystems empowerment for the rural poor.

]]> Comment #7 by sindark http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:35:18 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/7 Transport and electricity grid

One nice idea I read recently is to let the new grid double as electrically powered rail lines. These could also be linked to wind turbines on suitable land nearby.

a sibilant intake of breath

]]> Transport and electricity grid

One nice idea I read recently is to let the new grid double as electrically powered rail lines. These could also be linked to wind turbines on suitable land nearby.

a sibilant intake of breath

]]> Comment #8 by sindark http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:36:25 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/8 Rail and power

Article on combining the next generation grid with electric railroads.

a sibilant intake of breath

]]> Rail and power

Article on combining the next generation grid with electric railroads.

a sibilant intake of breath

]]> Comment #9 by amazingdrx http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:39:12 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/9 Yep Eco

I hope that is what Al had in mind.  The potential for geothermal heat pump heating/cooling is much better than geothermal electric power generation.  Water is the problem.

We can't afford to send limitless gallons down into acid and toxic mineral bearing rock, only to have it stream upward under pressure and contaminate aquifers.

We have enough problems with devestated aquifers.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

]]> Yep Eco

I hope that is what Al had in mind.  The potential for geothermal heat pump heating/cooling is much better than geothermal electric power generation.  Water is the problem.

We can't afford to send limitless gallons down into acid and toxic mineral bearing rock, only to have it stream upward under pressure and contaminate aquifers.

We have enough problems with devestated aquifers.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

]]> Comment #10 by christophersj http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:19:37 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/10 Thanks Grist staff

Thanks for changing the intro text Grist staff.  As you can read on this other discussion here yesterday, you were not alone in your confusion.

http://www.grist.org/news/2008/07/17/GoreDC/

]]> Thanks Grist staff

Thanks for changing the intro text Grist staff.  As you can read on this other discussion here yesterday, you were not alone in your confusion.

http://www.grist.org/news/2008/07/17/GoreDC/

]]> Comment #11 by Peter Altman http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:38:31 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/11 Texas rises to Gore challenge

While Al Gore was challenging Americans to invest in a carbon-free energy future, Texas utility regulators were voting to invest nearly $5 billion in the state's renewable energy system. That's the kind of long-term, major infrastructure commitment that is needed to move the US to a clean energy future. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/paltman/texas_first_to_ ...

]]> Texas rises to Gore challenge

While Al Gore was challenging Americans to invest in a carbon-free energy future, Texas utility regulators were voting to invest nearly $5 billion in the state's renewable energy system. That's the kind of long-term, major infrastructure commitment that is needed to move the US to a clean energy future. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/paltman/texas_first_to_ ...

]]> Comment #12 by David Merrill http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:46:22 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/12 Cut U.S. CO2 80% by 2025

We need to phase out fossil fuels as fast as possible, in the U.S., and globally. The national network I direct, GlobalWarmingSolution.org, released its emissions reduction proposal, "Rosie Revisited: A U.S.-Led Solution to Global Warming", http://www.globalwarmingsolution.org , in July, 2007. (DVD also available) The report demonstrates the technological and economic feasibility of reducing U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2025. In addition, the straightforward methodology we employed for the U.S. energy system could be applied in countries around the world so that these urgently needed emissions reductions are global...as they must be.  It is the most aggressive emissions reduction proposal of any U.S. national environmental group. Help us make it happen!

]]> Cut U.S. CO2 80% by 2025

We need to phase out fossil fuels as fast as possible, in the U.S., and globally. The national network I direct, GlobalWarmingSolution.org, released its emissions reduction proposal, "Rosie Revisited: A U.S.-Led Solution to Global Warming", http://www.globalwarmingsolution.org , in July, 2007. (DVD also available) The report demonstrates the technological and economic feasibility of reducing U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2025. In addition, the straightforward methodology we employed for the U.S. energy system could be applied in countries around the world so that these urgently needed emissions reductions are global...as they must be.  It is the most aggressive emissions reduction proposal of any U.S. national environmental group. Help us make it happen!

]]> Comment #13 by Johan http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:12:22 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/gores-speech/13 carbon free also mean saying no to biofuels

I was at first a bit puzzled about his focus on the rejection of carbon based fuels since I would assume that he would put the blame on only fossil fuels. But nowhere does he mention biofuels. I think he only used the word "renewables" once.

@by christophersj:
A quote from the speech:
"We could further increase the value and efficiency of a Unified National Grid by helping our struggling auto giants switch to the manufacture of plug-in electric cars. An electric vehicle fleet would sharply reduce the cost of driving a car, reduce pollution, and increase the flexibility of our electricity grid."

So after all no liquid or gas fuels of any kind in his vision?!



]]> carbon free also mean saying no to biofuels

I was at first a bit puzzled about his focus on the rejection of carbon based fuels since I would assume that he would put the blame on only fossil fuels. But nowhere does he mention biofuels. I think he only used the word "renewables" once.

@by christophersj:
A quote from the speech:
"We could further increase the value and efficiency of a Unified National Grid by helping our struggling auto giants switch to the manufacture of plug-in electric cars. An electric vehicle fleet would sharply reduce the cost of driving a car, reduce pollution, and increase the flexibility of our electricity grid."

So after all no liquid or gas fuels of any kind in his vision?!



]]>