<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Hansen et al: We must phase-out coal emissions by 2030 and stabilize at or below 350 ppm]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by BlackbirdHighway http://www.grist.org/article/the-need-for-speed/ Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:46:43 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/the-need-for-speed/1 McCain In PA

McCain campaigning in Pennsylvania says that he is the "Coal Booster" and will greatly expand coal production and consumption, because it will create jobs.

He has thrown his previous claims of caring about global warming completely out the window.

]]> McCain In PA

McCain campaigning in Pennsylvania says that he is the "Coal Booster" and will greatly expand coal production and consumption, because it will create jobs.

He has thrown his previous claims of caring about global warming completely out the window.

]]> Comment #2 by Colin Wright http://www.grist.org/article/the-need-for-speed/ Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:55:17 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/the-need-for-speed/2 The urgent need for speed...

It seems to me that we ought to dovetail the upcoming economic stimulus package into a 10 year plan to phase out coal by 2020. That is, we should view the stimulus as the downpayment on a New Green Deal. (This also meshes with Gore's Plan for a renewable grid in 10 years.)

DR has already made a great start. Obviously we should be pushing for mass transit over roads, and preparing for peak oil. But we need to make sure that new renewable electricity generation (and building retrofits) take top priority. If that can be done with a national grid, plus a RPS, plus feed-in tariffs, plus a carbon price, plus a Berkely-style financing plan, great! If not, it may require even more government intervention a la WW2!

One other idea: bring the troops home from the ME, and set up an engineering corps, which could help build the new smart grid, for those who need jobs. (Note: Barnie Frank has been floating the idea of reducing the military budget by 25%. Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute and Winslow Wheeler of the Center for Defense Information agreed with that idea on KCRW's To the Point (0:35) recently!)

]]> The urgent need for speed...

It seems to me that we ought to dovetail the upcoming economic stimulus package into a 10 year plan to phase out coal by 2020. That is, we should view the stimulus as the downpayment on a New Green Deal. (This also meshes with Gore's Plan for a renewable grid in 10 years.)

DR has already made a great start. Obviously we should be pushing for mass transit over roads, and preparing for peak oil. But we need to make sure that new renewable electricity generation (and building retrofits) take top priority. If that can be done with a national grid, plus a RPS, plus feed-in tariffs, plus a carbon price, plus a Berkely-style financing plan, great! If not, it may require even more government intervention a la WW2!

One other idea: bring the troops home from the ME, and set up an engineering corps, which could help build the new smart grid, for those who need jobs. (Note: Barnie Frank has been floating the idea of reducing the military budget by 25%. Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute and Winslow Wheeler of the Center for Defense Information agreed with that idea on KCRW's To the Point (0:35) recently!)

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