fossil fuels are not the answer
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KJ's gut is smarter than most guts (namely our President's). Coal, in whatever form, cannot be the long term solution to our problems because the essential part of the energy we get from coal releases carbon dioxide. Unless we want to move to Canada for the weather, we have to look towards more renewable resources. Although I've heard people say wind and solar can't meet our needs, I've also seen data that shows positively that they can, and will meet our needs, if we use our energy efficiently. We already have Habitat for Humanity "net zero" houses, and corporate buildings could be the next step. Transportation issues can be solved through affordable housing that allows people to live where they work. We need to get out of the "macho" culture that says you're not a "real man/woman" if you don't spend 3-4 hours a day in your car.
Plus, renewable electricity doesn't do anything to get us off of oil, just coal and natural gas (except in some small exceptions, we don't burn oil for electric power). Cars, semi trucks, trains, buses, and airplanes don't run on electricity, and even if we outlawed gasoline and diesel engines now, it would take 25 years or more to replace all the cars, and there's no existing technology for an electric long-haul truck or freight train, or airplane. Of course there's a solution to that--biofuels, but that also needs significant R&D and capacity building to be viable on a large scale.
What we need is a diverse energy portfolio, where the capacity and diversity of sources of renewable energy is large enough to handle most contingencies, and carbon-producing fuels are only used for backup. That will be expensive, as we are in a habit of only building the capacity that we need and nothing more or it eats into profit margins.
Another thing that bugs me about this rush to drill and extract everywhere is that we need a forever supply of oil for other things than just burning it. From plastic to pharmaceuticals to lubricants, we'll always need oil. Burning it for heat is like burning your paycheck for heat. Keeps you warm for a while, but once it's burned you can't use it for anything else.
We also need to set realistic goals--we will not get all the R&D and capacity built during our lifetimes that we need, even if we poured our entire national resources into it (and that's just never gonna happen). But that's not an excuse to do nothing, no matter how many Republicans say it is.
My old mentor used to say, "how do you run a marathon? One step at a time." We have to start moving incrementally now, setting an example for the world. We can't let our own impatience stop our efforts, and we can't let the short-term profit motives of Republicans heavily invested in big oil stop them either.
The critical piece is to be open to changing age-old, wasteful, American habits. I'm ready for more wind-power and a bio-diesel car. Then, I'll joyfully watch anybody who insists on a monster-truck or muscle-car still running on gasoline or petrol-diesel paying $6-$8 a gallon.
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