July 10, 2008
The reality of our future with oil..
The reality hits home. Use of oil to grow by 50% in next 22 years! So what happened to the "green revolution"?
The fact is that while the developed world has its luxuries..the underdeveloped one is just getting started. And when you consider the population which does not yet benefit from fuel-based transportation, it is huge. So when you put together an increasing revenue based for those countries and the need for convenience and the lack of an affordable alternative...oil is here for a long, long time to come.
This does not mean that eventually we will completely eradicate this need. It does not mean that if we invest heavily in battery and renewable technologies we can't shorten oil's remaining lifetime as a power supply. It simply means that we should not delude ourselves into believing that we can do it as quickly as we wish.
Where there is a dream there is hope. And when you look at things positively, the things that you look at change for the positive. So keep going, make a change to your life today, even if its for your pocketbook. One way or another, renewables will one day become the standard.
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2008
The price of carbon...
Nobody but nobody can justify to me the current price of oil. What I hear a lot about is the political unsettling news in the Mid East as the prime driver. Sure China and India are now big demand drivers, yet nobody is doing this to the point of tripling the price of oil in a few short years.
So what gives and why do I care?
Basically, its my belief that the price of oil is going to chock our economies. We still don't have enough renewables out there and the cost of transport and anything which uses oil to produce is skyrocketing. How does one increase prices in an economy which is tanking (one million foreclosures in the USA alone!)?
What you see has nothing to do with the cost of carbon either. Its almost taken a back seat and although the cost of fuel now makes renewables affordable, I for one do not believe that these prices are sustainable.
Nevertheless, the political mood is certainly looking more and more favourable for solar and other renewables not based on carbon savings alone, yet now based on real economic advantages.
Sass
PS. I know its been quiet on the blog front recently, yet news coming out very shortly will explain why I had to go into "quiet" mode.. :)...
Posted by sass at 11:19 AM | Comments (1)
February 13, 2008
Necessity Powers Invention
New entry in the car market in India promises to be powered by compressed air. Following the most recent announcement of another small car for the Indian market, it seems that their necessity for cheap vehicular transportation is now matched by ingenuity in how to power the vehicles without the cost or environmental hazards of gasoline fueled engines.
It reminds me of a story by an indian thinfilm researcher who used to be on our board of advisors. He told me of a trip to an Indian farm where a solar system had been installed to power irrigation. The farmer complained to the manufacturer that there was no way to turn the pumps off because no switch had been provided. The american maker started to design a switch. Yet when the researcher got to the site, he simply took a rug and through it over the solar panels, stopping power to the pump altogether.
See sometimes it needn't be complicated to be bright. And that's what will drive the most simplistic solutions for third-world transportation and energy needs in the future.
Sass
Posted by sass at 04:38 PM | Comments (1)
December 20, 2007
CARbon Cuts Clampdown
The EU today announced it is thinking of clamping down on car makers for the carbon emissions coming from the cars they make.
Although I commend the continued focus on carbon emission contributions to climate change, I wonder if we would all not be better served by creating market incentives at the consumer level. Say for example that any car producing more than X emissions would cost a consumer X$ in extra charges at purchase time as a "climate tax". What better way to help sway consumers towards more carbon efficient cars?
Regulating means putting in serious infrastructure to monitor. Using the market to regulate is far more cost efficient and more effective in the long term.
Imagine also the effect on the carbon credit market, where perhaps instead of paying the tax, consumers could buy carbon credits. It has for effect to sensitive individuals where governments and industry are alone today. Shortly thereafter, consumers would rightfully ask for their share of carbon credits for any carbon saving activity recorded. If others can credit for this, why not us?
Sass
Posted by sass at 03:07 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2007
Inconvient Truths to whom?
There was a major CNN special last month which focused on Al Gore's winning the Nobel prize and his movie An Inconvenient Truth.
During the show, we were shown how there are many skeptics about the claims being made in the movie. Well more news came out, news comes out that the rate of CO2 growth has been 35% faster than predicted just back in 2000!
I am not trying to dispel the valid suspicion with which claims about man-made climate change should be approached. My belief is that education is a continuous thing which we should all involve ourselves in when the cause is so great as the environment which we will leave our children.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2007
Bluffing Bushes
News of this week's climate change conference is that George Bush wants countries to be able to determine their own limits of carbon emission reductions. Sure...have the fox guard the hen house.
I think at this point that he's got to be given credit for staying his course, yet even he knows the course is going nowhere with an american election in sights. At least he is no longer denying that carbon emissions and climate change are an issue and he's calling for Kyoto replacement.
It amazes me how leaders get together, agree on a protocol, then opt out because the wind has changed politically in their countries. What use is the protocol some might say? Well if a few of those who signed it hold to it, then it had some use. It keeps the agenda moving along. And as the bar is raised, those who bucked the trend are forced to join it.
Sass
Posted by sass at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)
September 17, 2007
Hurray Hybrids...
The american consumer has awoken! Sales of hybrids are up almost 50% in the USA in 2007 vs 2006. So does this mean the american consumer has gone green?
Well, I personally think its a bit of that and much more of the cost of gas. "Voting with your wallet" is an old saying, and if applied to the hybrid industry, its a call for more reasonable gasoline expenses rather than necessarily showing one's green side. However, I bet there isn't one hybrid owner out there that doesn't CLAIM to be GREEN as a result of having chosen that type of vehicle, and well they should!
The trend is likely to continue far beyond when oil falls below its current $80 per barrel simply because car makers have started to create more and more models as hybrids. So as the choice goes, so does the buyer.
In the end, as long as everyone is happy (you and your wallet) what counts is that we are moving in the right direction when it comes to the automotive industry.
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2007
Carbon Credits for the People
So why should a country or a huge organization be able to trade and claim carbon credits and not you and me? Seems to me that if we take all the savings that individuals could accomplish it might in fact total MORE than what government institutions or corporations can do?
Lots of talk about increasing the value of carbon credits, yet I think we're missing the point. We can have a few organizations making efforts to save carbon, or we can have billions of people making little efforts. Which do you think would yield more results?
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:33 AM | Comments (0)
July 31, 2007
Changing your green footprint
We all are talking about greening our lives, yet what does that really mean concretely?
The only thing I've noticed in my life in the past few years is recycling boxes. True, when we set out to buy a new car we were concerned by gas mileage, yet I wonder if that wasn't more because of the price of fuel vs carbon emissions?
Our children are more sensitized than we were yet frankly they hold little power in the scheme of things except to convince us to look at hybrid cars. Fact is that we won't change our choice of cars necessarily because they are hybrid unless they suit the other needs and wants we have for ourselves.
In a world where every little bit counts, I invite you to examine your life and see where you have made a change. If you haven't, consider reading this to give some perspective. Its a very insightful article about the subject.
Sass
Posted by sass at 02:44 PM | Comments (1)
July 03, 2007
Air-Powered Automobiles?
Just when you thought you could think of every way to power a car, along comes a breath of fresh air...
This air-powered car is absolutely the most environmentally friendly type of propulsion known to mankind...at the time of writing this blog!
It makes so much sense for everything to small commuting to courrier cars. Anyways, I think that what's missing is solar panels on top to power the battery for lights, radio and other onboard electronics...hmmm...what will we think of next?
Sass
Posted by sass at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)
Chinese Coverup
With the Olympics slated for Beijing in 2008, it seems that the Chinese government is getting increasingly sensitive about any news about smog and pollution. Many in the Olympic sports circles are worried about the quality of air and the effect that this will have on the performances of the athletes.
Frankly speaking, having returned from China in May, I can see why they are concerned. Its the second time I return from there with a cough (without a cold) and I believe that next time, i will adopt the same "white mask " dress code as many chinese do now.
This society went from tons of bikes and healthy rural living, to tons of motorbikes and Mcdonald's urban living. Imagine the finding that hundreds of thousands die in China prematurely due to smog? Read this article and see what rampant development can create...
Sass
Posted by sass at 03:39 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2007
Walk the green talk..
Do we realy walk the talk?
Just after a huge summit of G8 leaders with tons of discussions and headlines about how important climate change is, the EU signs a new "open skies" agreement with the USA which will add billions of tons of CO2 emissions to the skies? What kind of renewable energy policy will make up for that?
How many millions of solar panels must be installed to counter this and for how long must they run? It comes back to the conflict created by our everyday growth needs and desire to have even more "freedom to choose" and the immediacy of helping to reduce the emissions and thus climate change through man-made facts.
Whenever we come to a choice of the short vs long term, it seems that the long term LOSES in the case of climate change. While we certainly are making progress, I am wondering out loud if we will ever really be able to manifestly reduce CO2 emissions before we are able to 100% replace oil-burning engines and other applications. Time will tell yet I have a feeling that I won't know in my generation. That burden will be passed onto our children, as with so many other "baggages" we choose to leave them through our everyday choices for the "immediate"...
Sass
Posted by sass at 03:13 PM | Comments (0)
April 30, 2007
The Growl of Gore...
Al Gore RIPPED into the Canadian Conservative government's plan to reduce greenhouse gases which calls for targets FAR above and much pushed back from the Kyoto Protocol.
He joins David Suzuki and a host of other environmentalists who have taken the Canadian government to task for its lack of leadership in this domain. It seems that while the Conservatives correctly determined that Kyoto's targets and its unfair singling out of developed countries without the engagement of China and India, was out of range, its more the manner in which they have gone about finding another "venue" and the preposterous position they take that Kyoto will hurt economies.
Frankly speaking, it simply smacks of a lack of ingenuity. Take all only a smart fraction of the funding for CANDU (the canadian nuclear platform) or the Alberta Tar Sands supplied by the government for R&D, and plow that into subsidies for the development of a renewable energy policy, and you will find that protecting the environment and job creation can go HAND IN HAND.
Steven Harper doesn't get it. He remains a holdback of the older conversative philosophy that "the market fixes most things". In this case, who speaks for the environment we are passing to our children? How do you "calculate" the effect this step backwards will have on them? Where do you value it?
Mr. Harper, its never too late to change one's mind. Only a fool doesn't.
Sass
PS. The Conservative Environment Minister, John Baird, fired back at Al Gore's critique. Click here to read his response.
Posted by sass at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2007
Green Riders
Arnold the Governor has decided to convert his vehicles to bio-diesel in an effort to show that's taking action to combat man-made climate change and carbon emissions from his own personal lifestyle.
Imagine if all 50 governors took this approach, what a difference it would make in the perception of the population in America of leadership in this domain? I invite you to urge your governor or congressman to do the same, make a significant step in their lifestyle and demonstrate a wilingness for personal sacrifice in the name of protecting the globe for their children. Let's see who walks the walk...
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2007
Happy Earth Day!
What are you doing for Mother Earth today? Walking or biking instead of taking your SUV? Cutting down on the use of disposable diapers (not likely if you want your baby to be comfortable and you are not in a situation where you use resusable ones)? Using cloth bags instead of disposable plastic ones?
Guess what? Most of us won't change much today. We'll talk a talk, yet we won't walk the walk. Laura Turner Seydel, daughter of Ted Turner, walks the walk. Her new home is showcased at www.ecomanor.com and she is heading up Earth Day events, in addition to several commitments to agencies and foundations, like the Captain Planet Foundation, which ICP Solar is now sponsoring.
The question becomes...when are we affected enough so that we actually make a decision to make a difference? Is it the big deal made about one day that is important?
All I know is that we can make a difference, step by step, one at a time. However if we listen to governments in the North American continent today, the feds are saying that Kyoto would kill our economy so let's all forget about it. They are saying they have their own plans to reduce carbon emissions and these are the same people that are funded by oil companies and dine with their lobbyists.
My response? Go out there on Earth Day and participate in any local event you can. Make a difference by showing your kids that this is important enough. They are the generation that will really take this to the next level because they will have to, not because they will only want to.
We must embrace conservation and we must embrace the use of benign, renewable energies. Not in 30 years. Not in 20. Now. It is indeed the best earth day to date and hopefully next year's will be better than this one. And if we can continue that trend, then one day, it will be no longer necessary to have an Earth day, because actions that protect our earth will be first and foremost in our daily DNA make-up and we won't have to use single day celebrations to remind ourselves of this great thing called the preservation of that being which feeds us and our families each day...Mother Earth!
Ancient North American proverb says: "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children".
Happy Earth Day folks! From Google and Yahoo, come some interesting new logos for today:
Posted by sass at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2007
Captain Planet and ICP Solar
What a wonderful thing we've done! Kudos to Laurent Lafite who helped guide me through the process by which ICP Solar became the exclusive Captain Planet licensee this week.
Ted Turner is a maverick and superstar when it comes to giving to initiatives that care for Mother Earth. He founded Captain Planet in 1988, the same year I founded ICP Solar. Now we're partners in working together to promote environmental activities and protection with a big focus on children. Read the press release below, of which our team is most proud:
ICP Solar Technologies Joins Forces with Captain Planet Foundation
The Solar Power is Yours!
MONTREAL – April 18, 2007 – ICP Solar Technologies (OTCBB: ICPR), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of solar cells and products, is proud to announce a new partnership with the Captain Planet Foundation to bring solar power to planet Earth! As part of ICP’s commitment to environmental causes across the globe, for every online purchase of their of Sunsei™ brand products via the ICP online store, they will make a contribution to the Captain Planet Foundation to support hands-on environmental projects for youth.
“Our decision to become involved with Ted Turner's Captain Planet Foundation is in line with our common concerns about climate change. We strive to provide solar power products that are both approachable and efficient in harnessing the renewable and clean power of the sun,” said Sass Peress, Chairman and CEO, ICP Solar Technologies. “The Captain Planet Foundation driven by the eco-living expert Laura Turner Seydel, has done a wonderful job reaching out to children and adults alike to raise awareness about environmental issues affecting our planet and we are excited about partnering to educate the next generation about solar technology.”
ICP Solar's Sunsei technology is the perfect fit for all solar energy needs whether they are home, work, car, RV or boat related. Sunsei products are designed to solve energy problems before they occur for great and enjoyable solar experience.
“We are thrilled to join forces with ICP Solar Technologies,” says Laura Turner Seydel, President, Captain Planet Foundation. “It is a very logical partnership since we at Captain Planet are focused on ways to preserve natural resources and ICP Solar has built their company on using the sun as an alternative power source. We both have a goal to educate the public on ways they can help preserve the environment. By educating them, we are empowering them to make a difference.”
About ICP Solar Technologies:
ICP Solar Technologies is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of solar cells and solar cell based products and building materials. ICP Solar Technologies Inc. has empowered its employees to push the boundaries of solar technology since the company was founded in 1988. From day one, ICP Solar has been committed to the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of leading-edge solar energy products. ICP Solar’s user-friendly solar panels and accessories have been widely used in a variety of applications in the consumer, construction and OEM markets. ICP Solar is renowned for products that are reliable, innovative and efficient.
ICP Solar products can be found worldwide in retail stores such as Wal-Mart, Costco, West Marine, Sears, Target, Conrad Electronics (Germany), LeRoy Merlin (France), and Dick Smith Electronics (Australia). Its current focus in California and Europe is developing innovative rooftop solutions and working to develop OEM solutions for automotive markets, such as auto manufacturer Volkswagen.
For more information about ICP Solar's Sunsei technology please visit: http://www.icpsolar.com.
About The Captain Planet Foundation:
The Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) was created in 1991 to support hands-on environmental projects for youth. CPF's objective is to encourage innovative projects that empower today's children as environmental stewards. CPF is committed to making a global impact with over 500 projects throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica and the US Virgin Islands. For more information, contact 404-522-4215 or visit their web site at www.captainplanetfdn.org.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements herein include, but are not limited to, the expected expansion of our solar solutions into Europe Middle East, Asia and Africa. Our actual results may differ materially from those implied in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, but not limited to, overall industry environment, customer acceptance of our products, delay in the introduction of new products, further approvals of regulatory authorities, adverse court rulings, production and/or quality control problems, the denial, suspension or revocation of permits or licenses by regulatory or governmental authorities, termination or non-renewal of customer contracts, competitive pressures and general economic conditions, and our financial condition. These and other risks and uncertainties are described in more detail in our most recent SB-2 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur, except as required by applicable laws, and you are urged to review and consider disclosures that we make in the reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission that discuss other factors germane to our business.
Posted by sass at 08:28 PM | Comments (1)
April 06, 2007
Climate Calamity Counsel...
Dire warnings of billions affected by climate change this week if we don't do more to stem the growth of carbon emitting gases and their negative effect on global warming.
I am beginning to worry about the amount of media its getting. Sometimes, when you repeat such dire things too often, you risk turning off your audience. It is not to dismiss the urgency of action that I write this. Rather it is a general concern about the overplay or perception of exaggeration.
And yet, if this is indeed all true, then perhaps the wakeup calls are not even loud enough, and we all simply NEED to make changes that will affect our society for generations to come. We're trading in the SUV shortly for a hybrid which is far more efficient in gasoline consumption. Our kids are the ones pressing us to be more "green". I have to believe that with such momentum, the predictions of "ecological doomsdays" will be prevented or at the very least, pushed out far enough into the future to permit the mass adoption of technologies that will replace oil-based energy sources.
Sass
Posted by sass at 06:01 PM | Comments (0)
April 03, 2007
Landmark Legal
In a landmark case, the US Supreme Court has rules that the Environmental Protection Agency DOES indeed have the right and power to regulate carbon emissions from automobiles.
It had refused to do so and was brought to court by several "green" states which saw its refusal as another policy by the Bush administration which ran counter to the "spirit of Kyoto" and the entire global concern over climate change.
Interestingly, the administration took the position that it would hurt the automobile industry to be too draconian in regulations as well as the general economy. This reflects an aged view of how to protect "american" industry (a label which in itself no longer exists in its own right). The fact that there is an emerging industry which depends on strong environmental policies is often set aside since that one has not yet developed the "washington-relationships" that it needs to in order to better influence policy at the federal level.
We once tried to hire a lobbyist in Washington and found out just how hard it is and how complicated it can be to get government behind environmental concerns. It ended up that our interest might have been considered as a "pork line item" in a larger budget pursuit. In the end, we really didn't care so long as we got the funding (which we never went through with).
The decision by the Supreme Court only reflects current popular sentiment that "sustainability" policies must go hand in hand with economic ones. They are no longer separable and the federal government in the USA, not only has the duty it has the authority to act.
Sass
Posted by sass at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2007
One man's garbage is another's....home?
Under the continuing dominant topic-du-jour of climate change, comes more ecological genius.
A man in a stenchy river, filled with fouled garbage, has found a way to turn that garbage into a house! !
Leave it to a brazilian, home of the world's most powerful ethanol industry, to come up with such an inventive idea. If necessity is the mother of invention, then clearly this man deserves a prize, and in fact is getting just reward through tremendous local recognition and now huge international publicity.
Perhaps if the story gets out to those in need, some of them too can use his methods to create suitable homes from completley recycled materials to house their families. Of the many stories which you see me linking to my blog entries, this is one which I do hope gets passed on so that it may perhaps reach ONE person who can use it to their advantage.
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:16 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2007
The new wars...
John McCain declares "the climate change debate is over"... while Canada debates how to respect the Kyoto protocol signed by a previous government. It just doesn't get better. If you have any question mark that the renewables investment sector is the right one to be in, then I hope that these kinds of declarations will wipe out your doubts.
As CEO of a publicly traded solar company,I am thrilled that no matter the political stripes, we are all targeting the same objective. At least we all can agree on the end game, whether or not we agree on how to get there. Having a common enemy is the best way to get resources allocated. First we had the "war on drugs". Then the "war on terror". Now we are all united in the "war on climate change".
Perhaps we can achieve peace on earth by declaring enough wars on things other than other people, that all warriors will be busy with good wars rather than bad ones? Do you have an idea for a war that we could all join in which would hurt nobody and help us all?
Kidding aside, this latest "war on carbon" is just marvelous. As per my last post, whether or not we are really having a huge effect on the climate is not even the point. The fact that we are all pointing in the same direction is what is relevant...
Sass
Posted by sass at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2007
State of Fear
Those of you who know me well, understand that I rarely read novels. Aside from A Clear Eye for Branding by Tom Asaker, the last time I read a novel was probably back in university.
So imagine everyone's surprise when I started reading State of Fear by Michael Crighton, recommended to me by a friend who just knew it was the topic-du-jour that had my interest.
This book turns climate change on its head and challenges everything that we are hearing today about climate change, global warming, greenhouse gases, etc... I found the book to be a great read and completed it in about two weeks. Last night I went searching for some commentary and found the author's own page which I have pasted below as an interesting insight from someone who researched the state of our climate change intensely. Read below, I think it would be very interesting to hear counterpoints to what he writes:
Author's Message from State of Fear:
A novel such as State of Fear, in which so many divergent views are expressed, may lead the reader to wonder where, exactly, the author stands on these issues. I have bee reading environmental texts for three years, in itself a hazardous undertaking. But I have had an opportunity to look at a lot of data, and to consider many points of view. I conclude:
* We know astonishingly little about every aspect of the environment, from its past history, to its present state, to how to conserve and protect it. In every debate, all sides overstate the extent of existing knowledge and its degree of certainty.
* Atmospheric carbon dioxide is increasing, and human activity is the probable cause.
* We are also in the midst of a natural warming trend that began about 1850, as we emerged from a four-hundred-year old cold spell known as the "Little Ice Age."
* Nobody knows how much of the present warming trend might be a natural phenomenon.
* Nobody knows how much of the present warming trend might be man-made.
* Nobody knows how much warming will occur in the next century. The computer models vary by 400 percent, de facto proof that nobody knows. But if I had to guess --- the only thing anyone is doing, really --- I would guess the increase will be 0.812436 degrees C. There is no evidence that my guess about the state of the world one hundred years from now is any better or worse than anyone else's. (We can't "assess" the future, nor can we "predict" it. These are euphemisms. We can only guess. And informed guess is just a guess.)
* I suspect that part of the observed surface warming will ultimately be attributable to human activity. I suspect that the principal human effect will come from land use, and that the atmospheric component will be minor.
* Before making expensive policy decisions on the basis of climate models, I think it is reasonable to require that those models predict future temperatures accurately for a period of ten years. Twenty would be better.
* I think for anyone to believe in impending resource scarcity, after two hundred years of such false alarms, is kind of weird. I don't know whether such a belief today is best ascribed to ignorance of history, sclerotic dogmatism, unhealthy love of Malthus, or simple pigheadedness, but it is evidently a hardly perennial in human calculation.
* There are many reasons to shift away from fossil fuels, and we will do so in the next century without legislation, financial incentives, carbon-conservation programs, or the interminable yammering of fearmongers. So far as I know, nobody had to ban horse transportation in the early twentieth century.
* I suspect the people of 2100 will be much richer than we are, consume more energy, have a smaller global population, and enjoy more wilderness than we have today. I don't think we have to worry about them.
* The current near-hysterical preoccupation with safety is at best a waste of resources and a crimp on the human spirit, and at worst an invitation to totalitarianism. Public education is desperately needed.
* I conclude that most environmental "principles" (such as sustainable development or the precautionary principle) have the effect of preserving the economic advantages of the West and thus constitute modern imperialism toward the developing world. It is a nice way of saying, "We got ours and we don't want you to get yours, because you'll cause too much pollution."
* I believe people are will intentioned. But I have great respect for the corrosive influence of bias, systematic distortions of thought, the power of rationalization, the guises of self-interest, and the inevitability of unintended consequences.
* I have more respect for people who change their views after acquiring new information than for those who cling to views they held thirty years ago. The world changes, Ideologues and zealots don't.
* In the thirty-five-odd years since the environmental movement came into existence, science has undergone a major revolution. This revolution has brought new understanding of nonlinear dynamics, complex systems, chaos theory, catastrophe theory. It has transformed the way we think about evolution and ecology. Yet these no-longer-new ideas have hardly penetrated the thinking of environmental activists, which seems oddly fixed in the concepts and rhetoric of the 1970's.
* We haven't the foggiest notion how to preserve what we term "wilderness," and we had better study it in the field and learn how to do so. I see no evidence that we are conducting such research in a humble, rational and systematic way. I therefore hold little hope for wilderness management in the twenty-first century. I blame environmental organizations every bit as much as developers and strip miners. There is no difference in outcomes between greed and incompetence.
* We need a new environmental movement, with new goals and new organizations. We need more people working in the field, in the actual environment, and fewer people behind computer screens. We need more scientists and many fewer lawyers.
* We cannot hope to manage a complex system such as the environment through litigation. We can only change its state temporarily --- usually by preventing something --- with eventual results that we cannot predict and ultimately cannot control.
* Nothing is more inherently political than our shared physical environment, and nothing is more ill served by allegiance to a single political party. Precisely because the environment is shared it cannot be managed by one faction according to its own economic or aesthetic preferences. Sooner or later, the opposing faction will take power, and previous policies will be reversed. Stable management of the environment requires recognition that all preferences have their place: snowmobilers and fly fisherman, dirt bikers and hikers, developers and preservationists. These preferences are at odds, and their incompatibility cannot be avoided. But resolving incompatible goals is a true function of politics.
* We desperately need a nonpartisan, blinded funding mechanism to conduct research to determine appropriate policy. Scientists are only too aware whom they are working for. Those who fund research --- whether a drug company, a government agency, or an environmental organization --- always have a particular outcome in mind. Research funding is almost never open-ended or open-minded. Scientists know that continued funding depends on delivering the results the funders desire. As a result, environmental organization "studies" are every bit as biased and suspect as industry "studies." Government "studies" are similarly biased according to who is running the department or administration at the time. No faction should be given a free pass.
* I am certain there is too much certainty in the world.
* I personally experience a profound pleasure being in nature. My happiest days each year are those I spend in wilderness. I wish natural environments to be preserved for future generations. I am not satisfied they will be preserved in sufficient quantities, or with sufficient skill. I conclude that the "exploiters of the environment" include environmental organizations, government organizations, and big business. All have equally dismal track records.
* Everybody has an agenda. Except me.
There is no doubt in my mind that we are affecting our world, in some ways well, in others not so well. I do not mean to bring into question that fact, I just think the control of information that we all receive is far from transparent.
Sass
Posted by sass at 12:31 PM | Comments (1)
February 06, 2007
China's Climate Concerns
News today that unseasonably warm temperature in China, in the middle of winter, has caused concern about the fact that China's huge industrial machine may be contributing to global warming.
Seems like the output of news is accelerating and with it will the political movement of changes to legislation and initiatives. All good for solar power, all good for ICP Solar, yet unfortunately I hope its not overkill and that the media is not just paying attention to every story on earth regarding this sector before looking for some new cause celebre...
Sass
PS. ADDITIONAL NOTE
Notice what I wrote above on Feb 6th, now in italics, vs the quote below from a writer-to-editor comment posted in the National Post, Toronto, yesterday. Is it becoming overkill in the media?
"Global warming...next subject, please"
RE; NUMEROUS STORIES IN THE POST ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING.
Now that it is -25C in Toronto, I am even less convinced of the threat to humanity of global warming. What ever happened to acid rain? What happened to all those crack babies? Puh-lease, find something else to write about. This is getting really boring.
Posted by sass at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2007
Carbon Quota Conundrums
I've decided to add a new category today named CLIMATE CHANGE and this is the first posting, after several which I fit into other categories from Community to Events.
Today's deals with the carbon caps proposed to one of the leading countries in solar power in the world..Germany. The EU has proposed carbon caps shy of what Germany had hoped.
Because what happens in Germany will affect what happens to the rest of the EU (Europe) and what happens there WILL affect what happens in the rest of the world. You see whether the countries are attached to the Kyoto Protocol, or like Canada and the USA are proposing their own carbon cap mechanisms (those who dared OPT out even though previous governments had agreed), the basic message is simple...its going to get very expensive for countries that don't follow the rules and move towards more environmentally friendly power generation or power savings technologies, whether you are powering a manufacturing plant, a home or a moving vehicle.
Solar power obviously fits into this picture very well and many would look at what ICP Solar is doing and perhaps consider its effects on climate change as minuscule because we are selling smaller sized panels across hundreds of thousands of users per year. While it may be true that the total wattage we put into the global community is small when compared to some giants, the fact is that we also seed the market which then graduates to learn about solar power with little investment and then may move on to buy larger systems...hence our purchase of Discover Power, one of the founding distributors in the solar market in the USA.
If we all continue to take steps towards zero net emissions, whether energy conservation or any renewable energy initiative, we are doing it for our children. They are the first generation which will have benefited from the initiatives started today, since it will take a while before we see net improvements in emissions. Let there be conundrums about carbon emissions any day, I say. Its the fact that we are spending so much time on this subject that brings a smile to my face, and my heart.
Sass
Posted by sass at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)