~C4Chaos

The oil shortage problem is so overrated

Back in March Dean Kamen demonstrated Slingshot on The Colbert Report. The robotic "Luke" arm is cool but the Slingshot is the invention that will save the world (of people). Think about it. We can now drink our own pee and be proud of it, bottle it, and sell it as purified bottled water to the clueless.

Paper or Plastic? Bring Your Own!

Nice.

via Worldchanging: Seattle

"Seattle's City Council approved the proposed disposable bag fee yesterday with a 6-1 vote. Starting in January 2009, shoppers will have the option of either bringing their own bags to the store, or paying 20 cents per disposable bag to tote their goods. According to an article in the Seattle Times, officials expect that the new fee will cut Seattle's annual 360-million-bag habit in half." [read more]

I've been anticipating this. But I was still a bit surprised that the proposal got an almost unanimous vote. I'll be needing more reusable bags though. I keep forgetting my reusable bags at home.

Technically I'm not (yet) affected by this since I live outside the city of Seattle. But if and when the "shopping bag fee" prove to be successful (as it was in Ireland), then I expect it to spread like wildfire across different cities here in Washington as well as different states. It's one of the baby steps toward a more environment-friendly future.

Four-Way Debate On Energy and Global Warming @ Larry King Live

I watched a four-way debate on Al Gore's speech on Larry King Live last night. Among the panelists, John Stossel struck me as smug. Don't take my word for it. Watch the video here.

Anyway, one important solution that gets buried in these alternative energy debates is the idea of efficiency.

"Modern society uses natural resources extremely inefficiently. What's wrong with that? For one thing, many resources are non-renewable — for all intents and purposes they aren't being made anymore — so it makes sense to use them sparingly so they last as long as possible. And as for renewable resources, many of them—trees and fish, for example — are being used faster than they're being renewed. Depleting resources in this way is an unsustainable proposition, with potentially grave consequences for society as well as the environment.

"Furthermore, using more resources than necessary to do a given job often indirectly causes other problems, which have a way of snowballing. For example, the more fossil fuels we use, the more we contribute to climate change (global warming), which most scientists now agree is a real and worrying phenomenon. But that's not all. Using more oil increases the risk of catastrophic oil spills, makes consumers more vulnerable to embargoes and other disruptions, and requires more money (and possibly lives) to keep the supply lines open." [read more]

Why Electric Vehicles (EV) Rock

Here's another case in point why electricity is the most promising alternative fuel that can lead to energy independence.

"CNN's Miles O'Brien profiles Marc Geller, an electric car owner and a passionate supporter of this technology. " [watch video here]

Hydrogen cars, air compressed cars, plug-in hybrids, all good. But electric cars are already in our midst, just waiting for a second coming.

It's good to know that the Toyota RAV4 EV is still out there, driven by hundreds of owners across the United States.

Why plugin hybrids rock

via Climate Progress

"The key point of this piece is that “Only one alternative fuel can significantly lower the annual fuel bill of U.S. consumers while at the same time significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions — electricity.”

"Biofuels — whether from crops or cellulosic material — are likely to be sold at the market price for gasoline. That’s because it is extremely difficult to see how they could be produced in the kind of nearly unlimited quality you would need for them to dominate the liquid transportation fuels market for the foreseeable future. The same is true for offshore, Alaskan, or unconventional oil.

"The price of electricity, however, is not linked to the price of oil." [read more]

Exactly!

It's good to know that electric cars are coming, again!

Climate Change as Proxy to Altruism

I once heard a CEO in a panel discussion saying that Climate Change has served as a proxy for a lot of our environmental, technological, sustainability, and ethical problems. How true.

Thomas Friedman in his upcoming book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded take this up a notch and argued that the Green revolution is like training for the Olympics. Makes sense to me.

In the meantime, Freakonomics has an interesting post on Climate Change apocalypse and altruism. When it comes to the potential apocalyptic impacts of Climate Change:

"...the likeliest victims are, once again, the poorest people. Which means that if the relatively rich people who are currently most vocal about climate change are also the people who stand in the least danger, there may come a point where they realize that their concern is not so much an act of self-preservation as an act of altruism. Considering how impure much of our altruism is, that could be the most dangerous news of all." [read more]

Good point.

It's Getting Hot, Flat, and Crowded in Herre!

Yesterday I watched Thomas L. Friedman's keynote address on BookExpo 2008 America. Friedman presented his upcoming book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America.

"People say to me: How can we afford to transform our whole economy in order to prevent climate change when climate change could turn out to be a hoax?

"To which I say: If climate change is a hoax it is the most wonderful hoax ever perpetrated on the United States of America because transforming our economy to clean power and energy efficiency to mitigate global warming is the equivalent in training for the Olympic triathlon. If you make it to the Olympics you have a much better chance of winning because you have developed every muscle. If you don't make it to the Olympics you're still healthy or stronger, fitter and more likely to live longer and win any other race in life. And like the triathlon you don't just improve one muscle or one skill but many which become mutually reinforcing and improve the health of the whole system." [watch the video of Friedman's keynote]

Exactly. I'm now looking forward to reading Friedman's book.

And speaking of energy efficiency, here is an excerpt from Friedman's NYTimes article, The Power Green.

"Because a new green ideology, properly defined, has the power to mobilize liberals and conservatives, evangelicals and atheists, big business and environmentalists around an agenda that can both pull us together and propel us forward. That’s why I say: We don’t just need the first black president. We need the first green president. We don’t just need the first woman president. We need the first environmental president. We don’t just need a president who has been toughened by years as a prisoner of war but a president who is tough enough to level with the American people about the profound economic, geopolitical and climate threats posed by our addiction to oil — and to offer a real plan to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels." [read more]

Now check out who's greener, Obama or McCain. Ok, Nader looks green too.

Climate "Deniers", Just Shut the **** up and Suck it up!

That's how WorldChanging essentially had put it (without the cussing, of course).

"Climate "skepticism" is not a morally defensible position. The debate is over, and it's been over for quite some time, especially on this blog.

"We will delete comments which deny the absolutely overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, just as we would delete comments which questioned the reality of the Holocaust or the equal mental capacities and worth of human beings of different ethnic groups. Such "debates" are merely the morally indefensible trying to cover itself in the cloth of intellectual tolerance." [read more]

Ah, well...

Anyway, for those who still get their fix from debating over the man-made cause of Climate Change, there's Climate Debate Daily and National Review Online for your enjoyment. And you can always use your own blogs fer Chrissakes! ;)

Planet Green Starts Today

Discovery Communication's Planet Green launches today. It's the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network! Check out the video previews.

I've already seen early episodes via Comcast On Demand. I enjoyed watching the programs while learning a lot about eco-friendly (energy and moolah-saving) alternatives in just a few episodes of Wa$ted, Greenovate, Mean Green Machines, and Wrecklamation.

So if you can't get enough of green stuff, here's the channel for you. Just be sure you don't turn into a green couch potato and/or turn green into another religion :)

Electric Cars Are Coming, Again!

With the ridiculous high prices of gas nowadays, this news from David Houle is very encouraging.

"A year ago, when GM announced the Chevrolet Volt as a pure plug-in it basically had the announcement arena to itself.  The good news is that now both Toyota and Nissan have announced plans to introduce electric cars to the mass market in 2010.  This is good news for two reasons. First, competition usually accelerates development and production time lines, so that GM will now have its’ two largest competitors to think about.  Second, there will be greater scale brought to the marketplace, and more quickly.  Nissan went even further that GM in that it announced it would sell electric cars globally, not just in the United States.  The proof now will be the quality, price, speed to market, and volume of production.  The proud, green tinged announcement phase is now over and the real work begins to deliver what has been promised. May all three succeed!" [read more]

Nice. It's good to know that electric cars are coming, again!

I hope my old dependable road buddy holds up until the advent of affordable electric cars. In the meantime, the high gas prices seem to be a blessing in disguise to push people and big business to shift to a cleaner source of energy. Another proof that economics trumps environmental idealism.

Belief in Global Warming (in the U.S.) Falling?

While majority of developed countries had already moved beyond the debate, belief in Global Warming in the U.S. is falling, with a deep partisan divide.

"The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted April 23-27 among 1,502 adults, finds that the already substantial partisan divide over global warming has widened in the past year. Fully 84% of Democrats and 75% of independents say there is evidence that the earth's temperatures have been rising, compared with just 49% of Republicans.

"Among Republicans, far more moderates and liberals than conservatives say there is evidence of global warming (69% vs. 43%). However, the proportion of both groups expressing this view has declined since January 2007." [read more]

The science may be settled (although this is still debatable) and Al Gore could update his slideshow as much as need, but belief is what drives people. Unfortunately, the more people know about the science of Global Warming, the less alarmed they are. And therein lies a paradox.

Then again, good science neither requires consensus nor belief, nor it offers certainty on complex phenomena. So when scientists and the media are saying different things, lay people are left to resort to their ideologies, political affiliations, and instincts.

So where are you on the Climate Change belief scale?

Dreaming of Gross National Happiness

Imagine a world where the driving force is people's well-being and happiness instead of insatiable economic growth which puts strain on our environment. Bhutan is already doing it. It's called Gross National Happiness (GNH).

"While conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH claims to be based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance."

Will developed nations eventually follow suit? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, check out this video. It's free to dream.

Planet Green is Hot! (No climate change pun intended)

I'm looking forward to the launch of the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network, Planet Green. I've seen the previews already via Comcast On Demand. You can also watch the videos online. Watch it here.

I enjoy watching the program while learning a lot about eco-friendly (energy and moolah-saving) alternatives in just a few episodes of Wa$ted, Greenovate, Mean Green Machines, and Wrecklamation. This looks like another successful venture for Discovery Communications.

Discovery's Planet Green will debut on June 4. Don't miss it!

Which is Greener, Driving or Walking?

Freakonomics links to a detalied analysis of what's greener, driving or walking?

A detailed analysis shows that the answer to this seemingly simple question is not that obvious, especially if we consider a lot of factors like diet. For example, we have to remember that,

"Walking is not zero emission because we need food energy to move ourselves from place to place. Food production creates carbon emissions."

In short, carbon emission is fungible. Zero carbon emission is a pipe dream, that is, until we've ditched our depedency on fossil fuels and perfected harnessing solar energy. For now, the best we can do is minimize carbon emissions as much as possible.

Our individual choices and actions still matter but the major portion of cutting global carbon emissions would depend on government (alternative) energy policies, big business, and serendipitous scientific energy breakthroughs.

In the meantime, in my personal sphere I try to limit my driving by car pooling, maintaining my 11-year old car, and using the cheapest (but the best in its class) GPS navigation system to make my driving more efficient and safer. Working from home helps a lot too.

Earth Week @ Tulip Festival

To conclude my observance of Earth Week we went to the annual Skagit Valley's Tulip Festival to witness the final weekend of the famous full-bloomed tulips. Tulip Festival is one of my favorite events here in Washington. It's the time of the year when colorful sea of flowers meet the Earth. It's also my first time to go with ~myDakini.

Here are some of the photos I took. My theme for this year is over saturation and reaching for the sky.

Check out 2008 Tulip Festival photo set or more photos.

Finally, here's a recap of all my blog posts for the week. Thanks for celebrating Earth Week with me.

Kicking Off Earth Week

Happy Earth Day

Witnessing the Car of the Future

The Hot Politics of Global Warming

Visiting Etopia Eco-Village on Earth Week

Biofuels for Future Cars? I Hope Not

Who Will Save the Electric Car?

A Race Between Car and Electric

Who Killed the Electric Car? Nevermind. It's Alive and Kicking!

Re: Paper or Plastic? Neither!

Re: Paper or Plastic? Neither!

In anticipation of the plastic shopping bag tax here in Seattle, I just bought two re-usable bags from ChicoBag for our household use. The plastic shopping bags tax is still a proposal, but I'm looking forward to its approval and implementation next year. So I might as well change my habits early.

Why am I confident that the proposal will pass here in the Emerald City? First, there's already a successful precedent in Ireland.

"A tax on plastic shopping bags in the Republic of Ireland has cut their use by more than 90% and raised millions of euros in revenue, the government says."[see Irish bag tax hailed success]

Second, we're so addicted to plastic bags that we don't notice it anymore. So here's artist/photographer Chris Jordan reminding us of our plastic bags consumption.

And third, if China is doing it, what's our excuse?

Some people are already complaining that if they stop using plastic bags for groceries then they won't have anything to use for cleaning after their pets' poop. Nonsense. I suggest re-using the clear biodegradable plastics used for bagging vegetables and fruits in the grocery, at least for now.

Looking forward to the arrival of my re-usable bags and curing my mild plastic bag addiction. I got one in Gaia purple :)

Who Killed the Electric Car? Nevermind. It's Alive and Kicking Ass!

In my recent posts for Earth Week I've focused on electric cars. This is because I was reminded again by the tragic choice made by GM when they retired (er, sabotaged) their ultra-sleek EV1 -- the first purpose-built electric car produced by GM in the U.S.

If you still haven't seen the 2006 documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car, then watch it and weep. If you're like me who's too cheap to buy the DVD, check it out on YouTube. (Note: Spread the word and buy the DVD, ok?) Here's the first part. Watch the rest here.

In the meantime, Tesla Motors had already re-incarnated the electric dream -- they made it much sleeker too. Here's a preview of the groovy zero-emission Tesla Roadster. See it in action. Also check out this interview with billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, chairman of Tesla Motors.

Leave it to techno-idealistic people in Silicon Valley to stick it to GM, the rest of the car manufacturers and the oil industry. I just hope that the economies of scale would bring the down price before we reach $7 a gallon!

A Race Between Air and Electric

I've been oogling about the electric car. But my colleague ~Matthew made an excellent point.

"Electric cars will be pretty sweet when they can become affordable.  In the meantime, don't rule out the in-betweens.  My current favorite is the MDI Air Car.  It's still a concept, but they got a pretty big boost from their Tata investment (that is, their investment from Tata)."

I agree. The Air Car looks very promising as well, especially if they could bring down the cost some more for developing nations like China and India. I'm surprised the air car didn't get air time on Car of the Future. Below is a video of the Air Car in action.

So when it comes to economies of scale, it's a race between air and electric. The Air Car, however, still depends on small amounts of fuel for higher speeds.

"At speeds over 35mph the Compressed Air Vehicle uses small amounts of fuel–either gasoline, propane, ethanol or bio fuels–to heat air inside a heating chamber as it enters the engine. This process produces emissions of only 0.141lbs of CO2 per mile. That is up to 4 times less than the average vehicle and more than two times less than the cleanest vehicle available today."

But it's still way better than hybrids. I see Europeans and Asians adopting the air car first (because most of them don't mind driving small and less powerful vehicles) while Americans would likely favor electric cars because there's no sacrifice in the performance and the image is sleeker (e.g. Tesla Roadster).

In the long run, the electric car is cleaner because it doesn't use fuel. So it's still my preference. But I'm more than willing to embrace whichever, air or electic, wins the race to get us off fossil fuels, and biofuels. I'm rooting for them both.

Who Will Save the Electric Car?

Like I said, I'm not too crazy about biofuels. I'm holding out for the resurrection of the electric car. I'm also looking forward to the documentary Who Saved the Elecrtic Car?

Thanks to the hot image of the Tesla Roadster, electric cars have never looked more promising. Hopefully, my 11-year old car would not crap out on until I could afford a plugin hybrid or a fully electric vehicle (EV). This means that the economies of scale would have to tip in favor of electric cars in less than a decade.

In the meantime we need to constantly remind ourselves of the usual suspects who would push back against electric vehicles. Check out this PBS NOW interview with  Chris Paine, director of the documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car?

See Part 2 and Part 3.

So, who will save the electric car? Us.

Biofuels for Future Cars? I Hope Not

After watching the NOVA feature, Car of the Future, I'm now more convinced that, although biofuels could be part of the alternative energy solution, it's more imperative to leapfrog to plugin hybrids, or better yet, electric vehicles altogether. Biofuels are not practical in the long run and it only shifts the problem. It's like stacking a deck of cards with Jokers.

With the food shortage driving global prices to record highs, biofuels are now getting a bad rap. Roger Cohen dispels the biofuels myths, but still it's obvious to me that burning crops that could otherwise be fed to those who are starving (as well as livestock) would be used to feed machines just doesn't compute ethically and economically on a grand scale. It's true that biofuels would help to minimize pollution and CO2 emissions without having to radically alter the transportation industry, but it's just another excuse to delay the much needed shift that we ought to have done decades ago.

My bet for an immediate and long-term solution would be a combination of the efficiency gains of the Hypercar® and electric vehicles, like the Tesla Roadster. The oil industry, car companies, the government, consumer ignorance, and vested interests may have killed the Electric Car, but I'm optimistic that it would make a comeback when we most need it.

I hope celebrities, athletes, and all rich people would start buying and flaunting Tesla Roadsters so that it would eventually drive the cost down and prove to the other car manufacturers that the revenge of the Electric Car is at hand.

In the meantime, it's time for us Americans to wake up to the fact that our individual choices impact what the car manufacturers produce. It's a chicken or the egg thing. I echo what the Car Talk guys had lamented, who needs a friggin' 500 horse-power engine?

Visiting Etopia Eco-Village on Earth Week

Just got back from Etopia Eco-Village in Second Life®. I quickly stopped by to observe some happenings during Earth Week. They're having a dance party as of this writing.

Thanks to Ti10 Wiley for showing me around. I didn't know that there are more exciting things to do at Etopia. Will make sure to comeback to try the parachute launch and meet their resident whale, Margarita.

Btw, there are free Earth Day gifts when you stop by at Etopia. One of the freebies is a cool bamboo bike. Here's a snapshot of me riding on the beach. Sweet.

You'll notice in the snapshots that I'm wearing a purply Gaia t-shirt. I created it using Robin Wood's t-shirt template (Thanks, Robin!). Let me know if you dig it and I'll give you a shirt next time when we meet in-world.

In the meantime, Earth Week continues in-world and the "real" world.

The Hot Politics of Global Warming

If you're like a lot of people who are confused (or ignorant, or simply don't care) about the U.S.'s position on Global Warming, do yourself a favor and watch the FRONTLINE documentary, Hot Politics. Watch the full program online. It's better than network TV.

"'The way it happened was the equivalent to flipping the bird, frankly, to the rest of the world … on an issue about which they felt so deeply.' That is how former New Jersey governor and the former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman describes the Bush administration's decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change in Hot Politics, a FRONTLINE report co-produced with the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR).   

"As more and more Americans look for a response to the realities of climate change, FRONTLINE correspondent Deborah Amos investigates the political decisions that have prevented the United States government from confronting one of the most serious problems facing humanity today."

As you will see in the documentary, although the GW Bush administration put the last nail on the coffin on Kyoto Protocol, the messy politics of climate change spanned three administrations -- from Bush-Quayle, to Clinton-Gore, to Bush-Cheney. Check out the preview.

I'm saddened by the fact that the attitude of the U.S. on climate change is similar to its attitude towards Iraq, and even universal health care: economic growth first, people and planet come later. The U.S. is like the richest kid on the block who does what he likes to do just because he can do it. No wonder European countries (and other developed countries, not to mention developing nations) look at the U.S. with disdain and cynicism.

Hopefully, the 2008 election will change all this and put the U.S. back on the right track once again: a global leader not only in economic growth, but also in ethical, environmental and scientific endeavors.

Witnessing the Car of the Future

Just got this email from Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).

Dear C4,

Today, April 22, 2008, marks the 38th annual occurrence of Earth Day, and PBS NOVA is launching a brand new show titled Car of the Future that features Rocky Mountain Institute. In this special, Click and Clack, the "Car Talk" guys, will hit the road in search of a new breed of clean, fuel-efficient vehicles. Please tune in as they visit RMI Chairman and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins to learn about RMI's work in the fuel-efficient transportation field. To find out when the show will be playing in your area, visit the PBS web site.

....

Sincerely,
Rocky Mountain Institute

Sweet. It's perfect for Earth Week. Will definitely watch it tonight on PBS. Here's a preview. See also Car of the Future Open Content.

If you miss the program, you can watch it online the day after.

Happy Earth Day!

(Earth Energy photo via Auntie K)

Today is Earth Day. I'm contemplating on our human footprint and celebrating Earth Week. Aside from ecological observance, this day is relevant to me since I also work at Gaia -- another stroke of serendipity.

But instead of just the usual environmental theme, I'd like to look at the Earth from a grander cosmological perspective and reflect on why the 21st century is a pivotal moment in the history of humanity. So here's a video of Sir Martin Rees at TED.

Here's to our only planet!

Kicking Off Earth Week

(Crossposted from ~C4Chaos @ Gaia)

(photo via ~jjjohn)

I believe that every day should be Earth Day. Whether we care or not, whether we're conscious of it or not, we're part of the Earth; we belong to the Earth; we'll return to the Earth; we are Earth.

Tomorrow is Earth Day. In observance of this annual celebration, I'll be blogging about green things for the entire week and will tag my blogs with Earth Week. Keep on watching http://coolmel.gaia.com/blog/tags/earth+week

To kick off Earth Week, here's the original 1983 video of "The Global Brain" by Peter Russell. This video is from the 80s but it rings truer today. It's a powerful visualization tool for stepping back and taking a much much bigger and more embracing perspective than we normally do in our every day lives.

Contemplating On Our Human Footprint

I just finished watching National Geographic's documentary on the consumption of an average American. The documentary is called Human Footprint. It's not a preachy environmental program. But it's very effective in showing (as opposed to telling) how much each of us Americans consume in our entire lifetime. The program is a very powerful visual presentation of the scale and magnitude of our consumption from birth to old age. You have to be a very callous person not to care about the environment after watching this program.

Being aware of our individual and collective environmental footprint should be enough to convince us of our dire need to switch to more sustainable ways of consumption if we are to sustain our collective existence on this planet -- our only planet. There should be no need to get scared of global warming or worry about climate crisis for us to take action. But if it takes global warming for us to wake up, then so be it.

You can also watch National Geographic's Human Footprint on cable. If you have On Demand, check it out under the Earth Day section. Below is the trailer.

Speaking of which, here's another documentary with the same title and similar presentation, European style.

For Eco Peeps Planning to Re-design Their Digs

Check out this Gaiam Life video.

Eco Fabulous Loft Living - "Danny Seo visits an eco-friendly loft that features environmentally friendly products and recycled antique furniture." [watch it]

I could use some of the tips since I'm also planning to jazz up my comfy condo.

Al Gore's New Slideshow

via TEDBlog

I am watching Yvon Chouinard's Classic Speech

Very fluffy and inspiring. Watch it here.

"Yvon Chouinard, legendary climber, businessman and environmentalist, is the founder and owner of one of the world's most inspiring companies, Patagonia, Inc. In this talk before a sold-out audience at the University of California Santa Barbara, Mr. Chouinard talks about his personal history and how he created Patagonia and the philosophy that he runs the company by. He discusses how he has tried to minimize Patagonia's impact on the environment and gives several examples, including the fact that his company's famous fleeces are now made out of recycles soda bottles. He also talks about his " One Percent for the Planet" plan in which participating businesses contribute at least 1% of their net annual sales to groups on a list of researched and approved environmental organizations." [watch it]

Paper or Plastic? Neither!

When I had my first grocery shopping experience in Ireland I was surprised that people bring their own bags in the supermarket. Cashiers at the counter don't even ask customers the classic "paper or plastic" question. I became aware that people were charged 20 cents (euro) per plastic bag. My first reaction was, "what the?! I have to pay for plastic bags? in euros no less!" But I soon realized that charging for grocery bags is an excellent approach at promoting sustainability awareness and lessening environmental impact.

"A tax on plastic shopping bags in the Republic of Ireland has cut their use by more than 90% and raised millions of euros in revenue, the government says." [see Irish bag tax hailed success]

During my stay in Ireland I got used to bringing our own re-usable bags and even using my backpack whenever we take a trip to the grocery. The initial resistance was just my own knee-jerk reaction to change. Back then I thought to myself, "if this is such a good idea, then how come we're not doing this in the U.S.?"

Enter, Seattle! The success of the Irish bag tax attracted the attention of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and is now proposing to do the same in Washington.

"Next time the cashier says "paper or plastic," think outside the bags. Think about ocean pollution, giant landfills and global warming, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels says.

"Then think to next year, when you might have to either pull out a reusable tote or pay 20 cents a bag.

"Nickels and City Council President Richard Conlin proposed a 20-cent "green fee" Wednesday on all disposable bags to encourage customers to carry their milk and eggs home in their own bags." [read more]

As expected, there are already knee-jerk resistance from different groups. But in the long run I see this as a beneficial strategy in lessening the pollution of non-biodegradable plastic and energy consumption of manufacturing and recycling of paper.

Based on my positive experience in Ireland and the proven success of the Irish bag tax, I fully support this policy and would love to see it implemented here first, and if proven successful, then in the entire U.S.

By now I'm already used to bringing my own bag to the store. The simple bag tax shifted my perspective. We have to take responsibility and bring awareness to everything we use and consume. It's just common sense to lessen our environmental impact, with our without the threat of global warming.

Re: Exploring Etopia Eco-Village

This is a follow up on my previous post, Exploring Etopia Eco-Village.

A few days ago I've decided to immerse myself more in Second Life. I've always been fascinated with the possibilities of the Metaverse. For me, the metaverse is an extension and expansion of consciousness in the digital realm -- a real-time communication in the shared mind-space, a subset of the noosphere.

The metaverse is still a bit clunky but the technology behind it is improving at an exponential pace. But even with the current "clunky" incarnation of the metaverse creative and visionary people could already share their visions and ideals using a richer and more interactive environment. One of the big benefits of the metaverse in general, and Second Life in particular, is prototyping.

Here's a case in point. I just received this message from Zev Paiss, the visionary behind the Etopia Eco-Village. I got his permission to share his message here on my blog.

Greetings C4Chaos!

I am so glad you had a chance to visit Etopia. The place is the culminatin of over 30 years of RL work helping to bring sustainable develoment ideas to the world. Iwas so nice tohave a place like Second Life to create it for thousands insteads of millons of dollars … smile.

Now it is ready for peole like you and Happiness to move in and make it your own. It will be very cool to have dozens of Gaians as residents and business owners to show what is possible and ohelp move the concepts of the 3-d web into the larger commuity.

Be well and see you in-world!

Zev (aka WilliamThe wise)

Exactly. Second Life enables people to create whatever is possible (in-world or the real-world) and share it with a larger community. And that's only the beginning...

Here is Etopia Island as featured on CNN SL iReports.

Big thanks to Zev for his warm welcome. To all Gaia Community members who have Second Life accounts, go ahead and drop in at Etopia Eco-Village. It's one of my favorite hangout places in-world. Noting beats relaxing in a hammock underneath a tree in a eco-friendly community.

Exploring Etopia Eco-Village

(Crossposted from Gaia Group: Second Life)

Happiness invited me to check out Etopia Eco-Village. Soon as I got the chance I put on my silk blue kimono and teleported to the location.

Upon arriving at Etopia I took the express train, explored the sustianability-themed housing and offices, dropped by Happiness' workplace at the second floor, met a wonderful resident who's managing the place, did some african drumming, and finally settled on a hammock underneath a tree.

What a cool and green place to visit! Very informative too. I'm impressed by the creativity of  the eco-conscious residents who built this small slice of virtual green utopia. Below are some snapshots I took from the trip. Check it out next time you're in-world.

I'm glad to learn that the visionary behind Etopia is also a member of Gaia Community. Say hello to Abraham Paiss (aka Zev) next time you bump into him at Gaia.

Science, Politics, Economics, and Uncertainty of Climate Change

I just finished reading a long but very informative article on Edge, Modeling the Future: A Talk with Stephen Schneider. So, is the debate on Climate Change settled? Depends on what debate we're talking about.

"Before I start one of my talks, I love to ask the audience how many people in the room think the science of global warming is settled. About half the audience puts their hands up. How many think it's not? Maybe a third put their hands up. How many think it's a stupid question? They laugh and they finally all put their hands up. There's no such thing as all settled and unsettled. ....

"Warming is unequivocal, that's true. But that's not a sophisticated question. A much more sophisticated question is how much of the climate Ma Earth, a perverse lady, gives us is her own, and how much is caused by us. That's a much more sophisticated, and much more difficult question. In the last 20 years we learned to answer pretty affirmatively that for the last 30 to 40 years of climate change, it's very likely (which language imposed in the IPCC means more than 90 percent) that more than half of it is caused by us. This global warming science sounds pretty settled, doesn't it?"

Here's one of the many key points by Schneider.

"So the question is, how do you make deals where the over-consumers (us) work out a deal with the over-populated and the not yet fully consuming group (developing countries), so that they don't just repeat the Victorian Industrial Revolution with the sweatshops, dirty coal burning, internal combustion engine, etc.? The answer is that these economies in transition need to leapfrog right over it to high technology. Exhibit C: cell-phone. If you go into Central China, they talk to each other on cell-phones—well, so do we (we being the Europeans, Australians, Americans—the OECD type countries)."

"But how did we learn to communicate? We used mega tons of materials: copper wires, and we used energy to do it. China has not done that to our scale. Their cities are wired, but not the countryside. They literally leapfrogged over the Victorian Industrial Revolution to high-tech with regards to communication via cell phone technology."

 And like Schneider, I'm more worried about global economic fallout than climate change.

"Are we going to double or triple CO2—or go even further? Or will we get really lucky with technology breakthroughs and thus figure out a way to lower emissions at costs that are politically acceptable? Or, alternately, will there be a world depression, which would also decrease emissions. I guess I'd rather have climate change than a world depression." [read more]

It's Black swans all the way up, all the way down.

Back in the Emerald City

I'm back in the Emerald City and sorting through four months of mail, mostly junk. I need to find the necessary documents so I could file my taxes soon.

I was looking forward to a warmer weather. I was wrong. It's almost as cold here as in Ireland. And it's more wet. Ah well, at least I'm home alone again.

Earth Hour: One Hour of Darkness

"DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- From Rome's Colosseum to the Sydney Opera House, floodlit icons of civilization went dark Saturday for Earth Hour, a worldwide campaign to highlight the waste of electricity and the threat of climate change." [read more]

"On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund." [see Earth Hour]

Re: Is the Earth Still Warming? Are We Doomed Yet?

Recently, I linked to Jennifer Marohasy's interview in The Australian wherein she mentioned the Earth's climate has been cooling down for the past 10 years. Marohasy posted a detailed follow up on her blog.

"I did a radio interview commenting on global temperatures and weather patterns last Monday which was picked up by The Australian, then the blogosphere and now Fox News.

"Some people have asked me for clarification on a few points including what the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said by way of the ‘temperature plateau this century’ and also have asked for more information on my qualifications." [read more]

Also check out the comment thread. Take it for what it is. But based on Marohasy's comments she sounds like a uber-skeptical empiricist to me rather than someone who is merely "denying" global warming.

The Global warming debate continues in the U.S. while most European countries have already moved on political, economic, and technological "solutions" (see my review of The Hot Topic). It would be interesting to see how the U.S. energy policy would change after the November 2008 election.

Is the Earth Still Warming? Are We Doomed Yet?

I just read this interview with Jennifer Marohasy from The Australian. Marohasy paints a different picture of the Global Warming story. Climate Change skeptics will almost certainly pick up and flaunt this story soon. Hat tip to Uncommon Descent for the link. Here's an excerpt.

"Last Monday - on ABC Radio National, of all places - there was a tipping point of a different kind in the debate on climate change. It was a remarkable interview involving the co-host of Counterpoint, Michael Duffy and Jennifer Marohasy, a biologist and senior fellow of Melbourne-based think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. Anyone in public life who takes a position on the greenhouse gas hypothesis will ignore it at their peril.

According to Marohasy "carbon dioxide levels have been increasing but temperatures have actually been coming down over the last 10 years." Here's the interesting part of the interview where Marohasy talked about the NASA Aqua satellite.

"Duffy: "Can you tell us about NASA's Aqua satellite, because I understand some of the data we're now getting is quite important in our understanding of how climate works?"

"Marohasy: "That's right. The satellite was only launched in 2002 and it enabled the collection of data, not just on temperature but also on cloud formation and water vapour. What all the climate models suggest is that, when you've got warming from additional carbon dioxide, this will result in increased water vapour, so you're going to get a positive feedback. That's what the models have been indicating. What this great data from the NASA Aqua satellite ... (is) actually showing is just the opposite, that with a little bit of warming, weather processes are compensating, so they're actually limiting the greenhouse effect and you're getting a negative rather than a positive feedback."

"Duffy: "The climate is actually, in one way anyway, more robust than was assumed in the climate models?"

"Marohasy: "That's right ... These findings actually aren't being disputed by the meteorological community. They're having trouble digesting the findings, they're acknowledging the findings, they're acknowledging that the data from NASA's Aqua satellite is not how the models predict, and I think they're about to recognise that the models really do need to be overhauled and that when they are overhauled they will probably show greatly reduced future warming projected as a consequence of carbon dioxide."" [read more]

If Marohasy is correct then this is indeed a big blow to Global Warming proponents. I'll be following this story and see where it leads. In the meantime, in the other extreme end of the Climate Change spectrum, James Lovelock continues to paint a doomsday scenario. Americans moving to Canada? Nice.

""By 2040, China will be uninhabitable." Lovelock believes that the Chinese, because of their high levels of industrial activity, will be the first to suffer, with the death of all plant life.

""So I think the Chinese will go to Africa. They are already there, preparing a new continent - the Chinese industrialists who claim to be out there mining minerals are just there on a pretext of preparing for the big move.

""This is not science fiction. Mr Putin will colonise Siberia. Those who will have a very rough time are those in the indian subcontinent. You don't need much of a sea level rise to wipe Bangladesh off the face of the Earth."

"Australians have enough land and resources to stay put. Lovelock sees Americans moving to Canada. Americans have the natural advantage of being born migrants.

""White Americans are descended from those who had the guts to cross on rough old ships and find a new life. They have the right spirit of can-do."

"Lovelock is more concerned by the American tendency to believe that everything can be fixed. He says that he agrees with George Bush that it is technology rather than conservation that is needed to tackle climate change, but he is uneasy about technology's unintended consequences." [read more]

So what are we lay people suppose to do? Who do we believe when different camps claiming to have expertise on climate disagree and fall on extreme ends of the Climate Change spectrum? I don't know. I guess one thing (if not the only) we can do is to keep an open mind and regularly assess our Climate Change Belief Scale as new credible scientific information comes along.

Show me the (Global Warming) Money!

Here's the kind of reasoned skeptical argument I prefer to hear on Global Warming. I think John Tierney made an excellent point regarding people's paranoia when it comes to Global Warming Payola. Here's a key quote.

"If readers insist on debating the pecuniary motives of scientists and their patrons, I’d be curious to see figures comparing how much money corporations, foundations and government agencies today give to global-warming skeptics versus how much they give to the other side. Again, I’m not suggesting that the researchers taking this money are corrupt, or that scientists will suppress the truth if it turns out the current prevailing view of climate change is wrong. If contradictions emerge, scientists will debate and revise their theories eventually.

"But it will take longer to figure out what’s happening if dissent is stifled and skeptics are demonized. The skeptics in the minority start off with a disadvantage in getting their message heard simply because of the media’s bias for bad news and horror stories. When there’s a well-financed majority dominating the public debate, I find it odd to hear complaints that anyone else should receive money or attention." [read more]

See also Tierney's notes from the Global Warming Skeptics' conference. As always, follow the links within the links for more context.

Bjorn Lomborg @ Skeptical Inquirer

Chris Mooney is disappointed with Skeptical Inquirer for publishing Bjørn Lomborg.

"I was very disappointed to see, when my latest issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine arrived, that it had an article by Bjorn Lomborg in it--downplaying the risk of global warming, as usual."

Here's a comment I left on Mooney's blog post.

---

Chris,

thanks for the heads up on this.

i remember an article by E.O. Wilson lambasting Lomborg.
http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2001/12/12/point/

however, depending on what camp people fall on the Global Warming debate, Lomborg's book fills a void in the spectrum of the "deniers" and "alarmists" debates. for example, here's a favorable review of Cool It on spiked.
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/reviewofbooks_article/4207/

in short, it's a battle of ideologies out there and Global Warming is no exception.

in addition, it's sad when i hear surveys like this:

"If only the masses could understand the science of global warming, they’d be alarmed, right? Wrong, according to the surprising results of a survey of Americans published in the journal Risk Analysis by researchers at Texas A&M University."

via http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/global-warming-paradox/

finally, i'm interested to know your opinion on Lovelock's doomsday view.

"Climate science maverick James Lovelock believes catastrophe is inevitable, carbon offsetting is a joke and ethical living a scam."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/mar/01/scienceofclimatechange.climatechange

so can you blame lay people getting confused on this issue?

thanks.

~C