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US climate fix could help solve financial crisis

If the US focused on curbing climate change as soon as a new president took office - or sooner - it could help pull the world from the financial brink, according to environmental policy experts.

"Skyrocketing energy prices and the financial crisis have been a wake-up call that something's got to change," says Cathy Zoi, chief executive officer of the Alliance for Climate Protection, which is chaired by former US vice president Al Gore.

"My very strong belief is that we need to reorient our investments toward this transition to a clean energy economy, and it will be the engine of growth for getting us out of the doldrums that we've gotten in right now," says Zoi.

The reorientation must include limits on emissions of climate-warming carbon in the US, she said: "Unless we take action at home, we're not going to be able to have much influence in the international arena about what gets done."

The Bush administration accepts that human-spurred climate change is a reality, but rejects mandatory across-the-board caps on carbon as a disadvantage when competing with fast-growing, big-emitting countries like China and India.

The US is alone among the major developed countries in staying out of the carbon-capping Kyoto protocol, but is part of international discussions on new targets to fight climate change, due to be finalised in Copenhagen at the end of 2009.

Both major US presidential candidates- Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain - favour requiring reductions in greenhouse emissions, and environmental activists says whoever wins the White House in the 4 November elections will be an improvement over president George W Bush.

"There is an urgent need for whichever party wins the US election to give an early signal [of an intent to do more to combat global warming], or there cannot be a credible reason for 190 nations to come together in Copenhagen," says Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Programme.

Rajendra Pachauri, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Price with Gore and who chairs the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says an Obama presidency would probably be more favourable to the fight against climate change.

But he adds: "Even if McCain wins, he has been very committed."

There is little chance of passing a US law to mandate a programme to cap and trade carbon emissions before Bush leaves office in January.

However, the first draft of a cap-and-trade bill was released this week by US Democratic representatives John Dingell of Michigan - home of the Big Three auto manufacturers - and Rick Boucher of Virginia - coal-mining country - that is likely to frame debate next year.

The draft legislation drew measured applause from environmental activists, who noted it contains options that could substantially weaken controls on greenhouse emissions from some sectors.

But the fact that these two law makers are crafting legislation aimed at curbing climate change indicates a possible change in tone in Washington.

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Have your say
Comments 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

I Had The Same Idea A Few Weeks Ago

Fri Oct 10 13:01:50 BST 2008 by Oneof Yu

Finally, something that makes sense. Hopefully, this goes furtherinto action.

I Had The Same Idea A Few Weeks Ago

Sun Oct 19 00:43:14 BST 2008 by Ed H.

I am trying to figure out the sense and the further action - follow the links. They support a plan drawn up by another organization that says IF the federal government gives them $500 billion (yes that number is correct) AND outlaws most non-green energy sources (give them a monopoly), they will not only create jobs but produce energy "the green way". First off, spend $500 billion on anything and it'll increase jobs, but they don't tell you what will happen to all the people working at currect energy plants - what they also don't tell you is what will happen to energy prices.

So when everything is figured out there may be no net jobs - perhaps a loss of jobs, and with their monopoly -it may cost over $1,000 month to light and heat your home. This will help the economy?? Let's get some real figures together and I'll support it.

World Disaster

Fri Oct 10 13:11:35 BST 2008 by Tony

We can only hope that any future American administration continues to act with a degree of sanity and does not surrender to the hysterical doom mongers hell bent on wrecking every world economy they can. Yet again Europe looks to America to save us from these lunatics.

I can only hope that this world recession strengthens the resolve of many countries against the pointless CO2 caps which will achieve nothing but cause economic harm.

World Disaster

Sat Oct 11 02:23:20 BST 2008 by Mo

Are you also hoping people will starve

World Disaster

Sat Oct 11 09:05:14 BST 2008 by Matthys

May I ask if you have any vested interests ? Say for example shares in an oil company or other investements which would suffer due to introduction of caps ?

World Disaster

Mon Oct 13 21:51:56 BST 2008 by Anonymous

One hears this tiresome refrain again and again. Like people repeat it under a hypnotic spell.

How is that myopic deduction arrived at? You look at the expense of technologies to reduce a major pollutant, and stop right there. Never a glance at the potentially even more costly consequences to the economy for NOT investing in clean energy technologies.

Please try to think in terms of big pictures, the whole system composed of the 3 E's: Economy, Energy, Environment. Presuming part of a picture is a whole one is like not thinking at all.

What the world needs now, and desperately, is real thinkers, not baloney-mongers full of nonsense.

World Disaster

Sun Oct 19 00:47:39 BST 2008 by Ed H.

I am not sure if you were sarcastic or not, so I followed the links and found out this organization supports a plan proposed by another organization: give them $500 billion and outlaw current "non-green" forms of energy production and they will create jobs (not mentioning what happens to the old jobs) and they can make money with their new monopoly. They can even repay the government in 10 years. It doesn't specify that you may spend over $1,000 month to light your home, and heating it will cost more if you can afford the seriously expensive upgrades for the new electrical heating system you will probably need when we stop burning natural gas. I am all for the environment, but I don't want to have to choose between heat and food.

Give me $500 billion and I can create jobs too.

Ave Christus, Morituri Te Salutant!

Fri Oct 10 13:29:50 BST 2008 by Polemos

"The acceleration of evolution towards a time of infinitely rapid change is not so exceptional as one might at first suppose. The evolution of matter in a star follows a similar pattern.

For 99.99 percent of its existence a star burns hydrogen, fusing the atoms into helium and radiating the energy released as light. Eventually the hydrogen runs out. For a star the size of our Sun this happens after about 10 billion years -- it is currently about half way through its life. Larger stars burn up more quickly, smaller ones can last as long as a 100 billion years.

When all the hydrogen has been consumed, a star can, if it is sufficiently massive, switch to burning the helium it has created, transforming it into carbon. This keeps the star going for another million years or so. When the helium is used up the star can survive for another thousand years by fusing the carbon into neon. And when the carbon runs out the star burns the neon to form silicon. But the neon is exhausted within a year. Then, in a process that lasts only a few days, the silicon fuses into iron.

That is as far as a star can go along this particular path. Fusing iron does not release energy; it requires additional energy. The star's fire begins to die, and with it the energy that until now has supported the weight of its outer layers. Very quickly it begins to collapse.

As its matter becomes increasingly compressed, its gravitational field increases. Within minutes it becomes so intense that even atoms cannot withstand the pressure. Electrons are stripped away and atomic nuclei pack in upon each other, reaching densities of more than a million tons per cubic inch. This disintegration releases enormous amounts of energy, blowing off the star's outer layers in what is known as a "supernova." This is one of the Universe's more spectacular shows, more energy being released during these few seconds than over the rest of the star's entire life.

Left behind is a neutron star -- a solid mass of neutrons a mere fifteen or so miles across."

Peter Russell. Waking up in time)

***

The star ~ Mankind.

The star's outer layers are Mankind's "somatic cells" (ordinary people). They will be blown off by the end of the year 2014.

The resulting temporary neutron star will consist of Mankind's and the whole universe's "germ cells" (the Omega people).

Having existed for about 2 thousand years (the Millennium), the temporary neutron star will become a black hole -- the new universe (identic to the currently climaxing universe, but with the time counter reset to zero).

Ave Christus, Morituri Te Salutant!

Fri Oct 10 14:29:13 BST 2008 by Polemos

Mankind's economy ~ a star at the stage of a Red Supergiant.

Peak Oil ~ "The star's fire begins to die, and with it the energy that until now has supported the weight of its outer layers. Very quickly it begins to collapse."

Mankind begins to collapse upon reaching the number of 6.66 billion (prophesied as the apocalyptic number; reached earlier this year http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/popclockworld.html ).

Ave Christus, Morituri Te Salutant!

Fri Oct 10 15:03:09 BST 2008 by Soylent

Your brain has apparently already imploded long ago.

Ave Christus, Morituri Te Salutant!

Fri Oct 10 15:13:46 BST 2008 by Chickenlegs

I've often wondered about the psychopathological effects

of too many Psilocybin- containing mushrooms.

Ave Christus, Morituri Te Salutant!

Sat Oct 11 15:57:45 BST 2008 by Mikey

It appears everyone is taking advantage of the situation to push their own agenda huh.... The financial crisis is simple, there's been too much greed. Too high expectations and too many empty promises..

I can't really see how the energy prices or the environment will "fix" this crisis...

http://www.newglobalspirit.com

Ave Christus, Morituri Te Salutant!

Mon Oct 13 10:07:53 BST 2008 by Bob L

Polemos, these pages would not be the same without your wonderfully lucid and eloquent, not to say imaginative, observations.

Thank you.

Ave Christus, Morituri Te Salutant!

Mon Oct 13 10:47:30 BST 2008 by Polemos

Thank you, Bob.

Comments 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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