Innovation and Politics in this Hot, Flat and Crowded World

Jake is my new hero, how amazing, a kid at 9 years old thinks of Halloween as way to educate others about renewable energy. Now I wish our politicians in Washington had the same intellect as Jake.

Great interview... Obama should have picked up on Innovate baby Innovate a long time ago and there wouldn't even be a contest next week.

1. Do your part through conspicuous non-consumption. Conserve and brag today.

2. Don't wait for Big Science...support local RE innovation.

Joel Fairstein
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Solar Labs
www.solar-labs.com

Kolbert's interview, like 3 others I've seen, left out the "crowded" part. If we don't recognize that there are now too many people, all our innovation will be for naught; we can't solve the problem, especially the biodiversity crash. The species with the big brain must recognize and act on the overpopulation issue, or the Dave Letterman comment will be prescient. Overpopulation #1 issue and renewable energy is #2. Solve #1 and solving global warming will be much easier.

Oh, come on, David. People consumed by innovation don't procreate that much. My 30-year old son at MIT is a case in point. If he follows in the steps of my science-and-art-minded dad and brother, he won't even marry until he is 36.

I heard a guy on NPR this morning saying that China has to keep full employment or the leaders sweat about regime-change. That is why they can't just trade their trillions of dollars in and deflate the dollar more than our esteemed regime already has.

In addition to being too busy to procreate, my son is too busy to read this, thank the Universe.

I regret I can't remember the name of the guy on NPR. He said deflation is going to be tough on Putin as well.

I have to say though, that Putin has come out in favor of back-yard gardens. He is trying to govern a tough crowd. My neighbor, who used to be part of a Houston oil crowd, says that the parts of Russia that produce food are no longer so interested in shipping the food to other parts. Russians suffer when employment goes down as well, reputedly more than we do because the safety net is less efficient.

Brazil has figured out the boom/bust oil machinations and is very efficient at ethanol production. Even outsiders in the states are figuring this one out, though they will have to watch out for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Agents scan the papers looking for clues about who might be brewing without paying tribute.

I'm looking forward to a farmer-in-chief. The White House lawn needs to get phased out in favor of arugula, rainbow chard, and the whole host of the latest New York veggie porn stars.

The sad story to me is that George Bush could have done this too. The rumor is he has solar stuff down on the ranch. It is difficult for me to understand why we have become famous for torture rather than for veggie porn. Victory gardens were an option.

I want the world to get off of fossil fuels as fast as possible but I believe we debate some of the wrong issues rather than sticking to the most important facts.

1. Fossil fuels pollute causing illness and premature death to humans, animals, and plant life. That can not be debated.

2. Fossil fuel usage is making countries stronger that are adversarial to our, the free worlds, way of life and great harm comes to us. That can not be debated.

Global warming is a problem for our future but as Tom Freidman's "Hot, Flat & Crowded", points out there are many sources and many are beyond our control.
Tom points out that Bovine flatulence causes more greenhouse gas that all of the worlds vehicles.

I think we need to make two issues out of this so that we can take more decisive action.

1. We need a worldwide master plan to get off fossil fuels right away.

2. Also a plan to scientifically cool the earth as needed. This can be done by protecting natural rain forests, capturing displaced methane(cow farts), and seeding the center of the oceans with a type of organism that reflects the sun.

All of us that are passionate about this issue are in danger of letting our political likes and dislikes permeate our opinions and commentary on this world wide crisis. People of all political persuasions do not want the world destroyed. This issue needs to be kept pure and devoid of politics. There are many other issues we can fight about but we need to come together on this one.

It's good that landfill owners and operators are capturing methane to create a biofuel. To do anything else would, of course, be grossly irresponsible, given the significance of methane as a greenhouse gas.

So, I assume we can expect a 'leader' like Waste Management to pursue, with equal vigor, the phasing out of landfills -- and even the complete elimination of the concept of 'garbage' as a way to get the things we no longer want or need out of our ways.

If they don't, guess what? They're still grossly irresponsible.

Landfills generate methane -- not all of which can be captured for burning -- while perpetuating an energy- and other resource-wasting paradigm that we can ill afford in an era of climate change.

Sure, I know WMI is a recycling company, too. But, what do you think their enduring legacy will be? I think that, in a century or two, people then will look back with astonishment that, even when we knew what was causing climate change, corporations continued to do business as usual. And, companies like Waste Management will be seen as emblematic of the shortsighted attitudes of the time.

So, WMI, keep generating power from landfill gas. But, I won't be holding my breath that you'll provide any real leadership on climate change beyond that which makes you a quick buck and a quick public relations sound bite.

It's good that landfill owners and operators are capturing methane to create a biofuel. To do anything else would, of course, be grossly irresponsible, given the significance of methane as a greenhouse gas.
I'm looking forward to a farmer-in-chief. The White House lawn needs to get phased out in favor of arugula, rainbow chard, and the whole host of the latest New York veggie porn stars.

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alex
Drug Rehabs

Alex,...don't copy Ms. Saunders statements; come up with yur own stuff dude.

Anyway arugula is too bitter for the Americal palate. If we fed our critters better food lots, we wouldn't have nearly as much methane either.

All the Best,..

Hey! Where's the mp3? I listen to these on my mp3 player while travelling...

Bummmer.