As my daughter's 16th birthday rapidly approaches, I am being made acutely aware that, in addition to lavish quinceaneras, my daughter's friends are getting cars for their birthdays. How can we save the planet when every 16-year-old in the US expects a car for their birthday? No wonder the US has the highest per capita CO2 emissions in the world. By far!
Here's a modest proposal to save the planet. The country with the highest CO2 emissions needs to immediately adopt a zero growth policy. No more immigration and send all the illegal immigrants home to the lower per capita CO2 countries. Not only would this reduce the capitas, but it would also almost immediately throw the world's worst CO2 per capita country into a depression. This would reduce US CO2 production by at least 30%, and better yet: devastate the economies of China and India. That will definitely reduce world CO2 emissions and save the planet. Of course, the collapse of the Chinese and Indian economies will mean that millions of people will starve to death, but that can probably be alleviated by having them eat the excess children.
Maybe I should change my avatar?
PS: Maybe we should pursue a less radical approach to saving the planet. Go to church every Sunday and pray to God that the Chinese are really good at building nuclear reactors to replace their coal mines ... and that the folks trying to build hydrogen powered trucks out around Casa Grande have a good idea and make lots of money. And raise the age you can start to drive to 18.
"Yeah ... well, I also cook."
Mr. Hansen, Arizona Republic:
It's too bad you couldn't list the details on what Sen. Flake thinks the US needs to do to address climate change. Why, for example, are we asking the Navajo to give up their coal mine when Arizonans and Californians aren't being asked to give up their trucks and automobiles ... and China, India and Germany aren't giving up their dirty coal (at least for now). With US coal-burning power plants being pushed out of business anyway, what's the last big thing the US can to about its CO2 emissions? Everyone buy electric cars and stop buying iPhones made in China?
What are Germany and China doing about climate change? According to the Wall Street Journal:
Germany's hit the wall at 33% renewables so they're still burning coal while building a big natural gas pipeline to Russia ... allegedly natural gas burning to generate electricity has a 60% CO2 [reduction]advantage over coal (and it's cheaper ... for now).
Red China, by far the world's worst CO2 villian, is building 200+ new nuclear power plants ... by the time they get that done we may all be boiled anyway.
Gilligan
Data Scientist
Linebacker Strike Group, Pocket Money Strike Group, North SAR
Cook/Deckhand MV Mugwump (yes, there really was a motor vessel Mugwump)
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Apparently many in Arizona believe that a solar panel is a religious totem and if you put one on top of your house that there will be free unlimited electricity, our air will be pure and the planet will be saved. Elvia Diaz of the Arizona Republic is the high priestess and soothsayer-in-chief of this cult.
Miracles do happen, but the most likely outcome of Arizona's California inspired Proposition 127, if passed, will be anything put miraculous. A California-like energy plan will give Arizona California-like energy rates. According to the US Energy Information Agency, that's 20 cents a kilowatt hour, 8 cents more than what Arizonans currently pay.
Arizona's air won't get cleaner or healthier. According to the EPA, by far most of Arizona's pollution is produced by cars, trucks, airplanes, agriculture, mining and construction [more so for Maricopa County]. Arizona's cleanest air is where the coal-fired power plants are. In any event, Arizona's coal-fired power plants are going away with or without 127, since they're being replaced by plants that use clean-burning natural gas.
127 definitely won't save the planet. Arizona produces only a tiny, tiny amount of the world's global-warming CO2 gas emissions, and even then most of that is produced by Arizona's cars, trucks, and mining.
Miracles can happen. So far, California and Germany are still waiting for theirs. Their renewables generate too much power when it's not needed and too little when it is. California's renewables generate so much unneeded electricity that to prevent their electrical grid from melting they pay Arizona to take the electricity California can't use. Who will Arizona pay to take its?
No one can predict the future with certainty ... and that's a very good reason not to hope for miracles and not to put a cargo-cult renewables straitjacket in the Arizona constitution.
