Finding Common Ground on Climate & Energy Issues

[Moridin]

There are a lot of people with a lot of different views and opinions around the world supporting themselves with various real and/or fictive data, graphs and predictions. Some of them are qualified and some are not. Others questions what difference qualification makes. Some has a clear political agenda on issues of environment, nature and climate, independent of what side they are taking. Some are a part of an unelected political organization and there have been a lot of peer-review approved articles published with data, graphs and predictions and a few movies on the subject, some more biased than others.

It is obvious that the state of the climate matters to humans. There is a scientific consensus that humans affect their climate in way that where unimaginable say a century ago. I think that we all can agree that something needs to be done, but views differ on what.

Parallel to this issue referred to as a climate crisis, is the issue of an energy crisis, which few object to, even anthropogenic global warming skeptics. Oil and various other fossil fuels are not going to last very long, before being inaccessible by humans.

There have been interesting advances in the department of alternative fuel and energy supply, notably are fusion energy, fuel cells etc. In order to avoid an even further energy crisis with the price of oil, gas an electricity sky-rocketing, humanity should consider the further development and application of alternative fuel.

By addressing the issue of renewable and alternative energy, we are not only attempting to avoid the above, but also addressing the issue referred to as a climate crisis at the same time. Perhaps we do not need to move to housing project with 0 CO₂ just yet or make drastic changes to our lifestyle.

However, I do think that it is important to find a common ground on the issues but at the same time promoting scientific research into climate and climate change. Wouldn't acting on a common ground get things moving faster than the current situation? A common ground where positive economic grounds are presented for addressing the issues at hand?

 

[BillJx]

I think there's a fair degree of common ground insofar as most people see that we need to limit CO2. There's a bit of disagreement over Who and How!

But you can't find common ground with those who insist on denying the problem altogether, or who are only interested in rationalizations for doing nothing.

 

[Moridin]

But you can't find common ground with those who insist on denying the problem altogether, or who are only interested in rationalizations for doing nothing.

That is one of my main points. By emphasizing in the rising price of electricity and oil, one can appeal to the economic situation, showing how much net profit can be made by investing in alternative fuel and becoming one of the strongest nation to use said fuels. In short: one could appeal to the sense of power, economy and wealth in the leading politicians of US, China and Russia. Imagine what effects the term 'cheap and virtually unlimited energy' makes on people in power.

 

[Mk]

You're not looking for common ground— you're looking for common ground among people that already have common ground.

With the temperature-CO2 logarithmic correlation, we know the more you add, the less and less effect it has.

By emphasizing in the rising price of electricity and oil, one can appeal to the economic situation, showing how much net profit can be made by investing in alternative fuel and becoming one of the strongest nation to use said fuels.

What alternative fuel(s) do you think is/are good?

 

[Moridin]

Yes, they really do have common ground. US, Europe, Russia and China are best friends on the climate and energy issues, dancing on a meadow.

Electricity from solar and wind sounds nice and it is a good option for rich countries. Hydrogen cells and fusion energy is a better option for the world in general.

 

[Astronuc]

Electricity from solar and wind sounds nice and it is a good option for rich countries. Hydrogen cells and fusion energy is a better option for the world in general.

Hydrogen fuel cells and fusion represent expensive technology and infrastructure. We're not there yet with fusion, and won't be for some time - nor is it clear that we will be. Even so, one has to look at the entire production cycle and its costs.

Imagine what effects the term 'cheap and virtually unlimited energy' makes on people in power.

I imagine it makes many cringe, especially those who control the energy, and by artificially controlling the source, one artificially controls price - which is why monopolies are usually illegal.

 

[Mk]

Parallel to this issue referred to as a climate crisis, is the issue of an energy crisis, which few object to, even anthropogenic global warming skeptics. Oil and various other fossil fuels are not going to last very long, before being inaccessible by humans.

There have been interesting advances in the department of alternative fuel and energy supply, notably are fusion energy, fuel cells etc. In order to avoid an even further energy crisis with the price of oil, gas an electricity sky-rocketing, humanity should consider the further development and application of alternative fuel.

By addressing the issue of renewable and alternative energy, we are not only attempting to avoid the above, but also addressing the issue referred to as a climate crisis at the same time. Perhaps we do not need to move to housing project with 0 CO₂ just yet or make drastic changes to our lifestyle.

However, I do think that it is important to find a common ground on the issues but at the same time promoting scientific research into climate and climate change. Wouldn't acting on a common ground get things moving faster than the current situation? A common ground where positive economic grounds are presented for addressing the issues at hand?

Moridin, there is no such thing as common problems having common solutions. For instance, biofuels are killing the equarorial rain forests.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18332282/

 

[Moridin]

The usage of biofuels is just one of many potential solutions to the energy crisis.

 

[drankin]

I don't believe that we have an energy crisis at all. As there becomes less and less oil, the price will become more and more. At some point it will be more cost effective to utilize alternative fuel. In a sense, when there is actually an energy crisis, the problem will fix itself. Speculatively speaking, electricity will be the energy we will begin using more and more of in transportation. When I was in China in 2005 half of all the vehicles you saw were electric bicycles. Those bikes could easily be our mode of transportation for local commuting in the US. Gasoline and diesel fuel would be used in more specialized applications where electricity would not be practical (ex. mobile construction machinery). We will never run out of oil. It will just become more expensive and harder to come by.