\"Stop emitting greenhouse gases altogether...\"

[sumdumguy]

Better tell the cows to quit emitting gas or else the UN police will sniff them out. If Western politicians are so gullible to not see through the greenhouse crap, shame on them. It is simply transfer of wealth from West. Smarten Up guys!

[Hamloc]

I don't think at present there is a replacement for fossil fuels, not entirely anyways. We could convert all ships to nuclear power I guess, already have nuclear subs. But is nuclear an option? Germany already shut down all nuclear power plants. I would say that technology doesn't exist yet.

The other thing to look at is third world countries were demanding 100 billion a year name one western democracy that could afford that. The implications of this deal are far reaching if politicians get their way. Remember radical environmentalists consider human life the enemy.

[burnt]

The prog screamers don't really want answers to their hypothetical questions.

They just like to hear themselves scream.

That's why they keep spewing out unsubstantiated, hypothetical questions.

[FarmRanger]

The trouble with the global warming crowd is that instead of putting money into researching better more efficient energy sources, they want to subsidize old expensive inefficient technology that can't possibly supply all our energy needs, but do add billions of dollars to our collective energy bills.

If and when we get better energy sources, (in spite of the buckets of money we're subsidiing outdated technology with) we'll then have the blight of thousands of bird chopping windmills covering the landscape.

It doesn't make any kind of economic sense, especially when the energy we don't use here is going up the non-scrubbing smokestacks of uberpolluting Chinese factories at discount prices because of our decreased demand for fossil fuels.
And then we wonder why we can't compete with them, just look at Ontario's recent auditor report which emphasizes the tens of billions of extra cost needlessly added to energy bills in that province, and I'm sure they're not alone in that respect in Canada.

Is it just me, or is this western folly on an unprecedented gargantuan scale?

[grassfarmer]

I agree Hamloc that there isn't a replacement for fossil fuels at the moment. It may come along - human ingenuity is a great thing. Meanwhile wouldn't you agree it would be prudent to maximize use of the renewable sources that we have just now to extend the fossil reserves we do have or to preserve as much as possible for roles where there may be no replacement energy source?

burnt, don't know what a "prog screamer" is but I really do want an answer to the question I asked - what is your solution to depletion of the finite fossil fuel reserves?

[FarmRanger]

grassfarmer, I agree that human ingenuity is a wonderful thing, but why aren't we putting our efforts into researching new technology. Instead we put hundreds of billions into old inefficient tech.

Are there too many people with too much influence making too much money from old tech subsidies? I sometimes think that "scam" isn't a strong enough word to describe what's going on.

[oneoff]

And still everyone ignores the contribution of say 7 or 8 or 9 billion mouths (and only potentially going up from there).

No sense in not looking at root contributors. Nor the entitlement to jet set half the way around the world in the name saving those at sea level while forgetting that shivering in temperate and colder climes is just fine for those in their comfy quarters and tropical vacation hideaways.

Hide those wood supplies. They will come in handy.

[grassfarmer]

Absolutely FarmRanger, way too many in the "old technology" field having almost complete control of Governments and Government agendas re alternative technology. That is a huge obstacle to overcome.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I agree, AGW is a complete scam. But that doesn't change the fact that fossil fuels are finite. I would really like to believe that AGW was invented to help preserve fossil fuels for future generations, and needed a more immediate excuse to justify it. But I highly doubt it, more about money.

As for alternative energies, They will expand and replace fossil fuels when they make economic sense. Either because ff get so expensive, or the alternative gets cheap enough. Regardless of what governments might try to force upon us.
The only viable solution I see at this point is nuclear, probably with Thorium.

[riders2010]

You know reading all this stuff there is so much bullshit. I ve decided I m willing to do my part from now on no more pork and beans before bed. I get such bad gas it's unreal. I m cutting that crap all out. Now am I going to get a credit somehow for that? I m sure it lowers the temperature about 2.38764 degrees in my immediate surroundings?

[grassfarmer]

AF5, alternative energies will expand when they make economic sense - but we have to be careful how that is judged. Economically the cheapest way to produce power may be the worst for the environment, but it is only really cheaper if you are prepared to overlook or not calculate the cost of that environmental damage.

In terms of Governments encouraging alternatives there are options that have not been used much in north America but have been used elsewhere.
Solar power generation in Germany is one example that has led to almost every farm having barn roofs covered with panels. The key to it's expansion was a change that made energy companies buy the surplus power generated on farm at the highest price going into the grid pool (because it came from renewable resources). Contrast that to much of Canada where excess power produced on a farm from renewable resources would be paid for at the lowest rate going into the grid pool. If we are serious about reducing fossil fuel use, reducing pollution from it and increasing use of renewables we need to make changes like this.

And before anyone says it would lead to higher cost to consumers just look at the Alberta "free enterprise" model. The bidding system where the supply is stacked for each supply hour from lowest cost to highest cost then they all get paid what the highest cost was bid in at. That is as crazy as the wastefulness of the oilpatch.

[samhill]

The cancellation of Thorium reactor research makes me wonder if oil industry was the reason. More research would seem warranted in this day. But I'm poorly educated nuclear physicist, so my critique is not of consequence, still I wonder.

http://energyfromthorium.com/about/