| ||||||
| 5/17 |
| 2003/10/31 [Science/GlobalWarming] UID:10876 Activity:nil |
10/30 Double standard on environment issue.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3229211.stm
So, shut up and stop bitching about how China/India is ruining
the environment.
\_ Right now, the US uses about 4 terawatts of the 12 terawatts of
global energy usage. In 2050, that's likeley to be 40-50
terawatts of total energy usage, with the US total about the
same. That means that when you're projecting decades or centuries
into the future, which you must do in climate policy, you *have*
to consider the developing nations as more important than the US.
A devoloped-nations only policy simply won't fix the problem,
and forcing quotas on the developing nations is politically
impossible. our only way out is technology. we must develop
a way to generate 50 terwatts of clean power that is
cost-competitive with petrochemicals. It is a matter of both
national and global security, and I believe it's not so
far out of our reach.
\_ Uh, nuclear. Clean, safe, unlimited.
\_ What part of nuclear waste is clean?
\_ nukular energy is eevviiil!
\_ How much uranium or plutonium of the right isotops can we
find on earth?
\_ I can't tell if you're being facetious.
\_ Bah, it's more fun to Blame America First(r) and Hate America(r)
and Kill Whitey(c). You just killed the op's perfectly good
anti-US troll. -!op
\_ 12 terawatts to 40-50 terawatts while US use stays the same?
Sounds like a huge exaggeration of developing countries'
energy usage growth. Past history doesn't substantiate
such claims.
\_ Nah. Even if the developing nations' energy usage
stays the same, US still would not do anything simply because
vested business interests don't like it. Developing nations
energy use is just an excuse for US not to do anything. It's
called the Blame Developing Nations(tm) tactic. |
| 5/17 |
|
| news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3229211.stm The US Senate has rejected efforts to curb carbon dioxide emissions from industrial power plants. Senators voted 55-43 against the an amendment to the bill on abrupt climate change, which would have required power stations and factories to reduce their emissions to 2000 levels by 2010. Many scientists have identified greenhouse gas emissions as a major source of global warming. The measure was opposed by the Bush administration, which said it would seriously damage the US economy. The amendment was co-sponsored by Republican John McCain and Democrat Joe Lieberman. Ice loss Senator McCain told the Senate that it was a very minimal proposal that should be the first step. We have to start somewhere, he said, showing photographs taken from outer space that depict a melting Arctic ice cap. We will be back, because these pictures will continue to get worse and wont improve until we begin to address this issue. However, opponents of the bill backed the White House view that it would increase household energy bills and hamper job creation. President George W Bush provoked widespread international criticism in 2001 by rejecting the Kyoto Protocol on tackling climate change, which would also have committed the US to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. In its place, Mr Bush has proposed a voluntary plan for curbing the gases. |