[ RadSafe ] extremism

[Steven Dapra]

March 21

Ruth Sponsler wrote:

"In addition, in a completely separate story, Anne Lauvergeon of 
Electricite de France and former CIA director John Deutch have said that 
the United States should act to cap emissions of greenhouse gases or risk 
losing global 
leadership.  http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/19/business/green.php ...."

         She also appeared to scoff at Jaworowski for not being a 
climatologist ("Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski is not a climatologist.").

         What are Deutch's credentials as a climatologist?

         The above linked article (from the International Herald Tribune) 
calls Deutch an "energy specialist" who is now a professor at MIT.  WHAT is 
an "energy specialist" and why did the IHT conveniently forget to tell us 
what Deutch is professing?

         The article also says, "Deutch advocated an additional tax of 
about $1 a gallon, or 26 cents a liter, on gasoline, diesel fuel and other 
petroleum products in the United States, coupled with a tightening of fuel 
economy standards for U.S. car manufacturers, to encourage fuel efficiency 
and damp demand, while recognizing that such a move would be politically 
difficult."

         Note that he only wants to beat up on US taxpayers and US car 
manufacturers.  What's with that?  No one else in the world drives cars or 
manufactures them?

         Furthermore, Anne Lauvergeon of Electricite de France did not 
endorse capping emissions, nor did she peddle that nonsense about the US 
"losing global leadership."  That was all from the "energy specialist."

         Tacked on at the end of the article we read this:

         "While Deutch placed great expectations on carbon capture and 
sequestration technology to reduce emissions from coal-fired power 
stations, notably in China, a parallel report to the Trilateral Commission 
by a French energy executive, Anne Lauvergeon, cast doubt on that solution.

"Lauvergeon, chief executive of Areva, which builds nuclear power stations, 
said the capture and storage of carbon emitted through the burning of 
fossil fuels was too often presented as a miracle solution.

"This technology would 'not play a significant role in the limitation of 
carbon emissions for half a century,' she wrote."

         If anything, Lauvergeon is opposing Deutch's proposals.  (Is she 
an extremist too, or is Deutch the extremist for only wanting to tax US 
citizens and only wanting to push around US auto manufacturers?)

Steven Dapra
sjd at swcp.com