[ RadSafe ] global warming

Mon Dec 7 12:20:16 CST 2009

Can we bring more Radsafe topics and less environemental analysis please ?  At least if you want to start the discussion as of why nuclear power is or is not a solution for Post Kyoto dialogs, I would understand, but stating  that "...US uses more energy because it does more work..." is simply...wrong !

You need to input all sources of energy and express the total output. Using productivity to justify pollution will not make it, you miss the millions of cars with single drivers each day. How effective can that be ?  Am I saying "cars" ? I should have said "trucks" with single drivers and no useful worload, big SUV in locations with no snow, poor commuting systems, highways with a speed limit of 70 miles/h with drivers going at 5 miles/h about 90% of the time etc..So you call that an effective way to use energy and to produce work ? Come on.

Now, if you want my opinion, the problem starts with some people who won't settle with temporary solutions. They want windmills or nothing. Solar power or nothing. The fact that in the mean time we burn coal is irrelevent.  I would imagine that as compromise, nuclear power would be a solution, but no compromise from the sustainable development approach. That is the real issue here. Forget the apocalypse, we simply need to evolve, not remain at the mercy of oil, and nuclear is one of the compromise.

My opinion  of course.

Stéphane Jean-François
_____________________________________________________________________________
Stéphane Jean-François, Eng., M. Env., CHP. | Manager, Environment and Health Physics
Safety and Environment | Canada Site Functions
Merck Frosst Canada, Ltd. | 16711 TransCanada Hwy. | Kirkland, QC, Canada H9H 3L1
Office: #9-2-448 | P: 514-428-8695 | f:  514-428-8670 |
stephane_jeanfrancois at merck.com

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Clayton J Bradt
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 10:25 AM
To: ajess at clemson.edu; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: [ RadSafe ] global warming

On Sun, 6 Dec 2009 Jess Addis wrote:

"With a much smaller portion of the earth's population we use a very large
portion of the world resources and emit a very large portion of the
world's atmospheric pollution. Could we do just a little better?"

This statement (and question) misses the point of US energy consumption.
Remember  "Energy is the capacity to do Work" (the good old work-energy
theorem).  Energy isn't  just "consumed" by an economy, it is converted
into useful work.  The US uses more energy because it does more work than
any other economy.  The ratio of energy use to population is not the
appropriate number for comparison.  Rather it is the ratio of energy used
(i.e. work done) per unit of GDP.   From that perspective (the correct one
I would argue), the US is pretty efficient compared with other contries.
It's not the most efficient energy-to-work converter but it is far from the
least efficient.

Clayton J. Bradt
dutchbradt at hughes.net

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