Re: Global Warming Again!

[Paul William Shafer <paulwilliam_s@YAHOO.COM>]

I agree with your "degree per decade" information from

what I have read.  Can you imagine what it might be if

all of the nuclear power plants were replaced by coal

or natural gas fired plants?  That is exactly what

many utilities and NG suppliers are hoping for by 2025

since there is much less regulatory hassle in

construction and operation of NG fired inefficient

"jet engine-type" mini-turbine farms. The NG suppliers

want to burn NG during the summer for AC, rather than

store it for winter heating, since they realize much

greater profits. 



In addition, even though the federal government has a

20 mpg requirement for light trucks and SUVs, you and

I both know that large V-8 powered SUVs only get 6-10

mpg while "parked" on expressways with one or two

people in them every day on the comutes in and out of

large metro areas. The oil companies and car companies

obviously love these vehicles and have duped people 

into believing they are safer. The oil companies and

car companies make most of their profits from these

vehicles and not from small fuel efficient vehicles.

What is the contribution to Global Warming from these

vehicles concentrated on "moving parking lots" in big

cities?



How about 5000+ sq. ft. new homes which have one or

two people in them in terms of NG and electricity

usage? Obviously, home builders and banks do not want

modern 2500 sq. ft. homes like the ones built in the

1960s since they realize smaller profit margins.



If the V-8/V-10 powered SUVs and light trucks were

luxury taxed at 10-15% of list price, if a $4000 tax

credit were given to home owners to reduce energy

usage, if the price of a gallon of gasoline reached

$3.50 per gallon by what ever means, if regulatory

controls on nuclear power were reduced  etc. etc.

perhaps we help could curb "Global Warming."  These

things do not appear likely within the next twenty

years.



"Bigger and more inefficient is better in a throw-away

society."  That is what keeps the profits coming.  I

believe it is more of a macro-economic issue than a

political one.



Just some comments.  



Paul Shafer

--- Michael McNaughton <mcnaught@LANL.GOV> wrote:

> At 04:11 PM 7/18/01 -0700, Jerry Cohen wrote:

> >beginning some 4,000 years ago and running until

> the birth of Christ, 

> >temperatures averaged between 1.5 and 3 degrees

> Celsius higher than they 

> >do today.

> 

> An important detail that has been omitted is: the

> rate of change. One 

> degree change per thousand years has been observed

> before. The present data 

> tentatively indicate about a degree per decade,

> which is about 2 orders of 

> magnitude larger than before.

> 

> mike

> 

> 

> Mike McNaughton

> Los Alamos National Lab.

> email: mcnaught@LANL.gov or mcnaughton@LANL.gov

> phone: (505)667-6130

> 

>

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