Envirologue by Dave Hansford

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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why National will Never Act on Climate Change

244 Responses

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  • Steve Rowe, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    There ARE limits!

    I never said there wouldn't be sacrifices!

    NZ • Since Apr 2015 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald,

    This is the problem...right here...

    http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/regional/270526/switch-to-led-lights-could-save-wellington-$2m

    "Wellington City Council could make energy savings of up to $2 million a year by replacing sodium street lights with LED-light emitting diodes."

    Yet,

    "...Commerce Commission clause, lines companies may seek to recover lost revenue because of the savings by offering fixed contracts."

    Lunacy.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Stamper Stamp, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    Hi Bart
    "But what you and your ilk fail to realise (or just blindly ignore) is they do so BY PRESENTING DATA"

    Well - the problem with data is that it doesn’t always suit your story.
    E.g. It is now widely accepted that the world’s surface temperature has remained static for some 18 years to-date, while CO2 has increased from approximately 350 ppm to 400 ppm.
    That is data which the alarmists have difficulty rationalizing.

    Auckland • Since Feb 2014 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Stamper Stamp,

    don’t assume the so-called consensus on CAGW is correct

    Pffft. Run along, you fool.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Stamper Stamp,

    It is now widely accepted

    amongst denialist crackpots

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Stamper Stamp,

    the world’s surface temperature has remained static for some 18 years to-date

    Gosh, a whole 18 years - Epic stuff!
    What name shall we give this epoch of stability?

    Though I do notice an upward curve in your passive aggressiveness, not getting a tad hot under the collar are we?

    There are other places you could go where people might respect your views you know, this pointless proselytizing here must be draining you of energy....

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

    Attachment

    A visual lesson for Stamper

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    Stamper: pointing out conflicts of interest of the likes of Judith Curry isn't the same as 'hating on' them.

    And you still haven't told us what industry you work in. If you work in the oil industry, no shame in admitting it, it just means we can put your arguments in perspective.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    PS. Stamper: and what about Richard Muller, who once associated with Curry and Lindzen and shared their climate-sceptic views, only to later join the ranks of the ‘alarmists’?

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Though I do notice an upward curve in your passive aggressiveness, not getting a tad hot under the collar are we?

    Heh.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • tussock, in reply to BenWilson,

    Which is why I ask: Is there a better hill nearby? Where? What does it look like?

    I'm glad you asked, Ben. The future of the planet, wherein it has people still on it, is with solar heated, passively cooled, (at least in the interim) and solar electric power as it's primary source (with various ways to make liquid fuels from electricity already available non-commercially, waiting for the massive fossil subsidies to die off). China is currently transitioning, a few small countries are already there, Northern Europe of all places is well on the way.

    The thing with solar electric, is that it's gigantic. Unbelievable amounts of power literally fall on the ground and then evaporate back into space every single day, all around the world, and you can use them at a fair rate at very low cost (already well below the cost of new coal plants, for instance, already competitive with natural gas) to do everything we do now and a thousand times more. A major problem is not being able to use it all. Really. Soon Europe will have to beam the spare stuff into space or something. Though you can spend collossal amounts of energy making rocket fuel, and maybe colonise Mars or something.

    And you get it everywhere. It's in China, India, Africa, ... everywhere. The Sun, no one really gets an advantage. Well, not so much in Antarctica, but no one lives there anyway.

    Now, obviously the world is currently pillaged and looted by a small group of idiots who gained their control by dominating the supply chains of oil and coal (with no shortage of blood spilt in exchange). They can't control a world run on solar-electric. Their model of control is at least a thousand times weaker than the obvious future that will replace them.


    All the limits in the future are raw materials, but they're surprisingly abundant once you have a colossal amount of almost-free power to retrieve them from less pure ores, and power to spare for cleaning and redecorating after the fact.

    Surely, you'd say, you need power to build the power stations and such, and you totally do, almost 20% of the future power of the world will go into recycling and replacing the power grid, which limits it's rate of growth for some time. And it's a tricky beast to bootstrap if we use up too much oil before getting started, so a lot of countries are being a colossal bunch of idiots by delaying, to protect their great dinosaurs of fossil fuel control.

    But China's going to make it, Europe's going to make it, most of South America at least, so at least a good many of the people of the future will have abundant energy supplies in electric and whatever other form they desire at near-zero costs. It cannot be otherwise. No one will control anyone at that point, there's no actual point in fighting wars in a post-scarcity society.

    The only thing people will have left to value is personal skill, which will mostly involve creative ways of using all that power without breaking anything important, and then tidying up after yourself, so they don't have to make so much rocket fuel with the excess.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report Reply

  • tussock,

    And of course, when I say a thousand times, I'm only counting minimal efficiency, minimal cost, current tech, 24-hour available, only plated at a sparse rate over major desert regions with maximal transmission and usage losses. You can totally multiply that by another hundred if you really wanted each person in the world to have more power (and thus wealth) than a small city available for their personal whimsy.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to tussock,

    Attachment

    Don't fight it Marsha, it's bigger than both of us!

    The thing with solar electric, is that it’s gigantic

    Know your neighbour,
    and their influence...
    I found this article interesting:

    Many people and even some scientists embrace a simple,
    binary view of solar activity: Solar maximum is a time of action,
    marked by massive explosions and dangerous space
    weather that can affect engineered systems on Earth and in
    space, while solar minimum is a time of quiet, when almost
    nothing happens

    all stuff to take into consideration...
    after all, all life revolves around the Sun
    hopefully we can attenuate Aten if needs be...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to ,

    no particle place to be...

    ...an ideological problem with nuclear power

    <interrupts>
    my problems with it are mostly radiological...
    it is still as primitive and raw a method of extracting power
    as propelling cars by continuous controlled explosions,
    both present seriously adverse byproducts and consequences...

    Guess I like my plankton to be Plancked on by superfine particles
    rather than those unstable rough and ready Transuranics

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Attachment

    Atmosphere, utmost fear...
    This was interesting as well...
    http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/gps-data-show-how-nepal-quake-disturbed-earth-s-upper-atmosphere

    The April 25, 2015, magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal created waves of energy that penetrated into Earth's upper atmosphere in the vicinity of Nepal, disturbing the distribution of electrons in the ionosphere. The ionosphere is a region of Earth's upper atmosphere located from about 37 miles (60 kilometers) to 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) above Earth’s surface.

    Original source: http://www.spaceweather.com/

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Rowe, in reply to ,

    Tussock, do you have an ideological problem with nuclear power?

    I have two, Chernobyl and Fukushima. It is incredible that the wildfires in the Chernobyl exclusion zone have not rated a single mention in our media. Similarly the silence on the ongoing Fukushima disaster is beyond belief. Fukushima is still dumping nuclear waste into the North Pacific over four years after the earthquake.

    http://enenews.com/massive-fire-threatens-chernobyl-plant-only-3-miles-nuclear-waste-experts-smoke-heavily-contaminated-could-dispersion-very-significant-component-original-radiation-capable-spreading-contaminants

    http://enenews.com/tv-radioactive-waste-spilling-pacific-ocean-after-power-outage-hits-fukushima-radiation-expert-plant-radioactive-unstable-never-be-contained

    NZ • Since Apr 2015 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Rowe, in reply to ,

    Similarly the silence on the ongoing Fukushima disaster is beyond belief.

    I think it's more the engineering that failed us in the first instance, not the science.

    No offence but the people dying of cancer really don't care which bit of it failed.

    NZ • Since Apr 2015 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Rowe, in reply to ,

    Sorry Steve, I was editing when you where posting.

    No problem - It does raise the point that nuclear power also needs a robust economy that enables plenty of ongoing infrastucture work - another argument against it I would say.

    NZ • Since Apr 2015 • 27 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to ,

    And this that talks about the science of reading the atmosphere to help predict large earthquakes

    That is interesting!
    Imagine if the processing power available to the likes of the N S A was instead diverted to a realtime atmospheric, magnetic and Earth monitoring virtual model, where local fluctuations could be observed and flagged and a stepped risk alert system set in place.*

    Of course some Haarpist in the Gods would want to monetise or weaponise such a thing - it's the only way they can think, sigh...

    *speaking of International Rescue, they got the models right in the reboot, but what's with the meringue-like hair? I thought Weta's big CGI breakthrough was blow around hair and fabric, the original puppets had 'wigs' - that clunks for me when watching.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Steve Rowe,

    nuclear power also needs a robust economy that enables plenty of ongoing infrastucture work –

    Could be, thats why some like it. And I'm not wearing a meringue on my head.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Steve Rowe,

    may the force glow with you...

    It does raise the point that nuclear power also needs a robust economy that enables plenty of ongoing infrastucture work

    ...and a culture that will survive beyond it's decay life while staying aware of the dangers it presents.
    Not much hope of that judging by past efforts - we know next to nothing of civilisations a mere 4 to 8 thousand years ago - whereas the road from Uranium 238 to Lead 206 is many many millennia more...
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_decay#Decay_chains_and_multiple_modes

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to andin,

    Just desserts...

    And I’m not wearing a meringue on my head.

    Is that a pavlovian response!
    ;- )

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • andin,

    almost :-0
    damn wheres my tinfoil hat... sorry baking dish...

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Stamper Stamp,

    world’s surface temperature

    air temperature

    water temperature has continued to rise - but you wouldn't know that because your employer never gave you that data when he/she hired you to spout this drivel

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Steve Rowe,

    I think it’s more the engineering that failed us in the first instance, not the science.

    No offence but the people dying of cancer really don’t care which bit of it failed.

    Both points are correct and relevant.

    The problem with nuclear power IS engineering. Modern reactor designs are safer, but still produce waste.

    It's like pointing out that sometimes bridges collapse and kill people. It's a tragedy for the people and families who die. But it is not necessarily a problem with bridges per se, rather a problem with making sure bridges are engineered correctly.

    A more relevant argument is that we may not need nuclear power plants hence the engineering risk need not exist.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

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