Guilty Conscience?

Do you have a guilty conscience about the carbon footprint that you are leaving in this world? Visit www.terrapass.com. For a reasonable price, without raising a finger, you can claim to have offset your CO2 emissions.

For example, recently Seattle’s power utility company, City Light, claimed to have net zero CO2 emissions because it had paid off various companies around the world to offset its contribution to global warming. But, nothing has changed. City Light still spews about 200,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. Although City Light has been forbidden from purchasing anymore CO2 offsets, talk about passing the buck.

I find it amazing that we can fix our global warming problem simply by manipulating the books. I wonder if the environment sees the difference!

Opposition to Ethanol!

It had to happen 2 days after I make a bold prediction for the future. I am really not surprised considering how many times I have been caught with my foot in the mouth in the past few years.

Apparently, ethanol has a growing list of enemies. Livestock farmers who have been affected by the rising prices of corn, solar and wind energy protagonists who think that ethanol enjoys an unfair advantage in the alternative energy market and the environmentalists who think that the massive production of corn is damaging the environment. Their biggest complaint; the Bush administration is not letting free market forces decide the best alternative source of energy. So these anti-ethanol forces are getting together to eliminate the subsidies on US made ethanol and the tariffs placed on imported Brazilian ethanol.

An Intuition

It is my belief that bio-energy has more potential to solve the world’s energy problems than solar and wind energy can.

Both solar and wind power seem to suffer from similar drawbacks. Because the underlying technology to tap into wind and solar power is unlikely to change in the forthcoming years, it is doubtful that we will see innovations that will significantly change or improve their efficiency. Furthermore, both these technologies are sensitive to the changes in global weather patterns. Considering the fact bio-energy does not suffer from these drawbacks, it offers us the best opportunity to provide reliable sustainable solutions to the world’s energy needs. This should in no way be construed as an attempt to spell the doom of solar and wind power. They will still be a part of the world’s clean energy solution. Bio-energy is just going to be the bigger part!

After a Long Time…

The last month and half, I have been trying to take an informed stand on some of the issues that concern me. However, each time I have sat down to write about some of these topics, I have felt handicapped by an ignorance that has bogged me down. So, I have left these problems alone to be commented upon at a later time. I am sorry that the vagueness in this paragraph astounds you.

Now, here is something that I did not know. Apparently, the global bio-fuels market is bigger than the solar and wind energy markets. According to www.renewableenergyaccess.com, for the year 2006, the bio-fuels market is at $20.5 billion and is projected to expand to $80 billion by the year 2016, while wind & solar expected to grow from $17.9 billion to $60.8 billion and $15.6 billion to $69.3 billion in the same time frame.

Biggest Indian Acquisition Ever

Tata Steels acquired the European steel maker Corus Group yesterday for $11.6 billion dollars. The all cash deal is the biggest acquisition ever made by an Indian company. This move will apparently catapult Tata’s production capacity from 56th to 5th in the world and likely make Tata a global player in the steel market.

Why Wait, Let’s do Something Now

In my scientific research experience, I have found that any new idea carries along with it a net burden of unforeseen consequences. Some good, some bad! Why should new and alternate sources of energy be any different? Bio-fuels are already causing a huge spike in the prices of corn, wind power turbines have been known to affect bird population as some flying creatures cannot see the turbines, solar energy is still struggling with scalability issues and large hydro power plants cause severe environmental damages. I am infinitely positive that we will overcome all these challenges in due course of time. However, even as we wait for these technologies to mature, there are things that we can do now to decrease our dependence on oil. What can be done to minimize the traffic congestion that we encounter during our everyday commute? Is it possible to eliminate traffic lights completely? How do we encourage people to use public transport more often? Now that we are in the digital age, can we institute more work from home options without affecting productivity levels? A good answer to each of these questions is probably a solution to reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

A Fence Sitter on Global Warming

I have a confession to make. I have been for long a fence sitter on the issue of global warming. There are obviously 2 sides to this story. The side that claims global warming is not a concern and the side that predicts doomsday scenarios. Because both sides tend to put their own spin on the facts in hand, I have had trouble believing either of them. However, when Exxon comes out and says that global warming might indeed be happening, I have to sit up and take notice. In Exxon’s own words, “we know enough now — or, society knows enough now — that the risk is serious and action should be taken.” This is very similar to when the tobacco companies admitted “Smoking is injurious to health”. Additionally, Exxon has also decided to stop its funding to some of the non-profit organizations that are for limited government action against global warming. Only time will tell if this is a fundamental shift in stance or a reaction to the political changes in Washington DC.