Posts Tagged by methane
Our Leaders Should Understand Basic Science
| December 14, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
John Boehner, soon-to-be Speaker of the House, told a crowd recently:
The idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, when they do what they do, we’ve got more carbon dioxide.
I know there are people who don’t know the difference between carbon dioxide and methane, or what a carcinogen is, and I’m completely fine with that; ignorance in the general population, the result of a failing school system, “is what it is.” But when stuff like this comes out of the mouth of one of the most powerful lawmakers on Earth, I’m not at all OK with that. We need to do a better job in electing people who have a basic command of the core issues that affect our survival.
Fossil Fuels: Let's Not Lose Sight of Dangers
| September 2, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Fossil Fuels |
Readers here know that I generally refrain from taking cheap shots at the oil and gas industry. I try to keep in mind that, whether we like it or not, fossil fuels make up the vast majority of the world’s energy supply, and that until we can come together as a civilization and make them obsolete, we rely on them every days of our lives.
Having said that, I think it’s imperative to ensure we never lose sight of the dangers. To that end, I call attention to the fact that the federal government is warning residents in a small Wyoming town with extensive natural gas development not to drink their water, and to use fans and ventilation when showering or washing clothes in order to avoid the risk of an explosion. It seems that EPA researchers found benzene, metals, naphthalene, phenols and methane in wells and in groundwater.
NOW on PBS – Fracking, Natural Gas, and Renewable Energy
| March 28, 2010 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Science |
If you happen to be home on a Friday night, you’ll find it a great time to watch PBS, with its weekly programs: Washington Week, NOW, and Bill Moyers Journal. Generally, I think these programs depict the world fairly, and make an honest attempt to inform viewers in an objective and unbiased manner.
Yet I took exception to David Brancaccio’s NOW this week, in its gross oversimplication of the migration to renewables. In an attempt to inflame the viewer about the dangers of fracking (hydraulic fracturing, injecting water and chemicals deep underground to pry out gas locked away in tight spaces), the show told its views flatly, “We have renewable energy technology right now.”
At a certain level, this, of course, is true; there are a dozen or so clean energy technologies that are quite functional. But without context, this statement is horribly misleading. Sure we have the technology now, but there are hundreds of issues that many thousands of people are diligently working on — that will ultimately enable renewables to be deployed in an economically, legally, and ecologically sound way. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, “There’s plenty of clean energy if you don’t care how much you pay for it.”
If you want to stir up viewers, David, I would urge you to find a way to do so without feeding them a load of half-truths. I would say that to anyone — but especially to a man with a well-educated audience that can deal quite ably with the complete set of facts.
Offshore Drilling – An Environmentally Friendly Idea?
| August 1, 2009 | Posted by Craig Shields under Renewables - Politics |
Isn’t it common knowledge that offshore oil drilling represents a danger to the ecology of our oceans and beaches? And aren’t the oil companies the only ones with enough greed and callous disregard for the environment that they would suggest the validity of this process?
No.
Ironically, there are cases in which offshore drilling actually improves the health of the environment by reducing the volume of the natural seeps of oil and methane, which cause enormous (though not manmade) damage to the plants and animals that live in certain regions.
Readers may wish to learn about SOS California, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of natural gas and oil seep pollution on our ocean, our beaches, and our air quality. This group, co-founded by my friend Bruce Allen, points out that massive amounts of natural oil and gas seepage pollution is coming from offshore Santa Barbara California’s coastal areas. He points out that since Native Americans first arrived in coastal California, approximately 800 million barrels of oil have seeped into the coastal environment. Allen notes that peer-reviewed reports document the connection between existing Santa Barbara offshore oil production and natural seepage pollution reductions over the last 20 years and the larger natural seepage pollution reduction potential through expanded offshore oil and gas production.
According to SOS California, the tax revenues that would come from such an effort would reduce the deficit signifcantly, or fund massive efforts in the directio of renewable energy. In any case, I encourage readers to lean more about this subject, and join the cause.
