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May
13
Going Green
Filed Under economy, environment
John McCain goes green saying that the US needs to do something about global warming and proposes “cap and trade” as a way of managing carbon dioxide emissions.
Maybe it’s time to start up a micro carbon trading marketplace.
Anyone want to give me some money to offset their environmental atrocities? We’re getting ready to put in some trees in the yard. If you want to feel better about yourself, feel free to buy a tree or two and I’ll plant them in my yard.
I also have some environmental sanctuaries (empty lots filled with carbon consumption units i.e. trees). Want to offset some carbon? Feel free to chip in some money to help with the property taxes and you’ll get that great carbon offset feeling.
Video: John McCain goes all Kyoto Protocol
If we’re going to go green, maybe this is the way to do it — the BMW hydrogen luxury car. It’s a beautiful new technology that I’m hoping American car makers decide to adopt as well so we can break free from our dependence on despotic oil producing states. Of course, I’m sure there will be naysayers who point back to another piece of German technology that ran on hydrogen, but I’m sure they’ll be few and far between.
Video: BMW’s sweet hydrogen vehicle
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13 Responses to “Going Green”
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Hi Chris,
I’ve been more than willing to support McCain but this is the reason so many have been hesitant. Cap and trade is a tax that increases the size of the government and increases the cost of energy. I can’t get to my links on this right now but if people are curious I will try and find them later.
I think we’ve already invented hydrogen cars but our government didn’t want them when they first came out. Ever heard of Stan Meyer? I blogged about this awhile back at http://prayeramedic.blogspot.com/2008/04/run-your-car-on-water-for-less-than-500.html
I also think the going green thing is just another ploy by politicians (who have much invested in the oil business) to squeeze more money out of us. The Lieberman-Warner legislation will likely be the means used to do this, AKA climate tax. I wrote about this at http://prayeramedic.blogspot.com/2008/04/global-warming-hoax-exposed-new-climate.html
I just don’t believe that crooked politicians want a greener earth with pure motives — they are too hypocritical. Al Gore’s mansion uses more than twice the electricity in one month than the average household does in an entire year! It’s another ploy if you ask me.
I think my comment got nuked….
Aaron,
You know I’m all for McCain, as the editor of the Indiana blog for his site. And, I’m not ignorant that Global Warming is a scam.
But, I think that some type of market based system to encourage good behavior is a good idea too.
Chris,
I like the trees idea, I too would be willing to accept anyone’s money foolish enough to pay me to take their CO emissions
The Israeli government announced a major initiative to push the nation’s drivers toward electric cars on Monday, a move meant to both lessen dependence on foreign oil and address the environmental and health hazards of gas-burning vehicles.
It is not the first time a government has tried to promote electric cars on a mass scale. A 1990 California mandate requiring automakers to sell zero-emissions vehicles famously flopped. But the Israeli attempt is far more sophisticated than anything that precedes it. It aligns policy makers and a major car company with an outfit prepared to build hundreds of thousands of electric charging stations across the country. In an interview with TIME, Israeli President Shimon Peres called the project, “an experimental lab, a pilot project, before it’s applied to other, bigger industrialized nations.”
Automaker Renault-Nissan will manufacture the cars and Better Place, a California start-up founded by former SAP executive Shai Agassi, will build the infrastructure, which may eventually consist of 500,000 charging points and up to 200 battery-exchange stations. A pilot involving a few dozen cars will start later this year in Tel Aviv. A few hundred vehicles are expected to be on the road by 2009, with production scaled to the mass market by 2011. On Jan. 13, Israel slashed the tax rate on cars powered by electricity to 10% in order to encourage consumers to buy the vehicles once they are available.
Now Israelis have been working on this awhile but it is far quicker than anything that we’ve seen to date here in the states, wonder if this will have any future. Seems really agressive and I like it.
Hi Dan,
I’ll check the moderation queue to see if your comment got grabbed by Akismet.
Hi Aaron,
I’m all for good stewardship of the Earth and taking care of the environment. However, I’m with you in being a little wary of plans that seem to just reward China by moving industry and manufacturing overseas by making it impossible to conduct any manufacturing in America by regulating it to death.
And, the cap and trade plan just creates new markets for trading and making money. The Democrats are as into making money as anyone else is — Al Gore is on the board of one of the carbon trading markets — they just never want to admit it.
Of course, if we capped all carbon production in America, the working folks are going to be the ones who end up getting screwed by guys and gals with expensive mansions and nice shoes who are running the carbon trading markets.
Could carbon trading end up becoming the new Enron where carbon traders end up manipulating plants around the nation in order to make huge profits for themselves?
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the links!
I’m going to have to check out the link about the hydrogen vehicles.
I’m with you on the thought that it is just another way to impose a new tax on America or set up a new Enron that can shake down industry to make profits for traders all in the name of protecting the environment.
Hi Steve,
I always wonder why planting tree isn’t the solution to CO2 problems?
I’d love to have people give me micro grants in order to further the goal of planting more trees in my yard.
Hi Chris,
I hope the car project works in Israel — maybe it would be a way to get production of electric cars to ramp up in the United States. It always seems like we’re getting the short end of the stick because hybrids cost a lot and alternative fuel is expensive (E85 is about 90% the price of regular unleaded, but gets less gas mileage.)
Hi Chris,
I see you’re a Northwest Indiana blogger! Welcome!
I think it’s time for American’s to get bolder in it’s abilities to find a better way to combat these higher gas prices. If the electric car makes it then we can chaulk up another one that got away from the US. You can’t tell me that some group here hasn’t put some good thought into this kind of technology.
Hi Chris,
I have no doubt that we as Americans will figure out a way to solve the problem through a new application or development of technology. Right now, there isn’t a will. But, I see that changing as people start feeling the pain of higher gasoline prices.
We’re going to have to figure out an alternative to gasoline since it seems that China and India will continue to consume more and more as their population becomes wealthier and wants to have the same standards of living as we do here.
It’s an opportunity for people willing to take some risks and willing to follow huge ideas.
Just as it was inconceivable that we’d make it to the moon in 1900, we’re at the same point at the beginning of the 2000s. We’ll figure out an alternative that will take us into a new era in human growth and development.