I posted a comment here about the real costs of burning hydrocarbons. It was in response to discussion on subsidies on green energy technologies, global warming and everything in between.
@Brian and @Brennan love the way you think. Clear, clean, concise. Brennan you’d never hit below the belt in a fight would you. A pity. In this game your opponents will do anything they can get away with. Wear protection!
@Leigh and @Sung… ? Hmmm. Yeah, go for it. You both have very interesting views on life.
The original comment was all about letting energy technologies compete fairly. Go for it. Green tech subsidies are paid by wage earners through their taxation so it’s just hiding the cost anyhow. However make sure that all inputs and outputs are considered, valued and costed appropriately.
Acid rain killed more than a few German trees thousands of kilometers from the factories producing the SO2. Did those factories “pay” for those trees? No. Was that taken into account in in final sale price of their product. No. The product price did not reflect the true cost of production.
Burning hydrocarbons is the same. Oxygen in. Who made it? CO2 out as waste? Who handles that? Is it really “free”? The trees in Brazil? CO2 in and O2 out. What happens when they are cut down? The ocean: warmer water: Less able dissolve CO2. There’s a cost there.
Hot, de-oxygenation water discharge from power stations. Aquatic flora and fauna loose their breeding ground. How does this affect the number of wild tuna in the ocean? Is the price of electricy include for the number of tuna that can’t breed because of that “use” of water? Not yet.
It’s a complicated equation, and we as a society have a hard time agreeing on where to hold the next World Cup let alone agreeing on managing the true cost of the earth’s natural resources.
I took a look at published data on what’s presently happening with the ice cap of Greenland. Not what might be happening, but what is happening. I extrapolated out a few years and came to the conclusion that now I ponder the building of houses on the oceans’ coast lines. I prefer the mountains myself – I like the challenge of the climb.
http://jeremiahjosey.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/an-inconvenient-truth-3-years-on/
PS, I advise the owners of the worlds’ second largest oil field on how to make the most with their money and their oil production. I see – and work – on both sides.
Looks like you are correct..what IS happening….
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/07/greenland.ice.island/index.html?iref=NS1
The time to look for a mountain view is now!