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A recent report leaked from sources at the World Bank indicates that biofuel production is responsible for 75% of the recent increase in food costs worldwide; this is in stark contrast to the 3% which our Department of Agriculture recently conceded to. According to the article found here, sources believe that the document has been complete since April 2008; it was kept a secret to avoid the embarrassment of our insane President.
But this is not just about saving face, the consequences of ignorantly pandering to lobbyists and personal friends are felt throughout the world: “The World Bank’s report estimates that rising food costs have pushed nearly 100 million people worldwide below the poverty line. The report also states that even massive droughts in Africa have had less of an effect on food prices than the US and Europe’s push for biofuel supplies.”
This would be bad enough if it weren’t for the fact that the bio-fuels currently being touted as a green solution are responsible for speeding the pace of rain forest destruction (in our efforts to ‘cut carbon’, we are destroying the only form of carbon sequestration that works, at an ever quickening pace.) And to make matters even worse, it appears that corn-based ethanol has a few other problems as well.
The following quote comes from an article touting the idea that burning E85 improves air quality:
“Researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy have found that E85 lowers the smog-forming potential of emissions in flex fuel vehicles. [Source: National Resource Defense Council, Effect of Ethanol (E85) Versus Gasoline Vehicles on Cancer and Mortality in the United States, 2/19/07] Ethanol-blended fuels reduce tailpipe emissions of volatile organic compounds by at least 12 percent and reduce tailpipe carbon monoxide emissions by as much as 30 percent. [Source: Renewable Fuels Association, Ethanol Facts, http://www.ethanolrfa.org/resource/facts/environment/, accessed 7/8/08]“
This all sounds good, but does leave at least one puzzling question: if we are only cutting tailpipe emissions by 12 and 30 percent respectively for volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, then are we actually making headway against the dreadful greenhouse gas emissions? Take for instance this article, which compares E85 vs. gasoline and finds that at a constant speed of 35 mph their test vehicles achieved 25 mpg with ethanol vs. 28 mpg using regular gasoline. This 11% drop in efficiency is slightly less than the 12% difference in volatile organic compounds emitted at the tailpipe, but does not factor in the extremely energy-intensive processes of growing, harvesting and processing corn into ethanol.
Furthermore, the article mentions that “E85 gets worse mileage on the interstate, usually only 17 to 18 miles-per-gallon.” Assuming that the gasoline vehicle achieves a constant 28 mpg at higher speeds rather than gaining efficiency–which is just as likely, this leaves the E85 vehicle roughly 35% less efficient than its gasoline counterpart. Once again, this does not take into account any energy expended to produce the fuel and ignores the fact that we are destroying Africa’s croplands, more rain forests and our own soil–and food supply–while actually turning the Gulf of Mexico green. Corn-based ethanol is an environmental disaster being used by corporate elites and foreign investors to exploit the good intentions of American consumers; we are desperately in need of a media capable of discussing facts in this case and applying truthful scientific scrutiny.
There are green solutions, but they do not include E85,clean coal (also hugely inefficient and environmentally disastrous) or artificial carbon sequestration (trees and plants are good; costly, untested technology below water table is bad.) We need to focus our efforts on expending energy more wisely and developing renewable sources of power. Solar and wind technologies are already viable everywhere but the U.S., where our government still refuses to even support the meek tax incentives of the past. Either Congress needs to start acting logically or they need to simply get out of the way and let the bureaucratic dinosaur die in peace. Starting over from scratch with just the internet and the Constitution may be the only option we have left for developing a sensible energy solution.
If we establish energy policies based on scrutinized scientific understanding rather than emotional opinions, we might find a way to make bio-fuels sustainable; but we should probably start with the crop that George Washington felt was vital to our nation, the same crop that Henry Ford actually started to “grow our transportation” with before it was somehow made illegal. The first crop man ever domesticated has been used by virtually all great civilizations of the past, and is still an industrial and food staple the world over. The United States, inventors of the current “War on Drugs,” is the only industrialized first-world nation not to grow the crop. There are also many third-world countries which do not cultivate the industrial fiber, as our Drug Enforcement Agency fears that they might confuse it with the marihuana–the devil weed.
Never mind that our laws only serve to create bloody rivalries while encouraging and heavily financing terrorist organizations, our government obviously knows best which chemicals we should and should not be putting into our bodies, right? Let’s hope so, because they are currently ignoring a demand by over 150,000 medical doctors (the American College of Physicians) to recognize a patient’s right to use cannabis as medicine if they are abiding by state law. Why would Congress refuse even to budge this little bit? If our federal government concedes that marijuana has medical value then Congress no longer has the authority to deem it illegal. Since marijuana is responsible for roughly 80% of spending in the War on Drugs, this would effectively eliminate the need for the DEA to exist. All of those dollars wasted fighting against our own hypocrisy could be used for things like funding renewable energy research; but then all of these things would make us less dependent on our federal government for our daily needs, which appears to be the last thing that they want.
As oil prices soar and the credit debacle deepens, people are looking for investments that will provide long-term security. This is making so-called green technologies a topic of much debate: Montana’s Governor Schweitzer backs corporate interests in ‘clean coal’ technologies that remain largely unproven and are guaranteed to make coal production much less energy (and cost) efficient, but he is no worse than politicians in mid western states who are backing corn-based E85 despite mounting evidence that it is an environmental disaster and direct threat to our nation’s food supply–and more importantly, that it is a net energy sink which is heavily dependent on fossil fuels and foreign investment. Third world countries and endangered rain forests are being decimated while our politicians and media lie through their teeth, their owners making money hand-over-fist thanks to our rogue federal government.
Greenwashing has become commonplace in politics and media, but savvy investors are still finding ways to capitalize on alternative energy and help inch us towards energy independence. We may still have a long way to go, but their efforts are already beginning to produce tangible results and real opportunities for individuals to become more self-sufficient. One example of this is the wind industry, which has literally been turned on its ear.
Although most people assume that the most efficient design for wind turbines is the classic ‘prop’ style, this is not the case. Vertical axis wind turbines or VAWTs typically resemble an old barber’s pole more than a propeller, and have far less moving parts than their horizontal competitors. Not only does this lead to increased energy conversion efficiency, it also cuts down severely on upfront costs and future maintenance worries. The end result is a turbine which is aesthetically pleasing, poses no threat to birds and makes virtually no noise (depending on the quality of the manufacturer, of course.)
Vertical axis turbines can create much more torque in a given radius, have lower cut-in speeds and even produce energy in extreme high-wind conditions which force horizontal axis turbines to shut down. Harnessing the power of 30, 50 or even 70 mph winds creates a huge amount of energy very quickly, as was recently demonstrated by TMA Global Wind Energy Systems. Their prototype located in Cheyenne, Wyoming is pictured below; mass production is slated to begin later this year.
Although this prototype is designed to take advantage of Wyoming’s windy plains, the general idea can be applied virtually anywhere. High-rise buildings and residential rooftops throughout Europe and the Middle East are already taking advantage of vertical axis turbines, with the most dramatic example being Dubai’s plans to make a skyscraper which rotates its floors individually while providing excess power to the grid thanks to the vertical-axis turbines located between the floors. The Dubai government has built an empire out of sand over the past decade and is now leading the way towards a truly sustainable society. If our own government is serious about addressing our dismal economy and oil dependency, they would do well to take a few pointers from the world’s fastest growing international trade center (Dubai.)
Unfortunately, our Congress is currently doing just the opposite: they still have not renewed tax credit incentives that are essential to the growth of solar, wind and other green technologies necessary for the future. Taxpayers are screaming for government to get us off of oil and onto renewable resources, but the only legislature being passed is for more oil exploration and warmongering. Arabs have used their wealth and ingenuity to create the world’s first zero emission skyscraper while our government squanders Billions of dollars and Billions of Watts of energy in order to build bigger and more nefarious weapon systems (look up HAARP.) We get an ionospheric heater that has the potential to alter weather and brain waves, and has even been accused of triggering disastrous earthquakes throughout the world; they get a building which actually produces more energy than it uses, and even looks good doing it–check out the video clip below.
We may not have a government intelligent enough to invest in our future or finance projects like this, but a growing number of us can actually afford to capitalize on the revolution which is now occurring the wind industry. TMA’s vertical axis turbine is just one example of the next generation of wind turbines, dozens of competitors have recently announced plans to expand their own VAWT offerings. Although there will be more turbines to choose from in the near future, a number of high-quality vertical axis turbines are already on the market. If you are interested in weaning yourself off of fossil fuels then check out some of the models pictured below, and don’t forget to remind your Congressional Representative that renewable energy is essential to our future–apparently some of them still haven’t figured that one out yet.
The Pacwind Delta II, endorsed by Jay Leno.
Ropatec Simply Vertical Windrotor 3kW
The QuietRevolution QR5 is already available in the UK, and will be in the US by 2009.
This 1kW VAWT is currently available through Urban Green Energy for under $10,000.
Platek Services is based in Canada, where government incentives are designed to promote solar and wind technologies. More information on these companies and others who are currently bringing this technology to the market can be found here. If you want to know more about why our Congress is putting over 100,000 jobs at risk by failing to support renewable energy programs, this is an interesting article. If you would like to ask your local members of Congress to support renewable energy and increase incentives for consumer purchases of solar and wind technologies, visit their Online Directory.
This documentary explains the sham that is our central banking system, which is poised on the brink of collapse.
The good news is that there is a way out of our pending financial disaster: our Government can issue its own currency to be spent on improving public works. This was done on a smaller scale with the CCC, which helped us get out of the last depression; but today spending should focus on renewable energy solutions such as solar, wind and flywheel technologies. We have an opportunity to create jobs, equity and energy while supporting the ingenuity which has been the backbone of this country; but only if more members of Congress help Rep. Paul to expose the truth and take back our Constitution. Could this have anything to do with their current 9% approval rating-the lowest ever!?
The following was taken from a wikipedia article concerning a curious statement about turtles:
Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court discussed his “favored version” of the tale in a footnote to his plurality opinion in Rapanos v. United States (decided June 19, 2006):
- In our favored version, an Eastern guru affirms that the earth is supported on the back of a tiger. When asked what supports the tiger, he says it stands upon an elephant; and when asked what supports the elephant he says it is a giant turtle. When asked, finally, what supports the giant turtle, he is briefly taken aback, but quickly replies “Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down.”[6]
- link
Dear EarthTalk: I recently heard the term “carbon sequestration” in relation to climate change. What is it and how can it help stave off global warming?
— Bob Whelan, Pawtucket, RI
Carbon sequestration is simply the intake and storage of the element carbon. The most common example in nature is during the photosynthesis process of trees and plants, which store carbon as they absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) during growth. Because they soak up the carbon that would otherwise rise up and trap heat in the atmosphere, trees and plants are important players in efforts to stave off global warming.
Trees and Plants Absorb Carbon Dioxide and Produce Oxygen
Environmentalists cite this natural form of carbon sequestration as a key reason to preserve the world’s forests and other undeveloped lands where vegetation is abundant. And forests don’t just absorb and store large quantities of carbon; they also produce large quantities of oxygen as a byproduct, leading people to refer to them as the “lungs of the earth.”
Preserving Forests is Key Strategy to Help Reduce Global Warming
According to the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, the billions of trees in the boreal forest of the northern hemisphere that stretches from Russian Siberia across Canada and into Scandinavia absorb vast amounts of carbon as they grow. Likewise, the world’s tropical forests play an important role in naturally sequestering carbon. As such, environmentalists see preserving and adding to the world’s forest canopy as the best natural means for minimizing the impact of global warming caused by the 5.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide generated by factories and automobiles each year.
