Re: NASA - Funded Carbon Dioxide Map of U.S. Released on Google Earth - 02.19.09

Jax wrote:
Martin Brown wrote:
Jax wrote:
Martin Brown wrote:

ok.
let's say we do gain your stated efficiency.

The stated efficiency is already there to be had with existing technology just look at Japanese and European cars for example. It is only in the US that dinosaur automakers with deep pockets have bribed congress criters so that fleet vehicle fuel efficiency has not improved since Henry Fords original motorcar. If anything it has gone backwards!

So long as US gas remains dirt cheap there is no incentive for anything to change.

I know the technology is there. we just need to replace everyones car with a new one. it just takes time and money - more money for less time. and please try to avoid agenda rhetoric .

Cars get changed about every five years so it could be done fairly quickly. The US automakers are unwilling though so it may take a major fuel crisis before anything gets done.

what percentage of the total CO2 output would be reduced?

About 5-10% depending on whose numbers you take. That is a useful contribution. It is an easy step. US cars are terrible to drive. They are a cruel joke that could only be perpetrated on a captive market.

what percentage is required?

Every little helps.

you want to expend lots of money without stating your expected results?

I want to make the no regrets saving that have genuine ROI returns that would be justified under normal rules of investment.

and your answer is not true if your changes expend more CO2 than you would save. Prius' are a good example generating more CO2 than an SUV!

I am no great fan of the Prius. It is a wierd thing designed to meet US rules. My BMW diesel saloon and will do nearly 60mpg cruising at 70+mph.

It will buy us more time if we don't gratuitously stay on the rapid exponential growth curve in emissions.

rapid exponential growth? the US growth in CO2 is 1.1% annually (during the Bush administration), down from 1.3% (during the Clinton administration). pardon the political notes. i'm just poking fun at those who are political at the expense of facts. btw which EU countries have met the Kyoto protocol?

UK is still on target to do so. I don't see why we should bother since without the USA on board it is pointless. It is surprisingly difficult to figure out which others are on target. The ETS is horribly opaque.

Insulating your houses properly would also make a very big difference. National Geographic this month has a thermogram of a US house on the front cover.
.......
Even the longest journeys have to start with a first step. Doing nothing is not the answer.

true, but you need a map of your journey before you begin. in this case are you applying your resources toward the best results? and are those

You cannot lose by insulating houses better or improving fleet mpg.

results even achievable? how much CO2 reduction is required before you would see a measurable change in temperature?

We cannot at present hope to reduce the CO2 but we can aim to slow down the rate of increase. That would be a start. Note I am not advocating anything very expensive here just the low easy to pick fruit off the lowest branches. There is still plenty of scope for doing things with a full financial payback in well under 5 years.

what's your plan - with numbers please.

Increase vehicle fuel efficiency to 40 and the 60 mph which cuts down local city pollution as well as fuel usage. Taxing aviation fuel has to be one of the next steps - flying is now too cheap. And much of what needs to be done in business can now be accomplished by teleconferencing.

please try to avoid agenda rhetoric .

again, what's your plan - with numbers please.
increase fleet fuel economy = x%
increase home hvac efficiency = x%
increase home appliance efficiency = x%
switch to renewable energy sources = x%
switch to new undeveloped source = x%
etc.

I cannot be bothered to answer this in detail, but I think the Rocky Mountian Institutes paper is on the right track. US energy generators and industrial plant has perverse incentives not to improve thanks to the grandfather pollution legislation allowing them so much slack. the difference between the best and worst US states electricity kit is huge!

http://ert.rmi.org/files/documents/CGU.RMI.pdf
(4MB PDF file)

Their estimate is that about 30% of US electricity plant capability is lost through inefficient plant, operating modes and outdated equipment.

agreed there are many reasons to increase energy efficiency including the individuals own cost reduction, health benefits, and most importantly to lessen reliance on foreign powers.

However, the oil companies and Exxon in particular are lobbying hard to make sure it doesn't happen.

Regards,
Martin Brown
.

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