Welcome to the October 2009 Green InSight eNewsletter!

Jon Dougal Editor, Green InSight

If not now, when? The Jewish sage Hillel asked on climate change.

"Climate Change is not just another issue in this complicated world of proliferating issues. It is the issue that, unchecked, will swamp all other issues."
Ross Gelbspan
The Heat Is On

This insightful and progressive newsletter is concerned with present energy issues and technologies as well as the future of energy. The information is brought to you in living color, on widescreen digital HD format, and sparing paper use with our long shelf-life, greedy little electrons to deliver the latest from the far corners of the alternative and renewable energy empire to foster sustainable development. We exalt your feedback and contributions of your latest experiences and reactions to our content. Sustainability is not just our mission, it is our passion.

Climate Roulette

By: Mark Hertsgaard
Date: October 7, 2009
Source: The Nation (www.thenation.com)

Ednote: Yes! This issue is about Climate change or global warming, just like every other publication and every other editor that thinks we can make a difference by bringing about public opinion change and thereby ACTION!

Don’t even think “conspiracy” it only identifies you as “stupid!”. Not even ignorant.

Read this edition of Green Insight, find and watch “The Age of Stupid” and get your very own “OH Shit!” moment.

Read the report ►

Cassandras of Climate

By: Paul Krugman
Date: September 28, 2009
Source: The New York Times (www.nytimes.com)

Ednote: No one writes about climate change as well as Paul Krugman or Andrew Revkin, but Paul Krugman is the next authority on the subject. There is no good business case for a compromised environment. There is some big news here. When the US Chamber of Commerce is loosing members like: Apple, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Duke Energy and many others of similar prestige, it makes for some serious discussion on whether climate change is a hoax. If it is a hoax it has to be a huge conspiracy.

Here are a few examples ►

Globalizing Green

By: Stewart Brand
Date: October 10, 2009
Source: Wired (www.wired.com)

Ednote: Stewart Brand was an icon of the 60’s with his publication of the Whole Earth Catalogue, a bible for the “back-to-the-earth” movement that favored simplistic living and off-the-grid dwelling units. Natural foods, manual over electric, hand made houses, recycling, mid-wives, holistic health, vegetarianism, were all a result of the big thinking of Stewart. He is still a visionary and has a strong following from his website the www.LongNow.org Foundation.

We value his look into the future and share it with you here.

Read the full article ►

Carbon Trading As Profit (Forget The Planet)

California timber firm to market its forests as weapon against global warming Sierra Pacific's announcement comes less than a week after the Schwarzenegger administration pushed through new rules allowing the company to sell carbon credits.

By: Eric Bailey
Date: October 1, 2009
Source: Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com)

Ednote: It is logical that if you owned a whole lotta trees and you didn’t cut them down, they would be more valuable over time. Why? They continue to sequester more carbon. Every year they get a little fatter. That is if there is no lasting drought and subsequent devastating fires that completely reverse the idea of carbon sequestering. This is an interesting dilemma.

Read the full article ►

Demand for Tariffs in Global-Warming Legislation Splits Allies

By: Jim Tankersley
Date: August 22, 2009
Source: Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com)

Ednote: The discussion over carbon trading started a few years ago and as real legislation is promulgated true argument is in place and heating up. Waxman-Markey climate-change bill has been passed. You our readers need to learn what the impact of this legislation means to you and how it will affect your quality of life. An early lawmaker quipped- a public gets the government they deserve. Taking that a little deeper- educated voters make better decisions.

Some enviros say carbon credits allow polluters continue to pollute. To a degree maybe they’re correct. But let’s look at a larger picture.

An example: Ejidos – cooperative farms – in Latin America grow let’s say bamboo. Bamboo is one of the most renewable resources on Earth. It generates 8 times the Oxygen of any other plant and sequesters more carbon in 1 year than a tree does in 8 years. Ejidos, or any bamboo plantations that harvest and sell bamboo can document the tonnage of carbon sequestered and qualify for carbon credits. These credits create wealth for the growers, which in turn enable them to become consumers (maybe not so good,) educate their children (helping to offset population growth) and produce more bamboo (more oxygen). People- planet – profits – the proverbial “triple bottom-line.”

Meanwhile – back in the states. Coal fired energy producers continue to belch fire and smoke and particulates and toxics into the atmosphere for all the little children down-wind to become potential asthmatics. But those coal plants are buying carbon credits to offset their purchases of expensive Ionic and wet smokestack scrubbers, while still causing harm to the population in closest proximity.

The U.S. is not currently a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol. The major argument being that developing economies aren’t restricting their carbon emissions and the playing fields are not equal (level).

Paul Krugman’s article is cause to “read and weep!”

Read the full article ►

As The World Ages, (Is There A) Reason To Smile

Date: August 15, 2009
Source: The New York Times (www.nytimes.com) & Zoe Williams of the Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)

Ednote: Following along with the debate on Healthcare Reform comes some startling demographics. We in the sustainability league marvel at how everything seems connected often likened to a spider web of interconnectedness. Petroleum dependency is another example of this. Fuel prices, auto dependency, rising drug and healthcare costs, recycling issues of medical waste, PVC, and endocrine disrupters are all interrelated with petroleum. AND what about the increased interest that retired people have in their own welfare? If you’re not old hopefully you will be. They even Vote.

Read the full article ►

Dead Pool

Imagining the Future of the American Southwest

By: Alex Steffen
Date: August 7, 2009
Source: WORLDCHANGING (www.worldchanging.com)

Ednote: Book Recommendation. "A Clean, Well Lighted Place" for learning about our future. With over 400 dead zones in the world’s oceans we thought the parallel on land is worth noting.

Read the full article ►

The High Speed Rail Boondoggle

By: Chris Nelder
Date: October 2, 2009
Source: Energy & Captial (www.energyandcapital.com)

Ednote: Why are there always skeptics of what appear to be a “duh” moment. The Bullet–train is one of them. The high-speed rail concept has been around for at least a generation. We all complain about Amtrak – the federally subsidized rail program and then extrapolate it to a high speed rail. But they are not the same concepts except for the 2 rail part.

Airports are over-burdened (when the economy is strong), FAA is a laggard on new technology to ease air congestion & airport expansion is hindered by environmental regs. Every commuter’s hair turns grey waiting for the car ahead to move a few feet. Families, communities, education, healthcare, climate/air quality all suffer from clogged freeways. It would seem that high speed rail is the “duh- why didn’t we do this sooner solution”.

Cost effective over ever expanding freeways and airport construction – short term (2.38 minutes to San Francisco) seems to be the most efficient use of public’s monies. $9B in seed money, a $40B budget (sure there will be cost overruns) and total electric energy driven means lotsa jobs and trickle down economics. Land values appreciate – what more do you want?

How many travelers have you talked to that would rather drive than fly if the trip is less than 7 hours? Add 1 hour for parking, and getting to the terminal, arrive up to 2 hours before the flight for security, 1-1.5 hours air-time, and 1+ hours to get your bags and/or to your rental car. Take a look at what future rail travel can mean at www.America2050.org after reading this view of the future of transportation.

"'Boondoggle‘, 'Loss-making whim‘, ‘Monument to bad territorial planning'. . .

Read the full article ►

Interested in sponsoring our next eNewsletter issue? Contact Jon Dougal at (415) 798-1933 or editor@greenmotion.org.