President Obama Options

[Inferia]

In case anyone missed yesterday, we have a new president now.

www.nytimes.com
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www.csmonitor.com
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www.abcnews.com

[Inferia]

I think it just comes down to having the public more aware of what they are doing. If you want to use canvas bags for they are more ecologically friendly, but you drive a suv five minutes to the supermarket, maybe you should rethink the car instead of the canvas bag. If you refuse to use paper cups to drink coffee, but have lost several thermal mugs, maybe you should reconsider the paper cups. Perhaps san fran is not the best place to put a solar panel, but much of the US may be. Then you can see how much emission that can be saved if you had it at places that can make use of it and think of something else in san fran, like wind energy or tidal currents. That doesn't mean you should stop solar panel development. If nickel-cadmium batteries are damaging to the environment, maybe consider using lithium-ion batteries. If you don't want to import lithium, maybe try to fund studies on sodium-ion batteries. The point is to find a balance and not to stop research because one thing is not working out.

[Hartmann]

I think it just comes down to having the public more aware of what they are doing. If you want to use canvas bags for they are more ecologically friendly, but you drive a suv five minutes to the supermarket, maybe you should rethink the car instead of the canvas bag. If you refuse to use paper cups to drink coffee, but have lost several thermal mugs, maybe you should reconsider the paper cups. Perhaps san fran is not the best place to put a solar panel, but much of the US may be. Then you can see how much emission that can be saved if you had it at places that can make use of it and think of something else in san fran, like wind energy or tidal currents. That doesn't mean you should stop solar panel development. If nickel-cadmium batteries are damaging to the environment, maybe consider using lithium-ion batteries. If you don't want to import lithium, maybe try to fund studies on sodium-ion batteries. The point is to find a balance and not to stop research because one thing is not working out.

Yeah, but the government shouldn't be telling you that you can't drive that SUV to the supermarket.

The one technology that I've been involved in that I wish would take off is algae. The stuff grows like a weed when put in the right conditions (lots of sunlight) and it grows quickly.

I am not suggesting to stop research, my point is that the debate over climate change is not over even though a lot of people act like it is. My concern with the global warming claims and pushes are that they make it seem like non-"believers" are evil and out to kill the planet. I drive a fuel efficient car, I recycle, I have a compost pile and none of it in the name of "save the planet" but more in the name of, I like to save money, I think that throwing away plastic is stupid, and I like to grow my own food.