Monday, June 18, 2007

Too Cheap to Buy the Book

Martin Heintzelman proves himself intelligent in stating there is actually little hope for long-term substantial environmental improvements in the arena of Energy usage. It takes a concentrated number of BTUs to propel the industrial engine on which We all rely, and they can only be created in a limited number of Ways; each method carrying its own noxious by-products, all functionally bad for the ecology. This does not impede families in the production of children, or does it alter current attitude on Product availability to improve the Style of Life. We must understand that We will need more Energy in the future, and it will be necessary to develop new technologies for producing that Energy; all current technologies depend on nonrenewable resources (for the production of concentrated power).

The Book by Morgenstern and Pizer evaluates attempts to limit CO2 emissions and Energy use in seven studies around the World. The Counterfactual should be more aptly named the Counterfarsical, as no serious study can estimate better Emission levels than current levels, given the more rapid Ageing of Energy generation units (more Generation units in operation, all increasing capacity, and more Units wearing out). The Best which can be hoped for may remain that the West can convince China to built more efficient Coal-fired plants. Low-hanging fruit indeed!

The Book discusses whether Voluntary or Compulsory programs are the most efficient in attaining Change in Energy generation and use. The Reader must realize that any of the suggested Programs would gain an Engineering student an F, if the Program was submitted as a Machine type. Functional impact of any of the Programs insists industry make sure the Program passed the ‘Business as Usual’ litmus test of allowing all current Production technology to survive. Remember that Bush has still not reversed his Texan desire to build more Coal-fired generating plants. Environmentalists may as well organize a Voluntary effort, because Legislators will not take on the entire spectrum of the Business world. lgl

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