Carbon Sequestration in the Valley

This Morning’s Stockton Record had a report about a CO2 injection project under consideration in Thorton (NW of Lodi).  The proposed plan is to pump CO2 into an empty natural gas reservior.  If successful, the project could serve as an example of another tool in the fight against global warming.

Addicted to Oil – Thomas L. Friedman

I recently came across a Discovery Channel documentary hosted by Thomas L. Friedman.  This is the description of the show. (from Discovery Times website)

 

“This one-hour documentary, reported by Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist, Thomas L. Friedman, explores his ideas for a “geo-green alternative,” a multilayered strategy for tackling a host of problems, from the funding of terrorist supporters through our gasoline purchases, to strengthening our economy through innovative technology.

“Addicted to Oil examines a wide variety of developments taking place across the energy spectrum, from hybrid car enthusiasts who are converting their autos into “plug-ins” and getting 300 miles to a gallon of gas, to the current state of the hydrogen fuel cell. Other areas explored include “flex-fuel” vehicles that can run on an assortment of biofuels such as ethanol, which emits virtually no greenhouse gases and can be made from almost any biomass — like sugar cane, corn and even certain types of grass. (For example, in Brazil, 40 percent of all fuel used by drivers is ethanol.) Solar and especially wind power have made great advances in practical technologies that are increasingly being used throughout the world. We’ll also look at new “clean and green” coal plants that are being designed to sequester all carbon dioxide emissions.”

“Global warming is no longer a matter of debate, but a proven problem of potentially catastrophic proportions. As Friedman discovers in the course of our program, there is much we could do immediately, with technology at hand, to break our addiction to oil — and developing technologies promise a future free of a sole dependence on fossil fuels, a truly post-oil era. It can be done, if we have the will and leadership to do it.”

 

For those so inclined, it is available for viewing on YouTube:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 

Part 5

Over the next few days, I plan to blog about some of the topics explored by Friedman, and how they relate to IR.

Evaluation

For this first assignment, I chose to examine the RealClimate Blog.  This blog describes itself as “Climate science from climate scientists.”  Upon closer examination, this appears to be the case.  The list of contributors (LINK) is very impressive.  From science professors to NASA scientists, this list appears to be filled with reputable and reliable sources of information. 

“The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science.” (From the About page)

On the subject of ideological bias, it is to be expected when dealing with such scientists.  In recent years, a consensus has developed concerning human-induced climate change.  It has even been reported that President Bush will change his position on global warming at his upcoming State of the Union address. (Guardian, Terrablog)  That being the case, I doubt that much substantive variablility exists among the conclusions of the scientists involved. 

The blog does not appear to contain advertisements. 

Getting Started…

Well, here’s to a good semester.  I hope it is meaningful and enlightening for all who participate.