Chicago Gas Station at Twilight with Tanker Truck for Refilling (2015-04-10 19-26-59_01)

16 Comments

1. I think we are stuck with fossil fuels until we can economically use an alternative that won’t harm the environment.
   I sincerely hope that we can change soon but climate change is really serious and affects everyone.

   • I think there has beena lot of bad information circulating about climate chane. Climate is always changing. Between 900 and 1200 AD it was much warmer than it is now. Even Al Gore who predicted that America’s coastal regions would be underwater by 2015, bought a mansion on the California coast in 2010, years after he made the prediction.

     I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be concerned about the environment. Of course we should. I remember what it was like in the 1960s before we cleaned things up. However, mch of what is labeled “concern for the environment” today is a blatant attempt to redistribute wealth.

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     • You could have a point here Gary, I sincerely believe we can just live a bit cleaner by recycling our own waste, compost our food scraps, turn plastic, glass, metal into other useful things….Recycle things creatively.
       I believe gardens can help too…
       If everyone took part even in growing something, it just helps ..

       • What you said there is what I think we should be doing. Unfortunately, in Chicago and many other parts of America, recycling is not being done correctly. We have mandatory recycling but the majority of what we recycle ends up in landfill anyway. Chalk up another one for government incompetence.

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         • Some people in government are trying to work that out but not efficiently

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2. I suspect there are two distinct arguments to be had here.

   1. Should we focus more energy on recycling and creating cleaner-burning fossil fuels?
   2. Should we continue down the path we are on without change.

   I suspect the easy answer is the first. The problem is the cost. Over the next 2-3 years, you will see more clean-burning vehicles. Tesla is releasing a truck that uses electricity – in particular, based on the new design solar power generated on the truck itself. The bio-fuel world has improved the production of cleaner-burning biofuels that are renewable.

   Am I willing to reduce the impact of my house on the world? yes.
   Am I willing to reduce fossil fuel use today? yes.

   • As of current technology, electric cars are a placebo. You think it will help but it’s not doing squat. In the USA, at least, most of our electricity comes from coal-burning plants. Nuclear power is no longer the problem it used to be. The latest generation of plants can use what used to be waste that had to be dealt with. However we don’t have the capacity at the moment. Essentially an all-electric vehicle is coal-powered.

     Natural gas is a clean-burning option but I don’t know if our supply could meet our demands.

     One option I would like to see investigated further is hydrogen power. When combined with oxygen it releases a lot of energy but it’s not safe. (Think Hindenburg.) If it could be done safely, it would be a totally pollution-free source since the byproduct is water.

     The other option, although limited, is geothermal. Former-President Bush43 powers his home in Texas with geothermal energy.

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     • Holland produces 40% of the power the country needs with Solar. Germany is right behind.

       Did you know, that if we made a law in the US that said the following (loosely)

       50% of all buildings over 10 stories have to have a solar array.
       The other 50% in the portfolio must have green (trees and plants) on the roof).

       Just that one thing would reduce power consumption in the ENTIRE US by 10%!

       Total cost do that US-wide -100 million

       Total savings by organizations in 5 years – 140 million

       • You paint a much rosier picture of Germany’s alternative energy production than the Germans do.

         https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/german-failure-on-the-road-to-a-renewable-future-a-1266586.html

         There is also the problem that alternative energy is ridiculously expensive. This hurts the poor who can least afford it.

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         • First off, the growing market in both the US and Europe is leasing the solar arrays. That defrays the cost regardless of the situation. You simply pay a smaller electricity bill to another company.

           The article in one source, that you listed is a very conservative view of the current situation. The relevance of the German goal (45% renewable energy by 2022) is not likely to be met. But they are still trending down faster in Co2 production than the US is. Germany, Holland and other industrial states produce less Co2 than the US, even if you combine most of Europe.

           China is the top producer and growing the wrong way.

           I am sorry. There are a million reasons why solar power is hard. There is really only 1 reason why we have no choice.

           Greenland has had the largest ice melt this summer ever recorded.

         • Greenland is called that for a reason. When it was discovered, people were able to settle there and grow crops. That means it was much warmer then (900-1200 AD) than it is now.

           Don’t believe the alarmists. Climate change is nothing more than an excuse to push for the redistribution of wealth.

3. Transporting fuels from the mine or well can cause air pollution and lead to serious accidents and spills. When the fuels are burned, they emit toxins and global warming emissions. Even the waste products are hazardous to public health and the environment.

   • Are you willing to get rid of everything in your house that contains plastic? How about all synthetic fabrics? Oh, and you’ll only be able to eat whatever you can find within walking distance of your home and eat it raw. You’ll have plenty of time since you won’t have a computer or phone. But you’ll be happy knowing that you don’t use any of that evil oil.

     Yeah, using oil has its problems and we need to do what we can to reduce them but oil is not going to go away even if alternative energy sources were realistic which they are not.

4. Stunning image Gary. I agree with you about fossil fuels.

   • Thanks, Carol. I think there are things that can be done such as conservation. The better mileage we can get out of our cars, the better off we are.

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     • Yes everyone should continue to do their part for sure.

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