Coal makes us sick!

Nevada Senator Harry Reid: "Coal makes us sick, oil makes us sick..."

Click HERE to see the YouTube video.

We are the Champions! Harris County Texas is the U.S. CO2 Capital!

A team of scientists from Purdue University has identified the top 20 carbon-dioxide producing counties in the country, and because of Houston's large industrial base we're no. 1.

I'm not guessing this is something the Greater Houston Partnership will promote, but it does bolster our standing as the Energy Capital of the World in this heyday for fossil fuels.

As the graphic below demonstrates, Houston is followed by Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit.

Purdue

According to Purdue assistant professor Ken Gurney, who used the Vulcan carbon dioxide inventory project:

Vulcan, which is named for the Roman god of fire, quantifies all of the CO2 that results from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline. It also tracks the hourly outputs at the level of factories, power plants, roadways, neighborhoods and commercial districts.

"It's interesting that the top county, Harris, Texas, is on the list because of industrial emissions, but the second highest CO2 emitting county, Los Angels, California, is on the list because of automobile emissions," Gurney says. "So it's not just cars, and it's not just factories, that are emitting the carbon dioxide, but a combination of different things."

NASA warming scientist: 'This is the last chance'

Click HERE for full story.

Exactly 20 years after warning America about global warming, a top NASA scientist said the situation has gotten so bad that the world's only hope is drastic action.

"We're toast if we don't get on a very different path,"

Poll: most Britons doubt cause of climate change

Full Story HERE

The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans - and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.

The results have shocked campaigners who hoped that doubts would have been silenced by a report last year by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found a 90 per cent chance that humans were the main cause of climate change and warned that drastic action was needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Put oil firm chiefs on trial, says leading climate change scientist

Full Story HERE

James Hansen, one of the world's leading climate scientists, will today call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature, accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.

Hansen will use the symbolically charged 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking speech to the US Congress - in which he was among the first to sound the alarm over the reality of global warming - to argue that radical steps need to be taken immediately if the "perfect storm" of irreversible climate change is not to become inevitable.

Speaking before Congress again, he will accuse the chief executive officers of companies such as ExxonMobil and Peabody Energy of being fully aware of the disinformation about climate change they are spreading.

In an interview with the Guardian he said: "When you are in that kind of position, as the CEO of one the primary players who have been putting out misinformation even via organisations that affect what gets into school textbooks, then I think that's a crime."

House Democrats call for nationalization of refineries

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), member of the House Appropriations Committee and one of the most-ardent opponents of off-shore drilling

"We (the government) should own the refineries. Then we can control how much gets out into the market."

Click HERE for full story

Energy Guzzled by Al Gore’s Home in Past Year Could Power 232 U.S. Homes for a Month

Energy Guzzled by Al Gore’s Home in Past Year Could Power 232 U.S. Homes for a Month
Gore’s personal electricity consumption up 10%, despite “energy-efficient” home renovations

NASHVILLE - In the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former Vice President’s home energy use surged more than 10%, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

“A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home,” said Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “Al Gore is a hypocrite and a fraud when it comes to his commitment to the environment, judging by his home energy consumption.”

In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month.

In February 2007, An Inconvenient Truth, a film based on a climate change speech developed by Gore, won an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The next day, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research uncovered that Gore’s Nashville home guzzled 20 times more electricity than the average American household.

After the Tennessee Center for Policy Research exposed Gore’s massive home energy use, the former Vice President scurried to make his home more energy-efficient. Despite adding solar panels, installing a geothermal system, replacing existing light bulbs with more efficient models, and overhauling the home’s windows and ductwork, Gore now consumes more electricity than before the “green” overhaul.

Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

In the wake of becoming the most well-known global warming alarmist, Gore won an Oscar, a Grammy and the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, Gore saw his personal wealth increase by an estimated $100 million thanks largely to speaking fees and investments related to global warming hysteria.

“Actions speak louder than words, and Gore’s actions prove that he views climate change not as a serious problem, but as a money-making opportunity,” Johnson said. “Gore is exploiting the public’s concern about the environment to line his pockets and enhance his profile.”

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a Nashville-based free market think tank and watchdog organization, obtained information about Gore’s home energy use through a public records request to the Nashville Electric Service.

Environmentalist Wacko Quote of the Month

"The Senate is fiddling while the Globe Warms"

Joe Lieberman on the floor of the Senate after the climate protection act failed to pass.

Water = the Next Oil

Here is a global crisis I can believe in - water shortages. Whether or not you believe that globally warming exists or is human caused we are depleting our water stores as are use of water increases greatly. China and India are demanding more meat, power, etc. and thus use more water. What does this mean? An investment opportunity! T. Boone Pickens has got the ball rolling in the U.S.

Telegraph: Water crisis to be biggest world risk

Even More Environmentally Unfriendly Oil?

Refinery expansions in the U.S. focused on processing crude from Canadian oil sands show an entrenched reliance on fossil fuels even as concerns grow about the effects of oil sands production, an environmental group said Wednesday.

Such multibillion-dollar investments illustrate a long-term shift in refining toward so-called heavy oil, which requires more energy-intensive production and prompts worries about emissions and waste runoff, the report's authors said.

Houston Chronicle: Report decries oil sands waste

OK, if oil sands are so bad, let us drill in Alaska and off the coasts of Florida and California!

The cool thing is that oil sands processing is leading to the first new grassroots refineries in America in 30+ years. One company announced yesterday a $10 billion refinery in South Dakota to process oil sands crude.

Houston Chronicle: S.D. voters OK plan for first new U.S. refinery in 30 years

Wind Power is Best for Birds

Pandion Systems of Florida released a study making an apples to apples comparison of the impact of different sources of electricity on birds. The study was conducted for the State of NY. The ranking from best to worst:

1. Wind Turbines: minor risk of collision
2. Nuclear
3. Natural Gas: emissions
4. Oil: air emissions & transportation risks
5. Coal: air emissions & mining
   

Houston Chronicle: Research finds wind power poses least risk to wildlife

Global Warming Petition Project

Click Here for the position paper...