Global Warming Solutions...

GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS MUST BE PROFITABLE: The majority of the present day Gore-type solutions are either ineffective, costly or extremely painful: Therefore they will never be adopted by the general populous and their governments -- until it is too late. If the proposed solutions would create both profits and benefits across the board then their acceptance by all would be much more likely. The process of finding the best solutions must first start with the end result desired, then work backwards compiling methods and changes that will best reach that optimum result.

PREVENTING THE END OF CIVILIZATION: The cataclysmic event that will destroy most plant and animal life on our planet is an ice age, caused by global warming. At first glance, these seem to be opposing and disconnected events, while in actuality they are tied together by the sea currents that encircle the planet -- the Oceanic Conveyor Belt. With global warming, the sea ice and glaciers melt, releasing huge volumes of fresh water into the oceans, diluting the needed salinity. As the salinity decreases the cold waters will no longer sink, circulating throughout the ocean depths; thereby shutting down the conveyer belt which brings the warm tropic waters north to the arctic and south to the antarctic. The far northern and far southern regions of the world would then go into a life-extinguishing deep-freeze.

This end-result, the dilution of the oceans' salinity must be stopped before the beginning of this irreversible Armageddon. Once this uncontrollable process starts it will last at least five-hundred years or, in the worst case scenario, possibly eons.

Therefore the critical question is: How do we retard the flow of fresh water into the salty oceans?

Stopping the melting of sea ice, glaciers and ice shelfs is not possible since the earth's temperature cannot be reversed (cooled) by the acts of man (excluding a nuclear winter -- in which case global warming would be the least of our worries). The land-mass ice formations in Greenland and the Antarctic, which contain 95% of the world's ice, will not be affected by global warming for thousands of years even with increasing temperatures, due to the fact that they lie well above the permafrost zone.

The answer to the critical question is: The only way to retard the dilution of salt in the seawater, which controls the oceanic conveyor belt, is to divert the rivers from running to the sea.

At first light this seems like a monumental task -- like something the Romans did thousands of years ago -- but, then again, they had to do it without the help of modern-day mammoth earth movers in the construction of their vast aqueduct system. Presently, on an annual basis, we dredge and widen rivers to such an extent that we could create a four-lane 20-foot-deep canal from New York to Los Angels. All we would have to do is double that effort to accomplish the necessary river diversion.

The process would be done in profit-oriented stages: 1.) Control the devastating annual flooding that costs billions of dollars by creating overflows that empty into lake reservoirs. 2.) Divert all rivers east of the Rocky Mountains in a westerly direction creating a myriad of lakes that would be used to irrigate reclaimed arid lands and deserts. 3.) Reduce the fresh water river flow to the oceans by 90%, thereby still allowing the historical fish hatcheries to be maintained even though the natural flow has been dramatically reduced.

By creating a nation of lakes and inter-connecting canals running westward through America's heartland, not only would the annual plague of devastating floods be finally under control, rural property values would be dramatically increased as quality lakeside residential properties would be plentiful for not only the rich but now even for the working middle class. The poorest of landowners would reap the fruits of their now bountiful crops and escalating property values.

The direction of the canals and lakes would be determined solely by where the water is needed for reclamation projects and drought relief. Nothing can counter global warming more than the greening of all of America. And our crops would feed the growing world, plus fuel our cars and trucks, eliminating our need for Mid-East oil: We would no longer be financing the oil-rich terrorists who are trying to destroy civilization as we know it.

RECLAIM THE DESERTS: Scientific studies have shown that with just sand, water and alfalfa, millions of acres can be reclaimed for crop production. The water evaporation from the western desert lands will be very high due to the temperature; Thereby increasing the cloud formation, and thusly increasing the rains to the east; Creating a renewing cycle of both crop growth and cooler temperatures due to the reflective cloud cover.

INCREASE WATER USAGE: The only way to waste water is to send it into the ocean. Water should be used over and over again until it either soaks into the land or evaporates into the atmosphere. Taking long showers, washing your car, cleaning your driveway down with a hose, soaking your lawn and garden are all beneficial to the health of our planet -- as long as any runoff or gray water is reused for agricultural or horticultural purposes. The more water that evaporates, the more cooling clouds there are to reflect the sunlight back into space; and the more rain there is for the parched lands below.

WATER AND WHITEN CITIES: Cities are normally 4 to 7 degrees hotter than suburbs partly due to the lack of transpiration from vegetation. And, of course, it is the residents of the cities who are complaining the most about global warming. Some cities are effectively using water misting systems in public areas for its cooling effects. Other effective measures are large public fountains and waterfalls.

Black tarred streets absorb massive amounts of heat from the sun; and then slowly release the heat at night so that even the evening breeze is warmed by the retained heat. To counter this, crushed white stone should be layered over the fresh black asphalt, thereby giving it a reflective white layer to counter the sun's rays. Roofs also should be covered in reflective white materials thereby cooling both residences and businesses alike.

PLANT THIRSTY TREES: A mature weeping willow can evaporate (transpiration) over 200 gallons of cooling water back into the atmosphere in a single day. All farmlands should be surrounded by high-transpiration trees to not only increase the evaporation process but to also keep the winds from blowing away the rich soils from newly planted fields.

CONTROL FOREST FIRES: Forest fires are the number two source of the greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the earth’s surface. Only the burning of fossil fuels creates more polluting emissions. By some estimates, forest fires contribute about 37% of the total yearly carbon dioxide emissions. The forests, which act as storage "sinks" for sequestering vast amounts of carbon, are now transforming, as they burn, into a major cause of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Every year our forests are subjected to "controlled burns" which frequently start blazing infernos that engulf thousands of acres, destroying hundreds of homes and killing thousands of animals; and often the fire fighters themselves. The concept of controlled burns is not rational under any circumstances. We look down upon third world nations such as Africa and Indonesia who slash and burn to create farmlands and Brazil for burning down the rain forests; yet we Americans start controlled burns that have exactly the same affect on our environment. It is time for us to manage the forests -- not burn them.

Presently a combination of drought and massive beetle infestations are killing tens of millions of Colorado's mature pine trees. Rather than removing the infested trees, the forest service lets them remain -- an ongoing breeding ground for the beetles -- giving them time to migrate and spread like cancer to healthy uninfected trees. These pine forests turn orange then gray as they finally shed their needles and die. The forest service just ignores these vast stands of dead trees -- until the wild fires start.

We should be setting an example to the world by thinning out our over-grown forests to remove the massive volume of dead, diseased and decaying trees -- dry kindling that makes the wild fires so hard to control. The fallen trees and debris should be trucked out of the forests and sold to mills so that they can be converted into building materials, containers and paper products. Even a beetle infected tree could be turned into a library of books. It is critical that we stop burning wood if we are to ever control greenhouse gasses. If we can just do that, we will be surpassing the wishful projections of the failed Kyoto Protocol by ten-fold.

DRIVE A PLUG-IN GAS-ELECTRIC HYBRID: Recently there has been a lot of talk about the E-85 flex-fuel vehicles -- the ethanol and/or gasoline fueled vehicles. But the problems with these flex-fuel vehicles are rarely discussed: 1.) Corn based fuels, such as ethanol, are very corrosive to car engines, appreciably reducing their usable life span. 2.) Food based fuels decrease our ability to feed the world. Filling up with ethanol for one SUV vehicle with a 25 gallon tank would feed one human for one year. Food should not be wasted like that in a world where children go hungry.

The new plug-in hybrids on the horizon are easily the greatest innovation of our modern age. The plug-in auto will free us from buying oil from all of those enemies of America who we have been financing for decades. The widespread adoption of plug-in hybrid vehicles will transfer the vast majority of miles driven to oil-free electricity. If all cars and vans were plug-in hybrids we would cut our oil needs by nearly 60% -- more than enough to completely eliminate foreign oil purchases. When plug-in vehicles become common place, America will no longer need a single drop of Mid-East oil.

The new plug-in hybrids use light-weight, long-lasting, eco-friendly lithium ion battery packs that can be easily recharged through any typical electric outlet in a house, allowing a driver to travel locally (about 50 miles) on battery power before the vehicle reverts to the gasoline engine. The driver gets to choose which energy source is right for him. If there's not enough energy in the battery pack, no problem, the car just automatically switches to gasoline. If the car is driven mostly locally, the driver almost never needs to get gas. Instead of getting gas every couple of days, the car will now be filled up every couple of months. To fill up an "electric tank" costs about a dollar per comparable gallon of gasoline. The savings will be dramatic to our economy since electricity is 75% cheaper than gasoline; and, probably more important, plug-in hybrids are much better for our atmosphere since electricity is 75% cleaner than gasoline. Even including the original purchases plus fuel and service, the total lifetime cost of ownership of a plug-in vehicle will be lower than a car that runs solely on gasoline. Plug-in hybrids are the all-in-one solution to oil dependence, air quality, and climate change.

General Motors, which has been losing sales to the fuel-efficient cars from Toyota, is finally developing a plug-in hybrid vehicle that would also travel more than 60 miles on a single gallon of gasoline. The plug-in hybrids that GM is testing may be ready in time for the Detroit Auto Show in January, 2007. The much pined-after EV from GM was a doomed project from the start due to its heavy old-technology batteries, poor driving range and inconvenient charging system. The only positive thing about the EV is that it gave GM a great deal of experience, which it can now apply to the new plug-in hybrids.

Daimler Chrysler is also presently developing a plug-in hybrid based on its Mercedes Sprinter van, which should be on the market soon.

Not surprisingly Toyota's Prius will be redesigned as a plug-in hybrid, but probably not until the 2011 model year, which may give GM and Daimler Chrysler a four year lead. Presently there are after-market plug-in kits for the Prius -- though these kits may void the warranty since there is a possibility of fire.

NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS: Nuclear power plants presently supply about 17% of world electricity. While nuclear power plants are able to generate electricity without producing the greenhouse gasses that exacerbate the global warming problem, they have a very poor safety track record in the United States. It was just recently discovered that the first nuclear power plant built in San Onofre California, which is now being decommissioned, has leaked over 10,000 gallons of cancer causing tritium into the ground water. The nuclear power plant officials, in an effort to placate the San Diego and Orange County residents, told the public not to worry since they were now dumping all of the radioactive tritium into the Pacific Ocean. It can be expected that we will soon see a bumper crop of glow fish swimming about the beaches of Southern California. With a tainted record like this, it is no wonder there are no new nuclear power plants being built in America.

HYDROELECTRIC DAMS: Hydroelectric power plants presently supply over 20% of world electricity. These power plants also do not produce greenhouse gasses: But hydroelectric dams are no longer a major option to fill the growing need for electrical power because most of the major sites that have the potential for harnessing the energy of water and gravity in this manner have either being exploited already, such as the Hoover Dam, or are unavailable because of environmental concerns.

WIND TURBINE FARMS: Wind turbine farms presently supply only 1% of the world's electricity. Europe is presently the world leader in wind power: Turbines produce 23% of the electricity used in Denmark. America can easily do that and more. A Department of Energy report shows that large wind farms in only four states, the Dakotas, Kansas and Texas could add enough electricity to the electric grid to supply all of the power needs of the United States.

While general farming has always been a financially cyclical endeavor; by adding wind turbines scattered about the fields, the average farmer can be put on a much more profitable footing. When farmers and ranchers add commercial wind turbines to their fields, they can receive an additional $2,000 to $5,000 per turbine, per year to their income. Depending on the number of turbines, over 90% of farm acreage lands would still be available for agriculture or as pasture lands. Additionally, these turbines would act as wind buffers, much like a row of trees, to prevent erosion.

If wind power was used to its full technical potential it could fill 100% of our present electrical needs plus another 390% for our future needs. This is a power source that is finally coming into its own. And of course it produces no greenhouse gasses and it alone could free us all of the shackles of Mid-East oil and the terrorists those billions finance.

OTHER METHODS OF GENERATING ECO-FRIENDLY ELECTRICITY: In addition to the main sources noted above to generate electricity without producing the greenhouse gasses that add to the global warming problem, there are three additional methods which, as yet, are still in their infancy: 1.) Solar Power, 2.) Tidal Harnesses and 3.) Geothermal. It will be decades before they come into their own -- if ever -- due to engineering and basic materials problems.

Post Your Comments Name:    E-Mail: