Weather, Water, Energy 7-17-07

Okay, Money columnists are talking about oil shortages and increased pressure on supplies now so is it all right to admit what we’re facing and stop the “there’s no problem, we’ll just go high tech and pump more” silliness? . . . Oh, yeah, let’s put super faith in superhuman ability to predict the future and set nuke plants every 50 feet to offset the energy demands. And it’s the Russians, for God’s (and Chernobyl’s) sake!! (And FL, too, so much for that governor’s “leadership”). Nothing could go wrong with that, could it, Japan? . . . Read this—The OECD warned Tuesday that China's breakneck economic growth was wreaking severe damage on the environment and said Beijing's efforts to date to curb pollution had been insufficient. "Rapid economic development, industrialisation and urbanisation have generated severe and growing pressures on the environment resulting in significant damage to human health and depletion of natural resources," OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria said in an introduction to a report on China's environmental performance—and tell me China is a nation serious about anything other than maxing out its aggrandizement, exactly what we did wrong and are now expected to help them do. . . . Water use in Italy’s Po River Valley gunna hafta change due to global warming if that economically strategic area is to maintain its vitality. . . . Very good point over at Grist. If US airline companies can face competition and end up building far more fuel efficient aircraft, why can’t US auto companies? . . . While at Grist, note that David Roberts once again catches the Repubs and their apologists decrying the lack of bipartisanship on the environment WHEN THEY’RE THE ONES CONSCIOUSLY AND DELIBERATELY BLOCKING EVERYTHING AS THEIR POLITICAL STRATEGY TO KICK WEAK, WUSSY LIBERAL BUTTS. And yet we have well-intentioned people on our side sincerely exhorting us to be moderate and bend to these people because surely, surely, surely they will compromise with us, too. Where’s the Tylenol? (David also gets that, even while good articles on the immense undertaking reversing our disastrous course will be can help alert us to why any delay and getting bogged down at tables with people who like the game the way it is are horrible, a continual emphasis on “costs” without examining the benefits of new econ opportunities and the good lifestyles still possible with efficiency will likely lead to results we don’t want.) . . . Big bucks flowing for water projects as the parties compete in CA. . . . When I was a kid, I had an uncle who tried to relate to us by saying “groovy” a lot. Looked like an old guy saying “groovy.” I get the same feeling from hearing that Australia’s idiot PM is using YouTube to proclaim his global warming genius. Maybe he’ll try rap next.