Global Warming???

There is a conference happening in NYC this weekend about the validity of Global Warming.
http://www.heartland.org/NewYork08/newyork08.cfm

This is pricey and I don't expect anyone to attend- also it runs from sunday to tuesday. But i wanted to show the other side and let you review their information, if you like, and comment on it. This is their site for the facts: http://www.globalwarmingheartland.org/

from the site-
Global Warming: Crisis or Scam?

The debate over whether human activity is responsible for some or all of the modern warming, and then what to do if our presence on Earth is indeed affecting the global climate, has enormous consequences for everyone in virtually all parts of the globe. Proposals to drive down human greenhouse gas emissions by raising energy costs or imposing draconian caps could dramatically affect the quality of life of people in developed countries, and, due to globalization, the lives of people in less-developed countries too.

The global warming debate that the public and policymakers usually see is one-sided, dominated by government scientists and government organizations agenda-driven to find data that suggest a human impact on climate and to call for immediate government action, if only to fund their own continued research, but often to achieve political agendas entirely unrelated to the science of climate change. There is another side, but in recent years it has been denied a platform from which to speak.

The 2008 International Conference on Climate Change promises to be an exciting event and the point of departure for future conferences, publications, and educational campaigns to present both sides of this important topic.

BP Statistical Review- 2006

http://www.bp.com/productlanding.do?categoryId=6848&contentId=7033471

This site has a link to an excel file that has everything with regards to energy- production, consumption, reserves, discoveries.

the excel sheet directly- http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/reports_and_publications/statistical_energy_review_2007/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/spreadsheets/statistical_review_full_report_workbook_2007.xls

Sorted by region, fuel type, year- this allows us to look at the raw data- or as best we can get it. We can examine the numbers ourselves- draw our own conclusions- as our own questions.

Some questions will be posted later that reference this document.

Hirsch Report- Risk Management

http://globalpublicmedia.com/interviews/615- audio discussion with Robert Hirsch- 34 minutes



http://www.projectcensored.org/newsflash/The_Hirsch_Report_Proj_Cens.pdf - pdf of report



http://www.acus.org/docs/051007-Hirsch_World_Oil_Production.pdf - 10 page summary



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirsch_report - wiki on hirsch report



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Robert Hirsch talks of "Risk Management". Specifically he speaks of how when the potential for risk is very high, taking actions to mitigate the risk becomes more important. He states that the US does not historically use risk management for its policy- citing as an example the warnings that came prior to Pearl Harbor.

Now we have additional warnings- many credible sources have made strong claims, including the US Dept of Energy's Hirsch Report, that bring to light the possiblilty of grave circumstances if we do not take action prior to the peaking of oil production.


Why, at the national level, do we not include many elements of risk managment in our decisions.



Or, if you feel otherwise, how you think our policies as a nation are taking into account risk management with regards to oil depletion.

Hirsch Report

http://globalpublicmedia.com/interviews/615- audio discussion with Robert Hirsch- 34 minutes

http://www.projectcensored.org/newsflash/The_Hirsch_Report_Proj_Cens.pdf - pdf of report

http://www.acus.org/docs/051007-Hirsch_World_Oil_Production.pdf - 10 page summary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirsch_report - wiki on hirsch report

The Hirsch report, the commonly referred to name for the report Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, and Risk Management, was created by request for the US Department of Energy and published in February 2005. It examined the likelihood of the occurrence of peak oil, the necessary mitigating actions, and the likely impacts based on the timeliness of those actions.

This is a long report but the brief summary does a good job of giving an overview. Also, the audio interview is quite informative as well.

Question- Assuming that this report has valid conclusions, when do actions need to begin to be taken to mitigate the effects of the peaking of oil?

What are they most pressing issues, in your opinion and based on this report, for we individually, as a nation, or as a world in the years leading up to and immediately after the peaking of oil production.

What reactions do you have to reading or listening to Robert Hirsch's words?

Oil Prices

Above are a 15 year price history and a 150 price history for oil.

Comment on any trends you see.

Note that only once in the past 130 years was oil more costly than it is now.

Ask someone who was alive then how the high price of oil affected them, their jobs, or their decisions.

Ask if they knew why the price went back down then, if they think it will go back down now.

clicking on the image shows it full screen.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil

Story of Stuff - 2

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Annie Leonard discusses how the $4.99 she paid for her radio can not possibly cover the costs that go into making the radio.

The other costs are 'external costs'.

Describe your understanding of 'external costs'. Rewatch that segment or use another resource if needed to help your understanding of this concept.

Can you think of any other items that we can buy that seem to be priced way below what they should be priced?

Story Of Stuff

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Annie Leonard makes a lot of good points in 'the story of stuff'.

One in particular is regarding the value, or lack thereof, of those who do not buy anything and those who do not own anything. They do not contribute to the golden arrow of consumption.

Who is it that places value?

Bolo Bolo 2

The point of view presented in bolo bolo says that the “machine” has brought destruction and despair to the world by consuming time and resources. Consider an alternative view to the one discussed in the article of the “machine.”

What good, in your opinion, has the “planetary work machine” brought to human civilization?

What are your thoughts on the “planetary work machine?”

bolo bolo can be found at http://www.spunk.org/texts/misc/sp000137.txt

Bolo Bolo 1

“Then somebody must have started playing around with seeds and plants and invented agriculture. It must have seemed a good idea, for we didn't have to walk far to get enough food. But life became more complicated and toilsome. Wehad to stay in the same place for at least several months to store the seeds for the next crop and to plan and organize work on the fields. Fields and harvest also had to be defended from our nomadic gatherer hunter cousins who kept thinking that everything belonged to everybody. Conflicts between farmers, hunters and cattle breeders arose. We had to explain to others that we "worked" to accumulate our provisions--and they didn't even have a word for "work".

What does work mean to you?

bolo bolo can be found at http://www.spunk.org/texts/misc/sp000137.txt