Fossil Fuels

The energy issue has become central in the presidential campaign and we see little to suggest that either candidate will engage in a real discussion about the real choices we have. The fact is that the era of fossil fuels is coming to an end. There are too many people and too much need for energy for this to continue for very long. How long? More than a decade and less than a century. Why should we care? Because we probably can think of better things to do with petrochemicals than burning them for fuels. Because we shouldn’t be handing this problem to our children to solve.  read more »

Over the past weekend we got to hear President Bush, Senator McCain and then Senator Obama all supporting drilling for oil off our coasts. Both Bush and McCain maintain that the way to reduce gasoline prices is to develop more supplies of oil. They argue, and polling shows people believe, that drilling for more oil will lower prices. Although Obama is not crazy about drilling in fragile environments, he's willing to allow some drilling in exchange for a bill that would promote alternative energy.

For a brief moment I admired the artfulness and subtly of Obama's perspective-a little carefully controlled drilling can't do much harm, as long as our policy encourages renewable energy.  read more »

I made the mistake of watching some of the T.V. coverage of the Presidential campaign last night—I guess that's what happens when the Yankees have the night off and I'm too tired to do anything else. Listening to the commentary is mind numbing and most of it ranges from misleading to out and out inaccurate.

As I watched these candidates move around in the security and media bubble of the modern Presidential campaign I was thinking that they must feel as if they've been abducted by aliens. Poor Barack Obama-he's going to travel to Iraq so he mentioned that while he was there he might listen to what the military folks have to say.  read more »

I'm on vacation this week, enjoying the sun, surf and sand here in Long Beach New York, where we've had a small summer home since 1987. I'm on the West End of town, where the biggest problem over the last few years has been the proliferation of second and third cars and the difficulty of parking on the narrow and crowded streets: Until this summer. This summer the big news is the price of gasoline. In the last year and a half, the price of gasoline has doubled. In January, 2007 gasoline was less than $2.20 a gallon, today it is well over $4.  read more »

 Eric Gioia, a high-energy and ambitious thirty something city councilman from Queens, has decided to run a “carbon-neutral” relection campaign next year.

Gioia will eliminate paper invitations to campaign events, use only recycled paper when paper is used and cut down on mass mailers, balloons and buttons.

He also plans to purchase carbon offsets and use hybrid vehicles.

"There is a lot of waste on campaigns, and I think ... you have to recognize the impact you're having on the world around you," he told The New York Post a couple of days ago.

It's possible to have carbon-free events and products. Organizations such as Carbon Fund are now promoting Carbon-free businesses. The company's Web site describes its initiative as "an innovative and flexible program that can help your business to reduce its carbon footprint to zero through carbon offsets and reductions."

All of this has its value, helps build awareness and is a useful educational tool. But it’s a short-term band-aid when major surgery is required.  read more »