Global Oil Use

Report: World short on time to fix climate change------ The latest report by the U.N. group responsible for assessing climate change says the world is running out of time to keep global warming from exceeding the 2 degrees Celsius limit (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) agreed to in 2010.  If greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed sharply, and soon, climate experts say that by 2100, temperatures will rise between 3.7 and 4.8 Celsius (6.6 and 8.6 Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times.  China, the United States and Europe are the top emitters.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) cautions in the new report that there must be a "massive shift" to renewable energy to avert more massive heat waves, droughts and rising sea levels.  The IPCC has said there is a 95 % probability that climate change since 1950 is mainly due to human activities rather than natural variations.

Steve Newman / Earthweek

The Plain Dealer    April 18th, 2014

           It does not appear that the leading greenhouse gas emitters will be slowing down in our near future.  It seems apparent that their emissions will actually accelerate.  The concern of a growing economy and a higher GNP out trumps what the future will hold.  These governments must realize that the economic costs that higher temperatures (9 degrees) will bring will far outweigh the costs of changing over to renewable energies right now,  "They have eyes but cannot see."

           Producers of electricity expect an increase in demand as the years continue to fly by.  The United States has switched over coal burning electrical producing plants to natural gas, but this is due to the cost and supply of natural gas and court cases brought about by the Sierra Club in the companies violation of the clean air act.  The U.S. government has made no new meaningful mandates since that time in 1973.  China and India are accelerating coal burning plants.  Germany can be credited to having 25% renewable energy, but as they wean themselves off of nuclear energy they have increased their coal burning plants to produce electricity.

            The U.S. government did enact laws for lower emissions on vehicles in the 1990's.  Yet as we do this industry analysts predict the same amount of oil and gasoline use through 2050.  The reason is due to more cars being on the roads. Globally, there are some 750 million cars on the road.  China and India's desire for the corporate mono-culture means more cars will be on the road, using more oil.  Our desire to walk and ride bikes or use public transportation has diminished greatly in the last 50 and 60 years.  We need to return to these alternative means to transportation and embrace a new lifestyle.  Perhaps fuel cell technology and hydrogen technology will assist us in the decade to come.  People will have little desire for change as gasoline has so conveniently dropped to $ 2.20 a gallon from $ 4.00 per gallon.  It seems certain corporations want us to continue in petroleum use.  Our infrastructure is heavily if not totally invested to continue in this folly.
           
           We can change. We must change.

D.B. Clay & Ghost Writer Productions