Hello

Today ahead of a meeting in Copenhagen it was agred that the EU will fund the improvement of the newer states to help them bring into line their emissons

News Sniffer - Revisionista 'EU strikes climate funding deal' diff viewer (2/3)

The essence is the EU will offer some 100bn euros to fund the gap between what was the old eastern blocks of europe and the western

As I have read quite a few thoughts from America on the idea that paying tax to help health care and other social programs is seen by many as a bad thing, I would be intrigued to read what America thinks about taxes being paid to fund industrial improvements in a different country?

phlanx

Salvo Tom

When a biomass power station was installed down the road from me, being a friend of the person who builds them I saw the plans, and there is not a drop of emission that can come out of it

However at the local planning office, we heard objections because it was going to cause cancer, smog every morning and night, congestion because of all the tractors (its a rural village already) and so on

Talk about paranoia based on stupidty!

I am not in favour of nuclear as it still has a small percentage of failure - its is small but still there

However, I will be more than happy to except it once all avenues have been exhausted, and or used

Eitherway, everyone in the world needs power, and building gas and coal stations is just bonkers!

tomder55

That is not the facts. The Chinese are mining these rare minerals mostly from Mongolia.

What caused the GFC is of course the making of another op . I would argue that gvt interventions caused bubbles.

I have no inherent opposition to Chinese investments in the US . I think it is good for the country . I am critical of the US Treasury's and Federal Reserve for the last decade's decision to not promote a strong US currency. But if the Chinese invested in US real estate during the bubble and the bubble collapsed then Booo hooo . The Japanese when they were the "economic dynamo "to be emulated once invested $2 billion in Rockefeller Center .Ask them how that worked out !

tomder55

Agreed ;turning an energy source into another energy source is frankly a waste of energy. It would be more efficient to just use the natural gas in fueling autos and mass transit. It is a much cleaner alternative to petroleum.

phlanx

I think some people have got so used to receiving good service due to regulations and rules that they have forgotten what businesses do at times to make a profit

I sell cars - and my trade is full of people who con customers

When I needed cash years ago, I would sell some really dodgy cars, I never lied if asked directly, but I never offered info if I wasnt - I needed to sell cars to make the money - nowadays I am all above board, however there are plenty of people who need to make money and will do whatever it takes to acheive this

That is why the regs and rules are in place, because even with them it continues, but without them I would be the first one to profit from the situation

To address the methane, unfortunatly the oceans will produce more methane than man can, cows produce more methane than the oceans and man combined, so unless we are already to give up steak I suggest we find another way

tomder55

And if I was the owner of the car lot next to yours I would've made it a point to tell customers that the lot next to mine sold lemons and not autos.

phlanx

Intersting you thought I was selling from a lot (pitch) - very interesting!

ETWolverine

Oh hell no. What would be free-market about a cap & trade program? That's pure government interventionalism.

I'm talking about private individuals or businesses coming up with alternative fuels and tools that work just as well as or better than what we currently have, and that save money and energy. I'm talking about those businesses then selling these products to the public. And I'm talking about keeping the government out of it.

The alternative being put forth is for the government to mandate that we buy these products NOW before they have been perfected, and can't do the job as well as what we currently have. I'm talking about the government forcing us, in the name of social responsibility, to buy products that we really don't want because they aren't any good. Cap & Trade is a good example of that, but is not the only method by which the government forces people to buy stuff they don't really want.

Those are the two alternatives put forth. Phlanx SEEMS to prefer the second method... the government intervention approach. I prefer the first... the free-market approach.

Elliot

phlanx

Elliot, businesses tell the market which product to choose - dont you get that, the choices you make are based on what businesses provide you

If left upto industry to change over to low energy products they would be reluctant to do so due to high cost R&D and difficulty introducing new products to the market

Why would anyone want to wait a generation (!) for something that can be done very quickly

If the product at the moment is not good enough then guess what, the companies selling the products now have the cashflow to redevolop and improve

This is how the markets work, this is how markets have always worked, and you think being pushed in one direction is against your rights - laughable considering it effects all humans and not just one nation

You do realise elliot, the rest of the world look at the US and ask how come 5 percent of the world's population, consume 25 per-cent of the worlds oil production, mostly in the form of vehicle fuel

You have to start to take responsiblilty for a system that has an end! You have to start to create ways of getting this dependancy down, because if you dont the US your son will know will not be the one you know

paraclete

It is an interesting statistic, an even more interesting one is how 5% of the world's population produce 90% of the world's problems. Now if they just turned their mind to producing 90% of the world's solutions.............

STEVE suggested that in the interest of reducing methane production we might consider a non beef diet. Might I ask what percentage of the world's beef is consumed in the USA? they are also responsible for 30% of the methane produced by those livestock. How could 5% of the world's population consume 30% of the world's beef? incredable

tomder55

actually I prefer a rack of New Zealand lamb ribs over a beef steak . But from what I hear that has an even larger methane footprint.