http://jritchie.com/502 an antidote to determinism Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:47:17 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://jritchie.com/502/comment-page-1#comment-706 a final warning | a robot, i am not Tue, 05 May 2009 02:44:28 +0000 http://jritchie.com/?p=502#comment-706 [...] Why not renewables? Lovelock argues that the focus on “green” energy is propagated by those seeking to drive new financial bubbles, continuing the manufacturing status quo,  and doing little to actually mitigate climate impacts. We always idealize the wind turbine but forget that a combustion turbine has to be run on-site at a wind farm to keep the frequency of the turbines regulated for use on an electric grid. This simple fact has led some studies to conclude that wind farms are greater contributors to CO2 emissions than a coal plant, with wind farms emitting more than 840 pounds of CO2 per MWh vs 8.8 for nuclear power. Photovoltaics are better, but  land requirements are devastating, 8 acres per megawatt. Whereas a few hundred acres can house a 2,500MW nuclear plant. We need that land for farming and for return to Gaia so that the earth can do what it does best, self regulate. Where I significantly diverge from Lovelock is through is views on farming. On p. 134 of the book he details how synthesized food may be our only hope. If it is count me out. Real food can’t be substituted for and the nutrient model of eating has been proven as flawed. [...] [...] Why not renewables? Lovelock argues that the focus on “green” energy is propagated by those seeking to drive new financial bubbles, continuing the manufacturing status quo,  and doing little to actually mitigate climate impacts. We always idealize the wind turbine but forget that a combustion turbine has to be run on-site at a wind farm to keep the frequency of the turbines regulated for use on an electric grid. This simple fact has led some studies to conclude that wind farms are greater contributors to CO2 emissions than a coal plant, with wind farms emitting more than 840 pounds of CO2 per MWh vs 8.8 for nuclear power. Photovoltaics are better, but  land requirements are devastating, 8 acres per megawatt. Whereas a few hundred acres can house a 2,500MW nuclear plant. We need that land for farming and for return to Gaia so that the earth can do what it does best, self regulate. Where I significantly diverge from Lovelock is through is views on farming. On p. 134 of the book he details how synthesized food may be our only hope. If it is count me out. Real food can’t be substituted for and the nutrient model of eating has been proven as flawed. [...]

]]> http://jritchie.com/502/comment-page-1#comment-695 jritch Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:11:56 +0000 http://jritchie.com/?p=502#comment-695 EconTalk maybe? <a href="http://econtalk.org" target="_blank">http://econtalk.org</a> EconTalk maybe? http://econtalk.org

]]> http://jritchie.com/502/comment-page-1#comment-680 Nasser Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:26:24 +0000 http://jritchie.com/?p=502#comment-680 Dude, where is that website you were talking about? The one about economics? Dude, where is that website you were talking about? The one about economics?

]]>