Support the Arctic Sea Ice Forum and Blog

Author Topic: Introduction  (Read 3761 times)

Edheler

  • New ice
  • Posts: 31
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 0
  • Likes Given: 0
Introduction
« on: February 25, 2013, 07:57:21 PM »
Howdy,

I thought I would write an introduction for myself since while I have read Neven's blog over the past year I had never commented. I have been interested in the arctic and AGW since becoming aware of the issue in late 2004. I am not a scientist.

I am not however a believer in the environmental movement or trying to save the planet. I do believe that man is altering the environment in significant ways but feel that the effort to maintain the current environment may be sorely misplaced. I wouldn't be surprised to learn years from now that we have already crossed a tipping point. I am much more interested in making sure that we don't produce a runaway greenhouse effect and spend too much time and effort trying to maintain the unmaintainable. We may waste resources we desperately need later.

I also don't want to try and save the planet because short of an all-encompassing world government, which I would fight to my last breath, I don't think there is any way to change where we are headed today. Governments will only act after there are unmistakable and horrifying consequences to our actions which are obvious to everyone. The Chinese aren't about to stop building coal power plants and until you can find a way to convince them to make a wholesale change about how they operate nearly everything else is small potatoes. I feel this is true because most western economies have already picked most of the low-hanging environmental protection fruit.

I have a difficult time believing that the environmentalists want what they proclaim to desire. It seems that every technology which could be used to bootstrap ourselves to a lower carbon world is resisted. Fracking is evil even though it is displacing far more polluting coal power plants. Hydroelectric power, the cleanest power we know how to make, is vilified because we have to displace some species. Nuclear is clearly another power generation scheme, that if we were to properly invest in and regulate, could help us build enough windmills and solar cells to make a significant difference. I really loathe the attitude I see sometimes from the fringe of the environmental movement that suggests we would be far better off if a significant fraction of the worlds population were not around.

I also think this problem is going to start to largely solve itself since I believe in peak oil. We may find a way to keep the plateau in liquid fuels going for another decade or so but it sure looks like Hubbert was largely correct. It may mean more coal usage in the short term but even in the coal market there are signs that we're nearing an inflection point in production versus cost.

Many of you will probably be happy and surprised to learn that my personal carbon footprint is probably lower than most of yours. Until this past year that probably wasn't true but since I installed a geothermal HVAC system in my home. Later this year I plan on installing 18kWH of solar cells, and the poles for another 18kWH, at my home. In 2015 I plan on getting a Jetta TDI for my primary travel vehicle. As I said earlier it isn't about saving the environment for me personally. I see a future of much, much higher energy costs and doing what I can now so that I can live comfortably later.

I understand that many of you are scared for the future that humanity is creating. Trying to scare your opposition is failing as a strategy because they are already scared out of their minds about other things. (mostly terrorism) The scared bucket is full for them so they reject out-of-hand your arguments. There are a number of alternate paths that I believe may be more successful routes to persuading more people to do things which are better than what we are doing today.

You might want to consider me the opposition to some degree. I am not one of those "evil" Republicans but I certainly understand them more than most of you. Most of you within the US would probably describe be as a libertarian but what I really am is a minarchist with a strong voluntarist streak. I am willing to use logic and reason to defend my beliefs. I am willing to change my mind in the presence of irrefutable evidence.

I look forward to causing moments of consternation and hopefully some enlightenment. :)

Jim Hunt

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 6264
  • Don't Vote NatC or PopCon, Save Lives!
    • View Profile
    • The Arctic sea ice Great White Con
  • Liked: 891
  • Likes Given: 86
Re: Introduction
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2013, 11:48:37 AM »
Hi Edheler,

I'm pleased to meet you, although I'm not sure I fit into any particular box of ists and isms. How does anarchist/libertarian/taoist sound? I have, however, declared myself to be a "born optimist, but political pessimist" in these hallowed halls.

I wondered if you would care to cast your eye over "Will Renewable Energy 'Solve Global Warming'?" and let us know your views? Some folks certainly seem to think that "market forces" will solve "the problem" given a bit more time. No "revolutions" or "civil wars" required!

Cheers,

Jim
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

John Palmer.

  • Guest
Re: Introduction
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2020, 03:10:31 PM »
Hello world

oren

  • First-year ice
  • Posts: 9799
    • View Profile
  • Liked: 3582
  • Likes Given: 3914
Re: Introduction
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2020, 10:59:22 AM »
Hello John Palmer, and welcome.