Solving Global warming as world president

[sebbysteiny]

Finding a solution to global warming is a massive task involving a massive diplomatic effort spread accross hundreds of countries and 6 continents.

 

To make this simpler, I propose we ignore the diplomatic politics and concentrate on the core problem. Later, perhaps, we could focus on adding the diplomatic factor.

 

Thus, the question I ask is 'if you were world president, how would you solve global warming'.

 

You must remember, there are many considerations. China has a booming economy but cannot afford non-coal power stations. 3rd world countries are going through an energy boom and the West is guzzling up steadily more fuel.

 

What would be a fair way of distributing the burden of saving the planet, and what means (and punishments) should be used to bring about the necessary changes?

[Mercedes Benzene]

Personally, I would put money into perfecting a hydrogen fuel cell system...

Then I would slowly switch out gas stations for hydrogen stations.

 

Basically:

As time increases:

*Gradually change petrol stations into hydrogen stations

*Sell personal hydrogen "stations" that could be installed in homes

*Gradually make hydrogen fuel cells the only option available in vehicles...

[UncleAl]

'if you were world president, how would you solve global warming'.

Exterminate four billion Third World parasites. The average git burns 2000 kcal/day. 9.56x10^3 kcal/kg for pure carbon oxidized to 3.664 kg of CO2.

 

(4x10^9)(2000/9.56x10^3)(3.664)(365.24) = 1.1 trillion grams of CO2 breathed out/year

 

The bastards are destroying the Earth with every breath.

 

OOPS!!! The units are off. It should be 1.1 trillion kilograms of carbon dioxide/year, 1000X more. 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2/year exhaled. It makes gasoline burning trivial by comparison.

[C1ay]

Why do you think global warming is a man made problem? The planet as a whole was much warmer and tropical during the Jurassic era. Sea levels were higher and there were no polar ice caps. Do you think that was caused by man?

[Turtle]

Exterminate four billion Third World parasites. The average git burns 2000 kcal/day. 9.56x10^3 kcal/kg for pure carbon oxidized to 3.664 kg of CO2.

 

(4x10^9)(2000/9.56x10^3)(3.664)(365.24) = 1.1 trillion grams of CO2 breathed out/year

 

The bastards are destroying the Earth with every breath.

 

I knew it!!! Stupid me has been holding my breath waiting for someone else to say so. Now where did I put those numbers on lung volume of bats....:) I'll git 'em & get back to ya.:hyper:

[TheBigDog]

Exterminate four billion Third World parasites. The average git burns 2000 kcal/day. 9.56x10^3 kcal/kg for pure carbon oxidized to 3.664 kg of CO2.

 

(4x10^9)(2000/9.56x10^3)(3.664)(365.24) = 1.1 trillion grams of CO2 breathed out/year

 

The bastards are destroying the Earth with every breath.

What hurdle must a human jump over to be esteemed enough to deserve existance in your universe?

 

Bill

[Mercedes Benzene]

Exterminate four billion Third World parasites. The average git burns 2000 kcal/day. 9.56x10^3 kcal/kg for pure carbon oxidized to 3.664 kg of CO2.

 

(4x10^9)(2000/9.56x10^3)(3.664)(365.24) = 1.1 trillion grams of CO2 breathed out/year

 

:hyper:

That is probably one of the single most impressive things I've read in a while.

Thank you very much for posting that!!

 

You really are amazing UncleAl

:)

That's not to say that the idea of mass extinction is a good one... but... impressive statistics nonetheless.

[Cedars]

When thinking about this question I have two scenarios I would choose from.

 

Scenario 1.

 

I wouldnt do anything. Mankind evolved to use tools and all of where we are is the direct result of that ability. If mankinds evolution of tool use results in its own extinction, well that is just life. Extinction is nothing new to this planet, yet life continues and I have doubts that global warming due to mans efforts will result in our own extinction. Population reduction? Sure. Should mankind become extinct from its own folly let the archeologists of the future figure out what occured, if something evolves to this level in that future.

 

Scenerio 2.

 

I wouldnt address 'global warming' directly, I would approach it from environmental preservation and energy effiency.

 

I would promote energy effiency with the focus on finite resources. Oil seems to be finite, and the demands will be increasing so to conserve this resource is to prolong our lifestyle. So alternative energy sources would also be a focus, such as hydrogen cells. Countries which cling to old style methods of suppling energy will still face the obsticle of higher prices for less commodity.

 

I would implement an energy tax. I am personally sick of seeing yard lights on when all occupants are home and tucked into bed for the night (as an example) and a host of other energy waste. It makes me sick to see the pictures of the world from space and the fact that I can identify so many places in the world because of all the lights glowing in the night.

 

I would tax silly items such as swimming pool additives sky high, under the energy tax. Living in the land of 10,000 lakes and streams it drives me nuts when I am out in my canoe and see yard after yard with swimming pools. It also drives me crazy with the indications that people moving to deserts and installing yards/pools/fountains has altered the humidity/ecology of the desert. If you live in a desert then dont expect it to be a grassland.

 

I would implement higher fuel effiency standards and I would inflict them equally upon entertainment items such as boat motors, jet skis, yachts, Rec vehicles, and other fun to have but unregulated gas guzzling toys.

 

I would strengthen the wetlands preservation act and refuse to rebuild N. Orleans, deny federal disaster monies to coastal areas to rebuilt homes on sandbars, and other places. I would accept that sometimes, nature wins and we're better off in the long run if we learn from our mistakes. Some of the articles I have read talked of C0 2 sinks, one large one being in America, and the lack of this in Europe. I do wonder if the loss of the Black forest has contributed to this inablity of Europe to absorb C0 2 on the magnitude that is is in America. I also subscribe to the idea that the drained wetlands provided much evaporated waters for local showers and some of the changing rain patterns we are seeing (less rains in some areas) are a direct result of loss of that pooling.

 

I would attempt to take away any tax dependents over 2 children.

 

I would refuse to sign any international agreement that made exceptions for any other country. Its not Americas fault that China lags behind because of socialism, nor is it Americas fault Africa cannot reap the rewards of its own natural resources due to their 'cultural issues', nor is it Americas fault India cannot feed its people and build power plants. Those problems are a direct result of factors within their borders and it is in Americas best interest not to encourage energy competition with these people of the world. Bummer for them, but hey, I am president of America. Equal treatment under these treaties and I will consider signing it.

 

I would then lose my re-election campaign simply because the majority would vote for the guy who promised a road leading everywhere and 2 SUVs in each persons driveway to drive the 3.5 kids to football practice.

[UncleAl]

What hurdle must a human jump over to be esteemed enough to deserve existance in your universe?

An engineer's first task in solving a problem is to identify the real cause of the problem.

 

1) GLOBAL WARMING!!! is caused by CO2. This is a pile of crap - 40,000 ppm strong IR absorber H2O in air vs. 380 ppm of weak IR absorber CO2 - but we'll run with it.

 

2) Burning gasoline releases CO2. Obviously. 19.8 lbs CO2/gallon of gasoline burned. Total planetary anthropogenic CO2 emission is 5.5 billion tons each year from summed fossil fuel combustion - petroluem, coal, natural gas.

 

http://www.greenuniversity.net/Green_Economics/carbondioxide.htm

Note the omission of water vapor as an IR absorber

 

3) We can SAVE THE EARTH!!! with a Carbon Tax on Everything. Horsepucky. That' a load of Enviro-whiner political crap.

 

Four billion Third World parasites merely breathing dump 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 into the air each year, equal 20% of total planetary fossil fuel emissions, calculated above. Add in the exhalations of their sickly animals plus their inefficient cooking fires. If we exterminate the lot, CO2 in the atmosphere will go into steep decline. We can bring on another mini-Ice Age at will.

 

Do you want the Arctic ice cap to be a mile thick (and to frozen Hell with Canada)? Do you want glaciers oozing down the Alps and covering Europe? Do you want Jamestown, Virginia enjoying -40 degree winters like it did in the early 1600s? Kill off the Third World.

 

That is the real problem and that is the real answer to it. Invest in a future you like. Do not invest in a future you loathe.

[Chacmool]

Four billion Third World parasites merely breathing dump 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 into the air each year, equal 20% of total planetary fossil fuel emissions, calculated above. Add in the exhalations of their sickly animals plus their inefficient cooking fires. If we exterminate the lot, CO2 in the atmosphere will go into steep decline. We can bring on another mini-Ice Age at will.

:rolleyes: UncleAl, do you seriously view this as a solution? Or are you being dramatic to illustrate that global warming has various sources?

[Errin OH]

:eek2: UncleAl, do you seriously view this as a solution? Or are you being dramatic to illustrate that global warming has various sources?

 

My guess is he is being sarcastic just to get attention. :hihi: But maybe he’s not? :evil: However, he is not off on the total contribution thing. When you account for the people, animals, trees, volcanoes and such, cars contribute less than .1%. In fact every car, truck, bus, plane and train ever built has yet to equal one major volcanic eruption.:cool:

 

So if this global warming thing is as a car heading towards a brick wall at 100mph, what difference is it going to make if we hit it at 99.9 mph?:rolleyes:

 

A good start would be to cut down all the trees, plow up every blade of grass and/or weeds. Then you’d get it down to about 60 mph impact.

[UncleAl]

Four billion Third World parasites merely breathing dump 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 into the air each year, equal 20% of total planetary fossil fuel emissions, calculated above. Add in the exhalations of their sickly animals plus their inefficient cooking fires. If we exterminate the lot, CO2 in the atmosphere will go into steep decline. We can bring on another mini-Ice Age at will.

That is the engineering solution. Put an end to First World civilization or put an end to the Third World (e.g., stop sending charity and the Reverend Malthus will lift the heavy end). Or do nothing.

 

The worst possible solution is to destroy the First World. Do that and the Third World goes down hard anyway. Current African population is 900 million. Historic African population is 80-100 million. Your tax dollars feed and snuggle 800 million parasites. In round numbers,

 

33% Federal income tax

10% California state tax

17% Social Security and Medicare tax (you and your employer, all you if self-employed)

======

60% gone. We haven't subtracted sales tax, land tax, luxury tax, excise tax, car license, mandatory insurance... The only person who cannot live off your salary is you.

[sebbysteiny]

I'm beginning to sense Uncle Al does believe his solution.

 

Perhaps we could expand this thread to include extermination of the old, Jews, gypsies and other far right agenders?

 

Alternatively, we could always assume that a neonazi will not be elected world president.

[sebbysteiny]

Actually, Uncle Al, I'm sure I recognise you from your picture. Didn't I bump into you during one of those 'make poverty history' concerts. You had one of those hippie charity bands and everything.

[Boerseun]

Haha - Uncle, you never cease to amaze me.

 

However - if 4 billion third world parasites combined pollute about as much as 20% of the coal power plants driving the first world, then it seems as if a hell of a lot of pollution is going to make sure than 2 billion people sleep warm and tight at night. The other 4 billion just need to commit mass-suicide in order to give the first world another 20% pollution break.

 

Seems a bit unbalanced, dontcha think?

 

And in reply to the hydrogen fuel cell solution proposed by Mercedes, that's a non-starter. Hydrogen is an energy-sink. It takes more energy to get hydrogen than you get out of it.

[TheFaithfulStone]

What hurdle must a human jump over to be esteemed enough to deserve existance in your universe?

 

:eek:

 

It's CO2, not H2O, and it's US.

 

We're responsible for this people, and even if we're not we've got to fix it. Anthropogenic or not, you're just as dead.

 

If I were president of the world, I'd order an immediate switch to wind energy & nuclear for all electrical generation in the United States. I would allow Natural Gas plants to remain active for their design lives, but Coal plants would need to be shut down pretty quickly.

 

I'd institute a whole bunch of anti-sprawl measures, and make public transit a priority. I'd actually update fuel efficiency standards. Maybe we could get electric cars, charged by the solar cells I'd make everybody put on their roof. Even hybrids are better than what we've got.

 

Of course, I doubt any of that would work. We're all gonna die!

 

TFS

[i await the intellectual beating I am about to receive.]

[Roadam]

Somewhere (http://www.eia.doe.gov/) I got the info that we humans consume about 4.5*10^20J industrial energy(http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/Notes%20for%20Table%20F_1.html) a year. Well, most of that energy comes from oil and natural gas so it must have been stored in anicent history(dynosaurs). If you look at the energy that comes to earth from sun in one year(that actually enters into earths atmosphere) is 3.7*10^24J. If you count out how much of that energy plants actually use and how much do they store(which I dont know), I think that you get preety smal abmount. And so I think that for one year of our consumption, earth had to spare for at least couple hundred years if not more.

 

If we would like to continue our lifestyle we would have to switch to renewables and also plug in more nuclear reactors(fission or fusion).

 

Or maybe we could limit ourselves in consumption?