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Politics : The Environmentalist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ron who wrote (7904)	10/31/2006 11:04:56 PM
From: Jagfan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 36921

Of the 186 billion tons of CO2 that enter earth's atmosphere each year from all sources, only 6 billion tons are from human activity. Approximately 90 billion tons come from biologic activity in earth's oceans and another 90 billion tons from such sources as volcanoes and decaying land plants. At 368 parts per million CO2 is a minor constituent of earth's atmosphere-- less than 4/100ths of 1% of all gases present. Compared to former geologic times, earth's current atmosphere is CO2- impoverished. CO2 is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. Plants absorb CO2 and emit oxygen as a waste product. Humans and animals breathe oxygen and emit CO2 as a waste product. Carbon dioxide is a nutrient, not a pollutant, and all life-- plants and animals alike-- benefit from more of it. All life on earth is carbon-based and CO2 is an essential ingredient. When plant-growers want to stimulate plant growth, they introduce more carbon dioxide. CO2 that goes into the atmosphere does not stay there but is continually recycled by terrestrial plant life and earth's oceans-- the great retirement home for most terrestrial carbon dioxide. If we are in a global warming crisis today, even the most aggressive and costly proposals for limiting industrial carbon dioxide emissions would have a negligible effect on global climate! geocraft.com

To: Ron who wrote (7904)	11/1/2006 12:28:39 PM
From: Elmer Flugum	Respond to of 36921

Diesel in America-Second coming economist.com Oct 26th 2006 Diesel is a dirty word to American motorists. But that could soon change AFTER five years of delays American refiners are finally pumping new ultra-low-sulphur diesel fuel to service stations, to meet new regulations that took effect this month. Hitherto diesel contained up to 500 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur, but the new rules limit sulphur to 15 ppm. Will this new, cleaner diesel win over American motorists? In Europe 50% of new cars run on diesel, rising to 70% in the premium segment, where diesel gets a tax break. In America the figure is just 3.6%. Detroit's Big Three manufacturers use diesel engines only in light trucks, such as the big Dodge Ram pickup. In contrast, European carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are growing more aggressive: VW offers American buyers diesel engines in several models, such as its Passat saloon and Touareg SUV. Even so, diesel still has a bad name in America following Detroit's efforts to push rough, filthy and unreliable diesel engines in the 1970s and 1980s. Today's diesels are sturdy, smooth and up to 40% more fuel-efficient than petrol engines. They are also fast: an Audi diesel won the Le Mans 24-hour race this year. But the new cleaner fuel has come on stream just as regulators are clamping down on emissions of smog-causing nitrous oxides and soot-like particulates, which have been linked to lung cancer. Most carmakers are not ready with diesel engines that meet the new standards. As a result Mercedes is temporarily limiting the availability of its E-class diesel, launched this month, to 45 states because it cannot yet meet the tougher standards imposed by California and some East Coast states. But Mercedes and VW are betting that from 2008 they will be able to meet the new standards with technology, such as the Benz Bluetec diesel, which adds ammonia to the exhaust gases to break down pollutants. This will make it possible to add diesel to a whole range of Mercs. Tom LaSorda, boss of DaimlerChrysler's American arm, expects to use Bluetec in a variety of Chryslers. Even long-sceptical Japanese firms such as Honda and Nissan are coming round to diesel. Not everyone is so optimistic. General Motors is considering a diesel for some of its thirstiest trucks, such as the newly-redesigned Chevrolet Silverado pickup, but the firm's vice-chairman, Bob Lutz, frets that the extra cost of future pollution-control technology may price diesels out of the market. So do not expect conversion on a European scale. J.D. Power and Associates, a market-research firm, forecasts that diesels will power just over 10% of American cars sold by 2015, or around twice the number of petrol-electric hybrids by that time. But at least both are greener than petrol-based cars.