Keith Addison
Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:38:52 -0800
Hi Darryl www.10n10.ca is looking good, well done. I'll upload a link and description at JtF. For our part, our carbon footprint isn't too bad, probably better than most. We haven't bought any petro for more than six years, we grow almost all our own food, we compost everything (THE best way to capture carbon). We live in a 100-year-old wooden farmhouse, which is GOOD, according to a recent feature article in the Japanese press, because wood is a renewable resource, it said, and it also said that most Japanese houses are wooden, and they last an average of 30 years before they're replaced. That might be so in the cities and suburbs, but most of the rural population lives in these 100-year-old houses, same as ours. They were built in a huge post-Meiji rural restoration scheme. Unlike our house though, most of them have been extensively restored and modernised, so they're warm and comfortable. The current debate in our house is whether it's warmer in the kitchen or the fridge. Or colder rather, "warmer" isn't the right term at all. So, we earn a plus because our house has lasted 3.3 times longer than it should have, and a big extra plus because of something the feature article didn't say, which is what happens to the wood when an old house is demolished and replaced: it gets landfilled. :-( The article also didn't say that, while the post-Meiji rural houses were built with local wood, Japan imports most of its wood these days, preying on other people's forests, not necessarily sustainably. High carbon costs (maybe we get a few extra points by default). Here's a toss-up: do you think the very footprint-unfriendly fact that, in spite of the wood stove in the kitchen (used only on really cold evenings because of a high hassle factor), we have no choice but to use kerosene space heaters in the living rooms (unless you'd consider hypothermia a choice), is offset by the brownie-points we score for not using, never having used, and having no intention of ever using the electrically-heated toilet seat in the loo (which is outside and is even colder than the kitchen/fridge)? Heated toilet seats are de rigueur in Japan. Is that the case in Canada too? Sweden? No offset, eh? The kero's worse? 'Tis the work of the devil that biodiesel won't travel up a wick. As for 10n10, we'll try, but no promises. All best Keith >I guess it will surprise no one that I am skeptical to cynical of the >value of this bit of spin. I suppose some will want to credit Obama >with putting lipstick on a pig for the "agreement" reached at Copenhagen. > >That the agreement is non-binding, and the targets are essentially set >for higher emissions than under Kyoto, despite the evidence amassed >since that accord, strikes me as a Faustian deal. > >Because the agreement is non-binding, it's just a screen to hide behind >while we play out a climate change version of the tragedy of the commons. > >Darryl >www.10n10.ca > >Keith Addison wrote: >> EERE's view, FWIW... >> >>> A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) >>> <http://www.eere.energy.gov/>Office of Energy Efficiency and >>> Renewable Energy (EERE). The EERE Network News is also available on >>> the Web at: >>> <http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm>www.eere.energy.gov/news/enn.cfm >>> >>> January 06, 2010 >>> >>> News and Events >>> >>> President Obama Spearheads a Climate Agreement in Copenhagen >>> >>> President Obama visited Copenhagen, Denmark, on December 18, 2009, >>> and met with the heads of state from Brazil, China, India, and South >>> Africa to reach a climate agreement called the "Copenhagen Accord." >>> The agreement emerged as the primary achievement of the United >>> Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The non-binding >>> agreement calls for deep cuts in global emissions of greenhouse >>> gases so as to hold the increase in global temperature below 2°C, >>> and it calls for industrialized countries to determine their >>> economy-wide emissions targets for 2020 and submit them to the > >> United Nations by the end of January. A number of developing >>> countries, including the major emerging economies, also agreed to >>> list their voluntary pledges to reduce emissions by the end of >>> January and agreed to communicate their efforts to limit greenhouse >>> gas emissions every two years. >>> >>> The Copenhagen Accord also calls for international support of a >>> comprehensive adaptation program and of mitigation efforts by >>> developing countries. The accord commits developed countries to >>> provide new and additional resources approaching $30 billion for the >>> 2010-2012 time period, balanced between adaptation and mitigation. >>> Developed countries also committed to a goal of mobilizing $100 >>> billion per year by 2020 to address the needs of developing >>> countries. The accord establishes a new Copenhagen Green Climate >>> Fund to coordinate the distribution of a significant portion of this >>> funding. According to the secretariat of the U.N. Framework >>> Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Copenhagen Accord was >>> agreed to by a majority of countries, although the entire Conference >>> of the Parties to the UNFCCC (consisting of 194 countries) agreed >>> only to "take note" of the accord. The next Conference of the >>> Parties will be held in Mexico, starting on November 29, 2010. See >>> the UNFCCC press release >>> >>>(<http://unfccc.int/files/press/news_room/press_releases_and_advisories/application/pdf/pr_cop15_20091219.pdf>PDF >>> 178 KB), pages 2-4 of the Copenhagen Accord >>> >>>(<http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/cop_15/application/pdf/cop15_cph_auv.pdf>PDF >>> 182 KB), and other products of the Copenhagen conference on the >>> <http://unfccc.int/>UNFCCC home page. >>> <http://get.adobe.com/reader/>Download Adobe Reader. >>> >>> President Obama called the agreement a meaningful and unprecedented >>> breakthrough. "For the first time in history, all major economies >>> have come together to accept their responsibility to take action to >>> confront the threat of climate change," said the president, but he >>> also acknowledged the agreement as a first step. "Going forward, >>> we're going to have to build on the momentum that we've established >>> here in Copenhagen to ensure that international action to >>> significantly reduce emissions is sustained and sufficient over >>> time. We've come a long way, but we have much further to go." See >>> the >>> >>><http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-during-press-availability-copenhagen>President's > >> comments on the White House Web site. > >-- >Darryl McMahon > >The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy (in trade paperback and eBook) >http://www.econogics.com/TENHE/ > >Journey to Forever reviews The Emperor's New Hydrogen Economy >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html#tenhe _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/