Jones Beene wrote:
Pretty fair credentials, I'd say... and he is right-on about the
need to move immediately into energy-aquaculture.
Well, if it works, okay -- maybe. But as I said, we should be
extremely cautious about large scale schemes that replace existing
biota, especially with monocultures. So far that has caused unending
havoc in both land and ocean ecosystems, such as the replacement of
most fish with jellyfish world-wide.
We can easily replace a substantial portion of petroleum use
within twenty years,
We could easily replace 90% of it one year, starting NOW, using only
existing technology. Just do something like what FDR did in January 1942:
1. Tell the auto industry that we are in a state of war (which we
sure are), and order it to shut down immediately and retool. I mean
close it down that instant. FDR ordered told them not to sell a
single car for the duration of the war, and he confiscated their
entire inventory for military purposes.
2. Ban the sale of conventional ICE automobiles in the U.S., immediately.
3. Order the industry, both foreign and domestic, to supply only
plug-in hybrid vehicles that get at least 100 mpg during average
commuting in 2007 and 8, and no less than 200 mpg after 2009.
4. Destroy all remaining stocks of unfinished conventional ICE engines.
5. Ban the use of existing SUVs and other passenger vehicles that
gets less than 20 mpg. Confiscate and destroy them all. Pay the
owners the blue-book depreciated value only. Hey, there's a war on!
Problem solved. The U.S. would soon have enough excess oil production
to join OPEC. This is nowhere near as drastic as it sounds. Of course
it would cost billions, but nowhere near as much as it costs for us
to finance terrorism and war against ourselves. After we do this, we
would quickly earn back all the money it costs, in reduced fuel expenses alone.
Present political leaders do not have the guts to do things like
this, but Lincoln or FDR would. For that matter if I were president I
would do it in a heartbeat, and I would say -- as FDR did -- this is
a war emergency and I am acting as commander-in-chief. I think it
would work and I think whoever did it would be the most popular
leader in the western world a few years later.
Make no small plans, sez me.
This would also drastically reduce CO2 emissions, which NASA and the
Japanese press have headlined today.
- Jed
