Over at the Air Vent, Jeff Id has a very interesting story by Roddy Campbell, and in particular one graph that struck me as thought provoking. When I first saw it, these two stories immediately came to mind:
Breaking: NASA GISS Dr. James Hansen – arrested yet again
Dr. James Hansen of NASA GISS arrested
You see, Dr. Hansen of NASA GISS, has been using his position to protest the use of coal in America. That’s certainly his right. But, since his concern is global CO2 produced by coal, is he really being effective by protesting here? It seems that he should think locally, but act globally. Have a look at this graph and see if you think he’s making any difference in the places coal is being used the most:
Now have a look at this graph and narrative I found from the same source as the one above.
What the chart doesn’t tell you is the composition of each country’s energy consumption. While many are aware the US is a heavy user of oil, there is less attention paid to China’s heavy use of coal. Let’s compare the two, shall we? Oil in the US represents nearly 39% of total energy use from all sources. But in China, oil barely represents 19% of total energy use. Most important of all: China’s coal use is four times its oil use.
Dr. Hansen, I’ll gladly take up a collection here for you to buy you a round trip ticket to any place in China you wish to go and protest, in the same manner you have done here in the USA. Just say the word.
Read the rest at the Air Vent here, and be sure to have a look at the graph showing China’s plan for airport expansion.
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jimbo has a messiah complex. He’s one of those highly educated, intelligent guys I’m always harping about who cannot distinguish truth from fiction even on a good day. As a result, they believe whatever they wish to believe and use their superior education and intelligence to fabricate an imaginary technical world of their own making. In his mind, Hansen is leading “the people” out of a wilderness they are too dense to comprehend. He rides a white horse and blows a golden trumpet, both of his own making. He’s now reduced to hobnobbing with the lunatic fringe because his fantasy no longer plays well in many high places. Yet he still remains in a very exalted position within the government, where you and I pay the freight.
CH
Anthony,
I do think you guys are too generous as far as Hansen’s passage to China goes.
Seeing that he is hankering after the ‘golden stone age’, how about a nice galley a la Ben-Hur?
I am offering to beat the drum whilst we get some volunteers to do draw staws to do the whipping!
There is a reason why they dont protest in China. Because China would “get rid” of them. We are the largest and weakest prey. So they will assault America first. Divide and Conquer.
Christopher says:
November 16, 2010 at 8:04 am
Indeed. They remind me of the old joke where the american claims to live in a free society where “We can stand outside the whitehouse and criticize the president!”. And the old soviet replies “We are free too! We can stand in Red Square and criticize your president too”.
Thoreau was a brave and honorable man. One who looks for a dime around the corner because the light is better is just a coward unsure of his convictions.
Could someone castigate the creators of these charts.. PLEASE. Why can’t anyone start from ZERO. Gotta make it look REALLY big, so lets squish our axis.