Fuel from Carbon Dioxide??

What if there was a way to use our environmental output hazards, carbon dioxide, and reuse it in a cycle that utilizes it to make fuel?

This is a very interesting concept and one that may give the solution to the reduction if not elimination of fossil fuels for energy. By using alternatives such as water and wind powered generators, this energy can be used to fuel the reaction to make the carbon dioxide fuse with hydrogen to produce usable gasoline for everyday life. However, the most promising elements that can be an important ingredient to fuel these reactions is solar power. The sun is always present and is constantly being supplied unlike limited conditions to generators such as windmills. Arun Majumdar presents his view:

Turning CO2 into fuels is exactly what photosynthetic organisms have been doing for billions of years, although their fuels tend to be foods, like sugars. Now humans are trying to store the energy in sunlight by making a liquid fuel from CO2 and hydrogen—a prospect that could recycle CO2 emissions and slow down the rapid buildup of such greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

With these possibly viable sources of "new technologies get commercialized, those jobs always end up in the U.S." as Alan Weimer theorizes.

 

 

Florida Orange Trees on the Decline

Florida orange grooves are on the decline as affected by Citrus Greening Disease as well as Florida hurricanes. Jane Sutton report on the effects it has on the tenders as production is slowed down and new trees are currently being planted.

Florida's orange production dropped 18 percent to 133.6 million 90-pound (41-kilogram) boxes in the 2009-10 season, from 162.5 million boxes a year earlier. It was the smallest crop since the 2006-07 season, when several hurricanes ripped through the central Florida groves.

 Many farmers are now selling their land, hoping to still keep their long saved amounts of profit and escape possible complete crop failure or even debt. Though this is very unlikely, the hurricane and citrus greening disease combo does not reassure anything but possibly more work and lower net profit. The main concern right now is the citrus disease. Although it does not spread very quickly, there is still a higher chance, in Florida, of the disease completely ruining a section of one's crop yield. This fear has run among the smaller companies that already gain less money compared to their more elite comrades and has forced them to sell their precious land.

Bleaching the Coral Reefs

Even today, a minority of critics doubt the existence of Global Warming. Corals Reefs do not lie, they bleach or turn fluorescent when it experiences heat increases as they are doing...Right Now! Justin Gillis, New York Times writer, reports on this extreme heat condition for the coral reefs of the world.

"What is unfolding this year is only the second known global bleaching of coral reefs. Scientists are holding out hope that this year will not be as bad, over all, as 1998, the hottest year in the historical record, when an estimated 16 percent of the world’s shallow-water reefs died."

Coral Reefs Bleaching

From Thailand to Texas, these coral bleachings are occurring everyday and some have even died. There is no doubt this is one of the final signs that the disasters of Global Warming are starting to occur more and more frequently. When these coral reefs die, more than one fourth of marine species will be in danger. If the coral reefs do not reform into another specie of coral and die instead, an abundance of species of coral dependent marine life will be terminated, or even worse, extinct. Though there may not be a sure cure for this phenomenon, this is definitely a warning for humans to brace for more to come.

Global Food Shortage

The United Nations has recently brought attention to this global crisis, or is it? While is it a fact that many countries are low of food, for example, grain, and prices are skyrocketing, the United States, Europe and Australia make up for the supply.

“People still remember what happened a few years ago, so it is a combination of psychology and the expectation that worse may come,” he added. “There are critical months ahead.”

 -Abdolreza Abbassian, an economist at the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization

 Although it is true that the food prices have been lowered to 30% when compared to the stats of 2008, it is surprising that many less fortunate countries are already resorting to food riots. Maybe Abbassian is correct, as a whole, all the countries have the ability to advert this crisis with minimal damage to the economy, locally and globally, but will the countries around the world be able to psychologically handle the crisis. It can be done, but I believe it is up to the lower tier countries to contain themselves a bit longer and that will be the key in pulling through this shortage.

Is going Organic ACTUALLY better?

Karen Kaplan discusses an article about how beneficial organic strawberries really are. While scientists have indeed shown results of heightened nutrition and other beneficiaries, many critics argue the profitable means of the Organic Strawberry business.

"We eat considerably more potatoes, apples and bananas per capita annually," Clark said. "Changing what people eat — increasing fruits and vegetables and decreasing meats, fats and total daily calories, for example — could have a more profound impact on public health and longevity than switching from conventional to organic strawberries." 

-Sean Clark, a professor of agriculture and natural resources at Berea College in Kentucky

While the issue of eating organic foods because one doesn't believe in eating pesticidal  fruits and vegetables is still valid. When compared statistically with the nutrition actually gained and the amount of fruits, in this case, strawberries, is actually decreased. In addition, it takes more money to grow organic fruits which results in a lower overall yield.

Going Green means going Overboard?

In Thomas Friedman's book, Hot, Flat, & Crowded, he discussed how the nation as a whole must be invigorated with the "Green" idea.

San Francisco resident, Dr. Elizabeth Kantor, and advocator of "Going-Green," had decided to plant the commonly used New Zealand Christmas tree in her front yard. Since, then, she has paid PG&E many fees for them to fix her sewage piping as well as having them cut this treetop, preventing the tree from damaging the power lines to her home.

600 dolars later and some hard work convincing the Department of Urban Forestry as well as San Francisco's Board of Appeals, she finally was able to remove the troublesome tree.

"There are nearly 5,000 Metrosideros excelsus trees still out there. The penalty for removing one without fighting the city for permission is $1,641. Merry Christmas, indeed." -Scott James, The New York Times

 Although we as a nation must support these Green ideals, instances such as these really question advocators the possible risks that might appear when we, as a nation, actually try to pursue these ideals and make them into reality.

Banks "Mine" for Money

Since the well-known recession of 2008, banks have looked at fossil fuel mining companies. Starting the trend, Wells Fargo have used round about ways in funding mining companies that use "mountain top" mining techniques to reach  coal.

"Blasting off mountaintops to reach coal in Appalachia or churning out millions of tons of carbon dioxide to extract oil from sand in Alberta are among environmentalists’ biggest industrial irritants. But they are also legal and lucrative."  -Tom Zeller Jr., The New York Times

 The minings companies lack money as well so funding from wealthy banks was always welcome. But that was 2008. Today, which many new Global Warming awareness campaigns and programs, this might lead to a very big conflict very soon. Not only are the banks reaping in money, they are doing so while trying to dodge risky questions about their contributions in increasing the carbon dioxide levels through these mining companies that can supply more coal, not to mention the malpractice of "blasting off mountaintops."

No Jobs? What's the REAL problem?

Gerald F. Seib of The Wall Street Journal posts a very interesting proposition.
He summarizes that there are two facts that politicians cannot ignore today:

"Fact One: The unemployment rate is the most important of all leading political indicators.

Fact Two: If the August unemployment number to be announced Friday tops 9%—which seems highly likely—the jobless rate will have been above that level for 16 straight months. Already, the U.S. is mired in the longest such stretch of 9%-plus joblessness in more than a quarter of a century." -Gerald F. Seib, The Wall Street Journal

This may very well lead to the beginning of many debates to come of whether the democrats, or the Obama administration, is on the right path. There is no doubt that even though we can advocate protectionist programs for the environment as well as international policies, we must solve the problem on the home-front, unemployment, before we can get out of this recession.