How can we stop the world from having too many babies? Feed more people
"We can make the pie bigger through scientific advances — increasing farm yields and finding more efficient sources of energy. We can reduce the number of forks with family-planning programs, providing access to contraception and giving women more power over their bodies and finances. We can promote better table manners, that is, more equitable sharing, through, well, either more government or less. 'The "better manners" school calls for freer markets or socialism (depending on taste),' Cohen writes."
The plastic bag is actually a marvel of design. It easily carries far more than it's weight, and stores easily. Trouble is, we had a couple other "marvels of design" in the past: asbestos, lead in paint and gasoline...sometimes the elegant solution masks the dangers. I am sure the asbestos industry was not happy when it was banned, but we are the better for it.
Banning the plastic bag shouldn't be this hard
"The opponents of the bill — mainly, bag makers — have said it would be a job killer, even though the legislation includes $2 million to help manufacturers transition to making thicker, reusable plastic bags ... A third of Californians, including shoppers in the city of Los Angeles, live in communities that have eliminated single-use plastic bags, and there has been little blowback to the bans."
It's really simple folks: do nothing, and if we were right - we are doomed...do something, and if we were wrong we get cleaner air, more reliable energy, and better quality of life. It's not that hard.
U.N. draft report lists unchecked emissions' risks
"The new report found that it was still technically possible to limit global warming to an internationally agreed upper bound of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2 degrees Celsius, above the preindustrial level. But continued political delays for another decade or two will make that unachievable without severe economic disruption, the report said."
Should I be scared when a bank agrees with me? Maybe they've been reading my blog.
UBS analysts: 'Large-scale power stations could be on path to extinction'
"UBS contends that centralized fossil-fuel generation will become “extinct” -- and that it will happen a lot sooner than most people realize.
The bank predicts that a significant number of large-scale centralized plants could be gone within a decade. 'Not all of them will have disappeared by 2025, but we would be bold enough to say that most of those plants retiring in the future will not be replaced.'"
You read right....MINNESOTA!
Power surge in Minnesota's solar industry
"The year-old solar array in Slayton, Minn., the size of eight football fields, could soon lose its mantle as Minnesota’s largest. Its output is 2 megawatts, or 2 million watts. Now, projects five times that size are planned. One project proposed by Geronimo Energy in Chisago County is rated at 50 megawatts, enough to power about 6,000 homes and an output equivalent to a small natural gas power plant. Minneapolis-based Xcel is considering several 'utility-scale' projects whose size offers economies of scale. 'The prices appear to be competitive,' said Dave Sparby, Xcel’s chief executive for the Minnesota region."
Happy Friday!
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| David Brewster/Star Tribune |
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