[Gasification] General over view -- barely on topic

[Dick Glick]

Hello --

But you can do a lot with conservation from non-food crops.

Best, Dick Glick
www.CorpFutRes.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Redler" <redlerm at yahoo.com>
To: <gasification at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Gasification] General over view -- barely on topic


>
> George Monbiot wrote a similar article titled "Feeding Cars Not People".
>
> I agree that austerity/economy/conservation is absolutely necessary. 
> Articles like these clearly point out how you can't match oil production 
> with biofuels from food crops. The masses have put their faith in one 
> major source for liquid fuel and as a result, they also associate a single 
> replacement when discussing peak oil.
>
> Although a true statement, it delivers the message in a way which is seen 
> too often in our culture of fear (especially in the U.S.). More 
> importantly, it completely ignores the importance of appropriate 
> technologies based on the availability of resources and technology (i.e. 
> liquid fuels from non-food crops, wind, solar, etc.), all incorporated 
> into a hybrid approach to replacing oil.
>
> While the efforts of alternative fuel advocates threaten the payroll of 
> oil executives everywhere, it would be wise for those same advocates to 
> leave their tools and tinkering once in a while to expose these articles 
> for what they are.
>
> Of course biofuels are not "the" answer. It is part of the answer.
>
> ...my $.02
>
> Mike
>
> Peter Singfield <snkm at btl.net> wrote:
>
> I also found many technical mistakes in the following article -- but the
> message stays the same none the less.
>
> Rather than practice austerity -- we seem committed to:
>
> "Damn the torpedoes -- full speed ahead!!"
>
> Under our new modern religion -- we have faith that "science" can solve 
> all
> our problems.
>
> "This is faith, not science." We believe we can fix things, but we can't 
> be
> sure. And if we can't, then the Earth will fix them herself, flicking the
> human species into oblivion in the process"
>
> (Quoted from another article -- one discussing our presently rapidly
> declining ability to do "good" technical innovation)
>
> Putting both together -- one can ask:
>
> How did we end up promoting fuels from food and ignore totally alternative
> energies based on gasification of non-eatable biomasses??
>
> answer: Because our societies of man got to "religious" and thus 
> "stupefied".
>
> Science has became a religious "belief" rather than a working tool for
> survival!!
>
> What to do?? Well -- get out of the way -- stand well back -- and let the
> die-off begin.
>
> Know amount of intelligent discussions have ever changed the mind of even
> on religious nut case -- ever!!
>
> If you have problems with this kind of dark logic -- please delete this
> message now ---
>
> The answer to our immediate survival at present human population levels is
> for one and all to practice "austerity" -- but the faith in "Science"
> allows the human race to march over the cliff's edge with eyes tightly 
> shut!!
>
> Peter -- Belize
>
> **************************************************
>
> Starving the People To Feed the Cars
>
> By Lester R. Brown
> Sunday, September 10, 2006; Page B03
>
> High oil prices are much more than just a drain on drivers' pocketbooks or
> a sign of tough economic times ahead; they could also prove to be a 
> leading
> indicator of the unraveling of our global civilization.
>
> That may sound unlikely, or melodramatic. But consider this: Now, almost
> everything we eat can be converted into automotive fuel. And once the 
> price
> of oil surpassed $60 a barrel last year, the business of transforming
> wheat, corn, soybeans and sugarcane into fuel for cars instead of food for
> people became hugely profitable. As crops that have long sustained us are
> diverted to provide fuel, we may encounter the same fate that brought down
> great civilizations of the past.
>
> [snip]
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