Algae as a Scrubber and Fuel Source

A reader of this blog was wondering why algae hasn't been a topic of discussion on this blog. I have heard about the super efficacy of algae for biofuels before but never seriously looked at it due to its infancy at the time. To my amazement, reading about algae as a scrubber and fuel source makes perfect sense.

Now people are beginning to actively promote algae as a carbon dioxide scrubber and biofuel producer. An article from New Scientist has proved that CO2 can act as a feedstock rather than a waste byproduct. In what some call an algae bioreactor, algae is fed carbon dioxide as a fuel to flourish the algae in conjunction with sunlight which can then produce an algae that can be used for biodiesel or even hydrogen for local and domestic transportation. This project has already been successfully piloted and should be getting more attention than those that would like to promote carbon sequestration (the storage of carbon dioxide in the Earth).

My friend who is promoting this concept through his blog has a great take on the future of bio algae. There is also a link to a do-it-yourself algae reactor which gives the amateur a chance to build a mini reactor and begin transforming carbon dioxide into a potential fuel source.

The reasons to go algae as stated from oilgae.com:

1. The yields of oil from algae are significantly higher than those from traditional oilseeds

2. Algae can grow in places far from farmlands & forests, minimizing damages caused to the environment and food chain.

3. Algae can be grown in sewages and next to power-plant smokestacks where they convert the pollutants and give us oil!

The innovation can be realized after watching the following youtube video.



Thoughts, Comments, Questions...

Subscribe in a reader

Solar Industry Booming

A survey conducted by two research college students in California indicates that the solar industry is doing very well for the most populous state.

They surveyed 212 solar companies in the state, of which 77 of them were in the Bay Area. The solar energy industry has created jobs for installers, engineers, and other miscellaneous working class jobs. These are jobs that have been lost over the years and the conclusion based from the industry survey is that there aren't enough workers. An estimated 5,000 jobs could be created by next year.

The salaries would vary upon level of experience. Entry-level solar installers make a median salary of $31,200 per year, while more experienced installers earn up to $60,000 a year. Experienced solar designers and engineers earn a median salary of $83,000. These are great salaries for people with different skills. Most of the jobs like solar installers would not require a degree to qualify for the job.

Currently the two researchers estimated that California employs between 16,500 and 17,500 people already. California will require energy companies to diversify their energy portfolio through 20% renewable energy like solar, wind, and geothermal energy. But some California legislators are thinking about increasing the renewable portfolio standard to 33% by 2020. If California does enact such a law, they will be truly be a model for the rest of the country.

The California solar industry has even expanded into nearby states for cheaper manufacturing plants. With this industry on the rise, it may be wise for people to position themselves to catch the wave of this new and exciting market.

Thoughts, Comments, Questions...

   Subscribe in a reader

20% Wind Energy by 2030?

A report just came out from the U.S. Department of Energy at 20percentwind.org called 20% Wind Energy by 2030: Increasing Wind Energy’s Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply. As the name suggests the report lays out the feasibility of being able to achieve 20% of its energy from wind power!

Under the 20% wind scenario, installations of new wind power capacity would increase to more than 16,000 megawatts per year by 2018, and continue at that rate through 2030. The U.S. doesn't even does have more than 16,000 MW in wind turbines currently installed--we passed that level in 2007. We're at about 18,000 now.

Related Articles:

Geothermal Energy Production Ramp Up in California

Wind Power and Bird Deaths

Wind Energy in the Caribbean

The report identifies the problems with actually achieving 20% wind energy which includes transmission, siting, and manufacturing. However, the report gives solutions to overcome these road blocks while highlighting its potential to stave off global warming.

The American Wind Energy Association states: as of the end of 2006 the United States had an estimated 11,603 MW of wind energy generating per year. Even though this figure seems low, there have been improvements and gains over the years. However, wind energy only accounts for 0.7% of the U.S. energy mix. If the government helped stimulate the renewable energy market, imagine where we could be today.

We need to continue to press our elected officials to continue to secure our energy through renewable means. If we can elect a plan to achieve 20% by 2030, the United States will be recognized around the world as an environmental leader as opposed to its current backwards thinking. Lets create change, lets create jobs, lets help our country evolve.

Thoughts, Comments, Questions...

   Subscribe in a reader

Bush Administration Eyes Utah for Oil

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has identified about 630,000 acres in Utah that are made up of tar sands suitable for oil extraction through an expensive and grueling process. 431,000 of those acres are being assessed for development in South East Utah of which many of these acres are considered wildlife quality land.

A petition rolled through my inbox today asking to sign and add comments to send a message of wildlife protection in Utah.

Getting oil out of shards and sand of tar requires a process that does extreme damage to the environment in terms of energy as well as contributes significantly to greenhouse gases.

Shale does not contain crude oil, but a substance called kerogen, a precursor to crude oil. Kerogen must be heated in an energy-intensive process to produce oil, either in the ground or after the shale is mined, usually by large-scale surface mining. Huge piles of toxic waste rock are produced. And the shale oil must be extensively refined. -Salt Lake Tribune

The cost to the environment including the air, water, and wildlife could be detrimental for residents of Utah. The lands of Utah should be left alone and protected from further development rather than exploited for oil.

Your petition signature today is urgently important. Unless the public speaks out now, President Bush's land management team will forge ahead aggressively, with little thought to the permanent impact on this fragile, irreplaceable ecosystem.

Technorati Tags: oil

Plug In Wars: Toyota vs. GM

Plug-in hybrids are going to be the next eco-fad of of the hybrid world. Slated for the year 2010, Toyota has announced plans to build plug-in hybrids by that year. 2010 is the same year auto giant GM has announced to reveal its first plug-in hybrid, the Chevy Volt. Even Ford has announced plans to build plug-in hybrids but no official year has been given to the public as to when they would begin manufacturing.

Related Articles:

Rental Car Companies Go Hybrid

Toyota Plug In Hybrid

Toyota to Go All Hybrid by 2020

Toyota Reaches 1 million Hybrid Sales

Toyota has had the most success in the hybrid business so far, with 10+ years of experience in developing high quality, fuel efficient vehicles. In a battle of Plug-In wars between the proven Prius versus a Chevy Volt, the outcome of the winner may lead towards Toyota. However, if the Chevy Volt which has been hyped beyond belief is successful by means of efficiency and price, a lot of consumers may opt for the Chevy.

Also, GM has announced that a next generation vehicle for its Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid model is coming by late 2008 or early 2009. GM says it will become the most fuel efficient V6 SUV in which the new model is expected to increase fuel efficiency by 60% in city driving and by 50% in highway driving.

Technorati Tags: global warming

BioFuels may do More Harm Than Good

According to the Royal Society and the European Union, unless strict rules are imposed on how biofuels are grown, biofuels have the potential to do more harm than good. Biofuels have the potential to reduce greenhouse gases, however, the devastation to forest lands to clear way for agricultural farming could do more harm to the environment.

The problem lies with the battle for remaining arable land for crops and a growing demand for food as the worlds population continues to rise. Scientists that have studied the issue argue that more carbon dioxide emissions could be saved by protecting forest land rather than using biofuels.

The argument for biofuels and its implications are clearly not over and only time will tell the outcome over this issue.

Update (4/30/2008): Now we have seen the real harm biofuels have done to the world. The pressures and demand for food have driven the prices up exponentially to the point where millions more people will go malnourished or hungry due to inability to pay and lack of access. Read Related Articles below for more information.

Related Blog Articles:
Looming Food Crisis
Food Crisis to Get Worse

Technorati Tags: global warming

Honda Fuel Cell Cars Released in limited Quantity

Just like in my previous post back in February, Honda is releasing their first Fuel Cell Vehicle in the L.A. area for lease. They are only letting 100 Honda FCX Clarities go free for now to be leased at $600 a month. Pretty pricey, but the only by-product of the vehicle is water vapor. In a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, hydrogen combines with oxygen in the vehicle's fuel-cell stack, and energy from the reaction is converted into electricity to power the vehicle. Pretty neat ha?

The only thing is where are these people who are going to lease the new Fuel Cell Vehicles going to get hydrogen for their new hydrogen vehicles? Honda has an answer for that too! Now if you're an environmentalist you may not be very happy with the source, because Honda has developed a home fueling station that would convert natural gas(methane) into hydrogen. So essentially your you have the convenience of having your own fueling station at home, but you have to have existing natural gas lines in your home for it to work. Furthermore, it seems a bit ironic that the new Fuel Cell Vehicle developed is suppose to use Hydrogen as a fuel source which is very abundant...but converts it from a depleting resource...natural gas. Natural gas is just as much in jeopardy as is oil. And the United States imports a lot of natural gas from Canada as it is.

Eventually the next stages of the Honda Fuel Cell project will be released in the Washington DC area and New York that will begin next year. Hydrogen based Fuel Cell Vehicles is a step in the right direction and very futuristic, but we need to develop a better technology to extract hydrogen in a cheap and reliable method that doesn't consume an already depleting resource.

Technorati Tags: global warming

Recycled Materials used for Home Building

A project in Bolivia has taken materials that are rampant in the area such as plastic bottles and bags as well glass bottles, and have filled them with sand to create a sturdy wall that is quite re-enforced. The buildings are set to make a tourist attraction that will educate people who visit it about the possibility of re-using materials we already have to create plausible living conditions for all.

Ideas like these are necessary to further reduce the worst effects of climate change. It also helps alleviate costs of traditional building, by using readily available materials for new purposes. I truly was excited watching the video below, it inspires me with hope for the future and also really makes me want to build my own version. Watch the video below and leave any comments you might have.

Technorati Tags: global warming

Energy Efficient Home Improvements

Anglian Home Improvements is a company established in 1966 that is dedicated to improving homes. There website offers numerous methods of improving all aspects of your home including double glazing of windows for energy efficiency, and is among the best selling windows. The windows are in fact rated Category B for energy efficiency. Improving your home by using these double glazed windows, you are actually trapping heat inside your home and thus reducing the amount of energy consumed. In fact, according to their website in the energy efficient section, nearly one fifth of household heat can be lost through single glazed windows. So if your in the market to make some "green" upgrades, then make sure to check these guys out. Cheers.

PG&E and Kaiser Permanente go Green

PG&E and Kaiser Permanente in Northern California have gone green by installing solar panels on their buildings to reduce the amount of energy pulled from carbon emitting sources.

The move will actually cut down on costs in the long run and actually qualifies them for $1.6 million in rebates from the state. It makes you wonder why every business is not investing in some form of solar energy as a supplement to their current energy. It cuts costs down and can actually see returns on the investments over time and though state financed incentives.

Kaiser Permanente will actually be saving 734,354 kWh/year which adds up to an annual savings of about $95,000 per year. It is also equivalent of taking 56 cars off the road. The more businesses that go green in California the better, and hopefully will lead to other businesses following suit.

Technorati Tags: global warming

IBM to use Scrap Silicon to boost Solar Panel Industry

IBM has developed a simple process to recycle scrapped silicon wafers. Silicon wafers are thin discs of silicon that chip makers use to imprint chip patterns. From there, the wafers are cut into individual chips that run computers, cell phones, flash memory, etc.

The reason the solar panel industry needs this is because in recent years the industry has had 30% to 40% annual growth. This year the solar panel industry has tied with the computer industry as the world's largest consumer of refined silicon. Normally, a semiconductor company is reluctant to sell their scrapped wafers because of proprietary information left on them. But IBM has discovered this new method that would remove the circuit patterns and thus be able to recycle the material in house, or to sell it to the solar industry.

An estimated 3.3 million wafers are discarded annually. Any method of re-using or recycling these materials would be a benefit to the environment as well. I personally work in the semiconductor industry and am very pleased to learn this information. The semiconductor industry for one could probably use a little greening all around. All of there processes consume so much energy and they do output quite a large amount of harmful materials into our air. But for one, helping give the solar industry a boost is great for everyone. It could translate to cheaper solar panels for everyone in the coming years.

Technorati Tags: global warming

Vampire Electronics suck More Energy than you Think

Vampire electronics are those electronic devices in all of our homes that we never turn off, thus sucking energy away. These are devices that we never usually turn off because they are in stand by mode but happens to make up a significant portion of our energy bills. Examples of vampire electronics would be the coffee maker, the microwave, the dvd player, or even your computer. These devices are not in use but something as simple as the the time display on your DVD player or old VCR player are sucking energy like a blood thirsty vampire.

There are even things like cell phone chargers, or chargers of any kind that are actually sucking out energy even if your cell phones or laptops are not charging. The reason is because those chargers are still using electricity to convert power, thus always staying warm. In fact, on average just 5% of the power consumed from cell phone chargers are actually used when your phones are actually charging, the rest of the energy is just wasted!

Most Americans are just just too lazy to unplug and replug appliances all the time. Another inconvenience is the fact that some people enjoy having little digital clocks all around the house and don't want to have to reset them everyday. If you don't care about having 10 clocks strategically placed all around your house then switching appliances to a single power strip and turning everything off at once is a good idea.

Since there hasn't been any significant price hikes with the cost of energy, people don't really seem to care about their energy use. But when gas prices go up 10 cents, everyone seems to freak out. People need to become more aware of their energy consumption and make a plan to reduce their energy consumption to not only save themselves a little money, but to also reduce the amount of energy they receive from coal power plants that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Technorati Tags: global warming

Geothermal Energy Production Ramp Up in California

California's Northern Bay Area is home to the largest geothermal energy producer in the country. Geothermal energy supplies about 5% of all of California's needs.

The rising costs of oil and growing concerns about global warming have led to new legislation in California that requires energy companies to produce a 20% renewable energy portfolio by 2010. This has many companies scrambling to find the most effective method in achieving the goal. Should they not meet the goal they face harsh fines.

The geothermal plants in Sonoma County has been producing the same amount of energy the past 47 years. But now geothermal is getting another good look at its potential. The geothermal fields that emit a foul stench of sulfur are highly under utilized.

Related Articles:

Wind Power and Bird Deaths

Wind Energy in the Caribbean

20% Wind Energy by 2030?

Studies have estimated that an additional 3,000 to 10,000 Megawatts of energy can be generated in California. With the state adding incentives for renewable energy as well, the prospect of geothermal energy production is getting ramped up. Many new plants are being considered and expansions at existing geothermal plants are already underway.

Its exciting to see the energy and media attention all of the renewable energy market has been getting lately. California's wind farms and geothermal plants and solar plants, and Oregon's Solar Power manufacturing ramp up, plus tidal wave projects all add up to a movement that will ultimately bring a positive future for all us.


Technorati Tags: geothermal, energy

Wind Power and Bird Deaths

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, they have constructed voluntary guidelines for wind developers to follow to try and minimize the risk associated with wind power and bird deaths. Although there is no way of knowing the exact amount of bird deaths attributed by wind power, the estimates are currently between 30,000 and 60,000 deaths a year. This number may sound astonishingly high, but when compared to the amount of deaths attributed to birds by skyscrapers or vehicles it is relatively low.

Related Articles:

Geothermal Energy Production Ramp Up in California

Wind Energy in the Caribbean

20% Wind Energy by 2030?

Currently, wind power generation only accounts for about 1%, roughly 3 million homes, of all the energy being generated in the US. I believe the greater concern here is that if renewable energy is mandated to increase to 20% over the years to help curb global warming, the number of bird deaths associated with wind power could increase 20 fold, to roughly 900,000 to 1.8 million deaths a year. This figure is far more damaging and should be taken a little more seriously. However, it is my position to not hinder the progress being made in renewable energy. Perhaps a new design can help alleviate the damage being done to these benign flying creatures.

With wind projects on the rise, it is absolutely paramount that we keep our environmental impact to a minimum. Letting a government agency regulate wind energy is the wrong way to go, the guidelines suffice. New and innovative projects are continuing to cut back on bird deaths by as much as half. For example, in California, the developers at Altamont Pass, FPL Energy (the largest wind energy company in the US), are going to implement fewer but more efficient wind turbines that are constructed taller and with larger blades that are higher than the direct flight path of the migratory birds that fly through.

This is exactly what we need in the US, more innovation and better efficiency with our renewable energy. If our renewable energy demand is going to increase over the years as it will, then our expectations for maximum efficiency with minimal environmental impact should also be high. We are on the road to converting our fossil fuel ways, and it will take a period of years to convert. This is the natural progress of our evolution, we as a society are finally growing mentally to higher grounds with more intelligence and more common sense. The Earth cannot continue to support its inhabitants without sustainability.

Technorati Tags: global warming, wind power, bird deaths

Energy Efficient LED Holiday Lights

Surprise everyone, whether you believe it or not, the holidays are coming around the corner. How can you tell? When holiday merchandise are just now getting stocked at your local Walmart. Well this post is aimed at getting those who choose to celebrate the holidays with lighting, that you do so in an environmentally friendly way. LED Christmas lights, are way energy efficient and have a whole list of benefits over their incandescent counterparts. Here are some major reasons why you should make the switch:

1.) 90% more efficient over incandescent lighting
2.) extremely durable by means of tough plastic
3.) safe, LED's operate at 1 degree over ambient temp.
4.) LED's will last up to 50,000 hours long
5.) Environmentally friendly by means of energy efficiency

The website is now offering a 10% off as pre-season sale on orders of $50. The LED lights also come with a full lifetime warranty so you can have peace of mind that they will last you for a very long time. With energy saving holiday LED's, the amount of energy you save will pay for the cost of the lights over time. These cool holiday lights are really a win win for everyone.

In all reality, it is my opinion that putting up holiday lights is nothing but a big waste of energy. However, if you do put up lights this year, please make the eco-friendly choice and use energy efficient LED's instead.

Bottled-water Future Sales

Related Articles:

Bottled Water: High Environmental Impact

San Francisco Bans Bottle Water For City Staff

Bottle Water Is Wasteful

LA Plans Massive Water Conservation

WatAir: Turning Air into Water

Capturing Rainwater

The sales of bottled water in the United States are estimated to be $50 and $100 billion a year. It is also estimated that the demand for bottled water will continue to increase by 7 to 10 percent a year.

You might not be surprised to find out that the United States is the largest consumer of bottled water, followed by China and Brazil.

There are three major environmental impacts that comes from the manufacturing process of bottled water.

1. energy used in manufacturing, storing, and transporting bottled water
2. local effects on water resources
3. generation of solid waste

When we look at the costs for production of bottled water we find through a study conducted at Oregon State University in Corvallis, which states that every year "Around the world, factories are using more than 18 million barrels of oil and up to 130 billion gallons of fresh water" and that's just to make the bottles. It then takes another 41 billion gallons of water to fill the bottles.

The future trends of bottled water show that the world will continue to consume ever increasing amounts of bottled water. This will continue to put strains on our environment, in a time where many parts of the United States are experiencing extended droughts, possibly due to climate change. Oil is still needed in the manufacturing process which will continue to put pressure on our government for a secure and reliable oil supply for the coming years. How much oil is really left for the world to consume increasing amounts of the fossil fuel. The answer to these questions are truly unknown yet pose a grim future.

Thoughts, Comments, Questions...

Subscribe in a reader

Wave Power set for Oregon Coast

Two major projects off the Oregon Coast are planned to start generating electricity from the power of waves. Wave generators utilize the constant motion of waves and currents to power a generator that produces electricity. This is exciting news to hear that a new form of clean and renewable energy will soon hit the energy market. The company's PowerBuoy's have a piston-like structure inside that moves as the buoy bobs with the rise and fall of the waves. Related Blog Post: Wave Power

New Jersey based company, Ocean Power Technologies (Nasdaq: OPTT), recently signed a deal to demonstrate wave power generation on the Oregon Coast. They are to spend $500,000 to install their ocean powered demo Buoy system. These systems in particular will be located near Reedsport, Oregon and most of the buoy will be submerged into the water at depths between 100ft to 150ft. The current deal is for a 150 kilowatt PowerBuoy, with plans to initially generate a total of 2 MW approximately 2 1/2 miles off the coast. Ocean Power said Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative has an option to buy into or purchase power from the planned future upgrade to 50 MW at the wave power park.

Australia based Oceanlinx Limited is planning a much larger construction project off the coast of Florence, Oregon. These guys want to build a system of buoys that are platform big. They will build something that looks similar to oil platforms: three hundred thirty tons big, and 23ft above sea level. The wave-energy generators that Oceanlinx is proposing will be in an area that starts a half-mile offshore and goes three miles out, extending six miles north and south. There will be 10 four-legged structures that measure 115 feet by 49 feet, not counting the cables and anchors that will keep them bound to the underwater sand. With those anchors, the footprint is 107,584 square feet.

If all goes well with permitting, Oceanlinx expects to file its application for a license in three years and deploy its first wave energy units thereafter.

All of these projects could generate several thousand jobs for the state of Oregon which has the potential to boost the state economy. I personally believe in the wave power and would like to see these projects start. From an environmental standpoint, there are some issues with the footprint these machines may affect as far as the eco-system goes, however, as long as careful placement and studies are done to prevent the worst effects are conducted then I am sure that projects like these can proceed forward with minimal impact.

Technorati Tags: global warming

Cell Phone Recycling

Wirefly is an online company that sells a vast amount of cell phones to people. Thankfully, Wirefly cares about the environment enough to adopt recyclying, and re-use programs for the millions of old and discarded cell phones that are generated every year. Think about how many new cell phones get sold every year in the United States? Or even the World? What happens to those old cell phones? Well instead of throwing them away, which creates an e-waste hazard, you can recycle them and help spare the environment yet another toxic mess.

Why bother recycling your old cell phones? They can leak out damaging toxics to the environment. They can be of some use by other people, many charitable donations give old cell phones to people who need them. And finally, in some states it could be against the law to NOT recycle your old cell phone due to the growing popularity over potential environmental hazards. The Wirefly website has a really nice detailed explanation on the issue. Now I totally support this as I am very strong opponent to e-waste and its potential toxic possibilities on the environment. However, I always tend to lose my cell phones rather than have one left over after buying a new one. So if you happen to find a cell phone, and contact was not possible with the rightful owner, then you should recycle the phone.

When it comes down to deciding which recycling program works the best, first consider what you intend to gain from the donation. There are three options that are available to someone who would like to donate their phones.

1.) You can donate your phone and receive a cash value for its worth. (sounds good)
2.) You can donate your phone for direct use to someone else who needs it
3.) Or you can donate the phone and have the cash value donated on your behalf to a nationally supported charity.

Read Here for more details on the recycling programs.

Whatever you decide, you are helping keep cell phones out of land fills. This act alone is helping the environment, which is something we should all try to contribute to in a positive manner. Honestly people, this goes along with trying to prevent e-waste just like in the film Manufactured Landscape (image link on the sidebar). Please help do your part and spread the word.

BP Whiting Indiana Refinery Update

Facing intense criticism for the state's decision to let BP America increase discharges into Lake Michigan, Gov. Mitch Daniels on Monday ordered a review of the state's environmental permitting process. Daniels appointed James Barnes, former dean of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, to lead the review which is due in six weeks. So in other words something has to be done by somebody because everyone is upset about this whole issue; with good reasoning too...I would not be happy with an oil company dumping any amount of ammonia, mercury or solid waste material into MY drinking water...no matter how little or large the amounts actually are.



In June, the state Department of Environmental Management issued a new wastewater treatment permit to BP's Whiting refinery. Apperently people had fought it, but ever since the story got major coverage from the Chigago Tribune, more action is being taken to oppose the permit.

The new permit, plus a $3.8 billion expansion of the refinery, will allow BP to make an additional 620 million gallons of gasoline from Canadian crude oil. But the process will result in BP releasing 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more suspended solids into Lake Michigan, a major source of drinking water for Chicago and other cities. (According to www.indystar.com). But look no further than the actual permit available via this link (take notice to pg.6 at the bottom for allowed amounts of ammonia, chromium, etc.) Once again more pollution in the drinking water supply is NOT GOOD for anyone.

And you can look here for other documents that are BP related.

See my previous posts: Here, and on this post there is heated discussion between BP backers and environmental activists...read that post here. Consider sharing your thoughts on the issue, comments are always welcomed and encouraged.

Honestly people, when will the value of Human health and human life be more important than corporate greed. If you haven't noticed yet...our country is being run by profit seeking, greedy, selfish, power hungry CORPORATIONS that only care about a buck. My honest opinion about BP is not a good one, this whole environment crap from an oil company is all about PR. They campaign and advertise so that people will be brainwashed into thinking they're something they OBVIOUSLY are not. Just my two cents, and I hope you enjoy the continued coverage on this BP Whiting Indiana Refinery story.



Technorati Tags: global warming

Peak Oil and War

The authors of a new study warn that food and water shortages that could potentially be caused by global warming could spark wars. The study conducted, evaluated the history and correlation between war and climate change between the years 1000AD and 1911AD. The study was published in the August 2007 issue of Human Ecology which reviewed 899 wars fought by China during the time period mentioned. The study found that the occurrence of war was in sync with times of agricultural problems due to climate changes.

Related Articles:

Ride Your Bicycle Instead of Driving

$4 Gas and Still no more Bicyclists

New Hybrid: Aptera

Also, a report was released by several top retired military officials in the U.S. back in April that warned that global warming was a national security threat. They predicted war over water, and various other problems due to rising sea levels. It is true that global warming will in fact benefit some regions while hurting others. For example, the northern hemisphere will experience better farming conditions due to warmer conditions while the tropical regions will experience more severe weather patterns.

And finally, there is a group of scientists who fear that we are about to experience worldwide peak oil between 2008 and 2018. Once peak oil does occur, the world will never be able to produce as much oil as it once did. Scientists have studied the peak oil issue for some time and say they all seem to have a different prediction model. Some scientists believe that by the time the world realizes it has reached peak oil, industrialized nations will have already begun to wage wars against other nations for the dwindling remains of oil. Imagine waking up to CNN or FOX news to hear that the world has reached peak oil…the gas prices at the pump would literally sky rocket.

Possible Solution: We need to urge our governments to support alternative fuels and renewable energy. The only way we can do that is to write letters, join campaigns, and spread information. Drive fuel efficient vehicles or conserve as much energy at home as possible. All these things combined will be able to produce a positive reaction. Cheers.

Thoughts, Comments, Questions...

Subscribe in a reader