A Different Take on Obama and Clean Coal. Could He Be Right?

If you’re a greenie like me, you probably got a little steamed up at Joe Biden going on and on about his tickets support for Clean Coal during the recent Vice Presidential Debates (which Tina Fey nails perfectly, again). The term “Clean Coal” is bullshit- even if you could suck up all the emissions from burning coal, you’d still be left with the gaping scars and missing mountains removed to get at the black stuff.

My buddy and Green Blogger badass Kevin Grandia runs a brilliant parody site at http://coal-is-clean.com/ (any click takes you to http://coal-is-dirty.com) and has done a lot to get the word out about the downsides of coal. I’ve done enough reading to know that a lot of the support for the boondoggle that is Clean Coal comes from the coal and power industries who have massive financial stakes in the dirty status quo.

But I also know that most of the worlds energy comes from coal and that it’s not going to be easy to change outside a few decades work. With an Obama win in November we’ll get the ball rolling on getting serious about solar, wind, geothermal, and muppet power, but in the meantime it makes sense to develop technology that can mitigate the emissions side of coal’s negative environmental impact.

Joseph Romm wrote a great article over at Gristmill about why it’s important to work on Clean Coal, or as he prefers to call it, “Coal with Carbon Capture and Storage (also coal with CCS). He also defends Obama’s position on coal with CCS as a smart and balanced.

What precisely does Obama’s energy plan say about what kind of investment he and Biden would make in clean coal? Here is every mention in his energy plan:

Invest In A Clean Energy Economy and Help Create 5 Million New Green Jobs. Barack Obama and Joe Biden will strategically invest $150 billion over 10 years to accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, encourage energy efficiency, invest in low emissions coal plants, advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. The plan will also invest in America’s highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world. All together these investments will help the private sector create 5 million new green jobs, good jobs that cannot be outsourced …

Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology. Carbon capture and storage technologies hold enormous potential to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as we power our economy with domestically produced and secure energy. As a U.S. Senator, Obama has worked tirelessly to ensure that clean coal technology becomes commercialized. An Obama administration will provide incentives to accelerate private sector investment in commercial scale zero-carbon coal facilities. In order to maximize the speed with which we advance this critical technology, Barack Obama and Joe Biden will instruct DOE to enter into public private partnerships to develop 5 “first-of-a-kind” commercial scale coal-fired plants with carbon capture and sequestration.

That’s it. He has committed to pursue R&D and then have five commercial scale pilot plants. Almost everything else in this detailed 8-page plan focuses on renewables and energy efficiency. And his climate plan is equally detailed about his commitment to sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

So don’t freak out Obama nation, there might just be a middle of the road take on Clean Coal and it looks like Barack is just tacking that way. And let’s not forget, a McCain/Palin presidency would be a disaster for the environment.

What do you think?

7 Reasons You Should Sleep Like a Baby Tonight

Still sleeping with the lights on at night after getting the wits scared out of you by our 7 Reasons You Should be Losing Sleep Tonight? Read on – we’re about to rock you, sing you a lullaby and give you some brandy in a baby bottle. Sure, there are a lot of scary scenarios that could violently kill us all. But, there’s also hope in the form of green tech, a whole new economy, the promise of better leadership and the simple fact that we live in the good old U.S. of A. We might all get blown to hamburger meat any day now by a nuclear weapon, but these positive points might just make you feel a little better about what we’re doing in the attempt to save ourselves.

7- Renewable energy will allow us to continue modern civilization in a cleaner way.

Image via Inhabitat

Relax – green energy doesn’t mean we’re all going to be forced to use hand-crank blenders every time we want a margarita. Advances are being made daily in the fields of solar, wind, water, geothermal and biomass energy. Investors are pouring money into these areas, ensuring that research is being done on such innovative concepts as the Delft University kite project. In fact, researchers are even looking toward surprising sources like algae for its energy-producing potential.

People are really starting to think about how we can move beyond the ‘age of fossil fuels’ and into the future. That means clean, green, renewable energy that can power our world in a way that doesn’t pollute the planet and put our health at risk. The reality is, we don’t have to depend upon coal, oil and other harmful forms of energy in order to continue to advance. The point is that we’re learning how to do things in smarter ways.

Feel good about renewable energy by reading the about all of the latest innovations at Inhabitat.com.

6- Water filtration technology means we might be able to desalinate seawater.

Image via EcoFriend.org

Our freshwater resources are endangered, but things are looking up thanks to some incredibly innovative inventors and engineers who are hard at work on solutions. One very promising new option is the Slingshot by Dean Kamen, who also invented the Segway. It promises to produce clean water from sea water, poison, and even urine. Stephen Colbert made him remove Doritos from water on a recent episode of The Colbert Report, and it did indeed work.

Wired has the numbers behind the claims, and they’re looking good – a single Slingshot has the capability of supplying a village with up to 1,000 liters of clean water daily. It’s powered by a sterling engine electrical generator, which can run on anything that burns, from propane to cow dung. It weighs less than 60 lbs., and doesn’t use filters, charcoal, or anything disposable – it works by vapor compression distillation. It will likely sell for between $1,000 - $2,000 per unit.

Feel good about water filtration technology by reading Segway creator unveils his next act.

5- Green collar jobs will jump-start the economy and guide us all to a brighter future.

Image by Alicia Maldonado via The New Mexico Independent

Now that the nation is on the path of sustainability, there are going to be more green collar jobs than ever before, and they’ll be available to all kinds of workers – from construction and manufacturing to engineers and top-level executives. If you’re worried about losing your job because your industry is one of those targeted by the green movement as harmful to the earth, you can be confident that there’ll be a whole slew of new opportunities.

The movement to make America more sustainable and efficient is going to drive urban economic growth, helping to lift communities out of poverty and make the earth a better place for us all to live. Half a million new jobs are expected by 2030 in the wind industry alone.

Feel good about green collar jobs and how they can help America by reading The Green-Collar Job Solution.

4- Today’s youth are more excited about sustainability than ever before.

Image via Glen Waverly Secondary College Eco-Committee

Not since the heady days of the ‘60s have the world’s youth been so fired up about something other than themselves. There was definitely no small amount of apathy among young people in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but youth activism has picked up a lot in recent years, and with good reason – if something isn’t done now, they’re going to have to deal with even bigger problems later on in life. They’re passionate and energetic, two things that the world desperately needs right now as we all try to make the transition toward a greener planet.

The older generations have been holding us back from creating a better world for ourselves because of their own hang-ups – they’re scared of change, they’re convinced that there’s only one way to do things or they’re simply too jaded. Young people, however, are currently growing up in an environment where awareness about how we’re affecting the earth is higher than it has ever been. To them, being green is normal – it’s the right thing to do. That’s what will ultimately help us get out of this mess.

Feel good about young environmentalism by reading WireTap Magazine’s Top 10 Youth Activism Victories of 2007.

3- We live in a first world country, therefore we’re automatically better off than 80% of the world.

Image via Remiq.net

Unfortunately, the richest countries in the world have created the problem of global warming for the rest, but we all have to suffer for it. While the poorest nations of the world will have little chance of survival once the floods, water shortages, natural disasters and crop failures start, we’ll be far more insulated. No matter how bad things get, Americans are better off than much of the world simply by virtue of our citizenship. For the most part, we’re spoiled, fat and rich.

In fact, citizens of any of the countries with the highest standards of living – Norway, Sweden, Canada, Belgium, Australia, Iceland, Netherlands, Japan and Finland- should be feeling fairly good about their chances. Living in a first world country is a huge advantage. So, be happy that when the negative effects of global warming start actually happening, we’ll be relatively safe and warm compared to the rest of the world.

Feel good about living in a first world country by reading Grim Outlook for poor countries in climate report.

2- Barack Obama is going to lead this country in a better, greener direction.

Image via BarackObama.com

It’s been a long eight years. We’ve all suffered under the mantle of greed, warmongering, corruption and unchecked executive powers brought upon us by the Bush administration, and things have been looking pretty bleak for Americans for a while now. So, it’s no wonder that we’re eager for something entirely different: something hopeful. A president who actually has our best interests in mind.

Obama is poised to crack the aging, lily-white Republican veneer of Washington and instead build a government that will fearlessly march forward into a greener, more peaceful and prosperous future. An Obama presidency isn’t just about one man – it’s about a passion that has been ignited across the country, a wave of political enthusiasm unlike anything America has seen in decades. An enthusiastic core of volunteers, organizers and voters will assure his victory in November, and this entire country will be the better for it.

Feel good about an Obama presidency by reading The Blueprint for Change: Barack Obama’s Plan for America

1- Al Gore has saved us all from the scourge of Manbearpig.

Image via South Park Studios

Exthelthior! We can all breathe easier now. No longer are we in the grave danger of being viciously mauled by the Manbearpig. Al Gore has declared that he has killed this monstrous being, which would undoubtedly have destroyed the entire world. And of course we believe him, because he’s Al Gore – Al Gore the HERO. Any man who single-handedly killed Manbearpig is not a loser. And he’s Al Gore, did I mention that?

Feel good about being protected from Manbearpig by watching this South Park episode.

Bush Isn’t the Only Leader Stupidly Stuck on Oil; UK Chancellor is, Too

The food crisis and pressure from consumers about high gas prices as led George W. Bush to once again call for drilling in what few pristine wilderness areas America has left, to the yawns and rolling eyes of thousands. I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise.

Americans are undoubtedly used to Bush pushing the oil agenda whenever possible, even when it’s totally inappropriate and mind-bogglingly stupid to do so. I mean, this is the guy who will go down in history as the worst thing that ever happened to our country, so it’s no wonder we’re not shocked when he says something dumb. Somehow, though, we expect more from Britain. Maybe it’s those accents that make them all sound like professors (except for the Cockney version, sorry) but especially in a post-Tony Blair era, we’d hope for a bit more intelligence than what our country’s leader displays.

Alas, here’s what UK Chancellor Alistair Darling told the BBC recently:

One of the big priorities has got to be for governments all over the world to try and get oil production increased, and also to tackle this problem that was pushing up food prices that was diverting corn into biofuels in a way that is not sustainable.

Meanwhile, here’s a quote about oil from Obama:

Change is an energy policy that doesn’t rely on buddying up to the Saudi royal family and then begging them for oil, an energy policy. Change is an energy policy that puts a price on pollution and makes the oil companies invest their record profits in clean, renewable sources of energy that will create millions of new jobs and leave our children a safer planet. That’s what change is, Iowa.

Is it 2009 yet?

Link [Celsias] + [Gristmill]
Photo credit: Flickr user Boris from Vienna

Obama On The Environment & Energy: It’s (Mostly) Good News

It’s not flashy, but it’s important. Watch this video to hear what Barack Obama has to say about energy and the environment.

He’s wrong about corn based ethanol being a necessary part of the solution- we need to stop turning food crops into fuel full stop.

Other than that, and his stated favor of bullshit “clean coal”, Obama is pretty solid on the environment. It’s going to be a good atmosphere to be an eco-entrepreneur in, that’s for damn sure. We could just turn this thing around.