The Great Disruption

Steadily increasing populations coupled with advancements in technology present problems for waste management. One particular issue is gaining attention from the locals of Winnemucca, Nevada. The proposed Humboldt County Landfill is said to bring job revenue and possible assistance to help establish a local recycling center to the region. However, a number of local citizens are opposed to it. To learn more about the Humboldt County Landfill, visit: http://nevadatrashtalk.wordpress.com

In response to James,

Yes, $500 oil over the next decade is very likely. The U.S. imports two-thirds of its oil, and according to the Export Land Model, could have those imports totally cut off by 2020. Nations export their surplus, and most of our exporters have surging internal consumption and falling production. Mexico, once the 2nd largest exporter to the U.S., will be a net oil importer competing with us on the open market in a couple of years now that Cantarell is well past peak.

According to Jeff Rubin, one of Canada's top economists, oil will reach $225 a barrel in 2012:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYuLjGQQ-jg

Yet another example of how dangerous and absolutely idiotic liberals can be:

http://www.sustainablenuclear.org/PADs/pad050...

In the decade from 1984 to 1994, scientists at argonne national laboratories developed an advanced nuclear technology 160 times as fuel-efficient as today's light water reactors, that could power the world for nearly a thousand years using material recovered from today's used nuclear fuel or depleted uranium. And yet, it was cancelled by team Clinton in the final stages of development. Don't these people realize that economic growth is based on increased energy consumption? I guess they thought the Earth holds an unlimited store of fossil fuels, and can be an unlimited sewer for the waste given off by burning those fossil fuels. Go figure. Now, we all have to suffer because the one alternative to fossil fuels was killed. Let it be known that the destruction of the environment, the crashing of the economy due to high oil prices, is the fault of the Clinton administration for killing the Integral Fast Reactor. What complete morons.

Mr. Friedman,

As a nation, we do not need to raise our standard of living. In fact, what we need is for Government and Citizens alike to learn to live within their means. The worst tragedy to ever hit our nation was when we first began to live on credit.

The second worse tragedy was when we turned our back on developing reliable mass transit in favor of 3 to 4 autos in every garage.

With regard to an energy tax, I agree with developing alternative energy sources, however it is beyond me why we should trust the politicians who have for decades ignored our own vast oil resource, while speneing money on foreign oil, and screaming "wind & solar."

We DO NOT need more taxes in this country. We need to control and manage what the Federal and State governments steal from my pocket each pay day.

We SHOULD NOT raise even 1 cent in any tax until we have:

1. Established financial reporting for the Federal Government and can know for sure where every single tax dollar atually goes.

2. Confirmed and Audited the tax return of every Federal elected and appointed official.

3. Insisted that every elected, appointed, and hired person on the Federal payroll subscribe to Social Security, buy in to Medicare and to any Health plan they prescribe for U.S. citizens at large, limit federal wage increases to cost-of-living or 3%, whichever is less, establish term-limits for ALL elected officials, and eliminate Federal Pensions (let them take Social Security and pay-in to 401k's as we must).

Please - if you're looking for funding, convince a politician to turn over the ear-marks that they voted in during the 2008-2009 bailouts. Their are literally billions of dollars of waste that have yet to be accounted for. You can probably shovel it off the Senator & Congressman's office floor.

The Hirsch report on global peak oil, by the Dept. of energy, states that "previous transitions from wood to coal and coal to oil were gradual and evolutionary. The transition away from oil will be abrupt and revolutionary."

And "sustained high prices ($147 per barrel in 2008) will lead to demand destruction (recession and lost jobs).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirsch_report

We are now in the peak oil era...

***The IEA admits Global Peak Oil...

Demand will be 120 million barrels a day by 2030, but by then existing wells will have declined by two-thirds:

http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/IEA-...

Two-thirds of oil is used for transportation.

Guess the world really was round after all.***

Reading “Hot, Flat, and Crowded” was indeed an eye-opening piece of literature. The elaborate details and facts Mr. Friedman discusses, leaves little room for disbelief. The world is not merely approaching, but has already entered an ecological, political, and financial calamity. The United States government has been portrayed as greedy and stubborn– and rightfully so. Despite all the apparent evidence presented that global warming is indeed REAL; despite engineers, innovators, and scientist who are willing and able to create cleaner technologies; and despite those energy and environmentally friendly technologies that are already in existence; the United States government still can not look pass the dollar sign and towards the future! Doing what is best for our country and not the lobbyist, should be the number one priority of our democratic government. The government still allows itself to be greatly influenced by lobbyists, despite the fact that they do not and never will represent the majority of people our elected officials claim to represent.
Throughout the entire book, Thomas Friedman addresses an abundant amount of issues. Despite Mr. Friedman’s sober optimism, in a Chapter 18, I think a few of the following issues should be readdressed in a more assertive and urgent tone- leaving the reader to feel more motivated. The concept that our education system needs to include earth science and outdoor experiences is vital to the success of our nation’s future. I recently sent a proposal through the National Wildlife Federation expressing the importance of cosponsoring the Bat- Watershed Education and Training Regional Program and National Environmental Literacy Grant Program Act (H.R. 3644). It’s a proposal that will and has provided young people in the public school system with opportunities to learn about their local watershed through first-hand experiences. Not only will “children who connect with nature perform better in school, have higher SAT scores, and exhibit fewer behavioral challenges…”, with a program like H.R. 3644, experiencing their local habitats will help them better understand how their actions effect water quality, wildlife habitat, and their overall surrounding environment. Another concept that could be readdressed in Chapter 18, is the importance of individual and group efforts during this essential time. The government should recognize the power of its nation’s people, and look towards for plausible solutions and innovations they can are capable of presenting. Maybe Thomas Friedman could even address our current President Barak Obama, and his optimistic plans for our nation and its energy crisis. I would enjoy reading Mr. Friedman’s take on the current, 2009 situation.

The worst case scenario in global warming is what's going to happen to the world is something similar, if not worse, to what happened to Saint Louis in Katrina. The difference thought, people in Katrina found other places to migrate to and other people to get donations from. In an universal global catastrophe, people won't find places to migrate nor people to get donations from.

subject:co-auther book and /or work together
hi thomos,
lots of regards and love.
i am in the process of writing a book.object is to change human race to insure self-perpetuating and self-sustainable survival, our primary moral responsibility towards generations to come.

history has proven that it is not possible by one man, religion or ism's(idealogies).at least 51% of adult population must get involved in the mission within next 5 years. time is not only crucial but against humans.

however, it is possible now due to technological advances( especially it), the tools available today and people like you.

my phone # is 512 863 8940. call me or send me your phone #, if this tall order interests you. i sincerely pray that it will, so that i can meet with you in new york.

ramesh mahale

by the way,my son (raj mahale) practices in stamford, ct. i don't know if you remember chatting with him on one of the airports.

Rapid expansion of NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION.

It IS the next big public works opportunity, and it is FOUNDATIONAL to every else that is green and energy independent.

Don't be cowed by the Left. On this point, they are Luddites.

How to prevent economic crisis in time of disaster?
______________________________________________

In time of disasters people tend to behave frugally, spending less money on leisure and luxury. This is perfectly understandable: one would like to have more savings in case the situation will worsen even more. In paradoxical way, this behavior leads to further market deterioration. What can we do in order to resolve this dilemma? Is it possible at all? Below I attempt to provide a constructive answer to this question. The short answer is:

In time of a crisis we ought to support the people, who served us in good times

The detailed answer follows...

In normal time, by purchasing various goods or services, we encourage certain production and employment level in certain branches of economics. It would be fair to establish consumer support of the same branches and consequently, the support of their workers, during crisis time as well. This can be done by means of the proposed below bond system. It creates a possibility of moving money fast from areas of excess to areas of shortage, blocking the crisis in early stage, before the waves of instability spread over the entire economy. This instrument can greatly stabilize the economy in whole and reduce its vulnerability to disasters and sharp changes in the external world.

Read more at http://www.cs.technion.ac.il/users/wwwb/cgi-b...

You rightly say in your column "Still Not Tired" that we need to partner with Arab and Muslim societies to help them build thriving countries, integrated with the world economy, where young people don't grow up in a soil poisoned by religious extremnists and choked by petro-dictators....

A great contribution to this would be to have your book, The World is Flat, translated into Arabic and made available as cheaply as possible in bookstores throughout the Arab world. Can you do it??

Thank you for all your great columns and books!

What if average worker productivity increased ten fold? It surely will--every economic incentive encourages it. Will it be used to lay off workers or to improve lifestyle?

Great topic of dicussion and insightful postings. Have not had a chance to read the new book just yet however I have been following the feedback. Also enjoyed the recent panel discussion on Bill Maher Show.

Getting back to the subject at hand:

- We need to emphasis and tie-in the objective of becoming a nation of producers versus a nation of consumers with an initiative of clean area.

My thoughts are, and I am not a scientist but I am scientifically curious like many of us are, that we need to find ways to export energy long term. For example, we find ways to transition from paper to quasi paperless environment, then we should have ongoing federal and state initiatives that support transitioning from consuming to producing units of energy. Here is on example, energy companies in certain communities rebate the end-user for power generated from solar. Using that example, why not have solar cell engineered mobile units. Imagine cutting emissions and having trucks produce energy while transporting cargo across the US.

The other area, which I believe there is great advancement in, is nuclear energy. Nuclear plants need to be recommissioned for healthcare needs due inconsistencies in global supply chain. That need, combined with fuel supply deficit, makes nuclear energy a critical focus area.

Look forward to the new revision. Should be a good stocking suffer. (P.S. Religion 0.0 thru Religion 4.0 all celebrate the holdidays - Thats what great about America!)

Welcome opportunity to connect on LinkedIn.

Sincerely,
Vimal T. Patel
patel07307@gmail.com

Dear Mr. Thomas L. Friedman,

I want to thank you for writing, Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Why We Need a Green Revolution-And How it Can Renew America. It explains the many reasons for my companies work. Since 2002, Engineered Tools and Technologies or ET Squared, has been working on a design that is a viable solution for a clean/smart energy grid. We are a Colorado grassroots think tank and start up whose goal is to create, design, and develop innovative products that mitigate the negative impact of human beings on our planet, Earth. Our funding is limited; a few of us have been working out of our homes on this complex issue because we feel we must. We are professionals who companies hire to design and build concepts that have not been done before. As an architect, designer, engineer, inventor, scientists, and a teacher we pulled back the layers of the industrial revolution to analyze the harm. Mr. Friedman, we agree with you about needing to look at things differenly and using high rise buildings along light rail systems because "to make a change of difference it needs to be done on a massive scale." In the words of, Dana Meadows, "We have exactly enough time--staring now." The world's population grows at the rate of 2.5 people per second so we better hurry up and get started. Wouldn't you agree?

I know you get bombarded with ideas at events but I hope you can take some time to look at the 'Energy Oasis' model and give us some constructive feedback. Please visit www.etsquared.com to read more about our work the 'Energy Oasis' model. I quote your book often when explaining what ET Squared is doing and why. If you have any questions about the BioReactor in the 'Energy Oasis' I will be in D.C. at the end of September for the 6th Annual Global Intellectual Property Center Summit at the US Chamber of Commerce. I would be available to meet with you in person if your schedule permits.

Everyday Americans throw approximately 450,000 tons of waste into landfills, polluting our air, land, and water. Here are some things that have been looked over as energy sources: animal and human wastes, wastes that are generated at animal rendering plants, breweries, food processing plants, and any point where a private company collects waste from consumers and processes that waste. Since there is not a holy grail for one clean/smart energy source, we think, the definitive answer is to integrate various alternative energy sources and smart conservation technologies together with waste to energy systems. Use natural gas as a cross over fuel and start building the clean/smart energy grid. ET Squared is working on improving anaerobic digestion using methane created from processing wastes as a fuel to power electric generators and turbines. ET Squared has a patent pending for the next generation of anaerobic digesters and mixing systems which we call a BioReactor. To get started in America we can build waste to energy systems at existing trash and waste collection sites retrofitting existing trash and wastewater systems and join them into the clean/smart energy grid.

Ed Mazria, Architecture2030.org, states that half of America's buildings need to be rebuilt because their lifespan is over. What better way to help the economy than to have a massive re-construction period for America. Recycling the old into the new by building the clean/smart energy grid for the new urban America where it's a short walk or bike ride to a Transit Station that functions as an 'Energy Oasis.' The 'Energy Oasis' is a high density residential commercial building built in a park environment located on both sides of a light rail line with many trees and gardens that will process CO2 through photosynthesis to create miles of carbon sinks for metro areas. Also incorporated into the design are bridges over freeways and major intersections, landscaped as parks, using various path systems for the different modes of individual transportation that will connect existing neighborhoods with easy access to light rail stations. This will remove pedestrains from traffic flows in a metro area. In the twenty to hundred year master plans, light rail lines in all cities would become massive parks, similar to New York cities Central Park, which is an oasis in a sea of concrete.

In the 'Energy Oasis' building we have located the waste to energy system in the clean/smart mechanical room below the garage where commuters, shoppers, workers, and residents can park and plug in to recharge their vehicles. The main level and the next few floors are for retail and office space. The upper floors of the building are for residential units, some units will have walkout patio gardens to help insulate the building. The waste to energy system processes all wastes that aren't recycled and uses the extra heat generated from the systems equipment as another heat source. The 'Energy Oasis' uses the building's shape to function as a solar collector.

The shape also helps the building's ventilation system reduce operations costs. We are using fuels from heaven with applicable alternative energy systems that are incorporated into the building's exterior wall and roof systems to provide more sources for clean energy options and energy conservation. This is a brief description of the 'Energy Oasis' model which can be easily replicated. We can modernize our cities and lifestyles without depleting the planets resources and close the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" when we build the clean/smart energy grid by focusing our energies on endeavors that are worthy of our time.

As you quote Thomas Browne, "Nature is the art of God." We understand John Muir when he said, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." For we are all connected and it is our responsibility not to have greed dictate our decsions as it has in the past, we need to improve the human condition for all and ensure human beings will continue living for many millenniums in harmony with Mother Earth.

Sincerely,

Pete Tovani
ET Squared