Beam me to Planet Gore !
What about Gore-gas? I thought that was full of enough energy to see us through and crisis.
Without reading the actual article: It’s NPR, how does the article blame the US for this ?
The problem with many of these ecological scams is that there “IS” a real economic price society ends up paying. The Germans of course don’t advertise this, but Der Gruene Punkt was another activist push that was plagued with problems, cost billions, and accomplished little. But it too was touted and advertised as the huge “break through” when it was new years past.
Here in the US we have the new CFL Compact Florescent Light bulb, which uses a bit less energy but uses more glass to make, has plastics and electronics on it and traces of mercury. Save the planet, buy a GE light bulb that emits light which looks like $hit and won’t fit many lamps. Just realize one thing, like our great ethanol disaster, it’s not supply and demand that dictates whether you buy these bulbs, but an artificial market construct of subsidies and laws that will all but remove incandescent light bulbs by 2012 from our shelves, all to save the planet of course, and backed by the makers of the bulbs, i.e. GE. So enjoy the factory lighting in your home and if your bulb breaks, make sure to have handy the procedures for proper removal of a heavy metal containing light bulb: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
More glass + plastic + electronic module + mercury + MUCH higher cost to manufacture (more difficult to produce – more complex design, more parts, use of noble gas vs. vacuum) = the new energy saving bulb that Gore said is a cheap and easy way we can all save power, reducing our “carbon footprint.” We’re just as stupid as they are, just in some different aspects.
At what point will the lay person say to himself, “Enough, enough of this bullshit!”
BTW, those who thought ethanol was such a great idea, to save the planet and get off our “addiction to oil,” how’s that working for us? Ask yourself that when you pay 5.2% more for food this year because we’re burning 1/3 of our corn crop in our cars.
**** The basic forces behind an economy and human nature are ALWAYS present, even when you choose to ignore them.
When politicians meddle and wave their omniscient and omnipotent wand, when they let activism and ideology drive policy deciding how markets run, they almost always screw things up.