MUENCHHAUSEN, June 19, 2009

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY, RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET


WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above or to
Green_Baron99.muenchhausen@blogger.com.

IRAN, HUMAN ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY

Current events in Iran, as of June 19, 2009, could soon come to little or nothing, or could be a watershed. We shall see shortly. According to recent newspaper reports and commentaries, given the turmoil in Iran, there are perhaps three principal ways the uprising--for that is what is truly is--will end:

Main possibility one: The mullah regime makes some concessions to the opposition. This would likely have the effect of showing some weakness and perhaps discord in the ruling circles. TGB does not believe the "mullahcracy" can afford even the slightest show of weakness.

Main possibility two: A major and merciless crackdown on the opposition redolent of the Tiananmen Square events on June 1989, just 20 years ago, in which protesters were mowed down like so much grass. This would show the mullahs' overwhelming strength--the late Nicolo Macchiavelli (1) would have approved--but the government of Iran would garner the world's opprobrium.

Main possibility three: The uprising ultimately succeeds and the demonstrators actually manage to overthrow the mullahs' dictatorship.

If TGB had to try to forecast the outcome, he would say that Main possibility two is by far the most likely scenario. The regime firmly reestablishes its strength. Yes, the world community, however that may be defined, will deplore this outcome. However, Iran is a major source of oil and natural gas, which the world will need for a long time to come, as well as lucrative business. So, after dutiful condemnations of Iran's actions, the world will go back to business as usual. "If people have one overwhelming capacity, it is the capacity to forget (2).

One may wonder what all of the foregoing has to do with environment and energy. Well, the end result as TGB sees it--and he fervently hopes he is wrong--will be a gross degradation of the human environment in Iran, but a resumption of the orderly market in energy from Iran and the rest of the Middle East. This is what the movers and shakers of the "world community" most realistically desire.

TGB wanted to get this short epistle posted before the outcome he predicts, with heavy heart, becomes reality.

REFERENCES:

1. Macchiavelli, N. The Prince.
2. Hitler, A. Mein Kampf

MUENCHHAUSEN, June 11, 2009

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,

RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,

AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above or to Green_Baron99.muenchhausen@blogger.com.

JUNE FREEZES, COLD SNAPS

Perhaps the long-term trend is toward climatic warming, but in several parts of North America, one might have been hard put to document this position. TGB has recently seen reports of stubborn cold weather with daytime temperatures rising to only 52 °F (11 °C) this June in Green Bay, WI, the home of the famous Green Bay Packers football team (1). Dickinson, ND received 2 inches (5 cm) of snow (2). And at the end of May, beginning of June, residents of Utica, NY and surrounding Oneida County were warned to protect their young plants in advance of expected very late frost (3). Well, these are just a few snapshots.

For what it's worth, parts of northeastern Brazil, normally quite dry, almost arid, have been subjected to heavy rains and severe flooding. The state of Maranhao was especially hard hit (full disclosure: The drier states of northeastern Brazil would be Rio Grande do Norte, Joao Pessoa, and Pernambuco). By contract, Southern Brazil, particularly the state of Rio Grande do Sul, has been so dry that one sees hard-packed, cracked soil where farms normally are found. These phenomena have been ascribed to a strong episode of La Niña, the Pacific Ocean cold outbreak that contrasts with El Niño, the warm anomaly, found off the coast of Peru when they manifest themselves.

MORE ON FLIGHT 447

One reason TGB wants to discuss the calamity of Air France Flight 441 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France) is because he is familar with those waters, having sailed through them on an oceanographic survey mission in October-November 1956. During that mission, he helped run oceanographic casts (with the more rudimentary equipment of those times) and work up the data. Temperature, salinity, sound velocity, and weather data were compiled.

It is a deplorable commentary on our current times that a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out. Indeed, a TGB has seen a report, which, for the time being, he considers as not 100% reliable, that the names of two found on a French "watch list" of suspected Islamist terrorists were found on the passenger manifest. French authorities are taking this report "very seriously." Unless and until a terrorist connection is incontrovertibly proven, however, TGB will consider that an encounter the aircraft had with an unusually active Intertropical Convergence Zone (ICZ) caused a freak accident that brought the Airbus down.

For the sake of discussion here, for the time being, at least, TGB will assume that terrorist action was not the cause of the demise of Flight 447. When TGB sailed in those waters at or near where 447 went down, he noticed the generally large size of tropical cumulus clouds. Occasionally, these cumulus clouds build up into cumulonimbus clouds (called Cb by pilots) that generate rain and thunder squalls.

When one first sails into Atlantic tropical waters from more northern latitudes, one notices first that the prevailing winds come around from west to east. These easterly winds are known as trade winds and theoretically are generated directly by Earth's friction against its own atmosphere, with Earth rotating from west to east, thus forcing trade winds to blow from east to west. Trade winds actually are northeasterly in the northern hemisphere and southeasterly in the southern hemisphere.

The first thing one notices upon entering the trade wind belt is the ever-present cumulus clouds. Normally, the first of these clouds seen are small and puffy, with horizontal dimensions reckoned perhaps in the tens of meters. As one goes deeper into the tropical Atlantic, however, one sees larger cumulus clouds, sometimes in sizes recloned in tens of kilometers; these can, under the right conditions engender foul weather from short rain and thunder squalls all the way up to waterspouts and hurricanes.

Normally, as one sails into lower latitudes, one gets into areas of these larger clouds and unsettled weather, ultimately coming to the ICZ (see above). The ICZ is where the two trade wind belts meet and is a line or curve of rising air and low barometric pressure. The ICZ is not static, but oscillates from south to north, and can be located as far north as the upper teens and lower 20s of north latitude from late August to early October. Most Atlantic hurricanes usually form along or near the ICZ during those months (or typhoons in the Pacific). Wherever the ICZ is located, however, one can expect unsettled air over marine areas, and it is believed by some authorities that heavy storm activity in the ICZ may have brought Flight 447 down.

Rain squall from tropical Cb clouds in Caribbean Sea

In future postings of Muenchhausen, TGB will elaborate more on what may have happened to Flight 447's avionics in a particularly active portion of the ICZ that could have disrupted the aircraft's computerized control systems and caused the aircraft to fail.

GAS EXPLORATION OFF FLORIDA?

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee approved by a 13-10 vote a provision offered by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) that would at least partially lift a long-standing ban on oil and mainly gas exploration in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Of special interest is the Destin Zone, an undersea geologic structure that reaches to within perhaps 10 miles (16 km) off Pensacola, FL. This structure is estimated to hold as much as 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (4).

TGB would be rather surprised if this measure, as it stands, would pass the full Senate. Even if it does, TGB would not give it much chance in the House. If, however, it does somehow pass Congress, TGB is thinking that any such gas exploration and drilling project would be delayed for years by batteries of lawsuits.

REFERENCES:

1. Green Bay Press-Gazette , June 6, 2009; http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20090606/GPG0101/90606042/1261/GPG05/Weather++Record+temperature+set+in+Green+Bay+Saturday

2. http://www.kxmc.com/News/386720.asp (From Bismarck, ND, June 6, 2009)

3. Utica Observer-Dispatch, May 31, 2009;

http://www.uticaod.com/archive/x1175994993/May-to-go-out-under-a-freeze-watch

4. "Senate panel OKs more Gulf drilling". Washington Times, June 10, 2009, p. A2.

MUENCHHAUSEN, June 3, 2009

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,

RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,

AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above or to Green_Baron99.muenchhausen@blogger.com.

WHITHER FUTURE CO2 CONTROLS?

In mid-May, C. Fred Bergsten, executive director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics (IIE) told TGB that the matter of CO2 emission control could well prove to be a problem worldwide. He acknowledged that inducing such industrially developing nations as China and India would be exceedingly difficult. Their attitude--perhaps understandable--is that when countries such as the USA and those of Europe developed, they did not initially give much thought to environmental consequences. Now that these Western nations have achieved development, who are they to impose environmental regulations on countries newly developing? Indeed, in recent years, a Chinese industry minister, finally pinned down, stated flatly that China will give heed to environmental protection and climate change after its industrial development has been completed. The IIE, incidentally, is regarded as arguably the world's leading "think tank" in international economics.

This coming December, a world meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, will be convened to develop a treaty on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that would supersede the original Kyoto Protocol of December 1997. TGB awaits what the Chinese and Indian inputs will be. Suppose China and India--especially China--ratify whatever the emerging protocol may be: could those nations actually be counted on to meet its requirements? It would likely be an economic setback for them. European signatories to the Kyoto Protocol (the USA did not ratify it) generally seem to have great trouble meeting their GHG abatement requirements, even with carbon taxes and all.

Last month, there was a preparatory international meeting on GHG abatement in Copenhagen. According to one report TGB read, the chief beneficiaries of that meeting were certain ladies of Copenhagen who earn their livelihood in escorting and entertaining private companions for a fee.

NEW AUTO STANDARDS TO COME

The popular press is full of stories about automotive fuel and efficiency standards to come, as well as requirements for abatement of greenhouse gases (GHG) from vehicles. The ultimate goal for the farther future is 42 mi/gal, to be achieved stepwise. By ukaz (an old Russian word for a decree by the Tsar), cars must meet a standard of 35 mi/gal (check that one) by 2016. TGB craves pardon for asking if this goal actually is achievable within the next seven years. Be that as it may, estimates of resultant increases in car prices come to $1,300; one assumes as reckoned in 2009-value dollars. Government leaders assure us, however, that the increase in vehicle price will be offset by savings in the use of fuel.

That provides some cold comfort. If TGB will be pardoned for a small measure of cynicism, the sharply decreased use of fuel would result in a commensurate decrease in fuel-tax revenues. TGB does not believe any government would countenance such a reduction in revenue. Several courses suggest themselves: Substantial increases in fuel tax rates; imposition of a mileage-driven tax as measured by telemetered GPS data from a vehicle; or some combination of the two. Bear in mind that this revenue would be in addition to any collected from carbon-reduction cap-and-trade fees or taxes directly imposed on carbon consumption.

THE FLIGHT 447 CALAMITY

In a near-future posting of Muenchhausen, TGB will want to discuss the Air France Flight 447 calamity of June 2009. First of all, he expresses his sorrow and condolences for those lost in the crash, can only imagine what their families and friends must be suffering. Secondly, however, he will want to add some personal thoughts; more than a half century ago, he sailed in those waters and did oceanographic work there.

MUENCHHAUSEN, May 12, 2009

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,

RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,

AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above or to Green_Baron99.muenchhausen@blogger.com.

SASOL FUEL

In a nutshell, SASOL stands for South African State Oil. Its main growth occurred during South Africa’s deplorable years of apartheid, during which races were segregated according to strict law to such an extent that it made the old Jim Crow in the American South look almost mild by comparison (this is not to excuse Jim Crow; that, too, was execrable).

The period of apartheid, which lasted in its very worst form from 1946, when South Africa’s somewhat more forward-looking Prime Minister Jan Christiaan Smuts (United Party) was defeated by Daniel F. Malan (National Party), finally ended in 1994 when then-President Frederik de Klerk declared it ended. During these times, South Africa came under increasing world pressure to abolish this system, especially from the mid-1970s on. Among the sanctions was an embargo on oil exports to South Africa, which had to purchase such petroleum as it could get on the spot market in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

South Africa is rich in coal (although some have argued that the grade of this coal is not so good and have characterized it as more like “carbonaceous dirt”). Be that as it may, as a riposte to the embargo, South Africa embarked on, and materially expended its SASOL project to make synthetic oil and automotive fuel via the liquefaction of coal. The SASOL company was founded in 1950 in a town that came to be known as Sasolburg, about 80 kilometers (km) south of Johannesburg. In essence SASOL developed its process for coal liquefaction and consequent hydrocarbon production on the general basis of the Fischer-Tröpsch process, a German process that dates back to World War II (Nazi Germany also needed to produce hydrocarbon fuels from coal after it lost access to petroleum sources). In principle, coal is converted to carbon monoxide, which, with hydrogen, can be converted to liquid hydrocarbons by use of proprietary catalysts (1).

Over the years since 1950, SASOL developed and improved its coal-to-liquid hydrocarbons processes. At nearly every filling station in South Africa, there is SASOL fuel pump, with its fuel so priced, partly through government intervention, that it remains competitive with automotive fuels from conventional sources. The SASOL Corporation continues to refine and expand its processes for coal conversion.

Given the end of apartheid, however, and the lifting of the oil embargo against South Africa after 1994, it could be asked why that country still needs the coal-based SASOL process, especially given world efforts (at least in some parts of the world) to curtail the generation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and reduce, if not phase out altogether the use of coal. To discuss that question, TGB had the signal honor on May 5 of a brief interview at the National Press Club with former President de Klerk, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, together with Nelson Mandela, for bringing apartheid to its long-awaited end. De Klerk told TGB that regardless of the availability of petroleum to South Africa, his country wants to curtail energy-source imports as much as possible. He added that coal will play a major role in South Africa’s energy and economic future for many years to come, and that SASOL continues to expand and to improve its processes, while giving heed to protection of the environment insofar as possible. Given that nation’s geographic and resource situation, this approach is quite understandable economically, despite the objections of those who want to see coal phased out. In this regard, South Africa takes the same attitude as China and India, only the latter two currently are far more committed to coal use by comparison. This causes much trouble, tumult, and gnashing of teeth among environmental advocates.

De Klerk: Coal still important for his country.

POWER FOR THE SOUTHEAST

Phasing out the use of coal for electric power generation in the American Southeast will be fraught with problems, Bill Johnson, chief executive officer of Progress Energy (Raleigh, NC). Progress furnishes electricity to parts of North and South Carolina and Florida.

Johnson told a National Press Club conference May 7 that CO₂ emission reduction “is an imperative, but let’s do it right. The [American] Southeast is very carbon-intensive, and [has] low renewable-energy potential, not to mention some of America’s lowest-income families—perhaps 12% lower income than elsewhere. We are doing work in solar and biomass, but the Southeast is not blessed with much wind.”

Johnson also pointed out that solar energy is not currently a very workable option because of the variability of available sunlight in the Southeast. “You have lots of rain or none at all.” In short, the Southeast has lots of carbon (coal) available nearby and poor renewable resources. Johnson maintains that a “one size fits all” approach to CO₂ reduction nationwide, as envisioned in the Waxman-Markey bill now working its way through Congress, is not the way to go (2).

“What about wind energy obtainable by building wind turbines in the Atlantic Ocean off the coat of the Carolinas?” Johnson was asked. He suggested that perhaps there is sufficient wind to operate turbines in that part of the ocean, “but remember,” he added, “that the Carolinas are in ‘hurricane alley.’ There are turbines that could withstand a category 3 hurricane, but likely not a category 4 or 5 storm” (a category 5 hurricane has sustained eyewall winds with velocities at or above 155 miles/h; it is hard to envision a wind turbine that could survive such huge forces).

Darryl Basset, a former Public Utilities Commissioner in Arkansas, generally agreed with Johnson: “The Waxman-Markey bill [as it currently stands] would have a very harsh effect on families and businesses in the Southeast. If, [for instance], carbon dioxide cap-and-trade becomes law, its costs could be $983 billion according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); others, however, estimate costs in excess of 1 trillion dollars. The problem is not with the law’s intent; the devil is in the details. Right now, the poor in the Southeast pay 25% or more of their income on energy, so imagine the effect on them of major cost increases.”

“Progress Energy is funding some research in CO₂ reduction,” Johnson told TGB. “But we don’t have much in the way of funds for research and development.” “Public Utilities Commissions do support such R&D,” Bassett noted. Johnson added, however, “[In the Southeast], renewables won’t do much for you. We would be better off going for carbon reduction. However, carbon dioxide storage won’t be available by 2013 [when it is theoretically supposed to come into use],” Johnson noted. “And in any case, in the Southeast, there are no real repositories.

TGB also is curious: How does one store carbon dioxide in an underground repository? It would seem that storing it in gaseous form, even under pressure, would be unreliable, because of the general fugacity of gases. Could it be stored in liquid phase? Here is a problem: for CO₂ to be in liquid phase, the ambient pressure must exceed 5.2 atmospheres (760 torr X 5.2 or 29.92 inches X 5.2; a torr is the new name for an mm Hg). Perhaps the deep subterranean pressures are high enough to sustain carbon dioxide in liquid form? It’s a thought, but bear in mind that the critical temperature T_c for CO₂ is 31.1 °C (about 88 °F) at 70 atmospheres, so what if the deep-earth temperature is higher and the CO₂ becomes supercritical? This is food for thought!

REFERENCES:

1. http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/factsheets/rd/R&D089.pdf

2. Johnson, B.; Bassett, D. Presentation at National Press Club, Washington, DC, May 7, 2009.

MUENCHHAUSEN, May 4, 2009

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

WELCOME!

The Green Baron welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above or, alternatively, toGREEN_BARON99.MUENCHHAUSEN@BLOGGER.COM


Muenchhausen is published by Bootstrap Press, Bethesda, MD, USA.

RATIONING

It was 67 years ago today that the first food commodities--in this case, sugar--were first ration

POLLUTANT BY FIAT

Well, it has been decided by no less than the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS): carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant. Strictly speaking, what SCOTUS decided in adjudicating a lawsuit (Massachusetts et al. v. EPA et al., 549 U.S._____2007) (1) was that EPA is required to regulate CO2 as a pollutant or show cause why it need not be so regulated. Apparently, EPA finally decided to do the former. This will take a good while, perhaps months or even years, because the regulations (regs) must be written, internally reviewed, and then put out for X number of days for public comment. After a long, arduous process, final regs are promulgated. The Green Baron (TGB) wonders what lawsuits might follow the promulgation of these regs. What SCOTUS actually said was, "EPA can avoid promulgating regulations only if it determines that greenhouse gases do not contribute to climate change"; this can be construed as the order to show cause mentioned above. TGB's query: how could such a determination be made to the satisfaction of all stakeholders?

It must be borne in mind that Congress, led by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) also is moving to legislate limits on CO2 emissions, likely with so-called hammer provisions in the law. Hammer provisions mean essentially this: If EPA, in this case, does not finalize the desired CO2 regulations by a certain date, then legislation by Congress will do the same on that date, only with immediate and greater force. TGB is guessing that, especially under its new stewardship, EPA will proceed with the CO2 regulatory process almost with a vengeance. "Stay tuned," as was said back in the day, for more details.

INTERNALIZATION OF COST

One topic that TGB has rarely, if ever seen discussed recently is internalization of cost. This is a complex subject, but TGB will try to explain it in as small a nutshell as he can.

Let us take a coal-fired electric power plant as an example. In times past, these plants burned coal and emitted tons of pollutants into the air, such as fly ash, sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and certain organic compounds. In so doing, the operators of these plants sluffed the health and environmental costs of their operations onto society and nature.

When the Clean Air Act (as amended) was passed and pertinent regulations promulgated, power plants had to be retrofitted with devices to "scrub" SOx and particulate matter (such as fly ash) from their smokestack emissions. New plants had to have emissions-cleaning equipment built in from the ground up. In other words, plant operators had to begin to book the costs of protecting the environment and public health as a cost of doing business. This, in a very rough and simplistic manner, is meant by internalization of cost. Internalization adds more costs as regulations become ever tighter, and affects many industries, not just coal-fired power plants. The paper industry is another salient example.

Some have argued that the individual who uses and consumes commodities whose production adds to the atmospheric CO2 load also should be made to internalize their costs. For example, if a person consumes beef, this means obviously that he is eating the meat of cattle. But cattle are notorious not only for exhaling CO2 but for emitting other greenhouse gases (GHG)--methane comes to mind--through their metabolism. If the person and others like him/her avoided the consumption of beef, perhaps fewer cattle would need to be raised and herded, and the volume of GHG emissions would be lower. Thus, should not the consumer of beef internalize the cost to society and nature of his/her "sin", or, to put it in other words, indemnify society and nature for the cost of his/her supposed improvidence?

One can think of other indemnifications to be required. For instance, when motor vehicles will be fitted with geographic positioning systems that will track their movements--TGB fully expects this to happen one day--their operators will be charged a tax of so many cents per mile or kilometer driven. The primary idea would be to reimburse governments for the cost of building and maintaining roads, bridges, etc., on which the vehicles travel. TGB is wondering if ad additional tax might be levied based on the volume of GHG the vehicles emit. Some have hypothesized that such a tax would be imposed instead of a fuel tax or additional fuel taxes. TGB believes that more fuel taxes will be levied in addition to the mile/kilometer tax.

Now, everyone exhales CO2 as part of the normal process of living. Might it be that at some time in the future, the average volume of each person's CO2 exhalation will be measured and recorded, and a sort of head tax imposed on each individual to internalize the social and environmental costs of his/her respiration? Also, might each person, every few years, be required to report for updated measurement and reevaluation? TGB just thought he might ask.

The future reduction and sequestration of CO2 emissions also can be seen as constituting the internalization of social and environmental costs generating these emissions and the indemnification of society therefor. TGB will enjoy kicking this topic around in the near future.


REFERENCES:

1. http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/06pdf/05-1120.pdf

MUENCHHAUSEN, April 20. 2009

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

FOR COMMENTS: GREEN_BARON99.MUENCHHAUSEN@BLOGGER.COM

ICELAND

Iceland has been much in the news of late, partly because its government went broke, according to reports. This may have been a bit simplistic, as Gylfi Magnusson, Iceland's Minister of Business Affairs told a press conference at the National Press Club on April 6. First of all, as he pointed out, Iceland did not have what we generally know as a central banking system. Secondly, the banks that did exist, having seemingly ample funds, invested in ventures that grew from real estate and other investment "bubbles," largely in Europe, and got whipsawed as banks and investors in many other nations did. Magnusson stated quite strongly that his country is "not bankrupt."

Iceland, however, went into the world economic crisis largely debt-free, according to Magnusson. In addition, partly thanks to its use of ocean resources and a lowered value of the Icelandic krona, the country actually enjoyed a trade surplus. He foresees Iceland's returning to a growth situation by 2011.

Iceland depends on the ocean for much of its exports. "In the past, we have made mistakes in our fisheries," Magnusson told TGB. "But today, our record on harvesting seafood sustainably is better than that of most countries, at least in the Atlantic Ocean. We have quotas for most species, with a sort of cap-and-trade system. We remain conservative in our catch each year, because the fisheries are the most important resource we have, and we can't afford to squander it. Also, accepting the European Union's fishery regulations is not compatible with Iceland's needs, and they would reduce our full sovereignty over our fishing industry. Admittedly, this could be an impediment to Iceland's joining the EU one day."

Iceland obtains much of its energy from geothermal sources, enough, actually, to supply most of its electricity needs. This saves much money that might otherwise go for fuel imports, but there are caveats. Iceland is a highland on a long, mostly undersea mountain range known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. As such, given the structure of Earth's plate tectonics, the country finds itself on territory that is not the most stable. Earthquakes, mainly from slippage of tensional faults, are a common occurrence there, as are volcanic eruptions.

In addition, Iceland underlies a quasi-permanent atmospheric structure known as the Icelandic Low, which is a nearly constant low pressure area. Thw weather there is not normally known for constancy. One could be enjoying a pleasant time in the sunshine with a temperature of perhaps 65 degrees F, or about 18 C. As soon as maybe 15 minutes later, winds could be blowing at 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour, with a lashing rain. By way of comparison: If barometric pressure in the Washington, DC, area is 1000 millibars (mb) (29.53 inches), inclement weather is occurring or is on the way. In Iceland (and the Aleutian Islands, its Pacific Ocean counterpart), pressures of 1000 mb are quite normal, as is mostly unsettled weather.

Still, one should visit Iceland. There is much to se by way of architecture and natural wonders. For instance, one could take a bath in water at 35 degrees C (95 F) and still be surrounded by glacial ice. Sometimes, a journey into the countryside will lead the traveler to places where small fissures are to be seen in the ground. These slowly expand with time, tangible proof of the tensional nature of the Icelandic landscape.

A geyser in Iceland: Sign of a changing landscape

FINLAND'S FORMER PRESIDENT

That would be Martti Ahtisaari, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008; he was Finland's president from 1994 to 2000. On April 7, 2009, he told an audience at a National Press Club luncheon that conflicts are over power and resources, rather than religion. TGB respectfully begs to differ somewhat. Take the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for example. Yes, there are resouces involved, principally land and water, but TGB believes that religion is a major factor. Ahtisaari pointed out that the only realistic approach is the dissolution of the state of Israel, but he acknowledged that Israel would not agree to that. He also placed blame on certain Palestinian factions for rocket attacks and suicide missions.

Ahtisaari called for worldwide cooperation on environment and especially climate change, as well as drugs and human trafficking. He also ascribed much crime and terrorism to inequality and poverty. Here again, TGB needs to differ somewhat. Recent history shows that a goodly number of today's terrorists do not come from underprivileged classes; many are secondary-school and even university-educated, and have held professional positions. Two cases in point: Osama bin Laden, from a Saudi family that became very wealthy through construction projects. Ayman 'al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian educated as a pediatrician.

Finland, by the way, was one of the first countries to impose a carbon tax.

SOLAR 28-YEAR CYCLE

One astronomical side note of more than passing interest, at least for The Green Baron (TGB): According to Hebrew tradition, but apparently based on the Hebrew calendar, the sun starts a new cycle of its perceived travels in the heavens every 28 years. At sunrise on that day, it is required to recite a blessing known in Hebrew as the Birkat Ha-Khamah. It just happens that in 2009, or the Hebrew year 5769, the solar cycle renewed itself on the eve of the venerable Jewish festival of Passover. Whether there is some hidden meaning in this confluence of time remains to be seen.

A blessing for the sun's new cycle

BOOK LISTING

The AMS Weather Book: The Ultimate Guide to America's Weather. Jack Williams. The University of Chicago Press, 1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637. 2009. $35, cloth.

This book explores not only the science behind weather, but also how people cope with severe weather. Its profiles and hostoric discussions illustrate how meteorology and related sciences are interwoven throughout our lives. The author is a former editor of the USA Today Weather Page and is public outreach coordinator for the American Meteorological Society.

WHAT IS BOOTSTRAP PRESS?

Bootstrap Press is a nonprofit organization founded in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A., to promote the development and management of technology and businesses based on renewable resources. We also encourage the preservation of our Earth's natural habitats and its plant and animal species. So do a lot of other organizations, and more power to them for doing so!

Bootstrap Press is different because its members believe that the development of renewable resources and the preservation of habitats and species are receiving far more lip service than the financial and technical support needed to achieve these goals. We also think they will continue to be subjects of more talk than action until someone can show how renewable resources and the diversity of biological species can be the basis for potentially profitable businesses as well as a matter of ethics. Bootstrap Press intends to provide a forum for the discussion of how to build up such business, and of related topics.

There's one more thing we should mention about Muenchhausen and Bootstrap Press. We try to present only the scientific and technical facts that are correct to the best of our knowledge, belief, and good faith. It is up to Muenchhausen's readers to draw their own conclusions and make their own judgments.

NOTE: The mention of a product or service in Muenchhausen is in no way to be regarded as an endorsement of that product or service by Muenchhausen, Bootstrap Press, the Green Baron, or any other contributor to Muenchhausen. Also, the views expressed in Muenchhausen are The Green Baron’s own, and are based on the best of his knowledge, belief, and good faith.

MUENCHHAUSEN, April 2, 2009

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON@VERIZON.NET

FOR COMMENTS: GREEN_BARON99.MUENCHHAUSEN@BLOGGER.COM

WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

A FLYING COW

TGB read with some wry amusement a report from Reuters that an Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) spokesman said that OPEC was not to blame for climate change and that [oil] consuming countries should pay to combat the threat (some might say, "if indeed threat threat there be") (1). Said OPEC secretary-general Abdullah al-Badri, "It is the industrialized countries [that] are making all this pollution in the world." At the same time, OPEC announced that it opposed plans to reduce oil consumption, and said that rather, there should be adaptation to climate change. This is why TGB is saying he thinks he just saw a cow flying in front of the windows of his house. Perhaps OPEC spokesmen can come up with some more such brilliant ideas! TGB will acknowledge his not being a well-wisher for OPEC.

COLD FUSION EVERY SO OFTEN

It would have been very salutary for much of the world's economy and, perhaps, environment, if experiments in cold fusion could have been reproduced. Muenchhausen has considered this topic before, TGB remembering the first announcement by Fleischmann and Pons concerning making cold fusion happen (3, 4).

What is "cold fusion"? This is the concept that an energy-generating thermonuclear-type fusion reaction can be carried out at or near room temperature without the need for super-strong pressure vessels and electromagnetic fields, such as those used in fusion research as it is normally carried out. Fusion here is defined as the fusing of hydrogen atoms, usually of all three of hydrogen's isotopes, to form helium, with an excess of energy left over.

Every so often, we read of another reportedly successful attempt at making cold fusion happen. So far, TGB and others have failed to find any replication of such cold fusion experiments or credible literature supporting such replication. Comes now a report from the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR, San Diego, CA) that a cold fusion device built there has shown evidence of the production of neutrons, which would indicate a nuclear reaction (5). Ironically enough, the results of the SPAWAR's experiment with the low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR) was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City, UT. This is ironic because Salt Lake City is where the Fleischmann-Pons announcement (4) originated in 1989.

As one can readily imagine, this latest report (5) met with considerably skepticism. Actually, TGB fervently hopes--perhaps vainly--that somehow, there will be a realistic, viable breakthrough in the science and engineering of cold fusion, if such indeed be possible. The result would be clean, inexpensive energy and a chance--yes, TGB is a bit biased here, full disclosure--to treat OPEC nations and their ilk to a comeuppance.

COOL SUMMER, COLD WINTER

During the summer of 2008, a friend e-mailed to TGB to ask him where the summer had gone that year. Apparently, the same question was asked in Alaska; for example, in Anchorage, the temperature rarely got up to about 20 °C or 68 °F. Warmer temperatures were mostly not observed at all. Moreover, the winter of 2008-2009 has been quite harsh in many places; just for openers, ask any citizen of North Dakota. Even in TGB's Washington, DC, area, although little snow fell, temperatures generally were below normal. Northern Europe also experienced below-average temperatures and considerable falls of snow.

It turns out that 2008 was a year of very quiet sun; that is, little or no sunspot activity (6). NASA scientists relate that of the 366 days of 2008, on 266 days, no sunspots were observed. In 2009, from January 1 to March 31, 78 days of that 90-day period were "sunspotless"; if this trend continues, 2009 could well turn our to be a major year of quiet sun. So far, to find a year of many quiet-sun days, one must look back to 1913, during which no sunspots were seen for 311 days. (1913 also is the year when the federal income tax went into effect; but it would be a bit of a stretch to blame that on a quiet-sun cycle.)

One question arises: If the sun remains quiet for long perios of time, might this lack of solar activity retard or reverse any trends there may be toward global warming? NASA scientists say that this is not the case, but TGB believes that the jury may still be out on that subject. Several things are clear: There is a substantial reduction in the "solar wind" (streams of charged particles "blowing" from the sun), and there has been a 0.2% reduction observed in solar brightness in the visible-light spectrum and perhaps 6% for extreme ultraviolet radiation. The downside is that a weak solar wind allows more cosmic rays to approach Earth and to affect the health of astronauts/cosmonauts in space. Cosmic rays are have very short electromagnetic wavelenths and are highly energetic.

Actually, this solar activity minimum--there usually is an approximately 12-year cycle--is about on schedule. An increase should be seen by 2011 and 2012. How big that increase will be is anyone's guess, although NASA scientists currently foresee a "quieter" maximum than would normally be expected. Stay tuned!

REFERENCES

1. http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSL225721020090402
2. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.a67cf72fe27770f9ec992da18169937d.a1&show_article=1
3. Muenchhausen, March 21, 2008
4. Fleischmann, M.; Pons, S. “Electrochemically induced nuclear fusion of deuterium”. J. Electroanalyt. Chem. 1989, 261, 301.
5. http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.a67cf72fe27770f9ec992da18169937d.a1&show_article=1
6. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/01apr_deepsolarminimum.htm