I recently came across two articles that made me think about our approach to the environment. In Russia, the world’s fourth largest lake has been reduced to two small stagnant ponds due to poor agricultural practices that waste water. In the next article, transgender people were calling for us to do away with gender designated bathrooms and make all public bathrooms open so anyone can use them. I have noticed that when public bathrooms are made unisex that they usually take out the urinals because many women are offended by the sight of them. The average toilet uses about 3-4 gallons or more for every flush while a urinal uses a pint to a quart. Some new ones don’t use any water. That means that every time a man uses a urinal he saves up to four gallons of water. If I had one installed in my home, I could probably save about 100 gallons a week. That is water I pay for and then flush it down the toilet. For a city of 500,000, assuming half are men, a urinal in every bathroom could save 25 million gallons a week, or enough in a year to fill a small city reservoir. If we installed one in every home and business, America probably wouldn’t have a water crisis. Make a little cabinet for it and women wouldn’t have to see it. Install a little attachment for women and you could double the savings. Environmentalists want people out west to tear up their grass, which cleans carbon from the air and holds water in the soil, and leave it bare so the water runs off and down the sewer. In addition, grass has a cooling affect while bare ground reflects heat back into the air. Maybe we ought to enlist the environmentalists in our fight against the transgender movement since its a threat to the environment. It is just another instance where environmentalists look for easy solutions, not always the best solution.
Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category
Environment-N
I have always had the impression that the environmentalists operate solely on feelings and ignore facts but saw a recent article confirming it once again. Some time ago I heard they were tearing down some dams in Washington State and didn’t think anything of it because we have a lot of old coffer dams that are aging and getting weak threatening to break and cause floods. Recently I saw an article saying these are hydroelectric dams being torn down to save the salmon. Salmon swim up river to breed and the dams blocked them so they couldn’t breed and their numbers declined. The environmentalists pointed this out in the 1970’s. That is true and so the government built salmon ladders which are a series of pools like a ladder to allow the fish to swim up over the dam. That solved the problem and the salmon returned. Now the environmentalists are again claiming that the dams are threatening the salmon, even though their numbers are increasing. The dams don’t pose any threat. The problem is that these are hydroelectric dams which produce electricity. The environmentalists are pushing for solar panels and wind turbines to replace coal and gas fired generators. Yet they are not dependable because the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. While some hydroelectric dams in the west are being threatened by low water levels due to drought, that is a rare occurrence and that is not a problem in Washington State. Water generated electricity is generally dependable and consistent and tearing down hydroelectric dams to solve a problem that doesn’t exist doesn’t make sense. The fish aren’t having a problem so why should we tear down the dams, when we really need them. The salmon numbers are below what they should be but it isn’t due to the dams. Animal protection activists fought to ban the killing of walruses and seals so they have been multiplying and one of their principle foods is salmon. Hunting used to control the numbers of walruses and seals but when hunting them was banned, they have multiplied out of control. Nature has a delicate balance and when we tinker with one thing, it may effect others. We built dams and it caused a problem so we built salmon ladders and solved the problem. That is the way to approach problems. You don’t just jump on something because it looks like a problem, because it may not really be a problem.
Economics-D-C
Energy policies are also not being implemented wisely in managing our power grid. Old power plants using coal and gas are being pulled offline faster than new solar and wind production is being built to replace them. That is straining our already overburdened systems. In addition, electric cars have to be charged and the demand to switch to electric vehicles being pushed by President Biden will put a huge strain on our electric grid. In addition, many of our power distribution lines were constructed a long time ago and are in great need of being updated. Power lines have been responsible for a number wildfires lately when powerlines became overheated or stretched to the point they touched ground or other obstructions. In addition, power generated and transported for long distances loses power resulting in the need to generate additional energy to make up for losses. Wind and solar energy can be helpful in supplementing the power grid, but cannot be relied on as the sole source. Many homes and businesses can get their own wind and solar generators to cut down on their electric bills. Solar panel and wind turbines can often be mounted on roofs where they don’t take up valuable land. In addition, it saves the need for transmitting power over long distances and will ease the strain on our power grid. Many generators produce more than the household or business needs and the excess power can be sold back to the power company to supplement their own power. However, power companies are often penalizing homes and businesses by underpaying them for electricity they supply and overcharging them when they need additional electricity to discourage them from switching because it costs them revenue.
Economics-D-B
President Biden continues to push for more reliance on renewable energy with no concern for how it is done. We are facing an increasing energy crisis with existing energy use and our electric grid is being pushed to the limits. We are using an increasing amount of electricity. Homes that once used electricity for lighting now have radios, TVs, electric appliances in the kitchen, electronic equipment in the den, and a host of other electric gadgets. Many homes were not built for such use and it is straining their electric wiring. However, nationwide, we are seeing even bigger problems. A few years ago, America was hit with a series of rolling blackouts as our usage exceeded the capacity of power companies to supply power. Energy suppliers were able to overcome the problems by increasing electric generation and distribution systems but we are again facing the possibility of rolling blackouts. When wind and solar power are more environmentally friendly, they aren’t reliable. Clouds occasionally hamper solar collectors and the lack of wind occasionally hampers wind turbines. Texas experienced massive blackouts when cold weather froze wind turbines and snow covered solar collectors. They aren’t alone. Northern States are finding that electric vehicles don’t work well in cold weather.
Economics-D-A
My wife and I took a trip to Van Wert, Oh a couple years ago, and were surprised to see rows and rows of wind turbines. There looked like there were over 100 that we could see. They stretched for miles north of town and as far west as we could see. We also saw a solar energy field. They apparently had the foresight to plan ahead for cheap energy. Van Wert isn’t a big city and is mostly rural area so the turbines probably supply most of their energy needs. The turbines were probably purchased with subsidies from the government, so they didn’t pay full price for them and the money they save not having to buy energy from outside will pay for the turbines in the future. When the turbines are paid off, they will have cheap energy and most everyone else will still be paying high prices for energy. In addition, the subsidies can not last long with the way our government is spending money so they were smart to take advantage of them while they are available. Many areas are fighting solar and wind fields because they think they will be an eye sore. In addition, they take up far more land than traditional power stations. Some fields cover hundreds of acres.
Environment-M
We are continuing to see the folly of depending on wind and solar power. Texas endured a long period without electricity over most of the State because they got an unexpected snow storm. It is extremely rare but a major problem if it occurs. Their solar panels got covered with snow and the wind turbines froze. They had not kept their regular power stations on standby to cover the interim because it is so rare. As a result, a lot of people suffered from their neglect. We need to keep regular power plants to back up and support solar and wind power. In addition, we need to realize the limitations of electric vehicles. Many cities have a large portion of their electric buses inoperable because of frequent breakdowns and the inability to get parts to fix them. M=In addition, many northern States are finding that their electric powered buses that are still running do not run well in the cold weather. In addition, we can’t just suddenly switch to all electric because we need to prepare the power grid and a lot of people don’t have the money to get them, not to mention that a lot of good gas powered vehicles would end up in the junk yards creating a tremendous waste of resources. While protecting the environment is important, it should not be pushed to the extreme where it does more harm than good.
Environment-M
M-We are continuing to see the folly of depending on wind and solar power. Texas endured a long period without electricity over most of the State because they got an unexpected snow storm. It is extremely rare but a major problem if it occurs. Their solar panels got covered with snow and the wind turbines froze. They had not kept their regular power stations on standby to cover the interim because it is so rare. As a result, a lot of people suffered from their neglect. We need to keep regular power plants to back up and support solar and wind power. In addition, we need to realize the limitations of electric vehicles. Many northern States are finding that their electric powered buses do not run well in the cold weather. In addition, we can’t just suddenly switch to all electric because we need to prepare the power grid and a lot of people don’t have the money to get them, not to mention that a lot of good gas powered vehicles would end up in the junk yards creating a tremendous waste of resources. While protecting the environment is important, it should not be pushed to the extreme where it does more harm than good.
Environment-L
While Democrats claim to support scientifically based transition to renewable energy, they ignore much of the scientific evidence. While they push the benefits, they ignore the problems created. While they push reducing pollution emissions in the United States, they ignore the fact that we have already reduced the vast majority of emissions and further efforts will seriously hurt the economy while producing almost no benefit to the environment. In addition, they push for stricter controls in the United States while ignoring China and India who produce the vast majority of man-made pollution. In addition, many so-called scientific studies have been doctored to create scary scenarios and ignore the real facts. They pushed scary stories of the dangers of overpopulation to justify the need for abortion at a time the birth rate in the United States was actually declining and food production was exceeding demand resulting in needless destruction of grain because there was no place to store it. In fact, last year the world’s population actually decreased and the government continues to pay farmers to keep thousands of acres out of food production to support food prices and prevent surpluses.
Environment-K
While environmentalists push for electric cars and wind turbines to help the environment, they ignore the environmental problems they cause. The batteries for electric cars and turbine blades for wind turbines have a very short lifespan but cannot be recycled. Many are being buried. Lithium for batteries is also very environmentally destructive to mine. In addition, solar and wind energy are undependable and depend on weather while gas and oil are not. In addition, wind turbines and electric cars are very expensive. The battery for an electric car now costs more than we used to pay for the whole car. In addition, solar fields are destroying large areas of environment and wind turbines endanger birds who are killed by the spinning blades. We are being forced into a program which is undependable and very expensive with very little thought to the problems involved and are not waiting for the problems to be solved. In addition, the changeover is benefiting those who produce the energy. Many of these programs are subsidized with federal money but benefit private companies. There has been a big push to help companies create wind and solar fields but little to help individuals. California produced a solar field covering 150,000 acres in the desert. That energy has to be transmitted over a long distance to faraway cities. Energy is lost in the transmission and there is the possibility of disruption by weather and other factors. Yet, individuals and businesses have large areas of roof and parking lots that could be used to produce electricity and would not have to be transmitted over long distances. While California claims to be trying to help the environment, they reduced the payback for excess energy produced by individual solar panels and wind turbines which hurts individuals by making it more difficult to recoup the costs of installing them, discouraging individuals from purchasing them. As a result, companies are buying cheap electricity from individuals and selling it for a profit.
Environment-J
While we should seek to protect the environment, we should research what we do to make sure it actually helps. Ethanol was promoted by environmentalists as the answer to global warming. It was supposedly clean burning, would produce less pollution, and was renewable. Unlike our petroleum supply, which is not renewable, Ethanol is produced from grain and is therefore in infinite supply. Those are lofty goals and worth pursuing. However, like many liberal promotions, truth is in short supply. In fact, it corroded the engines so engines had to be redesigned to accommodate it. While I would like to help the environment when I can, I could not afford a car that took it for a long time. However, it didn’t go far with the public and today few stations carry it. When I got a car that could use it, I looked for a local station that carried it. I finally found a station that sold it and was glad to find that it cost about one fourth of the cost of regular gas, which I estimated would save me about $9.00 a week, so I started using it. After using it for a few months, I found that my gas mileage had dropped. Apparently, it produces less energy and takes more gas to get the same power. In fact, it cost me $3.00 more per week. Needless to say, I no longer use it. In addition, it was supposed to be cleaner burning but produced so much pollution in my engine that I was not able to get normal gas mileage until months after I returned to using regular fuel.