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Time magazine has identified “The Eight Keys to New Hampshire”

Fire Marshals, global warming, nostalgia — these are just a few of the indicators and factors that will help determine the outcome of the nation’s first primary

Nostalgia; Independent Voters; The Union Leader; Fire Marshals; Huckabee’s New England Appeal; The Ron Paul Effect; Romney’s Rebranding; and, Global Warming.

What is truly notable about this is that Global Warming is the sole “substance”, the sole issue that Time has identified as a critical issue in the New Hampshire voting.  Not Iraq. Not the Economy. Not Health Care.  No, there are seven ‘style’ related “keys to New Hampshire” and only one item of ‘substance’.

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Coal Ash Is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste is the title of an article in the 13 December 2007 Scientific American.  This article looks at several decades of published research on waste from nuclear power and waste from coal-fired electricity plants: and the clar conclusion is that coal pollution is more radiactivity.

 estimated radiation doses ingested by people living near the coal plants were equal to or higher than doses for people living around the nuclear facilities. … when all food was grown in the area, radiation doses were 50 to 200 percent higher around the coal plants.

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The Guardian‘s 50 People who could save the planet is an interesting mix. There are some that I’ve heard of and admire. Many that I’ve never heard of and now admire. And some who I’ve heard of and ‘admire’ is far from a word that I would use for them. 

What was their guiding principle?

50 people most able to prevent the continuing destruction of the planet

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$200 options for oil purchases have gotten hot, with a ten-fold increase in the past several months according to Sydney Morning-Herald reporting. Don’t worry, of course, since at $100, oil remains cheap …

“One hundred dollars a barrel is actually 14.9 cents a cup, so we’re still talking about oil being remarkably cheap,” said Matthew Simmons, the chairman of Simmons & Co International

Yes, oil is much cheaper than a good Bordeaux, by volume, at least.

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As any who come to these pages are already aware, my passion is clear … helping my/your family, my/your community, my/your nation, my/our world find a path toward a prosperous and sustainable energy future. A path that will help us (US) navigate the dangerous seas of the Perfect Storm combination of Peak Oil and Global Warming.

We have seen tremendous movement in the Presidential campaign on energy issues, especially on the D side.  Within this movement and building on it, what follows is part of the concepts that the next President should embrace, presented in the form of a speech that should come from the mouths of a Presidential candidate.

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That popular show, ripping apart a home and putting together an extraordinary new one in just one week, chose to go solar this week.  While far from the greenest show (What effort to recoup / reuse all the material from torn down homes? What discussion of above code insulation or other energy efficient choices?),  this is the type of popular culture venue that can influence many who don’t spend their time researching blog sites that discuss energy issues. 

Tonight’s segment, on the “Ray-Smith Family”, had a solar hot-water heater put in …

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For too long, the debates and reporters questions on the news shows have simply ignored the pressing realities of Global Warming and Peak Oil and other energy/environmental issues. (Thus, What are they waiting for?) Amid all the problems of yesterday’s Republican and Democratic debates, one must give Charlie Gibson for at least raising the issue with both the Republicans and Democratic candidates.

And, when it comes to the responses, it looks like the Democratic Party candidates are now in the position of trying to outbid each other for more aggressive responses to the challenges and the Republican candidates are mainly engaged in a process of proving whose head is further buried in the sand.

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The Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA)  is making hay with its decision to green the annual electronics show in Las Vegas.  With 140,000 attendees, the show’s direct impact is at least 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions … without counting the CO2 from 140,000 travelers.  Nor, the shipping of the show materials and other supplies for displays.   Yes, a very serious challenge.  According to a Washington Post article, CEA’s chief executive, Gary Shapiro said

“It’s pretty ambitious, considering we’re larger than the Super Bowl and all the political conventions.”

Now, based on the costs from the CarbonFund, assuming that there is no discount for mass scale, for $110,000 CEA will be able to make the show carbon neutral. 

Guiltfree Las Vegas partying for a paltry price.

Really, is this greening or Greenwashing?

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The massive (MASSIVE) Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is going Green. 

in 2008, the show will make history again as the largest carbon-neutral trade event in history … offsetting the carbon emissions of all CES venues, freight, shuttle buses and hotel rooms

In addition to directly paying for offsets, the CES is encouraging attendees to offset their travel via Carbonfund.  (Yes, for $11.03, you too can fly from Washington, DC, to Las Vegas, NV, and back guilt free …  that is $5.515 per ton of CO2 emissions … and Carbonfund evidently assumes that all flights are economy class.)

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India is making the choice to seriously subsidize solar power to kick start its solar industry.  While renewables already account for 7.5 percent of India’s electrical generation capacity (of 127 gigawatts), hopes are that this will expand significantly.

As for the subsidy levels,

“My ministry will provide financial assistance amounting to 12 rupees (30 cents) per kilowatt hour in case of solar photovoltaic and 10 rupees per kilowatt hour in case of solar thermal power fed to the electricity grid”

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