Here is a contrary thought. We do not need A.I. The questions to ask is who is pushing it and why?
I do not fear A.I., but I fear the hype over it for two reasons: 1. It will place too much focus on a technology that promises much and will undeliver by a lot (I have seennl this song-and-dance routine before); and 2. It will drain the energy supply away from residential use, which will make residential energy more expensive for regular people. The former will enrich shareholders and the latter will impoverish everyone else.
The glorification of intelligence is nothing but the worship of the ability to create new technology, the pursuit of which is fundamentally incompatible with life and sustainability.
The economic benefits of replacing fossil fuels aren’t working fast enough to stop the destruction of the earth’s environment. The only way to accelerate the phase out of fossil fuels and their byproducts is through government intervention. And sadly, here in the United States, we’re going to be lucky to still have our democracy intact after this year’s election cycle.
Please, make sure that you, your friends, and your acquaintances, vote for candidates that will represent the people instead of corporations. Our environment, and our descendant’s lives depend on it.
This lack of limits on energy use by oligarchs exploiting crypto and AI reminds me precisely of the problems along the Colorado River and elsewhere, where wealthy landowners and corporate farms are able to extract enormous amounts of groundwater, with almost no accountability, and until recently not even requirements to disclose how much groundwater was being used. Unregulated cartel capitalism, US style, lets different elements of "the commons" be exploited by the wealthiest, most politically power actors, with barely a word said to defend the rights of the other 99% of us. The commons end up being used as a consequences-free dumping ground for industrial waste or a resource to be extracted and exploited without compensation to the rest of us.
Many of the citizens of this planet have bought into the idea that it's just fossil fuels that are causing our climate headaches. Unfortunately, it is NOT. What then is? The issue has a lot to do with where and how we have impacted the uses of free moving fresh waters on this planet. And where is the most fresh water on this planet to be found? In the subarctic from cenrtal Siberia to Northeastern Labrador.
For thousands of years free moving and large rivers dominated the landscape in the subarctic and Arctic. In the winter, they would freeze over solid, and by june, spring, would break up the ice and rivers would be free flowing for some months. Much of the ground area in the uppper latitudes was always covered with some form of permafrost .
In the early 1950s Russia wanted access to Siberia. The Central to Northern portions vast in size size but difficult to utilize. A scientific effort got underway to figure out how they might get an accessible port on the Siberian Arctic Ocean. They figured out that if you built a mega dam to generate hydroelectric by imprisoning and forcing a major river inland flooding, burying permafrost and any and all carbon, trees, tundra, etc. Then storing this huge seas-size reservoir of sorts sitting stagnant a whole summer it would begin to heat up. It would evaporate some and add heat and humidity to the cool surrounding regions. Not one river did they imprison but many that were spread out from Western to Eastern Siberia.
In winter, they would only generate electricity. Waters entering the turbines was warmer drawn from well below the frozen surface. And then discharged 400-600 feet into the stream bed below
With temperatures 0 or -20 an unlimited amount of water vapor(moist heat )would now be heating the surrounding river valleys all winter long. Water still warmed would make it into the bays then into the Arctic Ocean. Canada joined the Soviets and followed the same dam model to store waters all summer long and in winter only generate electricity and pump unlimited water vapor(heat)all winter into the Atmosphere and region. Both Canada and Russia for 70 years continue to use this model.
The cumulative effects we're all now living under. Here's supporting
Also the largest contributor to GHG is from water evaporating into the atmosphere And this is only now beginning to be accounted for: An on-line publication from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group states: “The total amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is very large. All of this water comes from condensation of vapor in the atmosphere. For each ton of water that condenses, almost 2 million BTU’s of latent heat is released to the atmosphere.” and current Lower Snake River Research. https://tellthedamtruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LSR-Dam-Reservoir-Estimated-GHG-Emissions-Final.pdf
If Only Bill might take a closer look at these effects and the implications of daming much of the fresh waters on Earth.
IMPLICATIONS OF DAMMING UP TO 90% OF LARGE RIVERS BEHIND 400'-700' TALL DAMS.
Historically, many rivers and tributaries provided water to the Arctic region, flowing unrestricted into the bays and into the Arctic Ocean (a highly sensitive and significant, but the smallest, ocean on the planet).
24 hours a day, 7days a week, the moving water helped keep the planet and this region cooler, moving waters in general are cooler than stagnant water. After-all isn’t this the definition of a river or stream?
From the 1950s to the mid 1980s a significant number of major rivers and tributaries in the subarctic were dammed, causing the natural hydrological cycles of this region to be permanently altered with serious consequences.
Many of these dams were huge: 400-700 feet tall and some would take a decade or more, trapping up to 90% of the rivers normal flow, to fill them. And multiple dams were added too many now destroyed rivers.
The hydroelectric model used is called "Strict Flow Regulation" or "seasonal water discharges". What this means: The majority of water for each former river is stored in sea-size reservoirs that impound the water for up to 6 months at a time.
This model is the most damaging to all flora and fauna and totally debilitating the ecological integrity of riverine systems.
ndigenous local populations have been impacted severely with loss of a way of life and their economic security.
These reservoirs have indiscriminately covered over boreal forest, tundra, and permafrost lands. Decomposition of carbon and melting of permafrost is still ongoing and releasing significant GHG emissions.
The velocity at which the water is discharged through the turbines is at least 5 times greater than normal river flow and quantities of water released downstream is 5 to 15 times greater than the normal flow for a year.
Many of the reservoirs (former rivers) are now adding huge volumes of fresh water into the small Arctic Ocean, causing desalination, altering the ocean currents along both coasts of the US, and helping to slow the AMOC current.
The velocity of water discharges is great and with warmed water hitting the Arctic cold air, huge amounts of water vapor is released into the atmosphere and surrounding downstream regions and has been every winter for last 60 years.
This strong velocity of discharge and heated water stored behind dams is causing downstream waters to no longer freeze in the winter. It’s now sending this warmer water into the small Arctic Ocean, melting the ice, altering natural current patterns, and destabilizing the regional and global climate.
Bill It seems to me that a person of your name recognition and status should be able to attract funding from one of the ultrarich who claim to be looking for places to donate that will have an immediate effect. What other issue but global warming is more compelling? I hope you have at least one of your fundraisers dedicated to systematically sorting out and contacting these prospects. Hard to believe that there aren't at least a few who understand the seriousness of the problem.
The climate debate will always be uneven. Advocates of urgent response cite facts, research and sophisticated computer projections. Those invested in fossil fuels use lies and propaganda, fueled by vast amounts of money. Yes, that debate must continue, but we also need action on every front - political, social, cultural - to overcome the power and wealth of the entrenched interests.
This feels like a good news - bad news thing. We’ve waited and worked and hoped for decades for the climate crisis to be front and center in a national election campaign. Now that it is, the dark side threatens to eclipse the light. Thanks for the warning. ‼️
Hi Bill, you have a typo at the beginning of "wildland foresters" which should be firefighters, not foresters. Did you mean wildfire firefighters? cheers. It confused me because I am a forester. :)
Hi Bill, -- really good information here -- really needed - and thanks.
Also - due to the embargo from the US Government / US Universities / and US commercial interests -- the POD MOD Project has been invited, by the head of state - to a free-world country other than the US - for funding - then manufacturing and installation through-out.
And if there is any doubt -- it's going.
At least they're serious about Global Warming / Climate Change.
Please keep up the extremely necessary work you are doing in finding the facts and keeping us advised as to who the really "bad guys are".
It's going to be interesting to see their reactions as they begin to realize that their single-sourced fossil-fuel bank is going to be dried up- due to loss of demand -- commercialism at it's best.
Also - your work helps better define the target countries better - that are serious about the subject of Climate Change - instead of the US Government's position of "commercialized only".
"John Ketchum, CEO of utility NextEra Energy Inc., told attendees that US power demand, which has been relatively flat for years, is poised to increase by 81% over the next five years. Toby Rice, chief of the largest US natural gas driller, EQT Corp., cited a prediction that AI will gobble up more power domestically than households by 2030."
One more example of our unquenchable appetite and consumption with no thought or concern or even recognition of the consequences by most Americans and the developed world.
Are you still happy with the pace of climate action on the part of Dems, Bill?
I see they're picking guys "with deep ties to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-Pollution)" and "cheerleaders for the LNG boom" for posts now. But they know they'll get some enviro's votes and Big Enviros' endorsements no matter what, so why change or kick bold action into gear?
They won't change as long as they think they own your vote! Please no anti-Green letters this year.
I can't overstate my appreciation for you keeping us informed about the climate crisis. I have nothing to add, but I will say that I think something is urgently needed to deal with long-term, usually weather related, outages of renewable energy sources. I am pleased to see more about that issue recently, but more is needed. As of now, clean backup energy sources desperately need to be developed as does the design and development of an electric grid to ship energy anywhere. All of the potential sources of storing energy to deal with long-term outages need to be considered - green hydrogen, hydroelectricity, geothermal, pumped water, etc. and an electric grid that can handle it.
Here is a contrary thought. We do not need A.I. The questions to ask is who is pushing it and why?
I do not fear A.I., but I fear the hype over it for two reasons: 1. It will place too much focus on a technology that promises much and will undeliver by a lot (I have seennl this song-and-dance routine before); and 2. It will drain the energy supply away from residential use, which will make residential energy more expensive for regular people. The former will enrich shareholders and the latter will impoverish everyone else.
The glorification of intelligence is nothing but the worship of the ability to create new technology, the pursuit of which is fundamentally incompatible with life and sustainability.
The economic benefits of replacing fossil fuels aren’t working fast enough to stop the destruction of the earth’s environment. The only way to accelerate the phase out of fossil fuels and their byproducts is through government intervention. And sadly, here in the United States, we’re going to be lucky to still have our democracy intact after this year’s election cycle.
Please, make sure that you, your friends, and your acquaintances, vote for candidates that will represent the people instead of corporations. Our environment, and our descendant’s lives depend on it.
This lack of limits on energy use by oligarchs exploiting crypto and AI reminds me precisely of the problems along the Colorado River and elsewhere, where wealthy landowners and corporate farms are able to extract enormous amounts of groundwater, with almost no accountability, and until recently not even requirements to disclose how much groundwater was being used. Unregulated cartel capitalism, US style, lets different elements of "the commons" be exploited by the wealthiest, most politically power actors, with barely a word said to defend the rights of the other 99% of us. The commons end up being used as a consequences-free dumping ground for industrial waste or a resource to be extracted and exploited without compensation to the rest of us.
Many of the citizens of this planet have bought into the idea that it's just fossil fuels that are causing our climate headaches. Unfortunately, it is NOT. What then is? The issue has a lot to do with where and how we have impacted the uses of free moving fresh waters on this planet. And where is the most fresh water on this planet to be found? In the subarctic from cenrtal Siberia to Northeastern Labrador.
For thousands of years free moving and large rivers dominated the landscape in the subarctic and Arctic. In the winter, they would freeze over solid, and by june, spring, would break up the ice and rivers would be free flowing for some months. Much of the ground area in the uppper latitudes was always covered with some form of permafrost .
In the early 1950s Russia wanted access to Siberia. The Central to Northern portions vast in size size but difficult to utilize. A scientific effort got underway to figure out how they might get an accessible port on the Siberian Arctic Ocean. They figured out that if you built a mega dam to generate hydroelectric by imprisoning and forcing a major river inland flooding, burying permafrost and any and all carbon, trees, tundra, etc. Then storing this huge seas-size reservoir of sorts sitting stagnant a whole summer it would begin to heat up. It would evaporate some and add heat and humidity to the cool surrounding regions. Not one river did they imprison but many that were spread out from Western to Eastern Siberia.
In winter, they would only generate electricity. Waters entering the turbines was warmer drawn from well below the frozen surface. And then discharged 400-600 feet into the stream bed below
With temperatures 0 or -20 an unlimited amount of water vapor(moist heat )would now be heating the surrounding river valleys all winter long. Water still warmed would make it into the bays then into the Arctic Ocean. Canada joined the Soviets and followed the same dam model to store waters all summer long and in winter only generate electricity and pump unlimited water vapor(heat)all winter into the Atmosphere and region. Both Canada and Russia for 70 years continue to use this model.
The cumulative effects we're all now living under. Here's supporting
Information. https://climate.nasa.gov/ask-nasa-climate/3143/steamy-relationships-how-atmospheric-water-vapor-supercharges-earths-greenhouse-effect/
Also the largest contributor to GHG is from water evaporating into the atmosphere And this is only now beginning to be accounted for: An on-line publication from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group states: “The total amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is very large. All of this water comes from condensation of vapor in the atmosphere. For each ton of water that condenses, almost 2 million BTU’s of latent heat is released to the atmosphere.” and current Lower Snake River Research. https://tellthedamtruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LSR-Dam-Reservoir-Estimated-GHG-Emissions-Final.pdf
If Only Bill might take a closer look at these effects and the implications of daming much of the fresh waters on Earth.
IMPLICATIONS OF DAMMING UP TO 90% OF LARGE RIVERS BEHIND 400'-700' TALL DAMS.
Historically, many rivers and tributaries provided water to the Arctic region, flowing unrestricted into the bays and into the Arctic Ocean (a highly sensitive and significant, but the smallest, ocean on the planet).
24 hours a day, 7days a week, the moving water helped keep the planet and this region cooler, moving waters in general are cooler than stagnant water. After-all isn’t this the definition of a river or stream?
From the 1950s to the mid 1980s a significant number of major rivers and tributaries in the subarctic were dammed, causing the natural hydrological cycles of this region to be permanently altered with serious consequences.
Many of these dams were huge: 400-700 feet tall and some would take a decade or more, trapping up to 90% of the rivers normal flow, to fill them. And multiple dams were added too many now destroyed rivers.
The hydroelectric model used is called "Strict Flow Regulation" or "seasonal water discharges". What this means: The majority of water for each former river is stored in sea-size reservoirs that impound the water for up to 6 months at a time.
This model is the most damaging to all flora and fauna and totally debilitating the ecological integrity of riverine systems.
ndigenous local populations have been impacted severely with loss of a way of life and their economic security.
These reservoirs have indiscriminately covered over boreal forest, tundra, and permafrost lands. Decomposition of carbon and melting of permafrost is still ongoing and releasing significant GHG emissions.
The velocity at which the water is discharged through the turbines is at least 5 times greater than normal river flow and quantities of water released downstream is 5 to 15 times greater than the normal flow for a year.
Many of the reservoirs (former rivers) are now adding huge volumes of fresh water into the small Arctic Ocean, causing desalination, altering the ocean currents along both coasts of the US, and helping to slow the AMOC current.
The velocity of water discharges is great and with warmed water hitting the Arctic cold air, huge amounts of water vapor is released into the atmosphere and surrounding downstream regions and has been every winter for last 60 years.
This strong velocity of discharge and heated water stored behind dams is causing downstream waters to no longer freeze in the winter. It’s now sending this warmer water into the small Arctic Ocean, melting the ice, altering natural current patterns, and destabilizing the regional and global climate.
Thank you, tho this news is so overwhelming.
Bill It seems to me that a person of your name recognition and status should be able to attract funding from one of the ultrarich who claim to be looking for places to donate that will have an immediate effect. What other issue but global warming is more compelling? I hope you have at least one of your fundraisers dedicated to systematically sorting out and contacting these prospects. Hard to believe that there aren't at least a few who understand the seriousness of the problem.
The climate debate will always be uneven. Advocates of urgent response cite facts, research and sophisticated computer projections. Those invested in fossil fuels use lies and propaganda, fueled by vast amounts of money. Yes, that debate must continue, but we also need action on every front - political, social, cultural - to overcome the power and wealth of the entrenched interests.
How to never question your own stinking privilege, energy consumption and entire lifestyle (all dependent on destructive technologies)
This feels like a good news - bad news thing. We’ve waited and worked and hoped for decades for the climate crisis to be front and center in a national election campaign. Now that it is, the dark side threatens to eclipse the light. Thanks for the warning. ‼️
Hi Bill, you have a typo at the beginning of "wildland foresters" which should be firefighters, not foresters. Did you mean wildfire firefighters? cheers. It confused me because I am a forester. :)
Hi Bill, -- really good information here -- really needed - and thanks.
Also - due to the embargo from the US Government / US Universities / and US commercial interests -- the POD MOD Project has been invited, by the head of state - to a free-world country other than the US - for funding - then manufacturing and installation through-out.
And if there is any doubt -- it's going.
At least they're serious about Global Warming / Climate Change.
Please keep up the extremely necessary work you are doing in finding the facts and keeping us advised as to who the really "bad guys are".
It's going to be interesting to see their reactions as they begin to realize that their single-sourced fossil-fuel bank is going to be dried up- due to loss of demand -- commercialism at it's best.
Also - your work helps better define the target countries better - that are serious about the subject of Climate Change - instead of the US Government's position of "commercialized only".
We need fusion
"John Ketchum, CEO of utility NextEra Energy Inc., told attendees that US power demand, which has been relatively flat for years, is poised to increase by 81% over the next five years. Toby Rice, chief of the largest US natural gas driller, EQT Corp., cited a prediction that AI will gobble up more power domestically than households by 2030."
One more example of our unquenchable appetite and consumption with no thought or concern or even recognition of the consequences by most Americans and the developed world.
Are you still happy with the pace of climate action on the part of Dems, Bill?
I see they're picking guys "with deep ties to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-Pollution)" and "cheerleaders for the LNG boom" for posts now. But they know they'll get some enviro's votes and Big Enviros' endorsements no matter what, so why change or kick bold action into gear?
They won't change as long as they think they own your vote! Please no anti-Green letters this year.
I can't overstate my appreciation for you keeping us informed about the climate crisis. I have nothing to add, but I will say that I think something is urgently needed to deal with long-term, usually weather related, outages of renewable energy sources. I am pleased to see more about that issue recently, but more is needed. As of now, clean backup energy sources desperately need to be developed as does the design and development of an electric grid to ship energy anywhere. All of the potential sources of storing energy to deal with long-term outages need to be considered - green hydrogen, hydroelectricity, geothermal, pumped water, etc. and an electric grid that can handle it.