Fuel efficiency Kyoto, and Hydrogen Fantasies

[C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided>]

What many who decry the burning of fossil fuels fail to accept is the fact 
that use of such fuels and related hydrocarbons is necessary to grow enough 
food to feed us all. The idea that we can grow enough starch to ferment 
into alcohol to realize a net gain in fuel availability is simply absurd. 
It takes a bunch of fuel and hydrocarbons to make the fertilizer and 
operate the machinery required to produce the alcohol. I believe there is 
no net gain, or if there is it is minuscule. Ethanol fuels are just another 
way to subsidize farmers.

Hydrogen fuel is so impractical as to be laughable. If we return to 
significant amounts of nuclear power to generate electricity then maybe we 
can develop hydrogen as a useful fuel. But you have to put far too much 
energy in before you can get any out.

On a final note, the very latest controversy up North here involves 
building nuclear plants in Northwestern Saskatchewan to generate heat (not 
electricity) which will be used directly to inject superheated steam into 
the famous Athabaska tar sands just across the border in Northeastern 
Alberta. Right now we burn hydrocarbons, mainly natural gas to get enough 
heat to melt the oil out of the sands.There's enough fuel oil in those tar 
sands to last effectively forever if we can extract it. Trouble is, no one 
wants to use Saskatchewan's abundant supply of Uranium to do this, or more 
accurately no one except North Korea wants the waste product: plutonium.Now 
if one considers the latest news about the potential for a U 238 reactor 
(normal fission reactors use U238 enriched with U235) which does not breed 
Plutonium but continues to split the resulting elements from the fission of 
U238 essentially ad infinitum, a nuclear waste reactor if you will, the 
whole hydrogen debate gets exposed for the emperors new clothes story it 
really is.

 Government money going to the automotive industry for research that 
allows them to delay making more fuel efficient vehicles for a little 
longer! Fuel tax anyone? Or do you prefer the tax hidden in your income taxes?

Cheers


Michael Smith
White 1991 164L
Original owner
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