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The Earth doesn't have "infinite" anything... we're not a black hole or own universe.
As a pratical matter the coal supply in the US is "infinite" as it can can long outlast the need for it. Currently we burn about 1 billion tons per year, when adjusted for increased usage the supply works out to a little less than 2 centuries assuming no advances in mining technology or plant efficiencies.
The estimated recoverable reserves are what is known to exist, can be economically mined and don't have other issues like a town built over them.
This enormous coal supply can be tapped into for liquid fuels for any applicaton using diesel, jet fuel or kerosene. It's actually cheaper than conventional oil at the moment however because of the volatile oil market is a very risky investment. This process can be used in co generation facility making liquid fules and using the "waste" heat for electric killing two birds with one stone.
Just look at the itty bitty distances the europeans have to drive and the itty bitty streets they drive on...
LMAO, all of europe can fit inside of Australia...
Of course itty bitty vehicles with itty bitty engines get good gas mileage...
Actually, your picture is a great case for America. Most of Americal ives within that Europe geographical range, with the rest being in California. Chicago & Eastward is most of the U.S. population.
Importing a European car into the United States can be a complicated and expensive process
European cars must meet many United States requirements, or be modified to do so, including vehicle emissions, tire, odometer and safety standards. Failure to meet these standards could result in the car being exported, detained, or even destroyed.
Some differences are significant, like the U.S. rule that requires protection for passengers not wearing seat belts, which has no European equivalent. Others are small, like the U.S. requirement that vehicles have side lights, which are optional in Europe
Ford recently studied 43 regulations in Europe and the U.S. and found that just 11 were equivalent, Vondale said. Fourteen had major differences that would require significant changes. Asian countries' regulations, which are closer to European requirements than their U.S. counterparts, add even more complexities.
It doesn't stop with government standards. Automakers also have to contend with the Arlington, Va.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is funded by the insurance industry and runs its own closely watched set of crash tests.
and even with trying to set ONE standard.....efforts to match lighting standards, for example, were shelved after Japan nixed a regulation requiring daytime running lights and Europe refused to allow rear turn signals to blink red instead of amber
the problem is our own liberal micromanaging government
Importing a European car into the United States can be a complicated and expensive process
European cars must meet many United States requirements, or be modified to do so, including vehicle emissions, tire, odometer and safety standards. Failure to meet these standards could result in the car being exported, detained, or even destroyed.
Some differences are significant, like the U.S. rule that requires protection for passengers not wearing seat belts, which has no European equivalent. Others are small, like the U.S. requirement that vehicles have side lights, which are optional in Europe
Ford recently studied 43 regulations in Europe and the U.S. and found that just 11 were equivalent, Vondale said. Fourteen had major differences that would require significant changes. Asian countries' regulations, which are closer to European requirements than their U.S. counterparts, add even more complexities.
It doesn't stop with government standards. Automakers also have to contend with the Arlington, Va.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which is funded by the insurance industry and runs its own closely watched set of crash tests.
and even with trying to set ONE standard.....efforts to match lighting standards, for example, were shelved after Japan nixed a regulation requiring daytime running lights and Europe refused to allow rear turn signals to blink red instead of amber
the problem is our own liberal micromanaging government
Oh yes, because requiring seatbelts, lights, odometers, and side lights are sooooooo intrusive
(Hint: they prevent traffic fatalities, which means less idiots in the ER on your dime.)
Oh yes, because requiring seatbelts, lights, odometers, and side lights are sooooooo intrusive
(Hint: they prevent traffic fatalities, which means less idiots in the ER on your dime.)
But you should be "free" to be an idiot.
I'm not sure you quite understand what he/she wrote. Those all are required, but they have to meet CERTAIN STANDARDS that should be met while SOLD in the US.
Oh yes, because requiring seatbelts, lights, odometers, and side lights are sooooooo intrusive
Those are choices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpaceMonkyPunks
I'm aiming for my next vehicle will be an all-eletric one. You can argue all you about how long oil will last, but there's one thing none of you can deny: gasoline prices are going to keep going up, up, and up.
And the price of electricity will keep going up, up, and up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambler123
Don't get me wrong - my bashing of the far-right is centered around three key facts:
1) They are far more common around here than any other type of poster.
2) They are the only extremist group with national level representation that has any real power (Tea Party)
Your facts are wrong.
An assumption that all of the far-right are Tea Party is neither a fact, nor fact-based.
How embarrassing is that?.....
Right but its also not cheap to follow all these "environmentally friendly" methods. Some who push these sorts of things also don't tend to live up to what they believe in. I know that one of the wealthiest areas is liberal but is also full of big houses (not good for the environment right?). Seems dishonest.
I've never heard of denying climate change and I tend to follow what the Tea Party says. First time for me.
I also can't say whether we have infinite fossil fuels but other alternatives right now still won't hold a candle to cars powered by fossil fuels in terms of affordability, availability, and distance.
Has man's efforts ever screwed up the climate? Can't say for sure. The earth seems to have a way of doing that all by itself. The only pollution that stands out to me the most is the public buses billowing diesel clouds and construction.
Which era would that be? The Germans have had cars that were remarkably fuel efficient in the 80s until they were brought to the US.
The price to paid for not following environmentally friendly methods is much higher. Oh, I know - we currently just export the pollution to China, and since we don't see it in our back yards, "who cares" is the mindset, but that just doesn't work long term. Ignoring this problem is like ignoring a check-engine light. Yeah, it may be expensive to fix... but how much is your car's engine / civilization worth to you?
With all due respect, if you've never heard of denial of climate change from the far right, Tea Party loons in particular, you must live in a place surrounded by very progressive conservatives... and you must not spend much time on this brain-rotting forum, since the folks around here can't go a week without denying all aspects of climate change.
Finally, yes, man's efforts have screwed up the climate in the past: The Dust Bowl is one recent example. You can also look up various local events, such as older civilizations destroying themselves because of poor farming practices, cutting down all the trees, etc. One can also look to various problems before the EPA clamped down on things - rivers catching fire from pollution etc. If humanity can bugger up the climate on a small scale and have significant impact without much effort, it seems folly to assume it can't be done on a larger scale. This doesn't mean that the climate won't change on its own, of course - it's always changing - but why should simply stand by and make it all so much worse?
And the price of electricity will keep going up, up, and up.
Your facts are wrong.
An assumption that all of the far-right are Tea Party is neither a fact, nor fact-based.
How embarrassing is that?.....
Mircea
Your "facts" are, as always, wrong. How embarrassing is that?
The price of electricity will continue to climb no matter what we do until we discover a better alternative than fossil fuels - demand continues to climb, and supply continues to dwindle. You can hide behind "I want cheap gas!" all you want, but whining about isn't going to magically make new oil and gas fields appear.
The far-right and the Tea Party are in lock-step with each other. Sure, there are a few exceptions, but to sit there and try to deny the strong connection is laughably ignorant. If you don't like the right-wing lunatics cluttering up your "patriotic" Tea Party, tell them to leave. Don't sit there and deny their existence on an internet forum because nobody is going to believe you.
As a pratical matter the coal supply in the US is "infinite" as it can can long outlast the need for it. Currently we burn about 1 billion tons per year, when adjusted for increased usage the supply works out to a little less than 2 centuries assuming no advances in mining technology or plant efficiencies.
The estimated recoverable reserves are what is known to exist, can be economically mined and don't have other issues like a town built over them.
This enormous coal supply can be tapped into for liquid fuels for any applicaton using diesel, jet fuel or kerosene. It's actually cheaper than conventional oil at the moment however because of the volatile oil market is a very risky investment. This process can be used in co generation facility making liquid fules and using the "waste" heat for electric killing two birds with one stone.
Fair enough, though I've been hearing about the wonders of "liquid coal" and "clean coal" for decades, and nothing has come of it based on what's on the market.
"As coal liquefaction generally is a high-temperature/high-pressure process, it requires a significant energy consumption and, at industrial scales (thousands of barrels/day), multi-billion dollar capital investments. Thus, coal liquefaction is only economically viable at historically high oil prices, and therefore presents a high investment risk."
But don't kid yourself - even if we DO have 200 years of coal reserves, we'll just be having this same discussion 200 years from now... with those on the far-right denying that we're almost out of coal and refusing to accept the facts because it's all some "liberal conspiracy to make it more expensive to fill up mah Hummer H1."
Simply running out of one fossil fuel and switching to another to buy more time is just that - buying some time - it does NOT fix the underlying problem, which is dependency upon a limited (or effectively limited) fuel source for ever-increasing world demand.
Oh yes, because requiring seatbelts, lights, odometers, and side lights are sooooooo intrusive
(Hint: they prevent traffic fatalities, which means less idiots in the ER on your dime.)
But you should be "free" to be an idiot.
apparently you have difficulty reading or comprehending what is typed for you
example..in America (and japan) a catalytic converter is REQUIRED (for emissions and anti-pollution)
but that very same catalytic converter also hurts your MPG/MPL
SO while a 930I might get 45 mpg in Europe, it is ROBBED mpg in America because of a restriction within the exhaust system.
too bad you don't understand different countries have different rules and regulations
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