| HejiraNYC |
06-28-2010 12:47 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by nailatixela
(Post 897863)
I haven't watched it. I don't know if they are doing some screwed up stuff to get nat gas now - but natural gas is the cleanest fuel we have that we can use right now, today. Much easier to implement then solar, wind, etc. There will be a time for those but natural gas is ready to power America right now. Get us off our oil addiciton.
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Um... how do you define "cleanest?" Last time I checked, natural gas was still carbon-based and emits CO2 when it is consumed. And the extraction method, i.e., "fracking," is some pretty seriously toxic business which mixes carcinogenic compounds with large quantities of underground water that often times ends up in the homes of people with wells sharing the same aquifer. There is nothing "clean" about this.
Solar and wind are infinitely more viable and sustainable. Yes, the technologies are currently very expensive, but as with any other technology, economies of scale will eventually kick in, efficiency will go up and costs will be driven down. It is not going to replace coal, nuclear and natural gas electrical generating facilities tomorrow, but it is enabling many, many people to live completely off the grid or feed clean energy into the grid. Battery technology is improving by leaps and bounds, and plug-in electric cars, e.g., Chevy Volt, are soon to be a reality. The future is electric and the sooner we wean ourselves off of any carbon-based energy source, the better.
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