technology

I'm mad. The Oil Drum linked to two articles about how Senator Obama is helping push fuel alternatives such as ethanol and is in fact forming a Senate Coal-to-Liquids Caucus. This is the worst thing we could possibly do to fight global warming and wean ourselves off of oil.

The Fischer-Tropsch process used for converting coal to liquid fuel by some estimates emits as much as twice the amount of carbon as the equivalent amount of petroleum fuels. This is stupid, especially for someone who is supposed to be progressive and a friend to the environment.

Suppose a scientist announces a newly discovered, cheap material that is capable of harnessing 95% of solar energy. Have we found the solution to Peak Oil? Not so fast!