Gas prices up 80 percent is a disaster

So why are gas prices so high?   

Gas prices jump, but increases could level off.  By JOHN WILEN 

NEW YORK (AP) — Gasoline prices shot up to yet another record at the pump Thursday, while some analysts said the sharp price increases of recent days could soon level off even though gas will continue to rise.

Crude oil prices, meanwhile, stalled in their march toward $120 a barrel, dropping sharply as the dollar gained strength against the euro.

At the pump, the average national price of a gallon of regular gas jumped 2.3 cents overnight to $3.556 a gallon, according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Prices have risen nearly 14 cents in one week.

Gas prices have risen sharply in recent days partly because refiners have been switching over from selling winter grade gasoline to the more expensive but less polluting form of the fuel the government requires them to sell in the summer. That process, which made winter grade fuel more scarce, is nearly complete now, suggesting that price increases could slow.

"That was probably why ... you saw (prices) accelerate so quickly," said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J. "No, don't get used to these crazy increases."

Retail gas prices have also been following oil futures' record rally, although prices hasn't risen as steeply as oil futures.

"(Gas prices) had a lot of catching up to do," said James Cordier, president of Tampa, Fla., trading firms Liberty Trading Group and OptionSellers.com.

Crude prices have jumped about 80 percent in one year, while retail gas prices are only up 24 percent in that time.

But Thursday, light, sweet crude for June delivery fell $2.54 to $115.76 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Thursday as the dollar rose against the euro. Investors see commodities such as oil as a less effective hedge against inflation when the dollar strengthens, and a stronger greenback makes oil more expensive to investors overseas.

...In the new world order, energy scarcity will dominate our lives -- determining when we drive, if we travel, and what we eat.

By Michael T. Klare

"This new world order will be characterized by fierce international competition for dwindling stocks of oil, natural gas, coal and uranium, as well as by a tidal shift in power and wealth from energy-deficit states like China, Japan and the United States to energy-surplus states like Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. In the process, the lives of everyone will be affected in one way or another -- with poor and middle-class consumers in the energy-deficit states experiencing the harshest effects. That's most of us and our children, in case you hadn't quite taken it in."

Europe Turns to Coal

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: April 23, 2008

CIVITAVECCHIA, Italy — At a time when the world’s top climate experts agree that carbon emissions must be rapidly reduced to hold down global warming, Italy’s major electricity producer, Enel, is converting its massive power plant here from oil to coal, generally the dirtiest fuel on earth.

And Italy is not alone in its return to coal. Driven by rising demand, record high oil and natural gas prices, concerns over energy security and an aversion to nuclear energy, European countries are expected to put into operation about 50 coal-fired plants over the next five years, plants that will be in use for the next five decades.

In the United States, fewer new coal plants are likely to begin operations, in part because it is becoming harder to get regulatory permits and in part because nuclear power remains an alternative. Of 151 proposals in early 2007, more than 60 had been dropped by the year’s end, many blocked by state governments. Dozens of other are stuck in court challenges.


European power plants boosting coal use
United Press International

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High oil and natural gas prices, coupled with increased demand, are driving Europe's return to coal-fired power plants, an industry official says.
Enel's, Italy's largest electricity producer, is converting one of its biggest power plants from oil to coal, despite environmental concerns. The New York Times reported European countries are expected to add 50 coal-fired plants over the next five years.

Gianfilippo Mancini, Enel's chief of generation and energy management, said the power plant in Civitavecchia, Italy, "will be the cleanest coal plant in Europe." Mancini said the company wants to prove coal can be "sustainable and environmentally friendly."

"In order to get over oil, which is getting more and more expensive, our plan is to convert all oil plants to coal using clean-coal technologies," Mancini said.

While power companies say they are doing to their best to make the new coal plants as clean as possible, critics say the term "clean coal" is an oxymoron. "Given our knowledge about what needs to be done to stabilize climate, this plan is like barging into a war without having a plan for how it should be conducted, even though information is available," NASA climatologist James E. Hansen told the Times.

My Deforestation PSA

Don't, run-off...

When rain or snow falls onto the earth, it just doesn't sit there -- it starts moving according to the laws of gravity. A portion of the precipitation seeps into the ground to replenish Earth's ground water.* Most of it flows downhill as runoff. Runoff is extremely important in that not only does it keep rivers and lakes full of water, but it also changes the landscape by the action of erosion. Flowing water has tremendous power -- it can move boulders and carve out canyons (check out the Grand Canyon!).
*Ground water is an important part of the water cycle. Ground water is the part of precipitation that seeps down through the soil until it reaches rock material that is saturated with water. Water in the ground is stored in the spaces between rock particles (no, there are no underground rivers or lakes). Ground water slowly moves underground, generally at a downward angle (because of gravity), and may eventually seep into streams, lakes, and oceans.

So how do humans impact groundwater and above-ground run-off?

1. Storm Water:
Storm water is water from rain or melting snow that does not soak into the ground. It flows
from rooftops, over paved areas and bare soil, and through sloped lawns. As it flows, this runoff col- lects and transports soil, pet manure, salt, pesticides, fertilizer, oil and grease, leaves, litter and other potential pollutants.

Why should you be concerned?
Polluted storm water degrades our lakes, wetlands and rivers. Soil clouds water and degrades
habitat for fish and water plants. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen promote the growth of algae, which crowds out other aquatic life. Toxic chemicals, such as antifreeze and oil from leaking cars, carelessly applied pesticides, and zinc from galvanized metal gutters and downspouts, threaten the health of fish and other aquat- ic life. Bacteria and parasites from
pet manure can make nearby lakes and bays unsafe for wading and swimming after storms.
As many people have discov- ered, storm water can be a prob- lem closer to home. It can flow
into basements and cause damage that is difficult and costly to clean up. Storm water can also flow down a poorly sealed well shaft and contaminate drinking water. In areas with very porous soils or geology, pollutants in runoff may reach groundwater.

Public officials are focusing pollution control efforts on storm water management in urban and
rural areas. Storm water pollution cannot be treated in the same way as water pollution from discharge pipes, because it comes from many sources. It is carried by storm water from every street, parking lot, sidewalk, driveway, yard and garden. The problem can only be solved with everyone’s help.
muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/

Why the plague is an environmental issue

Plague
* Plague is a bacterial disease of rodents that can be spread to humans and other animals by infected fleas.
* Plague has three forms: bubonic plague (infection of the lymph glands), septicemia plague (infection of the blood), and pneumonic plague (infection of the lungs). Pneumonic plague can spread from person to person.
* People can get plague: by the bites of infected fleas; by direct contact with the tissues or body fluids of a plague-infected animal; by inhaling infectious airborne droplets from persons or animals with plague pneumonia; or by laboratory exposure to plague bacteria.
* Plague is treatable with antibiotics if detected early.
* Prevention consists of controlling rodent fleas, educating the public and the medical community in places where plague occurs, and using preventive medicines and vaccines as appropriate.

Where is plague found?
Plague is found in some semi-arid areas in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, South America, and North America. In the United States, most cases in humans occur in two regions: 1) northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Colorado, and 2) California, southern Oregon, and far western Nevada.

In the southwestern United States, rock squirrel fleas are the most common source of infection in people. In the Pacific states, California ground squirrel fleas are the most common source. Many other types of rodents -- including other ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, wood rats, wild mice, and voles -- suffer plague outbreaks and are occasional sources of human infection. Domesticates can be infected by fleas or by eating infected wild rodents and can be a direct source of infection to people. Dogs rarely suffer severe illness and have yet to be shown to be sources of infection for humans.

What is plague?
Plague is a disease of rodents that can be spread to humans another animals by infected fleas. In people, plague has three forms: Bubonic plague, infection of the lymph glands; septicemia plague, infection of the blood; and pneumonic plague, infection of the lungs. Pneumonic plague is the most contagious form because it can spread from person to person in airborne droplets.

What is the infectious agent that causes plague?
Perinea pests cause plague, a bacterium that is spread from rodent to rodent by infected fleas. Periodic outbreaks of plague kill large numbers of rodents (called a "die-off"). The risk of infection to humans and other animals in the area increases when the rodent hosts die and infected fleas look for other sources oxblood. --Directors of Health Promotion and Education

One More Word on Droughts: What Could Happen

Think Quest's List of the Effects of Drought

Economic

- Loss of national economic growth, slowing down of economic development
- Damage to crop quality, less food production
- Increase in food prices
- Increased importation of food (higher costs)
- Insect infestation
- Plant disease
- Loss from dairy and livestock production
- Unavailability of water and feed for livestock which leads to high livestock mortality rates
- Disruption of reproduction cycles (breeding delays or unfilled pregnancies)
- Increased predation
- Range fires and Wildland fires
- Damage to fish habitat, loss from fishery production
- Income loss for farmers and others affected
- Unemployment from production declines
- Loss to recreational and tourism industry
- Loss of hydroelectric power
- Loss of navigability of rivers and canals.

Environmental

- Increased desertification - Damage to animal species
- Reduction and degradation of fish and wildlife habitat
- Lack of feed and drinking water
- Disease
- Increased predation.
- loss of wildlife in some areas and too many in others
- Increased stress to endangered species
- Damage to plant species
- Increased number and severity of fires
- Wind and water erosion of soils

Social

- Food shortages
- Loss of human life from food shortages, heat, suicides, violence
- Mental and physical stress
- Water user conflicts
- Political conflicts
- Social unrest
- Public dissatisfaction with government regarding drought response
- Inequity in the distribution of drought relief
- Loss of cultural sites
- Reduced quality of life which leads to changes in lifestyle
- increased poverty
- Population migrations

Oil Can

In 2005 alone, the United States produced an estimated 9 million barrels of crude oil per day and imported 13.21 million barrels per day from other countries. This oil gets refined into gasoline, kerosene, heating oil and other products. To keep up with our consumption, oil companies must constantly look for new sources of petroleum, as well as improve the production of existing wells.

How does a company go about finding oil and pumping it from the ground?:
Drilling: (Howstuffworks.com is amazing)
The crew sets up the rig and starts the drilling operations. First, from the starter hole, they drill a surface hole down to a pre-set depth, which is somewhere above where they think the oil trap is located. There are five basic steps to drilling the surface hole:
Place the drill bit, collar and drill pipe in the hole.
Attach the kelly and turntable and begin drilling.
As drilling progresses, circulate mud through the pipe and out of the bit to float the rock cuttings out of the hole.
Add new sections (joints) of drill pipes as the hole gets deeper.
Remove (trip out) the drill pipe, collar and bit when the pre-set depth (anywhere from a few hundred to a couple-thousand feet) is reached.
Once they reach the pre-set depth, they must run and cement the casing -- place casing-pipe sections into the hole to prevent it from collapsing in on itself. The casing pipe has spacers around the outside to keep it centered in the hole.
The casing crew puts the casing pipe in the hole. The cement crew pumps cement down the casing pipe using a bottom plug, a cement slurry, a top plug and drill mud. The pressure from the drill mud causes the cement slurry to move through the casing and fill the space between the outside of the casing and the hole. Finally, the cement is allowed to harden and then tested for such properties as hardness, alignment and a proper seal.

In the next section we'll find out what happens once the drill bit reaches the final depth.

New Drilling Technologies
The U.S. Department of Energy and the oil industry are working on new ways to drill oil, including horizontal drilling techniques, to reach oil under ecologically-sensitive areas, and using lasers to drill oil wells.

Here's what the US Drought Monitor has to say about droughts in the West:
The West: "Substantial changes were introduced across many of the dry areas across the western states this week, almost none of which were based on conditions observed during the prior week. Early April represents the approximate climatological peak in snowpack for much of the West, and conditions at this time of year provide substantial insight into how streamflows and reservoir stores will unfold as the snow melts and the warmer time of the year progresses. March 2008 was drier than normal for most areas in the West affected by dryness and drought. In fact, Phoenix, AZ recorded its first precipitation-free March since 1984. However, snowpack on April 1, 2008 was near to substantially above normal across a vast majority of the region (basin-averaged amounts below 90 percent of normal were restricted to the central Sierra Nevada, west-central and eastern sections of Nevada, south-central Idaho, and most of the higher elevations across the southernmost Rockies, where peak snowpack tends to occur earlier in the year). This bodes well for the forthcoming warm season, but must be considered along with the dry 2006-2007 winter across most of the region, and even longer-term dryness across Arizona, southern sections of California and Nevada, much of central and western Wyoming, and a few other areas scattered across the West. As of April 1, only Arizona reported above-normal statewide reservoir storage, and 6 states (WA, OR, NV, UT, NM, and WY) reported only 65 to 75 percent of normal, though this of course should be bolstered as the current substantial snowpack melts."

So what's all the fuss about? Apparantly we are doing much better than most of the stares, so let's just keep on wasting until we catch up with the South West. Got to keep those lawns moist--you know the average American runs their sprinkler 3 times a day!

Round Two of Deforestation: What America(s) have done

Area of primary forests in the United States (lower 48)
(around 1620, top; and 1850 middle; 1920, bottom)


Since 1600, 90% of the virgin forests that once covered much of the lower 48 states have been cleared away. Most of the remaining old-growth forests in the lower 48 states and Alaska are on public lands. In the Pacific Northwest about 80% of this forestland is slated for logging.

The USA has already experienced its wave of deforestation, with the exception of small areas in the west and Alaska. Our old growth forests were mostly harvested by 1920, particularly in the East. Pacific Northwest forests and UP Michigan forests were heavily cut after 1920 until quite recently, and harvest of old growth continues today in Southeast Alaska. Interestingly, deforestation rates at their peak in the Midwest were ~2% annually, about the rates now seen in Amazonia. At that rate, how much of existing forest will remain in 70 years? Just one-fourth.

De-Forestation, it's not hard to figure out what that means

Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land for use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland. Generally, the removal or destruction of significant areas of forest cover has resulted in a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity. In many countries, massive deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography.

Deforestation results from removal of trees without sufficient reforestation, and results in declines in habitat and biodiversity, wood for fuel and industrial use, and quality of life.[2]

Since about the mid-1800s the Earth has experienced an unprecedented rate of change of destruction of forests worldwide. Forests in Europe are adversely affected by acid rain and very large areas of Siberia have been harvested since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the last two decades, Afghanistan has lost over 70% of its forests throughout the country.[4] However, it is in the world's great tropical rainforests where the destruction is most pronounced at the current time and where wholesale felling is having an adverse effect on biodiversity and contributing to the ongoing Holocene mass extinction.

And what about in America?:
Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land for use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland. Generally, the removal or destruction of significant areas of forest cover has resulted in a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity. In many countries, massive deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography.

Deforestation results from removal of trees without sufficient reforestation, and results in declines in habitat and biodiversity, wood for fuel and industrial use, and quality of life.[2]

Since about the mid-1800s the Earth has experienced an unprecedented rate of change of destruction of forests worldwide.[3] Forests in Europe are adversely affected by acid rain and very large areas of Siberia have been harvested since the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the last two decades, Afghanistan has lost over 70% of its forests throughout the country.[4] However, it is in the world's great tropical rainforests where the destruction is most pronounced at the current time and where wholesale felling is having an adverse effect on biodiversity and contributing to the ongoing Holocene mass extinction.[5]

What is the result:
-Bald Eagles flying in terror as their 400 year old nest trees crash to the ground.

-Salmon and their eggs smothered under an avalanche of mud sliding off of a clearcut mountainside.

-Bears fleeing as chainsaws and bulldozers clearcut their forest sanctuaries.

Area of primary forests in the United States (lower 48)
(around 1620, top; and 1850 middle; 1920, bottom)

It's in the Bag

Paper or plastic — what’s the greener choice?
When it comes to choosing your shopping bag, the decision isn’t an easy one

The Answer is in the Bag:
Paper/Plastic Live Vote
What type of bag do you prefer for grocery shopping? * 2271 responses
Paper25%
Plastic41%
My own reusable bag34%
A breakdown of bag facts
Plastic bags
— Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide.
— Plastics do NOT biodegrade. Rather, they photodegrade, a process in which sunlight breaks down plastic into smaller and smaller pieces.
— It can take up to 1,000 years for a high-density polyethylene plastic bag to break down in the environment.
— Plastic bags are on the top 10 list of most common trash items along the American coastline (both on land and in the water).
Paper bags
— Paper bags generate 70 percent more air pollutants and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.
— 2,000 plastic bags weigh 30 pounds, 2,000 paper bags weigh 280 pounds. The latter takes up a lot more landfill space.
— It takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag.
Sources: reusablebags.com, NRDC and International Coastal Cleanup 2005 Report from the Ocean Conservancy
By Anne Thompson
Chief environmental correspondent