Oil spill predicted to raise insurance rates

Just as if you have too many accidents or speeding tickets your insurance rates can increase, making you start thinking about searching out insurance reviews to get a better deal, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to increase insurance costs.

While it's not the fault of the other oil companies, experts predict the higher premiums that will result could force some of the smaller oil and gas companies out of business.

"The experience is that insurance goes up in areas where there have been large claims," Devon President John Richels said at the Reuters Global Energy Summit, noting that rates always rise after big hurricanes.

While BP did not have external insurance, it's seeking up to $700 million through a policy held by Transocean. It's also been reported that Lloyd’s of London has estimated that net claims from the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico stood between $300 million and $600 million as of last week.

America's insatiable appetite for oil is to blame?

Over across the ocean in the UK, the blame for the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not believed to be the fault of the British Petroleum company, but is felt to be the fault of we Americans. At least according to Jeremy Warner:

At no point does it seem to have occurred to him (President Obama) that the underlying cause is rather closer to home; the environmental ruin now being visited on the Gulf of Mexico is not primarily about safety failures at BP, still less is it about lax regulation. Rather it is to do with America's insatiable appetite for oil.

Considering problems with drilling in the North Sea, and a recent methane explosion it's fairly clear that it's not just the US that's had problems with drilling the ocean floors...Disasters have happened since 1967 so it seems it'd be more accurate to suggest many nations have much to still learn about how to prevent disasters...While it's also true that the US uses more oil per day as a nation, it's interesting if you look at who uses more oil per capita - according to this chart.

Abuse of polling data has a long pedigree

I've shared my thoughts on polling and how polling data is used many times here and on Glass City Jungle. I said, "AMEN" more than once when reading this article, Climategate Claptrap, I by Mark Hertsgaard. I highly recommend reading all of it, but one part that I felt was important:

Advocates across the political spectrum habitually cite polls to "prove" that the public holds a certain view of a given issue, even when the truth is more complicated or even contradictory. This appears to be happening with the climate issue. As the Obama administration and Congressional leaders prepare to introduce new climate legislation, mainstream media have given fresh prominence to deniers' claims of fraud and rampant error on the part of climate scientists. Meanwhile, surveys by Gallup and other leading pollsters are being spun as evidence that the deniers are gaining ground among the public, which is supposedly divided over whether to take action against rising temperatures and the droughts, storms and sea-level rise they trigger. A closer look, however, suggests that public opinion has changed very little. What has changed is the message coming from the media, key parts of which have reverted to their longstanding posture of scientific illiteracy and de facto complicity with the deniers' disinformation campaign.

Cold winter of discontent for the warm-mongers

Or is it? There are two items that I think should be pointed out, first it's being reported that the earth has not warmed at all in the past decade but the sea level is rising because of ice melt in Greenland.

Does this mean the end of global warming as a theory? Not completely, since it was based on more than mean temperature, it was also measured on co2. Ten minutes from Al Gore that makes that point...



Last winter here in Ohio, it was the coldest winter since 1994, so it's clear that the temperature in our area has not risen. What is the answer? Beyond knowing that pollution and man does have an impact on the environment, does that mean that all of the concern for the environment should be tossed out because the mean planet temperature has not raised? Then there is the computer hacking story, should it be a bigger story? Is the MSM not covering it enough? Perhaps not, but if the computer system was hacked into, how does one know for certain what is being released was really written? It's not that hard to change material...If the material released wasn't altered, does that make the concerns go away?

Not all of them, at least not if you have paid attention to all of the issues, taking them into consideration with what we do know, and that is co2 numbers are rising, glaciers are melting, the sea level is rising. Something is causing that...How much of a degree does man impact that has and is still the issue.

America turns red, white and green

Interview that caught my attention that I wanted to point out in a recent New Scientist article done by Graham Lawton with President Barack Obama's science adviser John Holdren. Part of that recommended piece:

On a global level, what needs to happen as we approach the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen in December?

The industrialised nations need to get their acts together before they can expect the developing countries to come on board. We have historically produced a large part of the problem, although the numbers are shifting. Two things are obvious: the industrialised nations have an obligation to lead, and the developing countries have to join pretty soon, or we're going to be cooked.

I believe that if the US can go to Copenhagen with a specific policy in place, the chances are very good that we can get an agreement in which major developing countries make commitments that will move them onto a declining emissions trajectory. They are still waiting for concrete evidence that the US is going to move, but I think if the US does move, we will see a degree of progress at Copenhagen that will surprise people.

'Drill, baby, drill' was more than a political chant

It's actually happening, in Virginia.

The U.S. Interior Department has completed the first step, closing a public comment period on the proposal to lease 2.9 million acres of ocean to natural gas and oil companies. The pie-shaped area begins 50 miles off Virginia's coast, straight out from Virginia Beach on the south and across from Virginia's boundary on the Delmarva peninsula to the north.

"The East Coast really has not been looked at for 30 years," said Randall Luthi, who heads up the drilling plan as director of Interior's Minerals Management Service. Luthi spoke from his Washington office to CNN Radio.

"Our best guess is that area could contain about 130 million barrels of oil and 1.14 trillion cubic feet of natural gas," he said.

Besides the changing of the President there are some other factors that will come into play. Not a huge part of the article but something worth pointing out is the decreased price of gasoline, that will be a factor. Then the environmental/risks to nature that the article points out:

"The Navy has a lot of operations out there, in the area where this drilling takes place," he said, "And the North Atlantic right whale, there's only 300 or 400 of those individual whales left, and they migrate through that area as well."

The Navy has expressed concern about the prospect of drilling rigs in the area where much of its Norfolk fleet trains. NASA has objected as well because it launches satellites and low-altitude rockets from its facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

Yes, there is some irony in the knowledge that the very same area where only 300 to 400 North Atlantic Right Whales are at is also the place NASA launches rockets from...evidently no whales have been hit, at least that we know about but it would be pretty horrid for NASA to take out an oil drilling platform.

Stop besmirching plastic bags!

One of the more interesting media releases I received today:

LOS ANGELES, July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- SaveThePlasticBag.com is a newly formed coalition of businesses and citizens. The coalition seeks to counter the one-sided myths and misinformation circulating on the Internet and in the media that have resulted in plastic bags being unfairly stigmatized. The coalition believes that it is time to answer back with the facts and has launched an information website at http://www.savetheplasticbag.com/. The coalition has also sued the County of Los Angeles to overturn a plastic bag ban adopted earlier this year by the Board of Supervisors.

The website

If plastic bags are taxed or banned, paper bag usage will increase dramatically. The website refers to independent third party reports showing that paper bags are far more damaging to the environment than plastic bags.

-- Paper bags result in 3.3 times more greenhouse gas emissions than
plastic bags.
-- Paper bags require far more energy to produce and transport than
plastic bags.
-- Paper bags attract cockroaches, which is a major concern in apartment
buildings.
-- Paper bags are less reusable than plastic bags.

Some anti-plastic bag activists claim that hundreds of thousands of mammals and seabirds ingest or become entangled in plastic bags each year. In fact, as discussed on the website, activists have been using the same five photographs repeatedly to make their point. The coalition condemns this misleading practice. There is no evidence whatsoever that large numbers of sea mammals or seabirds are being injured by plastic bags. The London Times has exposed the myth in a report entitled "Series of Blunders Turned The Plastic Bag Into Global Villain," which can be found on the website.

The website also exposes the myth that plastic bags are made out of oil and that millions of barrels of oil are used annually in the United States to make the plastic bags that Americans use. Plastic bags made in the United States are not made out of oil. If plastic bags are banned, it would have no impact whatsoever on our foreign oil dependence.

A new tax on shopping

A bill is pending in the California Senate (AB 2058) that would force retailers to charge shoppers 25 cents for each plastic carryout bag provided by supermarkets and large retail stores. This would be a new tax on shopping at a time when food prices are skyrocketing. The coalition believes that the sponsors of the bill are being highly insensitive to economically disadvantaged consumers at a difficult time in our economy, simply to placate a small yet vocal group of anti-plastic bag activists.

The coalition wants consumers to speak out and let their elected representatives know they do not want a plastic bag tax or a ban, or any other form of government restriction of their freedom to choose paper or plastic, especially if it based on myths and misinformation. Consumers and retailers do not want a plastic bag police.

A link on the website enables everyone to express their opposition in e-mails that will be provided to decision-makers.

The lawsuit

In January 2008, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted a phased program to ban plastic bags. The program would massively boost usage of paper bags.

The coalition is asking the Los Angeles County Superior Court to invalidate the program because the county failed to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) before voting to adopt it. This was a violation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Instead of preparing an EIR, county staff prepared a report that was nothing more than a one-sided anti-plastic bag advocacy document. For example, there was no mention in the report about the negative environmental impacts of paper bags.

Web site: http://www.savetheplasticbag.com/

If it's agreed our dependency on oil is the largest threat to our national security...

I heard a sound clip where Barack Obama said our reliance on foreign oil is the largest threat to our national security. That sounded familiar...

2007:

For too long, our Nation has been dependent on oil. America’s dependence leaves more vulnerable to hostile regimes and to terrorists, who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments, raise the price of oil, and do great harm to our economy.

2004:

America's dependence on oil is a threat to our national security and our economy. Growing demand and shrinking domestic production means America is importing more and more oil each year - much of it from the world's most unfriendly or unstable regions. We spend more than $200,000 per minute -- $13 million per hour -- on foreign oil, and more than $25 billion a year on Persian Gulf imports alone. By October 2004, Americans had shelled out $249 per capita to foreign oil-interests.

2002:

It is in our national interest to limit our import dependence through market-oriented policies to increase domestic efficiency, conservation, and production. However, oil imports will be an unavoidable component of the energy supply mix of the United States. Under current circumstances, significant reduction of oil imports could not be achieved without severe effects on our industries and a significant reduction in the buying power of American families. Through an effective energy security policy, however, we can do much to ensure that oil imports do not erode the independence of our foreign policy or the security of our economy.

1977:

If this trend continues, the excessive reliance on foreign oil could make the very security of our Nation increasingly dependent on uncertain energy supplies. Our national security depends on more than just our Armed Forces; it also rests on the strength of our economy, on our national will, and on the ability of the United States to carry out our foreign policy as a free and independent nation. America overseas is only as strong as America at home.

The Secretary of Defense said recently, "The present deficiency of assured energy sources is the single surest threat... to our security and to that of our allies."

Republican Groups agree with Democratic Groups.

So the question is...why haven't these past and current Presidents as well as the past and current Congress members actually done anything? We are talking about some of the same problems we knew were coming in 1977 and there has yet to have been a solution from either party...

That is without even addressing the irony in Obama saying something similar to what President Bush said...

Be more green with landscaping lights...

Thanks to the technological advances when it's come to LED lighting it is possible to be able to have the type of outdoor decor you want while still meeting the environmental and cost effective landscape lighting low voltage goals that many are looking for. When you take the additional solar powered light options that LED lighting can provide you can be even more environmentally friendly as well as avoid needing any additional energy source. The fact that LED light bulbs last so much longer whether you use a traditional electric powered or solar powered system also adds to the green factor and the savings factor over traditional forms of outdoor lighting.

"Ozone Man" goes to the WhiteHouse

Peter Baker seems to have had a good time in writing about Bush Meets Al Gore, that was obvious right from the very beginning of the piece:

It must be the season. President Bush tried yesterday to make peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. And he tried to make peace with Al Gore.

For the first time since Bush moved into the house Gore coveted, the two adversaries from the tumultuous 2000 presidential election sat down to talk. When they later let in the folks with pens and cameras, they were all smiles, but mum about their discussion.

The official purpose of the historic summit was not the Middle East peace conference Bush is also hosting this week but the normally more prosaic photo op the White House typically schedules each year with the latest American winners of the Nobel Prize. As it happened, this year's laureates included none other than the guy Bush's father once called "Ozone Man."

Then when you read the Time headline, Bush, the Born-Again Peacemaker you really have to wonder is it the season?

Environmental benefits to Steel Buildings

As a society we have a tendency to consume more than we replace and we don't take advantage of ways we can diminish harm to the environment. This is especially clear when it comes to construction. The average 2,000 square foot home consumes approximately 50 trees as part of the building process where Steel Buildings that make use of recycled steel products would use the equivalent of 6 junked cars. Even in scenarios where the initial construction cost is more when steel is used, the cost of maintenance and the lifespan of the construction make the use of steel in construction more cost effective.

Using recycled steel helps in creating Steel Buildings is better for our economy since it doesn't take jobs away from American Steel Workers by using foreign steel and steel buildings are also more energy efficient. This means they are more environmentally friendly.

I recommend visiting Olympia Buildings and taking a look at some of the photos they have showing the huge variation in style and designs that can be done using steel buildings. I think you'll be surprised at the options for commercial applications, garages, workshops, agricultural uses and even for home additions.

UK has eco friendly search engine...

If you want to make a difference when it comes to the carbon footprint you make here on Earth there is a way you can right from your computer, by merely deciding to use the Carbon Neutral Search Engine every search you make will create a scenario where an offset equal to or greater than 100g of carbon dioxide is released. At this point this will be done by Climate Care, a leading UK offsetting company who to date have offset over 1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions through doing projects like reforestation, helping with energy efficiency and investing in renewable energy technology.

Eventually the goal is to concentrate on renewable energy projects starting in the United Kingdom, the U.S. has not yet done something like this. Yet, changes made in reducing carbon footprints anywhere in the World is a good start to help reduce what affects man has on global warming. This is a new venture, you can tell by the information that is provided when you use the Carbon Neutral Search Engine:

Oct 29, 2007: 2,389 Searches Served = 238.9kg of CO2 Offset

It's a start though, and it's a very easy way to do something green with very little effort on your part...

Not enough water in Georgia?

While we see below that Bangkok is worried about being under water, in Georgia there is a disagreement as to is Georgia in a drought and should they be allowed to stop having to pump so much of their water so that Florida can power hydro-electric plants or not.

CNN is reporting Georgia governor, corps differ over extent of water emergency, which highlights some of the disagreement:

Perdue blasted what he called the "silly rules" governing the water supplies, noting that even if the state got replenishing rains, it could not by law conserve those, but must release 3.2 billion gallons a day downstream.

"The actions of the Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife Service are not only irresponsible, I believe they're downright dangerous and Georgia cannot stand for this negligence," Perdue said.

The corps sent a letter to Perdue assessing the situation and pointing out that they are "not going to run out [of water] any time soon," Payne said.

The corps -- under an agreement reached in the 1980s with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state and downstream users -- releases 5,000 feet of water per second from the dam between Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River.

The figure was based on a Florida hydroelectric power plant's needs, as well as concern for endangered species in the river, including mussels and sturgeon.

When you look at the pictures, it seems fairly clear that the water levels in Georgia are low...

Bangkok eventually will be under the sea...

Whether you want to believe it's climate change brought upon by man or a natural cycle of the Earth, Bangkok faces underwater future. What will happen to the 10 million people remains to be seen as Bangkok is one of the 13 of the world's largest 20 cities at risk of being swamped as sea levels rise in coming decades, according to warnings at the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

It's obvious part of the problem was brought about by bad advice:

Once known as the "Venice of the East," Bangkok was founded 225 years ago on a swampy floodplain along the Chao Phraya River. But beginning in the 1950s, on the advice of international development agencies, most of the canals were filled in to make roads and combat malaria. This fractured the natural drainage system that had helped control Bangkok's annual monsoon season flooding.

Also illegal activity:

But the city, built on clay rather than bedrock, has also been sinking at a far faster pace of up to 4 inches annually as its teeming population and factories pump some 2.5 million cubic tons of cheaply priced water, legally and illegally, out of its aquifers. This compacts the layers of clay and causes the land to sink.

Agency: Pollution Cuts Europe Lifespans

As reported through Wired News life expectancy in western and central Europe will be shorter by nearly a year. There's more at the link but part of it:

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- Poor air and water quality, and environmental changes blamed on global warming, have cut Europeans' life expectancy by nearly a year, Europe's environmental agency warned Wednesday.

More must be done - fast - to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve air and water quality, the European Environment Agency said in a 400-page report presented at a ministerial conference held in Serbia.

Hundreds of thousands of people across Europe are dying prematurely because of air pollution, it said. "The estimated annual loss of life is significantly greater than that due to car accidents," the report said.

At this rate, life expectancy in western and central Europe will be shorter by nearly a year, it said. The current average age expectancy in western and central Europe is 70 for men and 74 for women.

BP Solar Decathlon

We've been covering climate changes and what we can do to help our environment as far as green technology recently. It was with great interest that I read about the BP Solar Decathlon. While the perception of BP only being interested in traditional fossil fuels could be assumed in hearing just the name BP, they are actually very involved in trying to develop different forms of alternative fuels as well as energy efficiency. Twenty university teams design completely solar-powered houses that must be livable in this contest then transport them to Washington D.C. in this event that is held every other year. BP in addition to being a main corporate sponsor is the only energy company to be involved in sponsorship with this event that is also sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

At this moment there are two days to the event, and it's being covered in great detail on a blog specially created for the BP Solar Decathlon that has pictures, information on solar power and as the event grows closer, you can expect the winners to be announced as well. This is the third year for this event and the past two times the University of Colorado took home first place, they were again selected this year to compete by the Department of Energy. Will they bring home the win again or will one of the other teams design the most attractive and most energy efficient solar home? Just a few more days for that to be discovered...

Global warming or not...weather has been devastating...

This picture of a giant wave that hit Taiwan creates an instant sobering moment of the reality of the force of nature.



Then here in the US, hundreds in Chicago were affected by the heat at the Chicago Marathon with one man dying as a result of the heat and humidity.

I know here in Toledo Friday was a record breaking day for heat, yesterday was close and it appears today broke the record that was set in 1963 of 91 degrees, it reached 92 degrees today. This of course points out that we have had record heat in October in years past since Friday's previous record was in 1951 and today's was in 1963.

As has been stated here previously, I do believe man has an impact on the environment that can affect our weather, but I also realize that weather as well as other factors that impact the weather such as Sun flares, etc., do appear to go in cycles as well.

Meeting Dr. Lonnie Thompson

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a forum on Climate change sponsored by the City of Toledo and the University of Toledo. The main speaker for the evening was Dr. Lonnie Thompson from Ohio State University, a leading expert on climate change, especially related to glacier ice. His name will be familiar to those of you have read or heard or watched Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth.

Bottom line, no matter how you feel about global warming the reality is our Earth is changing and at a more rapid pace than predicted. The affects of these changes especially the melting of the glacier ice will have an impact on many parts of the world with huge ramifications possible when it comes to the access to water. China is putting a new coal powered plant to generate electricity online each week, that is going to create even more pollution and a global impact on our environment.

As Dr. Thompson aptly pointed out last night, part of our human nature seems to be never dealing with an issue until it reaches a crisis proportion. A river is polluted for years, a few keep talking about the issue, telling people that action needs to be taken. For years it's ignored until the river gets so polluted it actually catches on fire. That's just one real example of how we as a human race put off action. The reality is it is probably impossible to combat some of what is happening but there are steps we can take to minimize the damage, to not add to it.

Some of those steps were covered last night as far as solutions that will help our environment and make us less reliant on other countries to provide our nation with fuel.

So, even if you are a part of the group that believes that Global warming is a hoax and this is some natural cycle, the natural cycle will cause quite a bit of hardship and destruction that could very well impact us since we all do share the same Earth...

Making change happen...Climate Change Channel

We only have one Earth, that's a statement I grew up hearing, and it is very true. Non-renewable resources will eventually end and if our civilizations get to the point where they have destroyed the environment, living here would be very difficult. There is a huge gamut of beliefs when it comes to topics like Global Warming. Varying degrees of opinions on how much of what we face is man made versus Mother Nature and what control we can have on important issues like climate change.

At first glance it may seem odd for a company like British Petroleum to be involved with a website like Energy Policy TV, but it makes sense, and if you watch the video linked above, people are asking questions. Trying to provide them with answers as to what companies like BP are doing when it comes to the environment is important. Given today's gas prices very few people are going to state that the oil companies are their best buddies, yet we can do more to conserve energy and we can also play a larger role in continuing to promote the concepts of bio fuels and other alternative energy methods.

From a political standpoint if we don't educate ourselves better on the topic of climate change and green energy policies, it's very difficult to listen to those who want us to elect them and know if what they are offering is realistic. When you take a look at the many videos that are provided on the sidebar, EPTV provides a great resource to learn more about what is being said both in Congress, at energy Summits and with interviews with Presidential candidates like Hillary Clinton, who states the focus needs to be on us being more innovative.

Eye of the Dolphin released today...

If you are looking for a family movie that looks like it would be enjoyable for many members of your family, I recommend considering Eye of the Dolphin. I watched the trailer, which I have included here to share with you:



I also visited the website for the movie, Eye of the Dolphin and saw that there is a contest to win free tickets, but I recommend you do so quickly, the contest ends August 26th, sign up is easy online to win free passes at selected theaters, unfortunately none of the theaters in my area are a part of the contest but I am hopeful that the movie will be shown here in Toledo in the weeks to come, since it is not one of the areas where the movie is being shown starting today. This was disappointing since I enjoyed watching the trailer and reading more about the movie online. So, I encourage those of you in an area that the movie is being shown in to remember to stop by and let me know how you enjoyed it, and to take advantage of the chance to win free passes.



:-)