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Energy and the Environment; Policy and the Market

Energy and the Environment; Policy and the Market. By: Jeremiah Parrott. What is “supposedly the case”.

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Energy and the Environment; Policy and the Market

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  1. Energy and the Environment;Policy and the Market • By: Jeremiah Parrott

  2. What is “supposedly the case” • “Man” is causing the earth to warm more rapidly due to various “green house” gases (specifically Carbon Dioxide) emitted from our petroleum-based combustion engines, coal-fired power plants, factories, etc. • Unless drastic measures (i.e. “cap and trade”) are taken and fast, that the world as we know it will be unsustainable. • Alternative “green” technologies can be legitimate “stand-alone” sources of energy.

  3. Malthusians Making Policy • “the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man” - Essay on the Principle of Population(37)‏ • What are humans? (1 minute):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKEAXOnogZU

  4. What is “Cap and Trade”? • Under a “cap and trade” system, government places a ceiling or “cap” on private sector emissions of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gases. (1)‏ • In an apartment complex, one man's “ceiling” is another man's “floor” • It's already in Europe (Since 2005 carbon offsets have been traded electronically on the European Climate Exchange (ECX)) (1)‏

  5. CAP & TRADE: ALL ACES • H.R. 2454: American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 passed by House of Representatives now in committee in Senate. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2454 • Auction off “allowances” or give out for free ($600 billion in credits)‏ • Most likely will have to give out 85% of allowance for free to blunt the impact of higher energy prices on households and energy-intensive industries. • One allowance for every ton of CO2 sent up smokestacks (Coal power plants:emit 2.4 billion tons of CO2 annually—nearly 40% of US greenhouse gas emissions)‏ • http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/22/sweeping-climate-energy-bill-clears-first-big-hurdle-in-congress/ (4)‏

  6. CAP & TRADE: ALL ACES • Bill combines a national renewable energy standard combined with an energy efficient standard. • By 2020: U.S. Electric utilities would be required to get 20% of their power from a combination of renewable sources (15%) and efficiency (5%). (4)‏ • Fuel efficiency/mileage standards regulations (April 2009)‏ • Possible excessive mileage taxing regulations(fees for freeway usage)‏

  7. Cap and Trade in Depth • Carbon credit trading: If a business emits more tons of CO2 that its supply of credits allows, it has the option to buy surplus credits from other firms—or it will have to pay a fine in proportion to the amount of the excess emission.(1)‏ • This can create a new market, or demand for these “credits.” -Chicago Climate Exchange- • Discourages small business: expansion, development, sustainability, competition • Encourages Monopolization of impacted sectors within the economy. (cost passed to consumer)‏

  8. Cap and Trade in Depth • Pass the buck to the consumer; thus, rising prices. MID, PG&E, TID all raised electricity rates in the past year due to “renewable energy” regulations http://www.modbee.com/local/story/485364.html • Must remember that fossil fuels magnify the work output of human beings. (horsepower)‏ • A country's standard of living (SOL) rises and falls with the amount of energy it consumes. • Capping this amount will; in turn, cap our economic output/consequently our S.O.L.

  9. Small/Medium Enterprise(SME) Analysis(Europe)‏ Let's see what small business in Europe who already adopted carbon trading in 2005 thinks about these new regulations... • (2007) more than a third (36%) of SMEs claim to have faced difficulties in “administrative regulations” over the past two years • At EU level 44% of SMEs consider themselves as operating in an over-regulated environment • 2007 • 2002(Before Foundation of European Climate Exchange)‏

  10. (SME) Analysis(Europe) continued: • (2002) Only 12% SMEs thought “administrative regulations” were a major business constraint. • In 5 years (2002-2007) the percentage of SMEs that considered “administrative regulations” (such as “cap and trade”) a major business constraint tripled to 36%. • With unrealistic deadlines for emission standards for cars, power plants, factories, and food production, it would not be too difficult to imagine this percentage to be much higher in this year's analysis • NCLB unrealistic goals? Eerily similar?

  11. Religion connection • Medici family (Florence, Italy) 14th century banking family • Selling of Indulgences by Catholic Church(Since lending $[usury] at interest was a sin)‏ • Selling of carbon credits a modern day selling of indulgences. • Psychological propaganda: (guilt: i.e. your carbon footprint)

  12. Your carbon Footprint

  13. Multi-national Corporation connection: • Christopher Horner in The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Environment (Regnery, 2007), “Enron, like many of the very biggest businesses in America, saw Kyoto—and still see global warming laws and regulations—as the best price-fixing and subsidy-creating deal in history.”

  14. Profiteers! • Individuals have taken advantage of the PPPs (Public Private Partnerships) that have begun to flourish in the United States, which: • Provide limited liability • Provide political support for one another • Create favorable legislation for elite groups(Ex.: January 2007; 10 major companies including GE, DuPont, Caterpillar, Alcoa, and Duke Power announced a U.S. Climate Action Partnership calling for nationwide carbon emission controls and cap and trade(1).

  15. Profiteers! • Al Gore • Established his own global warming nonprofit: The Alliance for Climate Protection. • Chairman and founder of private equity firm called: Generation Investment Management (GIM)‏ • Henry “Hank” Paulson • Co-founder of GIM with Al Gore • Former Goldman Sachs CEO (G.S. Bought 10% of CCX shares for $23 million) (1)‏ • Former Secretary of Treasury

  16. What has happened lately? • Obama signs Executive Order October 5, 2009 requiring each federal agency to set its own 2020 emissions reductions target within 90 days. • Obama's order sets a few specific requirements(5): • 30% reduction in vehicle fleet petroleum use by 2020 • 26% improvement in water efficiency by 2020 • 50% recycling and waste diversion by 2015 • 95% of all applicable contracts will meet sustainability requirements • 2% annual reduction in petroleum consumption through 2020 • Implementation of the 2030 net-zero-energy building requirement

  17. Domino effect • The “domino effect” this Executive Order will have is tremendous, considering: • The federal government occupies nearly 500,000 buildings, operates more than 600,000 vehicles, and spends more than $500 million annually on goods/services—a supply chain of companies that the “agencies” will now be pressuring to reduce their own emissions(5) • **This does not account for the buildings/vehicles used by the U.S. military.

  18. Warnings from a LordOctober 16th, 2009 • Lord Monckton, chief science advisor for ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher warns of Copenhagen treaty: • A world government will be created. (run by some arm of the U.N.)‏ • Enforcement powers established • “coyly”-climate debt(reparations)‏

  19. “CLIMATEGATE” • November 19th, 2009: Thousands of hacked e mails/documents sent out over internet. • Detail all types of allegations: deletion of data sources, e-mails, collaboration on peer reviewed journals (pressuring editors of scientific journals)‏ • Many of the individual's who wrote the e-mails do not discount the validity of them. • E-mails just out of context

  20. Kool-aid anyone? • Jim Jones vs Phil Jones • Director of Climate Research Unit (CRU) of East Anglia University (Britain), Phil Jones will “temporarily resign” until an investigation can be completed. • “Can you delete AR4...” (link below)‏ • http://www.eastangliaemails.com/emails.php?eid=893&filename=1212073451.txt • Michael Mann Professor at Penn State U. also implicated

  21. THE EPA Saves the Day • As of December 7th, 2009, the chemical compound essential in the process of photosynthesis has now been labeled a pollutant by the EPA(6)‏ • Side-steps Congressional debate/Democratic process to set framework for regulation • Massachussets vs EPA Supreme Court decision allowed EPA through Clean Air Act to regulate GHGs. (2007) (many states petitioned EPA: CA, OR, NY, WA, IL)‏ • Supreme court, unusual writ of cirtiorari granted to this case (2005)‏ • Didn't rule on whether CO2 pollutant, rather on broad definition found in Clean Air Act.

  22. COPENHAGEN Climate “Talks” • December 7th-18th 2009 • Copenhagen, Denmark • Representatives from over a hundred countries will be in attendance • Attempting to extend Kyoto climate treaty that U.S. Had failed to sign on to. • Obama will be in attendance(then will be off to receive his Nobel prize later in the week)‏ • Hope is to get a global treaty on climate to combat anthropogenic global warming

  23. Breaking News! • Supposed “leaked” secret draft agreement has developing nations upset. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/08/copenhagen-climate-change • Reason I say supposed is, with politics you never know until an agreement is signed. Could be posturing, intentional to get an unseen agenda accomplished later in the week. • “Circle of Commitment”-U.S., U.K. And Denmark • Hands over effective control of climate change finance to the World Bank and Global Environment Facility (a partnership of 10 agencies including the World Bank and the U.N. Environment Programme)‏

  24. Breaking News (continued): • Force developing countries to agree to specific emission cuts and measures that were not part of the original UN agreement(Kyoto)‏ • Divide poor countries further by creating a new category of developing countries called "the most vulnerable" • Weaken the U.N.'s role in handling climate finance • Not allow poor countries to emit more than 1.44 tonnes of carbon per person by 2050, while allowing rich countries to emit 2.67 tonnes (2,204 lbs.)‏ • The average U.S. carbon footprint is 2.87 metric tons per person in 2008 (7)‏

  25. References • (1) Barnes, Deborah Corey. Al Gore's Carbon Crusade: The Money and Connections Behind It (Foundation Watch August 2007). • (3) Humphrey, et al. Social Theory and the Environment. (p 34-40). • (4) Clayton, Mark. Christian Science Monitor, “Sweeping climate energy bill clears first big hurdle in congress” http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/05/22/sweeping-climate-energy-bill-clears-first-big-hurdle-in-congress/ • (5) http://solveclimate.com/blog/20091005/obama-gives-federal-agencies-90-days-set-greenhouse-gas-reduction-targets • (6) http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment.html • (7) http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/cities-carbon-f/

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