On Mon, 10 Mar 2008 08:12:47 +0000 (UTC),
(Alan) wrote:

In article Roger writes:

In previous cycles the temperature rose and then "carbon forcing"
caused the CO2 to rise. This time the CO2 rise is leading the
temperature rise making it one of the causes rather than a result.

So much for out-of-date "facts" when the same scientist says
differently.

The above remarks by Hansen can be found at
www.giss.nasa.gov/research/features/temptracker/

So, will you be scrapping the Debonair and ceasing flying to help do
your part? Each gallon/hour is about 18.5 pounds of CO2 per hour added
to the atmosphere.
Strange you should mention that:-))

Efficiency...Efficiency.

Go Diesel!

Also I only fly a fraction of what I used to, but I will readily admit
that is not by choice. I'm serious about the diesel. If I get back
into flying and the engine becomes available the Deb will become a
diesel if the current IO-470N holds out long enough for the major..
The new engines are far more fuel efficient than out current aircraft
engines and the new diesels have far less particulates in the
emissions. OTOH the US currently has some rather poor quality diesel
fuel compared to the EU.


I say this with some seriousness. If people really believe that
releasing CO2 into the atomsphere is risking disaster, they should be
willing to abandon use of fuels for transportation, heating their homes,
and electrical power generation.

IF the figures are correct we could reach acceptable levels by simple
conservation along with renewable energy/fuels OTOH it would require
we change our way of doing things and truely abandon the American love
affair with the automobile including abandoning "flex fuel" credits
except when the vehicle actually uses something other than a fossil
based fuel.
We've also installed automatic/programmable set back thermostats in
the house and shop. We've installed new windows and additional
insulation in the attic and installed a new high efficiency natural
gas furnace . The shop is also well insulated and has 16" of blown in
cellulose overhead. I've looked into both active and passive solar
energy, but in Michigan we aren't even on the "pay-back scale" maps.
In addition I can find no subsidies available for residential sites in
our state and the only federal for residential I find is available for
contractors and new sites. Our zoning makes it difficult for the
individual to build anything substantial. We have low rates coupled
with low sunlight (lotsa clouds) which reduces the payback on a
reasonable system to well beyond 20 years. For us to be independent
of the mains about 75% of the time comes out to about a $50,000
investment. (and that's for a house of only 1000 ft^2)

Here, We've reduced our electrical usage by some 40% plus change in
the last two years. ALL screw in bulbs have been changed to CFLs.
We've gone to a Hybrid car that is currently averaging about 46 MPG.
It does a bit better in the summer.
I only drive the relatively small SUV when I need it to haul *stuff*
that is either to big, too heavy, or too dirty/greasy to put in the
car. I only make a couple trips a week into town and even coordinate
my route/stops to minimize the miles driven. In the warmer weather my
wife rides her bike into town (bout 30 miles round trip by roads for
her) and we've both been retired for some years. She rides about
3,000 miles a year and is an activist in alternative forms of
transportation. So in addition to the increased fuel efficiency we've
cut our miles per year by more than 50%

However IF I used the Deb to visit the kids it's less than a one day
trip. If we drove it'd be several days, two hotel stays, and 12 meals
that could be eliminated so again, even though the Deb currently gets
fewer MPG than the car, flying saves energy and money for long trips.
Unless you keep a car until the wheels are ready to fall off they are
EXPENSIVE to drive when the expenses are calculated in the same manner
as flying. I calculated the cost of flying Vs driving to the Denver
area to visit my daughter. The cheapest two were flying commercially,
or *renting* a car. the Deb came in just under a single non discount
coach class fare. The most expensive was driving our own car.
NOTE the following ignores depreciation: Take for example a car like
ours that gets an average of 46 MPG. Say $30,000 over 5 years
including interest. That's $6000 per year. add to that the $700 plus
or minus a bit for insurance. (plus a lot in some areas). IF you
drive 10,000 miles a year that works out to 67 cents per mile before
we figure gas. OTOH gas at $3.25 is 6.9 cents per mile. IOW the gas at
a bit less than 10% of the total 73.9 cents per mile is still by far
the smallest cost in driving. However, keeping that car just one year
beyond the point where it's paid for drops the cost per mile (assuming
no additional maintenance) by a tad over 10 cents per mile. Like
airplanes, the more you drive/fly the cheaper your cost per hour as
the majority is in fixed costs. BUT with cars and particularly the
new ones and hybrids even more so, the cost of keeping one beyond a
given point can almost become prohibitive UNLESS you do your own work
and have connections for parts. the battery in the hybrid is guarantee
for which ever comes first 8 years or (80 or 100,000 miles - I forget
which) an that sucker costs over $4,000.

Current operational const of the Deb (Including insurance is about
$130/hr. At 13 hours total (6.5 each way) that works out to $1,690
round trip. By road it's about 1,300 miles each way for a total of
2600 @ 73.9 cents a mile or $1921.40 or $231 cheaper not counting
meals for two days plus lodging. Of course, going commercial, shopping
for airfares, and scheduling ahead we could do it for less than $800
for the two of us.

BTW dropping the MPG to 18 just happens to raise the cost to 18 cents
per mile for gas at $3.25 a gallon.
From a practical standpoint/approach we (as a society) aren't going to
eliminate the energy usage, but we can conserve to the point of making
a substantial difference. If our current fleet average (cars AND
trucks) averaged 30 MPG we wouldn't even have to import crude for
motor fuel.


Buying indulgences doesn't solve the problem.

Agreed.



Alan
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com