Climate Change…China Headline: Beijing added twice the capacity of California last year.
But Beijing is determined to resist international action on climate change.
The elephant has entered the room.
“It must be pointed out that climate change has been caused by the long term historic emissions of developed countries and their high per-capita emissions. Developed countries bear an unshirkable responsibility” – Jiang Ju, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeperson.
So China continues on as if it owns the world, as though industrialization at the expense of a sustainable habitat is its devine right. Destroying the future for a few decades of prosperity. How will our childrens children look back on our times? Will they think we were insane?
China will procede adding the equivalent of 2 Californias a year to its grid. Most electricity in China will continue to be generated from fossil fuels (mainly coal AROUND 80%) and hydro.
China and the United States lead the world in coal-fired capacity additions in current projections, adding 546 gigawatts and 154 gigawatts, respectively. In China, strong growth in natural-gas-fired capacity initially pushes coal’s share of total capacity down to 63 percent in 2010, but it rebounds to 72 percent in 2030.
This is what we have to change to survive?????????
Nuclear has to rise at the rate fossil fuels (natural gas, oil and coal) are projected to below if we expect to turn it around.
On January 10th I was in New York city on business. The comet was still “young”. It was getting brighter and astronomers were really starting to pay attention. I was scheduled to fly back home on the 11th, but somehow I had to find a way to see this comet.
On the 11th, the clear sky clock in New York city was really good. All I had to do was get to the top of a building like the Empire State or Rockefeller Plaza at around 5:00pm
The problem was my flight was set to leave at 7:00pm from Newark. There was no way I was going to make it.
Then I thought why not get a later flight, and then I could try to see the comet from New York.
Then I had an even better idea. Why not find a flight that gets me in the air when the comet is visible?
I called my office and asked them if there was a departure to Toronto between 4:00 and 5:00pm from either LaGuardia or Newark.
They said yes, there was a 4:30 from LaGuardia with room, and I said “YES!!” and they booked it.
Next problem to solve, I had to have an “A” seat on the left side of the plane, so I asked for that when she booked the change in flight. However I was told that as the change was being done so close to departure I would have to arrange the seat at check-in.
I dash off to get a taxi, and am in a cab on my way to LaGuardia by 3:00pm
I get to LaGuardia at about 3:50 and go to check in. First of all the flight is on time, which is a miracle in itself. But at check in they say its too late to request a seat, I will have to do it at the gate.
Next I have to go through security, another delay…but I get to the gate at about 4:20 and they are just about finished boarding. As I hand the boarding pass in, I ask if they have an “A” window seat, and low and behold…they say yes!
So I made it…I have a window looking west. We go to taxi out and I’m told we are 15th in line for take off…oh no! we finally get airborne around 5:10 and as the sun set around 4:45, I’m thinking I’ve missed it. I scan the horizon, all I see are jet contrails. But at around 5:25, as the sky is getting darker, it jumps out at me. There it is…McNaught at 35,000 feet and 500 miles per hour. Now if you know the Cannon SD800 IS camera, thats all I have. But I have it. Thats the main thing, I can actually try to get an image.
For the next 30 or 40 minutes, I was glued to the window, gasping, exhilirating, loving that comet. And I got pics.
It was one of the most amazing things and what really frekaed me out was how much longer the tail seemed to me than any images I had seen. This was probably because at that altitude, it was simply more visible. I got a few pics that actually were not blurry. It was incredible.
So thats my comet story, the pics are in a McNaught gallery on my website.
http://www.cygnusx1.ca