Tag: #carbon cycles

Carbon Capture Is B.S.

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Carbon Capture Is B.S.

“Carbon capture and storage is a process in which a relatively pure stream of carbon dioxide from industrial sources is separated, treated and transported to a long-term storage location. For example, the carbon dioxide stream that is to be captured can result from burning fossil fuels or biomass.” Wikipedia

 

CARBON CAPTURE IS DANGEROUS BULL SHIT

By D. S. Mitchell

Oil companies are woke to the fact that carbon capture allows them to remain in business longer. I’m  sure there are CEO’s at the big oil companies who believe that all they have to do is bury their emissions and they can stay in business forever. CO2 is their industry waste, in other words, their damn garbage. It is the biggest driver of climate crisis and the greatest threat to our food and water supply. Carbon capture is a scheme of the fossil fuel industry that has found supporters in Washington, D. C.

The U.S. government, actually the U.S. taxpayer, is offering big bucks to companies working on carbon capture projects. The most conclusive thing we know so far about carbon capture is that it is a failure; a dangerous failure.  The dream of carbon capture “keeps the U.S. addicted to fossil fuels, degrades our agricultural land, threatens our water, and puts our communities and climate at risk.” Emma Schmit.

Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator Heartland Greenway and Wolf Carbon are proposing nearly 4,000 miles of hazardous pipeline that will cross Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Hopefully activists in those states will pressure state authorities to deny permits to applicants for these dangerous projects. In many cases these pipelines are seeking eminent domain to force landowners to deed them private property for the pipeline.

The question really is why when we know the safety concerns and the technology is a failure, why is our government still trying to make carbon capture happen? It is time to stop the scam. Time to stop the fossil fuel industry from playing games with our future.

5 Reasons Carbon Capture is Dangerous Bull Shit

  1. Carbon Storage And Transport Are Not Safe. When carbon pipelines rupture they can expel lethal levels of carbon dioxide, an invisible asphyxiant literally for miles surrounding the break. CO2 displaces oxygen, stalling combustion engines and impairing emergency response. CO2 can leak from storage containers and contaminate groundwater and soil.
  2. Carbon Capture A Colossal Failure. Billions of public and private monies have been spent over multiple decades developing carbon capture projects and it has proven a complete folly. The Densbury Pipeline outside Satartia, Mississippi and the Petra Nova coal plant in Texas are just two examples of leaks, ruptures, frequent shut offs and persistent technological problems.
  3.  Carbon Capture Is Energy Intensive. The United States emits approximately 5 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere annually. To capture a mere 25% of that figure would require nearly the entire electrical output of the nation.
  4. Carbon Capture Increases Emissions.  Due to both the life cycle of fossil fuels and the huge amount of energy required to capture carbon such projects in the U.S. have emitted more CO2 than it ever removed.  95% of the captured carbon is currently being used to extract more oil in a practice known as ‘enhanced oil recovery.”
  5. Carbon Capture Diverts Investments From Renewable Energy. Time is of the essence. We need to move to renewable energy to stop the worst effects of climate change, the greatest threat to our water, food, and a livable future. The switch from fossil to renewable sources will be slowed as long as the fossil fuel industry can convince the public and government officials to continue investing in carbon capture schemes instead of focusing on safe and proven clean energy solutions.

If you have little knowledge about the subject of carbon capture, now is the time to learn about it. Then once you understand the dangers please tell your Senator and your Congressperson that you want to stop wasting time and money on this bogus plan by the fossil fuel industry to stay in business forever.

Devastating Drought

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The western United States is suffering under a 20 year drought leading to billions of dollars in lost agricultural revenues and out of control wildfires.

Devastating Drought

By D. S. Mitchell and William Jones

Western state drought: A trauma to the ecosystem

Life on Planet Earth

Water is a requirement for all life on earth, whether it be plants, insects, fish, birds, or human beings.  Beyond sustaining life, water is essential for our economic well-being. Water based activities make up a large part of the economy. For example, water shortages in agriculture have resulted in reductions in yield and revenue. Tourism and outside activities have declined. Water transportation is endangered in some areas. The fishing industry is suffering.

Lack of Precipitation

Continued low precipitation causes drought. Across the west and southwest, surface water (river, lake, stream and pond) is primarily a result of winter snows and rains. Then in the spring that snow melts and the snowmelt flows downstream from higher altitude areas until it is captured by dams and reservoirs. The water is stored and that is delivered gradually to the people and places that need it when then need it, theoretically. (farmers, urban areas).

Severe and Extreme

Severe, extreme, and exceptional drought conditions have become increasingly common throughout the western United States. The last 20 years has brought abnormally dry conditions to the region. These conditions have led to a wide range of problems. Agricultural production is down due to inadequate water for irrigation. The loss of bee hives threaten the pollination of crops and is in fact at a critical state. Many scientists are pointing to climate change and reduced water supplies killing not only bees but every other insect on the planet. Animals are dying because they have inadequate water to sustain them.  Entire industries are dying because of the drought. It is a worldwide problem, but dramatically visible in the western United States.

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