BP and the Energy Biosciences Institute: Hope Springs Eternal!

March 9, 2007

BP and the Energy Biosciences Institute: Hope Springs Eternal!

To the Editor:

Humans have a large capacity for hope, and it's a good thing. But
along with hope comes a tendency for self-deception. It is fascinating
to watch people struggle to deal with this actually very simple issue!

We need to immediately reduce the burning of carbon-based fuels to a
minimum. That is crystal clear. There are only three possible sources
of energy large enough to replace petroleum: coal, natural gas, and
nuclear energy. Burning coal or natural gas pollutes our air and
causes global warming. Since natural gas is relatively clean, it
should be reserved, if it is to be burned at all, for heating our
homes. Nuclear energy is expensive, and unsafe in many ways, including
the risk of radiation poisoning, genetic damage, and of course atomic
warfare.

That leaves energy conservation (reducing energy consumption) as the
only viable alternative. And we know how to do it: public transit,
bicycling, and walking. So why to we need BP and an Energy Biosciences
Institute to tell us these obvious facts?

Sincerely,

Mike Vandeman, Ph.D.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande