tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post1512818460121646528..comments2024-03-29T02:45:10.096-05:00Comments on nanoscale views: Climate change talkDouglas Natelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340091255404229559noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-76987178224945349392009-10-25T09:30:07.224-05:002009-10-25T09:30:07.224-05:00I agree with Schlupp..Nations (and of course that ...I agree with Schlupp..Nations (and of course that means people also) need to act before they preach.<br />Please see the following news item<br />http://www.indiatogether.org/2009/oct/env-lowcarb.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-90181370732569677732009-10-22T04:05:23.894-05:002009-10-22T04:05:23.894-05:00What anonymous said: Considering than the average ...What anonymous said: Considering than the average European still produces twice as much CO_2 as the average Chinese (and the average American even more), I do not see any way to justify preaching to the Chinese.Schlupphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16399256701731431557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-81527727145469093702009-10-21T19:32:17.190-05:002009-10-21T19:32:17.190-05:00With current (and pretty much all possible) politi...With current (and pretty much all possible) political structure, it's impossible for the world to significantly reduce its production of CO2. You may as well plan for the disaster.<br /><br />However, before you scare yourself too much, you might go to the trouble of carefully reading <a href="http://cdsweb.cern.ch/record/540780/files/p175.pdf" rel="nofollow">this paper at CERN</a> on the CLOUD experiment. Here's <a href="http://cdsweb.cern.ch/record/1172365/files/SPSC-SR-046.pdf" rel="nofollow"> the latest progress report.</a><br /><br />Elementary particle physicists know things about clouds that climatologists do not because cloud chambers are a traditional technique of obtaining elementary particle tracks.CarlBrannenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180079098492232258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-90732508550984352182009-10-21T15:36:38.044-05:002009-10-21T15:36:38.044-05:00The issue re: nuclear here is, as far as I can tel...The issue re: nuclear here is, as far as I can tell, economics more than anything. Coal is just cheaper, and coal-fire plants are simpler (and therefore cheaper) (though of course very serious pollution controls + carbon capture/sequestration would make coal plants more complicated and expensive). Nuclear is (essentially) carbon-free, but unless it's as cheap as coal (including issues like licensing and waste on the nuclear side of the balance sheet, and not-yet-existing carbon costs on the coal side), it's hard to make major in-roads.Douglas Natelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340091255404229559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-14946973064490583892009-10-21T15:09:16.037-05:002009-10-21T15:09:16.037-05:00In the mid 80s a GW of nuclear capacity was brough...In the mid 80s a GW of nuclear capacity was brought on line ~ every 12 days. This was not a period of high demand, old orders were being completed. Never the less, new designs are simpler and ease construction. Some increase in manufacturing capacity I'm sure would be required, but a GW every 10 day world wide is achievable.M.Natelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06983820032661457691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-16046917271303696982009-10-21T11:51:26.163-05:002009-10-21T11:51:26.163-05:00Further sobering: 1GW is also a good order-of-magn...Further sobering: 1GW is also a good order-of-magnitude for nuclear power plants. So if one things that nuclear power is a/the solution for providing CO2 free electricity, then we'd need one nuclear power plant coming on line every 10 days just to match and replace what the Chinese are doing with coal. Does anyone think nuclear can scale like that?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09319382820794103660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13869903.post-52281040600927580852009-10-21T11:37:30.211-05:002009-10-21T11:37:30.211-05:00Especially after the US and Europe have burning co...Especially after the US and Europe have burning coal for the past 200 years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com