Despite opposition from some of their colleagues, 86 evangelical Christian leaders have decided to back a major initiative to fight global warming, saying “millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors.” Among signers of the statement, which will be released in Washington on Wednesday, are the presidents of 39 evangelical colleges, leaders of aid groups and churches, like the Salvation Army, and pastors of megachurches, including Rick Warren, author of the best seller “The Purpose-Driven Life.” “For most of us, until recently this has not been treated as a pressing issue or major priority,” the statement said. “Indeed, many of us have required considerable convincing before becoming persuaded that climate change is a real problem and that it ought to matter to us as Christians. But now we have seen and heard enough.” The statement calls for federal legislation that would require reductions in carbon dioxide emissions through “cost-effective, market-based mechanisms” a phrase lifted from a Senate resolution last year and one that could appeal to evangelicals, who tend to be pro-business. The statement, to be announced in Washington, is only the first stage of […]
Tony Blair has warned world leaders they have less than seven years to save the planet. But he ruled out a “ticket tax” on British airline passengers to combat global warming. The Prime Minister was accused of double standards over climate change after he urged the US, China and India to join a global offensive to tackle the problem. Mr Blair told the liaison committee of senior MPs: “I think that if we don’t get the right agreement internationally for the period after which the Kyoto protocol will have expired – that’s 2012 – we are in serious trouble.” He said there was “the beginnings of an international consensus” and praised President George Bush for last week acknowledging America’s “addiction to oil” but called on the US to go further. Mr Blair dismissed calls for a levy on air travel to cut carbon emissions caused by the rise in cheap flights. A tax would need to be “hefty” to be effective, he said. “It is unrealistic to think that you will get some restriction on air travel at an international level. The best way to go is to recognise that it is a reality, and […]
Sweden says it aims to completely wean itself off oil within 15 years – without building new nuclear plants. The attempt is being planned by a committee of industrialists, academics, car manufacturers, farmers and others. The country aims to replace all fossil fuels with renewables before climate change damages economies and growing oil scarcity leads to price rises. According to the Guardian newspaper, a Swedish minister said oil dependency could be broken by 2020. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is worried that oil supplies are peaking, shortly to dwindle, and that high oil prices could cause global economic recession. “Our dependency on oil should be broken by 2020,” said Mona Sahlin, Sweden’s minister of sustainable development. “There shall always be better alternatives to oil, which means no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to gasoline.” The Scandinavian country, which was hard hit by oil price rises in the 1970s, now gets the majority of its electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power. In 2003, 26% of all energy consumed came from renewables, compared with an EU average of 6%. The oil committee is to […]
HOUSTON — Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, will continue to bolster its output capacity to quell global shortages, but has “concerns” about the Bush administration’s call to cut its addiction to Middle East oil, the kingdom’s petroleum minister said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, plans to boost production capacity from 11 million barrels per day to 12.5 million bpd by 2009. “We will continue to be a source of stability for world energy markets,” Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi told an energy conference hosted by Cambridge Energy Research Associates. “We are addressing the problem of availability head-on.” But, when asked if there were plans to boost capacity beyond 12.5 million bpd, Naimi made a reference to President George W. Bush’s State of the Union pledge to slash U.S. oil imports from Middle East suppliers by 75 percent by 2025. “What concerns us is all the talk about not wanting our oil,” Naimi said. “It’s not a major bump; it’s something to take into consideration.” Speaking on U.S. soil about Bush’s comments, Naimi had to walk a delicate line. His speaker’s podium at […]
HOUSTON — The United States will always rely on foreign imports of oil to feed its energy needs and should stop trying to become energy independent, a top Exxon Mobil Corp. executive said on Tuesday. “Realistically, it is simply not feasible in any time period relevant to our discussion today,” Exxon Mobil Senior Vice President Stuart McGill said, referring to what he called the “misperception” that the United States can achieve energy independence. The comments, in a speech at an energy conference in Houston, come a few days after U.S. President George W. Bush declared America was addicted to Middle Eastern oil and promised to help the country kick the habit. Many in the United States believe America should wean itself off oil imports from the Middle East, fearing it makes the country dangerously dependent on an unstable region. The world’s largest publicly traded oil company, however, says hoping to end foreign oil imports is not only a bad idea, but also impossible. “Americans depend upon imports to fill the gap,” McGill said. “No combination of conservation measures, alternative energy sources and technological advances could realistically and economically provide a way to completely replace […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
