Pacific Spirit Marine Institute
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The idea of sending greenhouse gases to be hidden away where the sun doesn’t shine isn’t exactly a new one. Man has always looked for ways to bury that which is stinky, dangerous, and in some cases illegal. Since man first said, “that stinks, I hope I don’t step in that later” man has been covering up, in the ground or dumping off in the sea, every manner of refuse. Why not the CO2 emissions?
Since 1996 more than a million tons of carbon dioxide have been buried in 9 different locations. Some have have gone to rest under an oil field in the North Sea and under a gas field in Algeria. The latest CO2 grave is in the state of Victoria, Australia.
Geosequestration is one of those 75 cent words, constructed to dazzle. What is geosequestration? It’s carbon capture and storage, referred to as CCS. CO2 resulting from some form of production or another, it doesn’t matter what form, is captured and injected somewhere…where the injector hopes the injected never escapes the injectee, something like what happened to Jimmy Hoffa.
Unlike what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, what gets injected into the ground under pressure may not stay in the ground.
In 1989 there was an earthquake in Australia that killed 13 people and created billions of dollars of damage. At the center of this particular earthquake was a major fault resting comfortably below Australia’s Newcastle coalfields.
Many scientists believe “geomechanical pollution” was the culprit behind this earthquake. Millions of tons of coal and millions and millions more tons of water had been removed from the Newcastle coalfield since it had opened in 1801.
There is much speculation that the removal of 200 years worth of soil, coal and water from this field changed the stress on the earth above and below the coalfield.
Geosequestration or sequestering greenhouse gases underground could have a distabilizing effect on the earth as well. But, the first rule of thumb would certainly have to be to pump those gases and store them as far away from a fault as possible so they wouldn’t be released en masse during an earthquake, and to store them as far away from populated areas as would be possible.
No one can agree whether or not manmade changes to the underground landscape have anything to do with causing instability. Common sense would dictate scooping out the inside of anything would change its stability. On the other side of the coin, pumping anything full of a foreign substance is going to cause instability as well. Just see what happens when too much gas is pumped into a balloon, or too much custard is pumped into a doughnut.
Labels: Australia, CO2, Geosequestration, greenhouse gas
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
How can we put all the C02 problems to rest? Give them a proper burial. Australia intends to send 110,231 tons of C02 to a grave 6,500 feet under.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Extolling the virtues of roadkill? Boiled whale ventral grooves with a lot of grated ginger?
The esoteric opportunity to ‘think about whales’ linking man with the whales and the oceans? Essay contests winning the President Prize of the Ishinomaki Chamber of Commerce and Industry written by a second grader?
All this and more can be found at the Japan whaling Association website.
I came across this website while doing research on the Australian Governments use of the Airbus A319’s first whaling surveillance mission.
With all the tensions growing and turmoil surrounding Japan’s dogged pursuit of it’s “scientific” whaling program I had to wonder why they continue to sail in such politically charged and unpopular waters. After all, what could possibly be learned from 900 dead minke that wasn’t learned from the first 35?
In the name of ’science’ isn’t even a clever cover-up. Not many are buying that thinly sliced excuse, but they may just be buying some thinly sliced whale meat. Waxing nostalgic for her school lunches, Chizue Yamagiwa, cooking expert, most fondly remembers “whale cutlet,” “fried whale meat,” and “whale soup.”
Yamagiwa says, “Thinking simply, there is nothing wrong in adding whales to our food options, which include poultry, pork and beef.” She goes on that as it is beginning to become quite chilly she will cook kujira-jiru, whale pot, in the evening. She describes it as a beautiful, colorful dish with the red and white of whale bacon and the green of the radish sprouts. She says, “I am sure it will invite me to more cups of sake this evening.”
Is whaling really a cultural issue or is it a propaganda issue? To borrow words from Ms. Yamagiwa, “Thinking simply” I’m thinking it may just be a commercial code kind of issue.
One thing is certain from my vantage point. I’d have to have more than “more cups of sake” to garner the ability to sit down to a steaming bowl of whale bacon soup.
Don’t miss this window into the thinking of the Japanese Whaling Association.
Photo Thanks msnbc.com
Whale burger
Labels: Airbus A319, Australia, Japan, Whales, Whaling
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Japanese Whaling. Insights Into Why Japan Seems Compelled To Continue Whaling.
Friday, October 5, 2007
What do you do if you hold the world record for being the deforestation champion? You host the U.N. Climate Change summit!
Before your guests arrive, from 189 countries, you spruce things up by planting 79 million trees in a single day.
That’s what is happening in Indonesia, where they destroyed an area of forest the size of 300 soccer fields PER HOUR between 2000 and 2005, this according to Greenpeace.
It would be nice attain a world record for planting the most trees in one day. I’m kind of feeling like 79 million seedlings still wouldn’t equal 300 soccer fields per hour for 5 years, but it’s a nice start.
Indonesia is one of the worlds top 3 greenhouse gas emitters due to deforestation, along with the U.S. and China.
China recently became #1 ahead of the U.S.
The tree planting event is scheduled to take place in November with the summit being held in December.
Australia will contribute $22 million to preserve 173,000 acres of peat forest in Indonesia’s kalimantan region and re-flood nearly 500,000 acres of dried up peat swamps. The dried up peat swamps were left as a result of a failed plan to use that land to grow rice. Indonesia wanted to provide all of it’s own rice needs. 10 years later the fields of peat lie brittle and dry catching fire frequently.
When the peat lands burn it sends billows of smoke on the wind to neighbors in the region. Not exactly a good neighbor policy.
The plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 700 million tonnes over the next 30 years.
Photo Thanks: IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency
Labels: Australia, IAEA, Indonesia, U.N. Climate Change Summit, deforestation, greenhouse gas
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
79 Million Trees to be Planted in 1 Day!
