Adieu, Adieu, to You and You and You

All right, Nationeers, this is where we say our goodbyes. It's been a pleasure and a privilege -- thanks again to the magazine for extending the invitation.

There are several things I didn't get a chance to write about during my brief month here, things I wish got broader play in the progressive community. Since I won't have a chance to argue them in detail, I'll just baldly state a few, and you'll have to trust me (or better yet, come read Grist!):

• A clean, green world does not mean sacrifice. If we can create a society where we no longer depend on toxic energy sources, where we live in dense, walkable communities served by transit, where we no longer stripmine soil and cover our food crops with toxic chemicals ... that society will be more pleasant to live in, more prosperous, more healthy, more equitable, with a greater sense of community, interconnection, and local self-reliance. It will be a large investment, yes, but the best investment we ever make. We should be pursuing it not out of fear but out of the desire to give our children a better world. Aspiration, not guilt, will get us there.
• We don't need to wait on new technology. Everything we need to reduce this country's greenhouse gas emissions to zero, while retaining a high standard of living, already exists. The barriers are social and political, not technological.
• Renewable energy is ready. It is an unfortunate part of conventional wisdom that renewable energy "just isn't ready," because it's too expensive, or because the sun isn't always shining and the wind isn't always blowing, or because you'd have to cover all over the southwest with solar panels, or blah blah blah. It's just not so. Again, the barriers are political and social. We can meet the energy challenges of the country if we move on four fronts:
  • Use government investment to encourage large-scale renewable deployment. The more power plants are built, the more solar panels and geothermal heat pumps installed, the more materials and operations costs fall. This is already proving true in the solar market.
  • Move aggressively on demand reduction. This can be done through efficiency, conservation, or land-use changes. There is enormous untapped potential. When you hear someone cite a huge figure on energy use and say, "renewable energy can't produce that much," don't accept the frame. Producing energy is only half the goal; the other half is to use it more intelligently.
  • Get serious about energy storage. The answer to intermittency (the sun doesn't always shine, etc.) is storage -- holding energy in reserve so it can be deployed when it's needed. Batteries are part of this, but so are ultracapacitors, compressed air, flywheels, molten salt, pumped hydro, and on and on. Even with the pittance the gov't is spending on it, the private sector is rapidly making progress. But not rapidly enough. We need some space-race type attention to this.
  • Build a smart grid. The U.S. electrical grid is decaying. For the same money it would take to repair it, we could make it smart, adaptable, and responsive, thus enabling far greater penetration for renewables, far more quickly.
• Liquid fuel is a dead end. There are frantic efforts underway to replace oil and gasoline with alternative liquid fuels -- mainly ethanol, but also liquid coal (diesel derived from coal). As two new studies in Science make clear (and they are only the latest of many), biofuels are a net contributor to global warming, not to mention an environmental nightmare of deforestation, chemical-heavy monoculture crops, and third-world exploitation. And as every sane person knows by now, liquid coal is horrendous. The answer is to reserve liquid fuel for niche uses -- some heating, some supplementing of large transport, some local applications -- and otherwise electrify personal transportation.
• In other words, URGE²: Use Renewably Generated Electricity, Efficiently. That's the ticket to a green world. Spread the news.
• Coal is the enemy of the human race. I know I said that already, but it's worth repeating.

All these are discussed in much greater detail, on a daily basis, at my home base, Grist. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or our emails, bookmark the site, and hell (might as well go big), donate to help us keep going. We are, after all, a small, scrappy independent media outlet. The world needs those, right?

I hope this won't be the last time y'all hear from me. Until we meet again: peace.

Comments (59)

1. don't go.

   stay.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:04am

2. A clean, green world does not mean sacrifice.

   of course not.

   it's fun.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:15am

3. We don't need to wait on new technology.

   no, just wait for the "leaders"...........

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:26am

4. MOVE AGGRESSIVELY ON DEMAND REDUCTION. THIS CAN BE DONE THROUGH EFFICIENCY, CONSERVATION, OR LAND-USE CHANGES. THERE IS ENORMOUS UNTAPPED POTENTIAL. WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE CITE A HUGE FIGURE ON ENERGY USE AND SAY, "RENEWABLE ENERGY CAN'T PRODUCE THAT MUCH," DON'T ACCEPT THE FRAME. PRODUCING ENERGY IS ONLY HALF THE GOAL; THE OTHER HALF IS TO USE IT MORE INTELLIGENTLY.

   hmmm?

   where have i heard that before?

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:27am

5. Liquid fuel is a dead end.

   well, let's not count tequila out.........

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:38am

6. Coal is the enemy of the human race.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:38am

7. Coal is the enemy of the human race.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:39am

8. Coal is the enemy of the human race.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:39am

9. there ya' go dave.

   three free repeats........

   Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:39am

10. a small, scrappy independent media outlet. The world needs those, right?

    naw. we need more wonderbread bought on credit!!!!

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:41am

11. Until we meet again: peace.

    peace, brother.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:41am

12. Take care, Dave. And please take Frosty the human bumper-sticker with you.

    See you again when the piss-powered engine makes its debut.

    Posted by Sliver at 03/02/2008 @ 11:33am

13. See you again when the piss-powered engine makes its debut.

    Posted by SLIVER 03/02/2008 @ 11:33am

    it's hard to see with your head so deeply buried.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 12:36pm

14. ....Frosty the human bumper-sticker with you.

    Posted by SLIVER 03/02/2008 @ 11:33am

    Hey, but Frosty ain't no ordinary bumper-sticker! He's the fancy, snazzy, diode-emitting, anti-cruise, custom messaging (depends on who is on his `tail') "bumper-sticker" :~)

    Posted by Happy at 03/02/2008 @ 1:18pm

15. ROBERTS: Renewable energy is ready. .....blah blah blah....the barriers are political and social. We can meet the energy challenges of the country if.....

    Well, Dave, I don't want to rip ALL of your utopian beliefs to shreds on this, your farewell address to The Nation; so, I'll just take a shot at your "ready" belief above.

    First off, a matter of semantic! How can one argue something is de facto "ready" but has to follow that `fact' with "if" on several huge caveats! It's like my saying world peace is piece-of-cake "ready", "if" mankind goes extinct yesterday.

    In any case, your side of the aisle won't make much gains until you come to grips with the REALITY of folks who actually have to go out make a living, take kids to practices or dance lessons, or simply wants what technology serves up for modern living and entertainment.

    Also, don't forget the folks across a couple of big ponds....they still got to buy hundreds of millions of cars, iPods, LCD TVs which to them, are entirely consistent with bettering the world for "their children".

    Posted by Happy at 03/02/2008 @ 1:36pm

16. Also, don't forget the folks across a couple of big ponds....they still got to buy hundreds of millions of cars, iPods, LCD TVs which to them, are entirely consistent with bettering the world for "their children".

    Posted by HAPPY 03/02/2008 @ 1:36pm

    no, actually we've got to reach a sensible, clean, efficient middle ground.

    if the chinese become like we are now, HOLY COLLAPSE, BAT-HAPPY!!!!!

    read this (warning 5 pages of "oh, my god):

    http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/01/the-last-empire.html

    mmmmmm, chinese dust in houston............

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 1:42pm

17. I, being a technical person, have to acknowledge that your contribution to The Nation on environmental issues had much more detailed, technical insight than almost everything I have read on these issues in the magazine.

    On this last contribution I must say I agree mostly - like 90% - and we could discuss that remaining 10% but it would be just too much for this forum. I will only say that it is not only cost of investment but reliability of electricity production, maintenance and distribution costs get into play.( For example Death Valley would make an ideal place for a huge solar facility but probably would need some miles of high voltage lines to meet the grid). So I have learned that as more diverse the energy basket gets, it is better for the people, and that everything does not apply likewise on different regions and realities. Other thing, nuclear will need to play a major role in this overturn.

    But in essence you got it right and congratulations. Especially and that is underlined - on the need of a political will to get this rolling. Good luck and we'll explore your Internet site.

    Posted by Frank42 at 03/02/2008 @ 2:14pm

18. I completely agree with your post but am frustrated by the lack of progress. Barry Commoner called for all this in 1980 and few paid attention. Currently, what I've read of Obama's positions indicates that they're backward--what's the matter with him on this issue? He's smart enough to know better and has two small children's lives at stake.

    Posted by mimsky51 at 03/02/2008 @ 2:26pm

19. Good luck buddy, I enjoyed reading your stuff!

    Posted by MATTMAN at 03/02/2008 @ 2:45pm

20. I completely agree with your post but am frustrated by the lack of progress. Barry Commoner called for all this in 1980 and few paid attention. Currently, what I've read of Obama's positions indicates that they're backward--what's the matter with him on this issue? He's smart enough to know better and has two small children's lives at stake.

    Posted by MIMSKY51 03/02/2008 @ 2:26pm

    Of course we would all like to see solar panels, windmills, pyramid energy, or whatever else you have be successful.

    Posted by PONTIFICUS 03/01/2008 @ 4:15pm

    why?

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/01/2008 @ 9:48pm

    •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

    Hopefully in the next 10-15 years we will get a technology breakthrough on the means of storing energy produced by renewables that is sufficient to reduce the use of our more traditional resources.

    Posted by LVLIBERTY1 02/29/2008 @ 4:07pm |

    why?

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/01/2008 @ 9:44pm

    •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

    despair not, mr. MIMSKY51!

    even the retroverts are catching on....................

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 3:39pm

21. Jesus, FROSTY....spam much?

    Posted by Mask at 03/02/2008 @ 5:07pm

22. David - You're fired!

    Posted by woodyee at 03/02/2008 @ 6:33pm

23. http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/01/the-last-empire.html

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 1:42pm

    I read Page 1 and found this information, worthy! The numbers are big......no doubt, exaggerated by a ROBERTS-type:

    China has also become a ravenous consumer......its middle class, projected to jump from fewer than 100 million people now to 700 million by 2020, is learning the gratifications of consumerism. China is by a wide margin the leading importer of a cornucopia of commodities, including iron ore, steel, copper, tin, zinc, aluminum, and nickel. It is the world's biggest consumer of coal, refrigerators, grain, cell phones, fertilizer, and television sets. It not only leads the world in coal consumption, with 2.5 billion tons in 2006, but uses more than the next three highest-ranked nations--the United States, Russia, and India--combined. China uses half the world's steel and concrete and will probably construct half the world's new buildings over the next decade. So omnivorous is the Chinese appetite for imports that when the country ran short of scrap metal in early 2004, manhole covers disappeared from cities all over the world--Chicago lost 150 in a month.

    Pretty awesome! In a little more than a decade, China's middle class will be twice our population...imagine if these families will have just one car, vs. our ratio of 1+ car per driving-age American, that's a market for over 200 million cars, still less than what's on the road in America alone! That does it.....I'm going to keep an eye out for Chinese auto stocks!

    Posted by Happy at 03/02/2008 @ 6:34pm

24. BTW, love to have had Mr Roberts explain THIS in more detail...

    "where we live in dense, walkable communities served by transit..."

    and he plans on shutting down suburbia?!?!?

    Posted by Mask at 03/02/2008 @ 6:39pm

25. and he plans on shutting down suburbia?!?!?

    Posted by MASK 03/02/2008 @ 6:39pm

    perhaps its inherent wastefulness will shut itself down....

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 8:25pm

26. Holy Shit, Batman! Does anybody take this guy seriously? Next!

    * A clean, green world does not mean sacrifice. * We don't need to wait on new technology. Everything we need to reduce this country's greenhouse gas emissions to zero, while retaining a high standard of living, already exists. The barriers are social and political, not technological. * Renewable energy is ready. * Liquid fuel is a dead end. * Coal is the enemy of the human race.

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 9:15pm

27. Of course we would all like to see solar panels, windmills, pyramid energy, or whatever else you have be successful.

    Posted by PONTIFICUS 03/01/2008 @ 4:15pm

    why?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 9:16pm

28. Hey, I've been trying to figure out what David Roberts' credentials are...anybody know? Reading this pronouncements on high, one suspects he hasn't a fucking clue as to what he is talking about...

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 9:19pm

29. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 9:16pm

    why?

    Why not?

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 9:20pm

30. but why do you want them to be successful?

    why does it matter?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 9:36pm

31. Posted by FREIHEIT 03/02/2008 @ 9:23pm

    Played? What do you mean? In the Wizard of Oz, all Dorothy had to do was close her eyes and tap her Ruby slippers together three times, and she was home again! And in Camelot, all you had to do was wish, and your fondest dreams came true! In a similar manner, David Roberts proposes that we should have a green world with no sacrifice! Clean fuels at no cost! Don't you get it?

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 9:43pm

32. Posted by FREIHEIT 03/02/2008 @ 9:23pm

    i thought you'd like anarchy.

    that seems to be the true outcome of libertarianism.

    some people's just plain greedy.....

    •••

    anarchy? hardly. our environmental anarchy up to the present has caused, is causing and will cause ramifications that outweigh the benefits of not having done (or doing) our little "going abouts" with care.

    haste makes waste, so to speak.

    oil's cool stuff. but the sooner the better......................

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 9:44pm

33. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 9:36pm

    FROSTY, do you have a point to make, or would you just like to sing us a song?

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 9:45pm

34. David Roberts proposes that we should have a green world with no sacrifice!

    Posted by PONTIFICUS 03/02/2008 @ 9:43pm

    perhaps 22 trillion in debt is saying you already have too much.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 9:45pm

35. well, if global climate f$#k up is a crock,

    and only naïve hippies dream of solar powered jacuzzis,

    why do you care about these things if there's coal a plenty, cheap and ripe for the pickin'?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 9:48pm

36. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 9:45pm

    perhaps 22 trillion in debt is saying you already have too much.

    Ohhhhhhhhh no. David Roberts says I can have a green world with no sacrifice. That's what I'm going for, and that's my last word on the subject.

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 9:53pm

37. do you want a "green" world?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 9:55pm

38. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 9:55pm

    do you want a "green" world?

    Sure do. And free health care too. It'll be a lot cheaper if we just make it free, don't you think? Especially for those people who can't afford it?

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 9:59pm

39. Sure do.

    Posted by PONTIFICUS 03/02/2008 @ 9:59pm

    why?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:01pm

40. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 10:01pm

    why?

    Well, green reminds me of the TeletubbyLand. It's cute. And they don't have any environmental problems.

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 10:05pm

41. I think all of the power in Teletubby land is supplied by environmentally friendly technologies like windmills. I mean wind turbines! If the Teletubbies can make it work, so can we. David Roberts says so.

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 10:07pm

42. Posted by PONTIFICUS 03/02/2008 @ 10:07pm

    do you have a point to make, or would you just like to sing us a song?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:13pm

43. do you have environmental problems?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:13pm

44. perhaps its inherent wastefulness will shut itself down....

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 8:25pm

    And..uh...what if it doesn't?

    Posted by Mask at 03/02/2008 @ 10:21pm

45. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 10:13pm

    do you have a point to make, or would you just like to sing us a song?

    No, FROSTY. I just want you to know, I've finally seen the light. Here on these hallowed pages of the Nation, I have learned that we can have a completely green world, at no cost and with no sacrifices. And as you say, we can have universal health care, with free health care to everyone that needs it, and not only that, we can save lots of money doing so. You folks are like GODS! Where others stubbornly insist that everything costs money, here I have learned that these naysayers are merely capitalist tools conspiring to keep all that free stuff from us, the deserving masses! How else could I have learned that I can have pretty much anything I could ever want, merely by voting for it!

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 10:23pm

46. And..uh...what if it doesn't?

    Posted by MASK 03/02/2008 @ 10:21pm

    fewer sidewalks.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:27pm

47. Posted by PONTIFICUS 03/02/2008 @ 10:23pm

    actually, i'd say that 22 trillion in debt means that everybody is already getting a lot of stuff for "free".

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:29pm

48. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 10:29pm

    actually, i'd say that 22 trillion in debt means that everybody is already getting a lot of stuff for "free".

    You're right. What we need is a new health care system in the States where we give away free health care to people who don't work. Then we can start a trade war with the Chinese, to get them to stop selling their stuff to us so cheap. Americans need to spend at least twice as much for everything, so we can pay more UAW people not to work not building cars that nobody wants! Then, we can work on addiing additional government benefiits to everyone, particularly those who don't work. Imagine how much money we'll save! We need to get the guvvermint to start giving away things at a much faster rate, so we can start to chip away at that national debt.

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 10:39pm

49. perhaps not spending it so foolishly would allow some opportunity for progress.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:53pm

50. like talking to a pine cone........

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 10:54pm

51. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 10:54pm

    like talking to a pine cone........

    You talk to pine cones?

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 11:00pm

52. like talking to a pine cone........

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 10:54pm

    You talk to pine cones?

    Posted by PONTIFICUS 03/02/2008 @ 11:00pm

    Please don't sing.....keep talking......ROTFLMAO!

    Posted by Happy at 03/02/2008 @ 11:43pm

53. Please don't sing.....keep talking......ROTFLMAO!

    Posted by HAPPY 03/02/2008 @ 11:43pm

    actually, i find conversations with conifers more enlightening.

    just needling ol' ponti......

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/02/2008 @ 11:51pm

54. Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 03/02/2008 @ 11:51pm

    actually, i find conversations with conifers more enlightening.

    Really? What do your coniferous friends say?

    Posted by pontificus at 03/02/2008 @ 11:52pm

55. do you have environmental problems?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/03/2008 @ 12:08am

56. thanks david! good luck out there. i'll check out grist.

    Posted by loveloki at 03/03/2008 @ 02:53am

57. Excellent stuff. Thanks a ton.

    It's gonna be really interesting to see how your list of priorities becomes an imperative very soon -- and if anyone here is a gambler, I suggest that you go all in on that bet.

    Thanks again, Dave. See you at Grist.

    Posted by b_kool_66 at 03/03/2008 @ 08:28am

58. Bring on the next victim!

    Posted by CHIP THORNTON at 03/03/2008 @ 4:20pm

59. Bring on the next victim!

    Posted by CHIP THORNTON 03/03/2008 @ 4:20pm

    rumour has it it's gonna be mr buckley (rip) and a ouija board.....

    Posted by frosty zoom at 03/03/2008 @ 5:11pm