Mormon Bloggers

Commenting on this post, Notalawyer writes that he (or she) is seriously concerned about global warming especially because many natural scientists consider this to be a serious and existential problem. Its [sic] entirely possible that global warming could open up more space for human habitation, crop growth etc. But most scientists believe it will have large detrimental effects. While no one has more respect for the natural sciences than I do, I am not persuaded by Notalawyer’s reasoning.  Meteorologists, biologists, horticulturists, zoologists, physicists, entomologists, physicians, and other natural scientists are not economists.  (Each might well, and rightly, use as a pseudonym ‘NotanEconomist.’) While there are some exceptions – Indur Goklany, for example – of natural scientists who understand economics, far too many of them see the world as posing physics or engineering problems rather than as posing economic ones.  The two problems are very different from each other. And... Read the rest of this entry »

Newsweek magazine this week, in writing about the Gulf oil spill, had this to say about oil companies: And the list above doesn’t even include the fact that what the oil companies sell is one of the major contributors to catastrophic climate change. There is a very specific error with this sentence. Can you see what it is? If you said it is “climate change” being substituted for “global warming” you would have a point. If you take the stance that CO2 causes global warming then why alter the name to climate change? CO2 doesn’t cause global cooling so what else is left if the climate is not warming or cooling? So unless you want to hide something, say what you mean and call it global warming. But that is not the error I speak of. It is the use of one word — catastrophic. There has been no catastrophic global warming. Where is the catastrophe? There is none. But the Newsweek sentence states the fact that oil is the major contributor to this fictional... Read the rest of this entry »

My eco-friendly green paper shredder was converted from a normal everyday paper shredder you buy at Target. I fed too much paper into it and stripped the gears. My son Paul repaired it by connecting a handle to the shredding mechanism from parts lying around in the garage. Now I can save the planet by not having to use any electricity when I shred my private papers. I do have to remember to turn the crank counter-clockwise when I shred. It would be more intuitive to crank clockwise but that is not the way it works. A small price to pay to go green. Related posts: Green Jell-O Filled Orange Wedges Green Jell-O Pineapple Rings Will Coal Power Climate Studies Supercomputer?  Read More →

A May 13, 2010 report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office says this: California’s economy at large will likely be adversely affected in the near term by implementing climate-related policies that are not adopted elsewhere. This is in large part because such policies will tend to raise the state’s relative prices for energy, such as electricity. This, in turn, will adversely impact the state’s economy through such avenues as causing the prices of goods and services to rise; lowering business profits; and reducing production, income, and jobs. These adverse effects will occur in large part through economic leakage, as certain economic activity locates or relocates outside of California where regulatory-related costs are lower. While it is true that there will be both winners and losers under the scoping plan, including gains in so-called “green” jobs, the net economy-wide impact in the near term of implementing the scoping plan in the absence of like policies... Read the rest of this entry »

Ruins of earthquake-damaged San Francisco City Hall The intensity of an earthquake can be measured by the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale using a I through XII, with I denoting not felt, and XII total destruction. The values will differ based on the distance to the earthquake, with the highest intensities being around the epicentral area. Data are gathered from individuals who have experienced the quake, and an intensity value will be given to their location. The following summary includes earthquakes centered in Utah with maximum intensity VII or greater with the exception of Springdale and Randolph. Ogden 1894 (VI – VII) On July 18, 1894 walls cracked and dishes were shaken from tables. Santaquin and Goshen 1900 (VI – VII) On August 1, near Santaquin, an adobe house was split in two and people were thrown from their beds. A chimney was damaged, dishes were broken, and some plaster fell at Goshen. Parowan to Richfield 1901 (VIII) On November 13 a strong earthquake caused... Read the rest of this entry »

The ward Relief Society sponsored this presentation on sustainable landscaping by Ann Heath this evening. If you cannot see the presentation, click here. Instruction on how to construct giant tomato cages and how to grow and use herbs was also given. Related posts: Kaysville Utah South Stake Conference  Read More →

Spain wanted to be a world leader in solar power and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. So they implemented generous subsidies and in 2008 Spain installed half the world’s solar-power installations by wattage. But the Spanish subsidies were unsustainable and were drastically scaled back, contributing to an unemployment rate of 20%. Spain’s jobless rate is the highest in the eurozone and their economy shrank 3.6% in 2009. The Spanish subsidies are not unlike the U.S. model for alternative energy. The fundamental problem is that, without subsidies and mandates requiring municipalities to buy a percentage of renewable energy, the solar power industry is not economically viable. Unless support is continued almost indefinitely, solar power cannot sustain itself with current technologies. The Congress of the United States knows this and still opted for solar subsidies, though on not as grand a scale as in Spain. To make up the difference the plan is to cause fossil fuels to... Read the rest of this entry »

Today Earth Day is taking place all over the world. Some bloggers are joining the initiative to “Make your blog carbon neutral” by having a tree planted in their behalf. This doesn’t really work for me. In the past I have cut trees down on my property to make room for more cars. I also think that leaving coal and natural gas in the ground is such a waste. All that stored energy waiting for us to unleash it and improve our lives — strategically created for us by the hand of Providence. So on Earth Day I am certifying that my blog is Carbon Committed. Please plant a tree on my behalf so that I will have fuel for my wood-burning stove in my old age.  Read More →

I have been thinking a lot about a quote from President Ezra T. Benson, about how the Book of Mormon is a pattern for how things are to be in the last days. What really got me thinking was a part in the book of 3 Nephi, where the government was broken, and the Nephites [...]  Read More →

NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) will build a new climate studies supercomputer. NCAR is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado but a new $66 million facility that will house the supercomputer will be built in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The primary reason is cheap electricity. In Wyoming for an industrial user the price is 5.16 cents per kilowatt hour. In Colorado it is 6.89 cents per kilowatt hour. This makes a big difference when you will be running one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, consisting of more than 100,000 processors. It will be 20 times more powerful than the current NCAR computer. The overall project is called the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC), encompassing the design and construction of a world class center for high performance scientific computing in the atmospheric and related geosciences. Says NWSC: Our goal is to build a world class scientific supercomputing facility that does not compromise on... Read the rest of this entry »

First Item: Not believing in the greenhouse effect, I mean global warming, I mean “climate change” is not a kook-fringe position. Even some of the authors of the UN’s climate reports don’t believe it.See this story.By the way, have you noticed how the problem has morphed over the years?I remember reading all about “The Greenhouse Effect” in elementary school and junior high. A specific,  Read More →

A great article in the UK Daily Mail today on the true motivations of a segment of the environmental movement.Jonathon Porritt, the [UK] Government’s ‘green’ adviser, has said that couples who have more than two children are being ‘irresponsible’ by creating an unbearable burden on the environment.Curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must therefore be at the heart of  Read More →