Re: "Humans 'very likely' making earth warmer" is wrong

02-06-2007, 11:07 AM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Don Klipstein <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
> I speak from experience in an urban area where a significant portion of
>within-urban-area public transit passenger miles are on electric transit
>vehicles. By a huge factor the single biggest transit route in
>Philadelphia is the "Market Frankford Subway-Elevated" or "The El". I
>think 2nd place is the "Broad St. Subway". In addition there are the
>"Regional Rails" (electric trains), the three "Red Arrow Division" trolley
>lines, two fairly distinct (but having a minor interconnection) sets of
>"City Transit Division" trolley lines, and at least a couple "trackless
>trolley" lines that I think of as "external wire powered electric buses".

Yes, and these all use power. As much, in terms of BTUs, as cars, per
passenger-mile. Also the trackless trolleys are currently not
operating and have been replaced by diesel buses.

[...]
> Given existence of nuclear power plants, hydropower, and wind farms and
>to a lesser extent solar electricity generating stations, a significant
>amount of electricity is made by means without generation of greenhouse
>gases (other than by trucks bringing in supplies and cars carrying in some
>workers).

Limerick (nuclear) provides a large amount of power to the area, and
there's some hydro, but Philadelphia is located in Pennsylvania, and
unsurprisingly coal remains king. Coal produces more CO2 per BTU
than any other major source.
--
There's no such thing as a free lunch, but certain accounting practices can
result in a fully-depreciated one.