Use these ideas to stimulate your thinking, and then enter your ideas
in the forum discussion through the guestbook.
I am not in high school yet, so I could not take in all of the ideas on this page,
but I what I could relate to was the number of trees needed to remove carbon dioxide
based on riding in a car, using the
American Forest Organization's calculator
found on your
carbon cycle page.
I'd like to share my ideas on how these calculations have changed my thinking about
carbon dioxide emissions. I'd like to also share how I feel about why or why not
we should switch to developing and using hydrogen as an energy source.
As a student, we have studied global climate change issues in school. However,
I have noticed that with the exception of the
California Hydrogen Business Council, which has
a student membership for $10, most conferences and student memberships cost
more than any student can afford. I feel that the industry should be more education
friendly. Here's why or why not.
As a teacher, I have found that the technical publications in the hydrogen
industry are very expensive. When I call to find the libraries that subscribe
to these periodicals, I find that disclosure hidden and guarded by the publishers.
This is a fast-changing and rising technology that will be developing to
practical utility in the next ten years. It will impact education and technical
training over the next ten years.
I would like to see Team C005858 maintain an educational, technical, update site
for hydrogen technology.
Here's why or why not.
It appears that the hydrogen economy is coming. Governments and big companies
are investing in devices, cars, power plants, and storage/transport media. Some
believe that with mass production it will be cheaper than fossil fuels. Do you
feel that the world should embrace the fossil fuel economy. Why or why not?
Emissions trading has been controversial. The European Union has opposed having
them. Do you favor them or not? Why or why not?
Do you feel that with a day coming in 100 years when the world will run out
of fossil fuels that it is not in your country's best security interests to base
energy use on fossil fuels? Why or why not?
There is disagreement among scientists on connections between human responsibility
for increased carbon dioxide content in the air and climate change. Do you feel that
we should ignore the matter of increasing carbon dioxide until the data is more
conclusive or act now. Why or why not?
BP and Shell broke off from the
Global Climate Coalition. This year (2000), Texaco
has broken away. Texaco has bought a major interest in a fuel cell company. Texaco is
the first major U.S. oil company to leave the anti-climate protection of the fossil fuel
industry. Ford and DaimlerChrysler left also this year. What do you think this means?
What do you think motivates these profit oriented, non-governmental companies to make
such radical changes? These companies once allied with those who fought against the
agreements at Kyoto. Does
this influence your thinking on the emissions issue? Why or why not? If it has, how?
The IPCC has opened up a new dimension to the workings of sovereign governments.
Binding treaties are being contemplated to baseline future emissions to 1990 levels.
Do you feel that your country should commit to the Kyoto Protocol? Why or why not?
Do you think there should be carbon taxes? Why or why not?
The U.S. is more dependent on fossil fuels than in the "oil shock" of the 1970s.
The U.S. produces 1/2 the oil it uses and imports the other 1/2. If 20% of the
cars in the U.S. were hydrogen, the U.S. could cut oil imports by 1,500,000 barrels a day.
Do you think it is in the best security interests of the U.S. to devote substantial
resources and effort to move towards a hydrogen economy?
Do you think there are ethical and moral issues involved in using fossil fuels?
If so what are the issues? Describe the ethicality or morality. How serious is each
issue? Why or why not are the issues worth taking seriously?
