Star Wars

Finally some steps were done to cancel the "Star Wars" missile system, first proposed 30 years ago back in the Cold War era. President Obama cancelled the installation of the radar and missile interception systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, a gesture appreciated by the Russian counterparts. The Iran nuclear threat, used by the Bush Administration to motivate the missile system, is not as stringent and, anyway, there are softer and more efficient ways to deal with it. I fully agree that Russia may eventually become again a threat for Europe, but I think a new arming race can have far more devastating results. It would be good if the total US spending for military would decrease as a result, although I kind of doubt it...

How to

New Scientist publishes a series of issues dedicated on how to change the world. Of course, there are many things that go wrong in our society, and after an analysis of the present situation, ways of action are proposed. If they are only theoretic or will prove practical, time will tell...

Changes?! No, we can't!

The problem is, however, that Obama may not really have the power to make the changes he promised. Both the Democratic and Republican parties were sponsored by high-level interests, lobbyists of Wall-Street giants, who in turn want a share in the new mandate. And a share they had, because Barack Obama nominated mostly people from the "old guard" to put in practice "the change". US army forces are still in Irak, the number of the ones in Afghanistan was even increased, nobody seems to know where the $700 billion bill money went to, the medical care reform is still waiting, and the list could continue. We have to re-evaluate our hopes, and the people in whom we trust.

Obama

President’s popularity is falling, a somewhat expected effect considering the difficult period we’re passing. For many, Obama is less visible than he should, especially concerning aspects of social welfare. The long-waited reform of the medical welfare seems of narrower impact than hoped for, and maybe the communication to the public not perfect, and thus the relatively low approval rate.

And on the other hand, of course, sooner or later Obama had to prove his limits, because he is not Messiah and current global problems are actually out of the reach, even for the “most powerful man on the Planet”.

I am one of the many who still believes in the good intentions expressed by President Obama, and hopes for their transformation into reality.

Gee Eight

The G-8 meeting in Italy finally brings an agreement in greenhouse gas emissions. World leaders seem to finally understand that doing nothing will be more expensive that doing something. Unfortunately they do not see (yet) the urgency and amount of action that needs to be done. A global reduction of 50% in emissions until 2050 sounds good for the press, but considering the inertia of the system, the effects will come simply too late for the environment. And of course, nobody can bet on the fact that the action will really come after the good intentions...

Now that the framework was set, massive amounts of funding will have to go to green technologies, and fast, if world leaders are serious about the issue.

Why not?

Clean, electric transportation can be a reality now! We have the know-how and the technology to implement it at affordable prices. The most straightforward and verified technology is the plug-in hybrid, or better, the all-electric car. NiMH long-life rechargeable battery packs for a 2-300 miles range for a medium car can be manufactured at about 10,000 dollars, with further reductions with scaling up the production.

What is still needed? – To satisfy the wish of the people for long-distance trips. And the only feasible way of doing this, due to the long recharging time of batteries (at least some hours), is to replace the discharged battery pack with a charged one at special “recharge stations” on the way. As a side effect, the price of electric cars will drop, as the customer will only rent, not buy the battery packs. Two key elements are needed for this: a standard for battery packs and battery pack chassis, and the recharge points/stations.

For the standard, a small effort from the automakers would be enough. For the recharge stations, about $15 billions, to furnish 10,000 stations with 50-100 battery packs each. This will be a base, start infrastructure that would increase many-fold the demand for electric vehicles. The sum might seem large, but it’s less than 1% the US early budget, and would be the necessary spark for a green revolution in the transportation system that could reduce 20-40% greenhouse gas emissions, apart from creating new jobs and raising living standards.

The Energy Bill

Recently, the Energy Bill proposed by the White House and personally supported by President Barack Obama passed by a narrow margin in the House of Representatives. We will see if the Congress will also approve it, considering its legendary resistance to changes.

I think a consistent effort should be made by the Administration for the information of the population regarding the issue. As the avalanche of phone calls before the vote from partisan and/or misinformed people demonstrates, there is a big need of such a campaign.

The Energy Bill contains some of the premises to develop low-carbon footprint industries and clean energy technologies, absolutely necessary for the future. Any average-IQ person cannot sustain to sacrifice the future of his/her children just to protect the present income of oil corporations and automakers. So, the fact that many people called, without having a direct financial benefit, to ask for a negative vote to the Bill says a lot on their lack of information.

Middle East

I think by now there are very few people still convinced that the US has nothing to be shame of regarding the continuous tensions in the Middle East. After WWII, the American politicians saw the opportunities in the area as a “source of power” for many years to come – and dominating the main source of oil was the foundation of American domination in the last part of the twentieth century.

Exporting democracy to the countries in the Middle East was from the beginning out of question, because in this case the people from those countries would not have had any reason to blindly obey the American orders. Instead, totalitarian regimes were supported by the United States, disregarding the wealth of the people, human rights, and so on.

From time to time, we get news about fights – these days in Iran, after the elections. Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of the dependence of American economy on imported oil, and let the countries in Middle East evolve toward democracy?

Green Motors

After the California Zero Emission Vehicle act passed back in the 90s, GM (and other automakers) was forced to develop electric cars. GM apparently had the greatest success with its EV1 electric vehicle. Some infrastructure was built, and the waiting list of people wanting to lease such a vehicle was growing fast. The experiment demonstrated that technology was already available to build electric vehicles, at prices that would have become competitive with scaling up the production.

Unfortunately, the automakers continued also the war in justice against the new regulation, with the important support of oil companies and the decisive support of President George W. Bush. After the regulation was loosened, GM decided the end of the EV program, saying it lacks orders (!). The few hundred persons who leased the EVs were not permitted to buy them at the end of the lease period; the vehicles were collected in a hurry and destroyed, the facility where they were built – dismantled and the people fired. As if GM was anxious to get rid of the “electric vehicle nightmare”. The facts are well presented in the movie “Who killed the electric car?”.

Few weeks ago, we have assisted to another “funeral”: GM was declared bankrupt. After decades of eating up billions of taxpayers money and invest them in old technology instead of innovation, GM is closed but it still gets federal aid of billions.

However, GM is dead! Some would say, it’s the revenge of lost opportunities, of keeping on the side of oil corporations instead of satisfying the needs of Americans. Who knows, maybe they could have been saved by the EV, if they wouldn’t have killed it.