alternative hippopotamus

Were you planning to go to this year’s climate conference in Bali? I wasn’t. But, I may go to the Second Life link-up:

Join the Bali Conference - Virtually!
At the UN Climate conference in Bali in December, key discussions will be held to sketch out the post-Kyoto roadmap. OneWorld is opening a virtual window on the Bali Summit, so you can participate from the comfort of your own home or office!

And other adventures of the right.

Mikey Gerson, age 5: (emphasis mine)

There are lessons here in the controversy over global warming. The debate is less and less about the existence of the problem itself. A consensus has hardened and broadened that global temperatures are increasing, that humans have contributed to the rise and that this is eventually a bad thing for the planet — views held by the environmental movement and publicly affirmed by the current president. The differences come on whether these environmental changes are likely to be gradual and manageable or swift and apocalyptic. Here, the scientific computer simulations are complex and speculative, and their conclusions are sometimes wildly overplayed.

Hysteria on the environment is a liberal temptation. Prudence, however, remains a conservative virtue, and it requires the issue of warming to be addressed.

Here I’ll start by noting that taking credit for speeches that others wrote is a conservative temptation. Creativity and disdain for stealing others’ ideas, however, remain progressive virtues.

For those of you who have been to this humble website before, you may have noticed that I never write about, for example: Chinese discotheques, the 9th hole at Augusta, or what it’s like to bed Paris Hilton. And, for a good reason. I know nothing about these things. Writing about them does nothing but disservice to readers (as if), since I am telling them nothing that is true except in the twice-a-day stopped watch sense.

Oh, and in related news, the Washington Post has asked me for a special op-ed on what it’s like to disco with Paris Hilton at the ninth hole of a Chinese golf course. I’ll let you know when it’s published.

The Live Earth breakfast concert, brought to you courtesy of the creator of the internet, Al Gore.

The back story is that Inhofe (R-OK) had helped to scuttle Live Earth on the Mall in DC, claiming that Rock&Roll and environmentalism are idle hands that do the Democrat’s work.

So, the good news is that Mother Earth will kick things off tomorrow at the Museum of the American Indian. The bad news is that it starts at 10:00 am, with recommendations that folks get there well ahead of time.

This news does not seem to be pleasing the trolls at Think Progess. A sampling:

• “Listen, as stated in the junk science link I provided above, this is all about 1 thing, MONEY! Yours and mine! Trillions! No thank you!”
• “But don’t confuse “progressives” with the facts. Their melodrama of moustache-twirling capitalists and their Republican minions controlling the oafish masses with God, patriotism, and Wal-Mart is too flattering to the typical liberal’s elitist pretensions. In fact, this leftist narrative performs a debased religious function for the otherwise Godless.”
• “If we have a big concert and we all sing along reallly loud and wish really hard I’m sure that we can change the Earth’s climate….I just know we can!”
• “Is the debate over for you? Have you had a drink from Al Gore’s pitcher of global warming koolaid? Do you refuse to believe the scientists who have clearly refuted Gore’s alarmism?”

If you can’t make it down to the Mall tomorrow morning, there’s always MTV.

I was just reading this memo from Frank Luntz to the Bush White House on the environment. Given this was 2002, and the Rovians were pretty sure they could ride the 9.11/Iraq card for the next generation, this is really quite prophetic:

The environment is probably the single issue on which Republicans in general – and President Bush in particular – are most vulnerable. A caricature has taken hold in the public imagination: Republicans seemingly in the pockets of corporate fat cats who rub their hands together and chuckle maniacally as they plot to pollute America for fun and profit. And only the Democrats and their goodhearted friends from Washington can save America from these sinister companies drooling at the prospect of strip mining every picturesque mountain range, drilling for oil on every white sand beach, and clear cutting every green forest.

The fundamental problem for Republicans when it comes to the environment is that whatever you say is viewed through the prism of suspicion. As with education, Social Security and so many other issues, the Democrats have been expert at constructing a narrative in which Republicans and conservatives are the bad guys. And if Americans swallow that story, then whatever comes later is mere detail.

Richard Pombo, former Repub Rep from California, may have thought it was really funny when he proposed that Roosevelt Island be paved over and made into condos. Up until Nov 7 he may have thought it was funny, anyway.

It’s conventional wisdom in Democratic circles that no one changes their vote over environmental issues. But, I’m not so sure that’s true. And, it sounds like people like Luntz don’t think it’s true, or they wouldn’t have conducted the polling that led to this memo.

I’m suggesting that this may be part of the rationale of the Republicans voting for the Senate version of the Energy Bill. It sounds like Ted Stevens didn’t even bring up his usual song and dance about drillingl in the Arctic Reserve. That’s progress.

It is if you’re the CEO of one of the Michigan Big Three, anyway: (NYT via FDL)

WASHINGTON, June 6 — Automobile companies seem to be making progress in tamping down Democratic proposals for tougher fuel economy requirements, an issue that pits powerful Democrats from Michigan against some national leaders of their own party.

The chief executives of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler had lunch with Senate Democrats on Wednesday, less than a week before the Democratic leaders hope to bring a sprawling energy bill to the Senate floor.

This is in response to a proposal that would raise CAFE standards from 27.5 mpg to 35 mpg by the year 2020. Let’s do a little math, shall we?

1. 2020-2007= 13 years.
2. 35 mpg - 27.5 mpg = 7.5 mpg.
3. 7.5mpg/13 years= .58 mpg/year

Six tenths of a mile per gallon each model year is going to lead to the economic downfall of GM, Ford, and Chrysler? Remember this is the CAFE standard we’re talking about. It’s not that each car would have to meet that standard, it’s the average across the fleet. In other words, the Big 3 could meet the CAFE figure by focusing on better marketing of their most fuel efficient cars.

Speaking of sexy new fuel-efficient GM cars feast your eyes on these, noting that GM is committed to building just one of them:

(source: Detriot News)

What if I told you the minis or “triplets” as the marketing goes, get 40-50 mpg? What if I told you they started at $10K? Then, what if I told you GM wasn’t planning to offer them in the US:

In an interview with reporters after revealing the three concept cars, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said it currently was unlikely that GM will build any of the triplet concepts for sale in the United States, unless there was a dramatic prolonged increase in fuel prices or an “unforeseen” change in fashion for small cars here.

Huh? An “unforeseen” change in fashion for small cars?

I don’t know about Bob Lutz, but on planet Earth, where I live, the MiniCooper is very popular. I’ll add that according to their figures, the US version of the Mini gets 32 mpg city, 40 mpg highway with a manufacturers price of $18.5K.

Things like whining about a .6 mpg increase per year, while developing more fuel efficient cars that they refuse to sell in the US indicates to me that there’s something willful on the part of GM.