“To colleges, universities and pension funds, we say: Please demand and ensure open, robust debate on all these issues, before you vote on divestment. Allow no noisy disruption, walk-outs or false claims of consensus. Compel divestment advocates to defend their position, factually and respectfully. Protect the rights and aspirations of people everywhere to reliable, affordable electricity, better living standards and, improved health.”
“Social responsibility” activists have designated February 13/14 as Global Divestment Day. They want universities and other institutions to eliminate fossil fuel companies from their investment holdings. Their demand is not just unrealistic and misguided. It is irresponsible and immoral, potentially lethal–and racist in result.
Having grown up in developed countries, these activists seem to have forgotten how nasty and short life was throughout human history, until quite recently.…
Continue Reading“Should electric cars become ubiquitous, electricity will be taxed to yield that revenue. Electricity cost would also be higher if some 95 percent of U.S. electricity were not generated by the cheapest methods – burning fossil fuels, hydro, and nuclear reaction. Should it originate from wind and solar, it would cost three-to-eight times more: a dime per km with wind, a quarter per km with solar.”
There are many variables that determine the relative economics of an economic petro-powered vehicle (Honda Civic) and an electric vehicle (Nissan Leaf).
While the Civic had a slight advantage a year ago with gasoline at $3.50 per gallon, the advantage for conventional vehicles has jumped with today’s lower pump prices. Also, should electricity for transportation be taxed at the level of gasoline and diesel, the economic gap would widen.…
Continue Reading“Imagine going to work and then sending your car home to pick up your kids and take them to school. Self-driving cars won’t require able-bodied drivers, extending the benefits of mobility to many more people…. Personally, I am looking forward to sending my dogs to the vet in a self-driving car so I don’t have to go myself.”
“Though technical challenges remain, the real challenges are legal and institutional. Even they are not insurmountable. Instead of individuals insuring their cars, automakers might buy insurance against liability suits and pass the cost onto auto buyers. Since self-driving cars can record every event leading up to an accident, it will be easy to determine who is at fault in any crash.”
There’s a self-driving car in your future. Most experts believe that cars capable of driving themselves in almost any situation will be on the market by 2020, and cars that don’t even have the option of being driven by humans will be on the market by 2030.…
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