Inside PBS Blog

Hello Frank,

After years as a journalist, what was it that drew you to this topic and working on this particular project about energy?

Looks interesting, should be good!

the way we get our energy is likely to change dramatically over the coming century. I look forward to hearing your take on things

How do you think programs like this will change the way journalists operate moving forward? Do you, as a journalist, have concerns about letting the audience shape your story?

I can answer Jill's question: energy underlies almost everything in today's society. The TVA ash spill? Energy (from coal).Climate change? Energy (from fossil fuels). The two Gulf wars? Keeping control of energy (oil) in friendly hands instead of hostile ones. If you don't have a firm grasp of how energy relates to these things, you are as clueless as someone looking at ecological systems without a grasp of evolution: nothing you think or write has a chance of being worthwhile.

I've got a question: given the dire situations regarding oceanic dead zones from fertilizer runoff and climate change, why are we still paying lip service to the coal and ethanol lobbies instead of pushing as fast as we can to go nuclear? We have at least two nuclear technologies (molten-salt reactors and the Integral Fast Reactor) which have proven potential to provide very cheap energy and even use today's "spent" nuclear fuel as fuel, but development on them was halted in the 1970's and 1994 respectively. Shouldn't we be making up for lost time?

i am curious to the reason and rationalizations of the florida legislators of why they are dragging their feet on solar power infrastructure and or tax credits as well as the reason wind turbines arent being utilized on the east coast. there was some talk about wind turbines, but some lame excuse derailed the project... i think pressure from the energy companies may be the reason... looking for any excuse not to try something new and innovative..... get moving charlie crist!!!

What is your feeling on this new administration's energy plan as it relates to jobs and the crippled economy?

Recently I asked several people in my office where they thought their home energy came from. I was suprised to find that some of them thought it just came through the power lines and had no clue about the source. In my state, Utah, the source is coal. My officemates don't get the connection about their home energy and coal burning. They kind of think that their energy just comes magically through the air. Is this common around the rest of the United States? People seem to get that the gas in our cars produces CO2, but they don't connect the electricity they use in their home to coal burning. Are there studies that show that people understand the issues about our energy use? Do the majority of people realize how they are connected to the issue? Your program is going to be a good information outlet for us.

Lets STOP MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL FOR COAL NOW. It is devastating to our environment!

http://www.ilovemountains.org/

I have read of farms that are totally run by energy that is generated using animal excrement. Why can't we do the same with.that of humans? This is one raw material where there never is a shortage.

We hear so much about creating vehicles that get better MPG, or that make no emissions. We get all excited about the possibilities and talk about how it will "stimulate the economy" to transform our auto industry. However, we are completely ignoring a primary factor in manifesting sustainable living: roads themselves are an environmental disaster.

1) we have and continue to deforest and destroy nature in order to put roads in. We displace and decimate wildlife population by removing the vegetation. We also disrupt hydrologic cycles by removing the vegetation.
2) roads are made of toxic materials, and their manufacture and use is bad for the environment.
3) it takes enormous amounts of fossil fuels to gather, create, transport and install asphalt paving.
4) roads, warmed by the sun, heat rain, making it just warm enough to kill off life in the streams that the water flows to.
5) pollutants and deicing chemicals also run off roads in to streams, killing off the life in them.
6) when the roads degrade, we burn huge amounts of fossil fuel to rip them up and transport them, then replace them.
7) the removed "waste" is an ecological disaster in landfills.

So why are we so worked up about creating "sustainable" vehicles when even the most eco-freindly vehicle is dependent on roadways that are ecological disasters?

Do I drive. Yes. Visit my web site to see why I drive around.

Roads exist. OK. But let's stop making new ones. We have no need for more roads, nor more driving. How many people know anything about the ecology or watershed that they live in? Few, because most Americans spend their time in buildings and... vehicles.

"Green consumerism" is not an answer. We need to change how we live, and do so in accordance with nature's designs and rhythms.

Optimistically,
Paco Verin

(In case I didn't reach you before.) Lest we gloss it over--the root cause of our problems, in this case environmentally-sound energy needs--is overpopulation! From a biologist's perspective, the "carrying capacity" of planet Earth is around two to three billion people. That is, that's how many can live here comfortably. Now we approach seven billion.
I realize that encouraging population control is politically sensitive. Do we dare mention this in these discussions?

John Erickson
Emeritus, Western Washington University

If the Russians manage to extract oil from the oil fields in the Artic, that could keep us going for decades. However, I dont think the West will allow the Russians this much power

Hi Frank,

I wonder what your opinion on the future of energy in Poland.

See Poland a technologically advanced country capable of energy?

Frank,
I watched your show on new energy with guests from NREL and others on Planet Forward.

I was very surprised though at the dismissal of biomass. Closed loop photobioreactors are the future and those which use tailored lamps and vertical farming design have a small land footprint and an economic use of water. They are needed for synergy to clean up coal plants in an exchange of needs, CO2 for oxygen and water temperatures.

Solar technology is moving into 3D and wind to microwindmill arrays like those of Femtobeam LLC.

I do not agree that new technologies will not replace fossil fuels. They will, but there is a need now not for research, this is done, but for manufacturing facilities automated and modern in the USA.

The opportunity is not one if we will be buying our own "innovation" with a "made in China" label.

The best video is http://storyofstuff.com