Comments for Canadian Association for the Club of Rome

Comment on James Howard Kunstler | A Disturbing and Provocative Viewpoint on Breaking through the Fog of Unreality | 2024-07-10 | CACOR Live by Karl Dehrmann

Karl Dehrmann — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 18:19:14 +0000

Jim can be a bit abrasive for modern sensitivities, but I find him refreshing, even if I don’t agree with him 100%. I think his point regarding climate change was just that:

1. There have been large changes in climate that predate human existence and industrialization and perhaps the complexity of how those systems (and negative feedbacks) work is beyond our current climate models.

2. Fossil fuel consumption tracks economic productivity almost 1:1. Because humans are unwilling to become voluntarily poorer, we will not collectively volunteer to reduce our consumption. Further, as geologic constraints limit the production rate of fossil fuels, our ability to respond to climate change meaningfully or with technological solutions (solar panels, electric windmills, battery banks) will be reduced and then go away.

Comment on James Howard Kunstler | A Disturbing and Provocative Viewpoint on Breaking through the Fog of Unreality | 2024-07-10 | CACOR Live by ChetT

ChetT — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 23:18:26 +0000

Is it just me or did it seem like almost every questionnaire felt the need to describe their scientific credentials and absolute opinions regarding the “climate crisis” before allowing the poor, ill informed Jim Kunstler, to even defend his viewpoint.
In case he wasn’t clear I think Jim was simply stating that, after the coming collapse of complexity, all of these fanciful hi-tech solution being proposed by the COR et al. will die on the vine as humanity has to figure out the new paradigm of existence.

Comment on List of emails for Canadian Members of Parliament and Senators (2021). by Victor Hendricken

Victor Hendricken — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:04:01 +0000

Bank of Canada Interest Rates and Charter Banks’ Mortgage Rates.
It seems to me that bank mortgage rates are at the heart of inflationary pressure. Charter banks make an extraordinary volume of profit, benefitting from high residential mortgage rates. It will take an act of courageous wisdom for Government of Canada to control the flow of cash from ordinary citizens (i.e. middle class) to Charter Bank profits. An Act of Parliament could establish a fixed upper limit on residential mortgage rates of, say, 3 to 4 percent, independent of Bank of Canada lending rates. This would help level out the so-called housing crisis by allowing more middle class folks to purchase and possibly slowing down or eliminating housing profit grabs by individuals and corporations.
Do you have the political will to radically alter the system? Do you want to win the next election? Do you want to prove that Government works for the middle class?
Kind regards,
Victor Hendricken
According to Governor Tiff Macklem and Carolyn Rogers, Senior Deputy Governor, Shelter price inflation remains high, driven by rent and mortgage interest costs, and is still the biggest contributor to total inflation.

Comment on Paul Beckwith |Global Tipping Points: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | 29 May 24 13:30 EDT | CACOR Live by Charlie Hall

Charlie Hall — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 00:42:44 +0000

Very interesting and enlightening. Charlie Hall

Comment on “If Global Warming is so Bad, Why aren’t scientists doing something about it?”Alan Emery by Claude Buettner

Claude Buettner — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:27:25 +0000

As of this writing Alan Emery is not on the CACOR YouTube channel even though he has spoken several times to CACOR pre-Zoom. Maybe it’s time to get him on the schedule of CACOR Live.

Comment on Stop being a Grumpy Old Man! by Art Hunter

Art Hunter — Thu, 09 May 2024 08:00:54 +0000

At age 82, I do try not to be grumpy.

Comment on Stop being a Grumpy Old Man! by Gust Snekkersveen

Gust Snekkersveen — Wed, 08 May 2024 18:35:32 +0000

Oh yes, let us just submit, agree that the younger-and particularly younger women- are right, always right, and that we older men always are wrong, and have nothing to bring to the table, neither lived life, experience, or anything else that can be relevant in today World. I am so sorry, but I am annoyed by people who claim that they know it all, by spoiled brats who were brought up all pampered and expecting the world to be handed to them.To be frank, I believe that the whole woke vs Boomer thingy has gone out of hand, and that it has become accepted to have a go at old people. But let us face it: the world anno 2024 is not going particularly well, and no amount of young enthusiasm, or new tech-knowledge can change that. At least not alone. We need to pull together. But as long as I am looked down upon for being my age, I reserve my right to be grumpy.

Comment on Ecocentric Thoughts on Fishing (by Ian Whyte) by Ted Cates

Ted Cates — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:05:07 +0000

Thank you for this article. I have felt this way my entire life and have never understood how killing for profit or pleasure is widely accepted and taught as a right of passage in our World today.

Comment on The IEA Busts 10 Myths about the Energy Transition by UBL

UBL — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 14:06:28 +0000

I would advise CACOR to refrain from posting articles with an obvious agenda, especially when the article in question markets upfront its bias as ”applied hope”.

It doesn’t befit this organization to be anything but sober and clinical.

We will certainly not extirpate ourselves from our predicament with simpleton approaches such as
[“We have the technology. In 2021, the IEA calculated that we only had 50 percent of the technology that was required in 2050 to get to net zero. In 2023 that increased to 65 percent as the result of innovation in a range of areas, from batteries to green steel. “]

The IEA has not been immune to political pressure to paint a prettier picture than what’s really showing up on the horizon, absent a deus ex machina.

It’s been said before; renewables can power a civilization [for a little while], just not this one.

A more grounded source and a potential outstanding speaker to have for CACOR’s weekly conference would be energy specialist Art Berman. (former ASPO-USA director and member of the Houston Geological Survey, founder of Labyrinth consulting services )

Here’s a post from his blog relevant to the alleged IEA assertions claimed by RMI.
It contrasts some findings with those of the EIA (Energy Information Administration [US])
His blog as whole is quite a treasure trove of information, brought in a very insightful perspective.

https://www.artberman.com/blog/the-energy-transition-is-being-led-by-a-clown-car/

Comment on WELU Sustainable microgrids v 4.0 by Dr Keith Kennedy

Dr Keith Kennedy — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 20:00:13 +0000

Great Presentation – if the zoom recording could be made available – that also would be so so helpful.

Wondering how to take this concept forward in smaller agglomerations say with about 20000 residents and lots of AG lands around in which we could place in particular both solar and geothermal and storage. Like Niagara on the Lake