Originally posted by ShizamDaMan
Well, I guess if you study something for 9 weeks then you must be a world expert on it and know more than anyone else, right?
I really doubt that the entire world will come to a hault in 30 years because of global warming and/or dependence on foriegn oil.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
No, it doesn't make me an expert. But it does make me more informed on the matter than 98% of the general population. How many people do you know that researched, analyzed, and debated (not simply studied) on global issues for 10 weeks? And even if I'm not an expert, I know what experts are saying (on both sides), and I'm just presenting my findings & analysis. If you want I can provide you with over 120 sources of my research, but I doubt anyone would be interested in doing all that reading. You can refer to the few links I posted earlier to just scratch the surface of the issue.
And no, the world won't abruptly collapse in 2040, but you can bet that the quality of life then will be much worse than it is now. It'll gradually get worse, and accelerate as 2030 approaches.
Originally posted by belividere
I have never studied these issues directly. I have a masters in engineering and working on a PhD right now. I am in a lab that is the only lab on the entire floor of the building not working on biomass fuel cells or methanol fuel cells. This is at a top 5 engineering school and I have many good friends who I often have discussed this situation with. I trust that the assesment of the situation from these folks and the others like them who are actually solving these problems is more accurate than most of the authors on those websites. Have faith this problem is a lot less serious than most people actually think.
I also have a masters in Engineering (Electrical) in a well respected engineering university in California. But that is irrelevant here. Your friends who are working fuel cells are SUPPOSED to be optimistic of the situation; they MUST believe that what they are doing will help solve the problem, or else they woudn't be working hard on it. I applaud them for their efforts, and I wouldn't dream of telling them to stop what they are doing. I've incorporated people working on alternative energy (like your friends) in my overall analysis. And I didn't just rely on a few superficial websites (those just scratch the surface). I've researched countless articles and journals from scientific sources such as the European Energy Commission. And all those efforts at best will just slow down the problem.
Funny you say that "this problem is a lot less serious than most people actually think". It's the other way around. Most people are not aware of the problem, and even those who do have no idea how bad it is.
