There’s at least one state in the union that is happy about the overuse of fossil fuels and the subsequent rise in oil/gas prices - North Dakota. Yeah, North Dakota. It is a state and the 20-30 people who live there add to the 304 million+ population of the U. S.

Turns out there is oil under them grasslands, two miles under. “Landowners in western North Dakota have a much better chance of striking it rich from oil than they do playing the lottery, says one local. Some of their neighbors in the town of about 120, from bar tenders to Tupperware salespeople, have become “overnight millionaires” from oil royalty payments.

Can anything good come our of North Dakota? Wait! That’s Nazareth. Apparently there is, at least for dozens of people who are millionaires through no fault of their own other than being born in the right place. Kind of reminds us of the middle east, eh? North Dakota is expected to produce a record amount of oil this year.

In 2005 there were 266 millionaires in the state. In 2006, there were 388, an increase of about 50%. 2007 figures aren’t out yet. One University of ND director is predicting that half of the county’s population of 4,000 will be millionaires in the next 3-5 years. In 1997, ND ranked 42nd in per capita income. Last year, it ranked 30th.

And all because of the rest of the world gluttonously consuming oil. As for me, I still don’t want to live in ND. But, I’d think about it.

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We do love it when a plan comes together, when the world gets along. Here’s a guy who has people all over the world dancing together. On a different level, 31 provinces in China have received $4 million from Norway, the European Union and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to draft programs to fight climate change over the next two years.

The project is called  Provincial Programs for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in China (PPCCMAC). Try and say that three times real fast. At first, 14 pilot provinces will take a shot. Qinghai will address its retreating glaciers, for example.

Norway says, “The finalization of such plans for all provinces of China will be a remarkable achievement, which I think will meet broad international recognition and be an inspiration and model for many other countries.”

Sichuan is one of the pilot provinces. The area experienced an 8-magnitude quake in May. Good luck stopping those. Shanxi is a coal-rich province looking for alternatives. For good or for bad, IMHO, it’s always a good thing seeing the world work together to solve problems.  What do you think?

Tokyo Tells Large Buildings to Cut CO2 Emissions. Now, Beijing is banning high-emission vehicles. For whatever reason these kinds of things remind me of a ceasefire in a war. If they can stop now, or for a while, why can’t they stop for good? Yellow vehicles are those with, surprise, a yellow sticker on them for not being able to meet Euro I emission standards.

“All yellow-labeled vehicles, most of which are freight trucks, will be banned from roads in Beijing from July 1 to Sept 20,” says Beijing’s environmental protection bureau.

Yesterday Beijing announced that government vehicle usage must be halved…all of this in the run up to the Olympics. So, are the Olympics more important than the planet’s long term livelihood? Seriously, if these kinds of measures can be taken temporarily, why not permanently? Beijing was able to meet its goal of 246 blue-sky days last year. I think we had about 365 such days here in the Valley. (Eating your heart out Beijing?) Seriously, Beijing is to be credited for taking action.

Most yellow-tagged vehicles run through Beijing at night. Think freight trucks. Not surprisingly, Beijing measures 20% more pollutants in the air at night than in the daytime. From 9pm to 4am to be precise. In order to catch the perpetrators, Beijing will patrol 22 laser remote sensing cars to check emissions. How cool is that? It takes about 0.7 seconds to determine emission levels of vehicles. Go Beijing!

Now, where can I get me one of those laser thingees?

Tokyo passed a mandate for large office buildings, shops, hotels, universities and factories to cut their CO2 emissions. About 1,300 establishments which use 1,500 kiloliters of crude per year will be affected. The hope is to reduce energy consumed by 15-20% by 2020. Tokyo creates about 4.5% of Japan’s overall CO2 emissions, and these 1,300 businesses are responsible for about 40% of that total.

Tokyo’s governor says, ”I want Tokyo to take the lead in efforts against global warming in Japan.” The plan will take affect in 2010 and each company affected will be required to submit a five-year plan. For those who can’t make the grade, emissions quotas can be purchased. Cut their energy use down or pay up. In Japan the feeling is somewhat, if it’s good for Tokyo, it’s good for the country. We’ll see.

In the meantime, why doesn’t every major city in the world follow suit?

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Beijing is getting serious about clean air during the Olympics. The city has removed one half of all government vehicles from the streets of Beijing. The move eases congestion, reduces emissions and saves resources for a greener Olympics, which start 8-8-08. “The government wants to take the lead in guaranteeing smooth transport during the Games,” said a transport official.

The move is more aggressive than an initial plan to ban just 30% of all government cars starting on July 1st. Happy, of course, are the Beijing cabbies. Business is good and traffic is far less congested as they haul around their fares. Beginning on July 20th, Beijing will ban 70% of all government vehicles until September 20th. Altogether, some 210,000 vehicles are expected to be sitting in garages. That number is in addition to the half of 3.3 million cars that will be parked on 0dd-even days. The 12 million commuters in the city can expect some 4 million more to crowd onto buses and other public service vehicles. To meet this demand, some 2000 buses and three new metro lines will be added or extend their operating hours. A 4-day trial period last year showed that it works.

Now, if the city really wanted to save money and do something about hot air, they would try to reduce the number of people that create congestion in the government bureaucracy by 70%, too. And, if that works, help us out here in the U.S. please.

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John McCain wants to save fuel and reduce emissions. (Don’t we all?)  If elected he is willing to earmark $300 million to encourage innovation on a new car battery. I wonder if he couldn’t just buy the technology from Toyota for about half that price. That $300 million is equal to everyone in the United States ponying up $1. McCain wants to do better than Toyota’s hybrid technology.

McCain says the battery should have the “size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.  My administration will issue a Clean Car Challenge to the automakers of America, in the form of a single and substantial tax credit based on the reduction of carbon emissions. For every automaker who can sell a zero-emissions car, we will commit a 5,000 dollar tax credit for each and every customer who buys that car.“

A $5000 tax credit? Will that go for anyone buying the Honda FCX Clarity? McCain says that if the US can do Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Apollo moon landings, silicon chips and the Internet, then surely we can do a zero emission battery.

“For all the troubles and dangers our energy vulnerability presents, we know that we can overcome them, because we have overcome far worse problems and met far greater goals.”

So, what do you think? Does America have what it takes?

Mazda Motor Corp has a hydrogen-powered minivan coming to Japan for lease beginning next March.  The minivan will have hydrogen-combustion and an electric motor. Mazda is the Japanese affiliate of Ford Motor Co. The company received permission from Japan’s transport ministry to test the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid. The Premacy is known as the Mazda5 overseas.

The minivan has a generator-powered electric motor and a rotary engine. (And, the Mazda goes ummm…). Emissions are water vapor only. Lease costs will be Y420K ($3800)/month! I think, I’ll take a his and hers.

BMW AG is Germany’s attempt to develop a fuel-cell system. Electricity is generated through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Honda’s Clarity will be available for lease in the US next month. Both cars have zero-emissions.

While the population of the world continues to grow, so do the waistlines of the Aussies and Americans.  While much of the rest of the world goes hungry, not enough food because of the increase in production of biofuels among other considerations, 25% of adults down under are obese. Some 25% of Americans crush scales daily.

The World Health Organization says that about 1.6 billion people (25%) of the world’s population is overweight (not obese). That number is expected to increase by 40% in the next 10 years.

Of course, the growing waistlines of the world has an impact on the environment. As people grow rounder and rounder, so do the vehicles that transport them, and the energy required to move them about. Bigger people eat more, leaving less for those who need it.

How about we take everyone in Africa and let them switch places with Americans and Aussies for about ten years. That ought to do it. Seriously, something has got to be done.

What good about high gas prices? I can think of a lot of things, but here’s one. Japan and China, historical enemies, are cooperating in the East China Sea as they explore for more natural gas. It’s the first time the two countries have agreed to explore undersea resources together.

The exploration is overtly an attempt at improving the relations of the two countries. Chinese hate what Japan did and rightfully so. Many Chinese start off hating Japanese as a rule and go from there. Japanese think about Chinese, “Huh? Is there something wrong?”

High gas prices are causing people everywhere to take extreme action and if that means people getting along who don’t normally, in my book, that’s a good thing.

I am not that naive, however. The two countries will sign treaties and agreements out the gazoo “to protect each other’s legal positions till a demarcation line is set.” Yeah, everybody wants to make sure they get what’s coming to them.

In any event, “It is a welcome development in Japan-China relations and a specific achievement in our strategic relations.”

Why can’t we all just get along?

Shenzhen is located across the river from Hong Kong. The city was mainland China’s first economically free zone in what turned out to be a successful experiment.

They are now building a new terminal at the Bao’an International Airport. The terminal will have a double skin canopy that will let patterned natural light into the space, thus reducing energy consumption. The inner skin of the roof will be made of a fine net that will allows diffused sunlight to come in creating a pleasant indoor atmosphere.

The pictures of what this airport will look like are stunning, to say the least. See the gallery after the break. (more…)