Saturday, February 10, 2007

Richard Branson and Al Gore, Today’s Jed Clampett and Shifty Shafer?

Virgin’s Richard Branson has offered up a $25 million dollar prize for the individual, or individuals, who come up with a way to scrub CO2 gases out of the atmosphere.  Al Gore, natch, was there with Branson when the prize announcement was made, as Gore’s main occupation in today’s world seems to be to save the world from the disputed spector of global warming.

Branson’s idea seemingly is feasible.  Scrubbing CO2 gases from atmospheres is a well documented, and utilized, procedure.  Equipment to perform just that function is installed on every nuclear powered submarine that I am aware of, and is also employed by most coal burning entities.

Be that as it may, Branson’s prize, I’m afraid, is just so much hot air.  The equipment scale required to perform such a supposed earth saving procedure, and the amounts of CO2 required to be scrubbed from the atmosphere to gain the prize, remind me more of a Beverly Hillbillies episode titled “Honest John Returns” than a realistic proposal.

In the episode referenced, Jed is approached by Shifty Shafer and presented with a fraudulent scheme to rid Los Angeles of smog by drilling through the mountains and employing a large fan to suck the smog away from LA.  The scheme almost seems feasible, in Jed’s simple and too trusting mind at least.

I think Branson just might be fulfilling the role of Jed, and Al Gore the role of Shifty Shafer, in this little prize scenario.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/10 at 03:34 PM
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