"Nobody's Fuel" DVD - Introduction
by
H. Douglas Lightfoot, June 8, 2007
1. The Nobody’s Fuel Mission Statement
The Nobody’s Fuel mission statement comes about from my concern for people, the environment and climate change. I have used all of my skills and abilities to create a workable response to these concerns. To help put what I am doing into perspective, the following mission statement is helpful:
To make people aware of impending energy challenges ahead, and to promote a workable plan to provide the energy the world needs, while ameliorating the carbon emission problem.
Nobody’s Fuel proceeds to accomplish this mission by presenting scientific evidence to describe the world’s energy system and how important energy is to us. When the world’s energy system is understood, the science is temporarily put to one side as concern for people is brought forward, in other words, what should the world’s energy system do for people? What can we all agree on as being desirable results? Then, it’s a return to science and a workable plan for achieving the desired results.
2. Climate change is an important issue
We cannot underestimate the effects of climate change on people, the environment and every living thing on earth. The only constant about climate since the beginning of time is change.
All forms of life have a built-in mechanism to help the species adapt to climate change and other changing living conditions, by changing themselves as individuals. It is called the “Theory of Evolution”. Without it, there might be no life on earth.
Species with long periods between egg and adult take much longer to adapt than species with short egg-to-adult time, such as fruit flies where the period is about 2 weeks. The human species, homo sapiens, requires long periods, thousands of years, for changing individuals as a means of adaptation.
Climate changes happen on a very short time scale in terms of human evolution. Over history, many human societies have disappeared because of changing climate, such as when water resources change and food becomes scarce. Fortunately, humans have other characteristics that allow them to adapt to harsh climates, such as the far north and high mountains.
The importance of climate change continues to loom large in the life of all human beings. But, for humans today, there is an even larger factor at work—energy supply.
Humans have evolved with large brains, the ability to analyze and to learn quickly. They have used these qualities to overcome the perennial and basic problems of food, clothing and shelter. Now, for many parts of current day society such items as health control, education, clean air, freedom and democracy are more important.
3. Energy supply is an important issue
The underlying factor that made all of these possible is energy. For most of the world’s history, slaves were the energy of choice for those with power over other people. As time went on, and people became free of some of the stultifying forces that held thought and action processes in check, the demand for energy increased beyond that which slaves could provide. This led to destruction of forests as wood was used as an energy source. Coal became the next source of energy, then natural gas and oil. These are the fossil fuels that are 85% of world energy sources today. All of the goods and services we depend on are there because of fossil fuels.
As humans, we cannot change ourselves fast enough to adapt to climate change. We rely on fossil fuels to provide the energy we will need to adapt to climate change, such as to move people and agriculture to other areas, to develop crops and animals better suited to different conditions, move water for humans and for agriculture, improve potable water supplies, clean the air, recover from natural disasters, control diseases, and deal constructively with numerous other problems.
It is clear that the enormous quantities of fossil fuels we use are more important than climate change—no matter the cause or the direction. On average, the atmosphere has been warming for a century and a half. Climate always changes and, at some point, will begin to cool.
With fossil fuels being so important, what should we know about them? We need answers to many questions such as, Where do fossil fuels come from? What are fossil fuels? How much do we use? How do we use them? How important are they to us? These questions lead to: How much fossil fuel is left and when will it become scarce? How much fossil fuel can be replaced by the renewable energies hydro, wind, solar, biomass and geothermal? What about hydrogen and nuclear? Is there energy available on the scale required to replace fossil fuels? Is it safe? What do we have to do so there is enough energy to adapt to climate change, whether or not it is warming or cooling the planet.
4. Answers to the questions
It is difficult for most people to get good answers to any of the above questions. But we must have good answers if we are to make good decisions.
The DVD Nobody’s Fuel answers all of the questions in logical order and with facts that can be readily verified. If you are the type of person who can evaluate the facts yourself, then you will find Nobody’s Fuel very useful. If you prefer to listen to what others say about the facts, then comments from people who have viewed Nobody’s Fuel will be invaluable to you. You can view their comments on www.nobodysfuel.com under “What people are saying”.
People are important! Nobody’s Fuel focuses on what is best for everyone—nobody is left out. The energy solution that follows from the analysis of Nobody’s Fuel provides energy to raise the people in poor nations out of poverty, to maintain the well-being of everyone, to protect the environment in which we live and to adapt to climate change, regardless of whether or not climate is warming or cooling.
Nobody’s Fuel ends with an “Energy Supply Plan” that can achieve these results. It is not an easy plan, but it is workable.
Nobody’s Fuel is the work of H. Douglas Lightfoot, an independent retired mechanical engineer with extensive practical design experience in the chemical industry and in research.