Day: May 19, 2006

The Best Part About Global Warming

Trish

Mystified at how the presidents of the United States and Exxon/Mobil can continue to poo-poo global warming in the face of conclusive evidence?

Well let’s think about this. For what would these greedy bastards be willing to throw away the planet? That’s right — money, money, and more money. The Week:

A quarter of the world’s untapped fossil fuels (including 375 billion barrels of oil) are thought to lie under the Arctic, and will become accessible as the ice melts

With average temperatures in the Arctic rising twice as fast as elsewhere in the world, climate scientists predict the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free by the summer of 2050…

The melting of the ice could shut down the Gulf Stream and wreak havoc with the world’s coasts and climate. It would spell potential disaster for traditional Arctic communities, for ecosystems, and for plant and animal species—polar bears would drown or starve, and the species could become extinct.

That sounds awful. But wait, there’s an upside. Or should I say, an angle?

The melting ice cap represents a colossal commercial opportunity. Russian icebreakers are already preparing to take tourists to the Pole for $30,000 each this summer, and the thaw could open up some highly lucrative shipping routes. A northeast sea route, north of Siberia, would allow shipping to sail from Europe to northeast Asia, cutting the journey by a third; and the fabled Northwest Passage through Canada’s Arctic archipelago could be open to shipping in a few decades, cutting the journey from Europe to East Asia (now routed through the Panama Canal) by 4,000 miles. The greatest profits, however, are likely to be found under the ice.

Hmmm…and what could they be?

Oil and natural gas. A quarter of the world’s untapped fossil fuels (including 375 billion barrels of oil) are thought to lie under the Arctic, and will become accessible as the ice melts. Industry experts now talk of a “black gold rush,” as companies such as BP Amoco, Statoil of Norway, and the Russian giant Gasprom all race to tap already discovered reservoirs in the region. The Arctic, says Moscow-based energy analyst Christopher Weafer, “is the next energy frontier.”

Oh, this is just too depressing. The writers go on to explain the standing whereby countries that border the North Pole — including us — will stake claims to all that treasure. Everyone has until 2009 to call dibs with the U.N. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Poll: Bush Bounce Baffles

Buck Banks

Nitwit nation: Quick, somebody run a chemical analysis on the water supply — somebody’s slipped us a collective mickey. What else would explain George Bush’s sudden rise in approval ratings? It’s not like he’s done anything positive this week, has he?

Bush is no Comeback Kid, but according to National Journal’s PollTrack, a new CBS poll has his job-approval mark up four points to 35 percent over an earlier May survey. A new CNN poll has the measure inching up two points to 36 percent since early May’s 34 percent and four points since late April’s 32 percent.

It’s significant that we are even talking about a two- or four-point rise — what does that really mean? That we got so used to Bush’s seemingly inexorable slide toward zero that a two-point uptick makes us want to upchuck.

It gets worse: CBS pollsters found that approval for Bush’s handling of immigration surged 12 points to 38 percent over the past two weeks. His rating on the economy jumped six points to 34 percent during the same period, and, incredibly, the rating on the “situation in Iraq” has crept up two points to 31 percent. But at least Bush’s rating on the “campaign against terrorism” — usually his highest mark — remained unchanged at 46 percent.

Gah! Who are these “respondents?” Get the NSA on the line, we need a few million phone numbers.

Navy to Contractors: Sell Us Some Really Expensive Spy Drones

Buck Banks

Eyes in the sky: In a presentation Wednesday that no doubt left aerospace defense contractors salivating at potential cost overruns, the Navy gave details on what will likely be a multibillion dollar unmanned air reconnaissance system contract. The system, called the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance system or BAMS, would require a fleet of sophisticated flying drones, high-technology sensors and communications systems, and a slew of ground control and data-receiving stations.

The Navy program requires a large unmanned aircraft capable of flying 2,000 nautical miles each way. It must remain at its destination for at least 24 hours while surveying large areas of open ocean or coastal areas with state-of-the-art sensors that relay intelligence to both land-based command posts half a world away and to Navy task forces operating nearby, Massenburg and the other officials explained. BAMS also might fill in as a communications relay asset, they said.

The Navy aviation officials said final requirements are expected to be approved this summer, with a request for proposal following by January and a contract awarded by September 2007.

The first of the aircraft and sensors are to be ready for testing in 2011. The system should be ready for use in 2013.

Although none of the briefers would estimate the number of aircraft required or the potential cost of the contract, the specifications call for enough systems to cover five major areas of the world on a 24-hour basis.

That clearly would require dozens of aircraft and associated systems that might cost more than $50 million each.

And the officials stressed that the program has attracted interest from at least nine foreign nations, which might increase the size of the contract.

Naval officers told the 200 contractors that the system has a high level of congressional support. That translates into fat defense contracts that can be taken back to congressional home districts. That translates into pork-barrel politics, which translates into continued build-up of the military-industrial complex and Big Annual Military Spending. BAMS, indeed!