Thursday, October 02, 2008


A Rush to judgment?
Yale researchers have taken a closer look at those energy saving light bulbs our Congress has mandated. Their conclusion?
Mercury pollution will increase in many states and countries.
"Compact fluorescent lighting is an area where we're really pushing this alternative and all these policies are being enacted, but we're not looking at the potential unintended consequences of what we're doing," said study author Julie Beth Zimmerman, an assistant professor in Yale's Department of Chemical Engineering and its School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

I know I annoy my Green friends when I disparage efforts to save our planet tomorrow but we're seeing so much of this foolishness - Congress, desperate to appear to be doing something about whatever crisis of the day has captured the media's attention, scurries around, comes up with a cosmetic solution, adds a whole bunch of unrelated pork barrel projects if the public frenzy permits that subterfuge and presto! Problem solved, let's move on to something else. A little deep breathing and a pause for reflection would only improve this process.

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