Entire program – July 2, 2009

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Today on The World: Pakistan seals its border against Taliban fleeing a major U-S operation in Afghanistan, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he’s ready to begin a new relationship with the US, and Amsterdam’s big plans for a green future.
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2 comments for “Entire program – July 2, 2009”

  • Jean Kent

    Dear The World;

    How ironic (also depressing, disgusting, and sad). The Dutch want to become carbon neutral to inspire and guide the world. Whereas some leaders in the U.S. won’t even begin to address global warming because they feel unfaired upon if other countries don’t ‘sacrifice’ too.

  • Eric D. Peterson

    The green initiatives in Amsterdam are not bad in of themselves, but they won’t do much for us here. Perhaps it will help in Europe where the cities are more dense and the climate, both winter and summer is more moderate. Many homes don’t even have air conditioning.

    Our biggest uses of energy, by far, where I live in Northern Virginia are keeping warm, keeping cool, and driving. Often, misleading statistics are given out for lighting (e.g. 7%). The bulk of that energy use is outdoor lighting keeping people safe in the dark.

    Simple things will help a lot more than high tech toys, simple things like insulation and telecommuting. Even planting a low tech shade tree or adding properly positioned windows.

    There’s a current bubble mentality with using shiny new high tech gadgetry for energy savings. High tech won’t keep people warm. High tech won’t transport people from point A to point B. On the other hand, high tech will eventually break. It requires energy to make, transport, install and repair.

    It would be good to keep a broader perspective in these stories and not get so enamored with high tech.