Methane Hydrates Turning Into Alternative Energy Solution of Choice

The news on intended methane hydrate exploitation continues to get increasingly scary. Here is just a recent survey of article and news headlines and titles.

• Methane Timebomb Ticking - Boilingspot.blogspot.com
• The USGS assessment of abrupt climate change - Energy and Environment Viewpoint
• Bush urges US to stake claim to Arctic territory in last-gasp energy grab - C-Questor group newsletter
• Scientific deep ocean drilling: Revealing the Earth's secrets - Doxtop
• Japan digs ocean deep to find natural resources - Methane Hydrates - Greenpacks
• USGS: Alaskan gas could heat millions of homes - Top Gold News
• Study: Lots of recoverable frozen gas in Alaska - blog Rubens
• Methane hydrate extraction - Mercury Rising
• "Ice That Burns" May Yield Clean, Sustainable Bridge to Global Energy Future - Newswise
• Japan to drill offshore for methane hydrate - EnergyCurrent
• Japan aiming to commercialize new ocean resources in 10 years - iStock Analyst
• Govt to Study: Exploit ocean resources - Asian news feed
• Ice That Burns Could Be a Green Fossil Fuel - Newscientist.com
• Flammable ice is the future of the human idea alternative energy - Anrosoft
• Flammable ice could be carbon-neutral fuel - pound360
• Scientists have found ecological way to burn methane. - The Science
• Boosting energy production from 'ice that burns' - Science centric
  

The volume of material being released on the subject of exploiting methane hydrates as an energy source is dwarfed by the plethora of articles detailing the activity in the area of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS). The combination of these two bode very badly for global warming. The potential for accidental release of large volumes of methane from hydrates and the inability to develop an economically viable technology and methodology for CCS very much weakens the potential for decreasing anthropogenic greenhouse gasses to a level that global warming can be arrested.

Our hunger and lust for new energy sources, as oil and natural gas resources begin to decline after peak oil, continues to put pressure on governments everywhere to weaken the regulations for carbon emissions. CCS is, through carbon trading, showing all the hallmarks of turning into another taxpayer-subsidized ponzi scheme with every other corporation, whether or not they are involved in the energy industry, lining up at the taxpayer trough looking for their share of the research money and stockpiling carbon credits waiting for legislation that will drive up the price as carbon emitters are forced by implemented legislation into buying credits.

As you will see in the archives of this blog, I have written several articles on both CCS and methane hydrates. With the lack of material in mainstream media, however, the potential for any public pressure in these areas continues to be weak. If it stays weak and public pressure never develops the desire of those in power to keep the train speeding toward the precipice rather than putting on the brakes will rule the day. Sooner or later some sanity must seep into the circles of power or we are going to pay a tremendous price to support their lust for power.