[Video] CNN Reporters Clueless to Biological Origins of Oil, Time For An Energy 101 Literacy Campaign
March 02 2009 / by Garry Golden
Category: Energy Year: General Rating: 2
[Ok, this is a snarky post, but I'm leaving it up. It seems reasonable to assume that CNN would have a Producer, Writer or Intern make a stronger connection between 'hydrocarbons' like coal and oil that originated from biomass (plants and diatoms). Instead CNN frames algae like a space alien recipe.]
Gas 2.0 writer Nick Chambers has featured a CNN video clip of baffled reporters who 'have just discovered algae' based energy systems via a look at Origin Oil's helix bioreactor.
The CNN correspondents are clueless to the biological origins of oil and the basics of energy science- namely that everytime we drive our car we are breaking apart hydrogen-carbon bonds formed by ancient algae. So tapping the power of algae to bind molecules for energy feedstocks is not 'science fiction', it is Mother Nature.
[Peaking in snarky tone right there...] The clip shows how disconnected we are from understanding even the basics of energy systems and where energy comes from. (It's scary how many people I meet that still think 'fossil fuels' are ancient dinosaurs.) And it is not a surprise that shallow 'consuming green' strategies dominate public conversations, despite falling flat in terms of offering global solutions.
Could we get science back into the conversaton? How about teaching our children and news reporters the most basic '101' energy science. Oil is not pixie dust, it comes from somewhere.
CNN should educate its reporter on what they fill up in their gas tank. Because it's ancient algae.
Related algae posts on The Energy Roadmap.com
Clean Coal via algae? Bioenergy startups could transform China's coal industry in 20 years
Comprehensive list of algae biofuel startups
Investors betting on biological future for biofuels – We can ‘grow’ energy!
‘Growing Energy’ – TED Talk by Juan Enriquez
Steve Jurvetson: Biology and Energy are Converging & Accelerating
PetroSun developing catfish algae farm solutions
UK to invest in 'Green Oil' for 2020
SunEthanol is now 'Qteros', cellulosic startup raises $25 million to focus on next generation biofuels
Airline industry moving towards next generation biofuels
Luca Technologies raises $76 million for microbes that 'eat' coal, 'breathe out' natural gas
Plus many more...
