Juan Enriquez: Why can't we grow new energy?

http://www.ted.com Juan Enriquez challenges our definition of bioenergy. Oil, coal, gas and other hydrocarbons are not chemical but biological products, based on plant matter -- and thus, growable. Our whole approach to fuel, he argues, needs to change.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes -- including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at
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[amerika000sux]

the filthy, greedy, well-connected oil cartels will surely stop at nothing to keep the world addicted and enslaved to their vulgar commodity.

mr. enriquez's tax oil idea will be shot down in flames because the soulless, corrupt u.s. politicians are bought and paid for by big oil corporations.

the world is not governed by logic, it's governed by greed!

[Johnnyart2000]

"Excellent points!" Opec is keeping renewable enegry from us!

[7Slatts]

mirin

[intelnzboi]

The rainbow colours on oil are from thin film interference of light. Makes me question his motives considering he probably knows that. I know that he's a venture capitalist and would be looking to increase investment through his talks. Is his heart in the right place?

[panzercommandier]

its funny how ridiculously outdated what he is saying is just 5 years after he said it. we live in exponential times

[TheSmoonge]

Great video, but the guy needs to learn how to iron his shirt.

[danfromabove]

Green revolution; a method of raising yields by pumping more fossil fuels into the food on your table. Works well (if you only care about your monocrops and not, say, bees) while oil production is rising, causes food riots and revolutions once it has peaked... Having said that, using biological methods rather than brute force is valuable, it's just that we need to learn the biological patterns of nature rather than arrogantly trying to better them i.e. using permaculture methods not GMO.

[DaTartanSpartan]

Awww cute, a biologist trying to justify his discipline :)

[cmk353]

give it an other year maybe 2 and oil will be $200 pb and food will go up 5 fold in the next 5 years

[rpm297]

The last few sentences won't happen. Oil cartels own this and many other nations today. And their own self preservation is their focus.

Unless of course they already own the best alternative energy ideas already and are simply keeping them on the shelves until such a time oil ceases to be profitable.

Humankind is still dealing with a value system disorder, which we should be working on as well. Eliminating scarcity for everyone through technology would be a great start.

[otivaeey]

His point is don't be fooled by the word bioenergy, because coal, natural gas and petroleum are biological products, same as plant. The motif is to move from brute force energy production to biological-based power extraction that can be accelerated still, so we can revert easier when things get messy. The point is that any legislative thinking should start from not tapping a readily available solar energy underground us, but to move to bioengineering mechanisms which I think is rather infantile.

[otivaeey]

Who those who can't hear the Nobel laureate name, he is Norman Ernest Borlaug 1914-2009, was an American agronomist engineer, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. He was also a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor. Thumbs this up!!