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Hank CampbellRSS Feed of this column.

I founded Science 2.0® in 2006 and since then it has become the world's largest independent science communications site, with over 300,000,000 direct readers and reach approaching one billion. Read More »

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Solar photovoltaic (PV) mass-market polycrystalline panels are typically about 15% efficiency. Pretty terrible, right?  Maybe, maybe not.  

Cars - both gasoline and electric vehicles, despite what the electric car hype machine claims - are only slightly more efficient at 15-25%, as is eating, and biology had all of existence to perfect that process. Ethanol and other biofuels, which were the darling of anti-science environmentalists in the Anything-But-Oil camp before electric cars because they are the ultimate solar-powered device, are a dismal <2% efficiency.
It's not correlation/causation (though less and less is, since science has learned that causation is now teaching us less and less about how to actually fix things) but some in the social fields are claiming there are biological truths to stereotypes about the left and right, like that progressives are self-indulgent and clueless on national issues while conservatives are fear-mongers with a fetish for exaggerated dangers.
If someone talks about WikiLeaks and admires transparency and accountability but talks about ClimateGate and talks about how the emails were illegally obtained and stresses the researchers were absolved of science misconduct, you know how they vote.

And one other catchphrase claims to be a sign for the political leaning of the latest ClimateGate email provider: “Every day nearly 16,000 children die from hunger and related causes," a note stated when it released more emails related to ClimateGate. That means denier, says Greenpeace.  Bonus: If true, then in defiance of spin by progressives, it also would seem people on the right are smart enough to use a computer.
Since 2011 is nearing its end, you are already sick of those top 10 lists about the best X Of The Year.  I'll keep it simple and stick to just one.  My favorite photo of 2011 was not taken by me and it wasn't anything elaborate, like Osama Bin Laden getting capped or a science miracle or two kids making out on the street during riots in Vancouver. No, my favorite photo was taken last May, just like the ones of Bin Laden finally getting his virgins (but finding out they are virgin men - namely other terrorists), but it was much quieter.
Science for the win!
What is a paltry $195 billion in real cost versus $1 trillion in potential savings? Fans of 'jobs created or saved' fuzzy economics will love a report by the Joint Center For Political and Economic Studies, which says that six new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality regulations, which will cost about $195 billion over the next 20 years, will save well over $1 trillion. 

I italicize $1 trillion because it works best if you use a Dr. Evil voice to read it so I wanted to give you a visual hook. Like him, it may take some trial and error to figure out what number will have enough impact to mobilize people into action so, like these numbers, just make them up until you get the desired effect.