"We all know, we have no time to lose." 

These are the words of German Chancellor Angela Merkel today in an address to a joint session of the US Congress.

And she didn't stop there.  She also said that dealing with climate change is one of the great tests of the 21st Century and that "in December the world will look to us, to the Americans and the Europeans," for leadership.

Most Republicans sat quietly during this while Democrats gave Chacellor Merkel a standing ovation.

I agree with Chancellor Merkel.  Climate change is the test of our lifetimes.  The Democratic majority and President Obama understand this and are taking a leadership role in guiding both the US and the world toward finding solutions.

Meanwhile, the Republicans dither.  They whine that "EPA hasn't done an analysis of the impact," which, of course, is false.  EPA has done an analysis.  Republicans whine that they "don't have enough time to read the bill," though the major issues have been discussed for the last 9 months, the revised draft bill has been available for at least a week (and the original bill was available long before), and the process of discussion is ongoing.  Perhaps if Republicans assigned their staffs to work on the bill rather than immediately find a microphone to whine about it they would actually be able to accomplish their jobs.

Merkel noted that "curbing greenhouse gas emissions would spur growth in innovative jobs" in the US, in Europe, and worldwide.  Republicans seem intent on doing nothing but stand in the way of any meaningful legislation because they think it will help them keep their own jobs in next year's elections.

It's time for all of us to insist that Republicans start contributing to the solution rather than putting all their efforts into blocking any attempt by others to look out for the future of the United States.

For more information, read the articles in the Washington Post, BBC News, and CNN.

Yesterday the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) released a “chairman’s mark” of the climate bill she co-authored with fellow Senator John Kerry (D-MA). This revised version includes "new provisions for allocating emission allowances, providing consumer rebates, promoting the use renewable energy and fuels, addressing the use of clean-coal technologies, and encouraging certain forestry and agriculture practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

In addition to the revised bill, Boxer also released an EPA analysis that shows "the Senate plan would cost no more than the House-passed cap-and-trade proposal."

Three days of legislative hearings by Boxer’s committee began today, October 27th, which she hopes will lead to a markup of the bill in November.

As has become the norm, Republicans have threatened that they will try to block committee action on the bill based on their claims that there has not been enough time to sufficiently review the new 923-page legislative package. This is disingenuous. The draft bill has been avaiable for quite some time and this version just provides some additional information. Furthermore, this is the beginning of the process, with hearings scheduled and plenty of time for Republicans to have their staffs read the bill and provide them with analyses. There is also plenty of time for Republicans, and other Democrats, to provide their input and amendments to the bill before the final markup in November.

It's time for both parties to legislate. That means actively contributing to the development of legislation rather than staking out a politically-motivated position without making any attempt to resolve issues.

Links to the revised bill, the EPA analysis, and the House bill, along with additional analysis can be found in an article printed in the New York Times yesterday. Other climate change related posts on this blog can be found here.

The Green GT race car can travel at speeds of up to 200km/h (124mph). One page with technical specifications mentions that it can reach speeds of above 160 mph.

The car can travel for 45 minutes on battery power. The idea is to exchange the entire battery pack in under one minute during pit stops, when race cars are refueled and tires are changed.

Of course, running on electricity means there's no need for refueling. Not having to refuel saves time and also avoids hazards - at the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, the McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen pulled away from its pit box with the fuel hose still attached, creating a small fire on the pit lane and spraying fuel onto Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen, temporarily blinding him and burning his eyes. So, there's another advantage of turning to electricity.

The page with technical specifications further mentions that, for auxillary power, the Green GT race car has solar panels on the bodywork, instead of using an alternator.

Furthermore, the Green GT race car has a carbon fiber composite chassis and a glass fiber composite bodywork. Two synchronous water cooled electric motors of 100 kW each with DC/AC converters, coupled to GreenGT's own transmission, allow regenerative braking and deliver over 2000 Nm of torque at the wheels.