What are you doing to combat climate change?
Oct 4th 2019, 1:51 pm
#76
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
In any case, isn't having the highest efficiency coal a bit like being the fastest snail?
Oct 4th 2019, 3:11 pm
#77
Born again atheist
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Europe (to be specified).
Posts: 30,259
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
Oct 6th 2019, 3:45 pm
#78
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 3,340
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
Vegetarian, it should be a pretty modest adjustment for anyone who really believes there is a climate change emergency and wants to make a difference.
UK does better than most when it comes to renewable power:
http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/25/busin...arm/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...orkshire-coast
This type of technology could make a big difference: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.co...nergy-storage/
UK does better than most when it comes to renewable power:
http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/25/busin...arm/index.html
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...orkshire-coast
This type of technology could make a big difference: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.co...nergy-storage/
Oct 7th 2019, 12:09 am
#79
Listen to the Music
Joined: Mar 2013
Location: Fraser Valley BC
Posts: 4,723
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
Every now and again you chance across a statistic that somehow has crept under mainstream reporting but suddenly brings on one of those 'What the,.. " moments. I think this is one such moment.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...421-000-to-300
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...421-000-to-300
Oct 9th 2019, 10:49 pm
#80
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Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 3,340
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
Every now and again you chance across a statistic that somehow has crept under mainstream reporting but suddenly brings on one of those 'What the,.. " moments. I think this is one such moment.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...421-000-to-300
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...421-000-to-300
Oct 9th 2019, 11:21 pm
#81
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
I couldn't tell from the article, but are they including electric trolley buses in their count? San Francisco has like 300 of those things.
We don't have coal power in BC, and its mostly hydro electric, so I wish electric would be more common here, maybe one day. They do have a route running with a quick charge electric bus, guess time will tell if they find it works well enough for the needs of transit here, we have 260 electric trolley buses as well, but of course they are limited on where they can run since they need overhead wires, of the 4 bus routes that go down our street 3 of the routes are electric trolley bus routes, they are also quieter vs fuel powered buses.
We don't have coal power in BC, and its mostly hydro electric, so I wish electric would be more common here, maybe one day. They do have a route running with a quick charge electric bus, guess time will tell if they find it works well enough for the needs of transit here, we have 260 electric trolley buses as well, but of course they are limited on where they can run since they need overhead wires, of the 4 bus routes that go down our street 3 of the routes are electric trolley bus routes, they are also quieter vs fuel powered buses.
Every now and again you chance across a statistic that somehow has crept under mainstream reporting but suddenly brings on one of those 'What the,.. " moments. I think this is one such moment.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...421-000-to-300
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...421-000-to-300
Oct 10th 2019, 1:38 am
#82
Listen to the Music
Joined: Mar 2013
Location: Fraser Valley BC
Posts: 4,723
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
Oct 16th 2019, 5:32 pm
#83
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
Living in a small apartment
Not having kids
Not having much money so not a big consumer of goods, got rid of all my aquariums.
BC Hydro says our electric use is 32% lower vs our neighbors so we are good there.
Not working so no commute necessary so not burning fuel on a daily basis.
Eat little meat as its expensive.
I think I have done my part.
Not having kids
Not having much money so not a big consumer of goods, got rid of all my aquariums.
BC Hydro says our electric use is 32% lower vs our neighbors so we are good there.
Not working so no commute necessary so not burning fuel on a daily basis.
Eat little meat as its expensive.
I think I have done my part.
Hey!! I like your style. So if I go on welfare I will be carbon neutral!!
Yes this was meant tongue in cheek
The meet thing is a good one. I like eating animals but my moral dilemma over it is really causing me to try to, slowly, eliminate it. Hell, I had to give up trophy hunting last week because I didn't have the wall space to hang another head for cryin out loud!! (for those that easily take offence, it was a, very satirical, attempt at humour)
Oct 16th 2019, 5:42 pm
#84
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
It's an uncomfortable fact that it's already too late to do anything useful.
Carbon dioxide levels are already high and together with other greenhouse gases they will continue to rise. It won't go away. There is no magic bullet for this problem. Even if the entire world became carbon neutral, the effects would still be there and they won't be getting better while we continue to burn oil and coal.
The effects that these gases are having will continue to get worse into the foreseeable future and politicians will do nothing to prevent it.
And us, the greedy little animals who live on this planet, we will do little to help and will do much to make it worse. We would crucify anyone suggesting that we limit some of our energy intensive lifestyle.
I fear for my grandchildren and hope that the region they will live in will remain above sea level and not subject to threatening weather patterns. No doubt they'll be subject to the effects of climate change, but perhaps their generation will do better than mine did.
Carbon dioxide levels are already high and together with other greenhouse gases they will continue to rise. It won't go away. There is no magic bullet for this problem. Even if the entire world became carbon neutral, the effects would still be there and they won't be getting better while we continue to burn oil and coal.
The effects that these gases are having will continue to get worse into the foreseeable future and politicians will do nothing to prevent it.
And us, the greedy little animals who live on this planet, we will do little to help and will do much to make it worse. We would crucify anyone suggesting that we limit some of our energy intensive lifestyle.
I fear for my grandchildren and hope that the region they will live in will remain above sea level and not subject to threatening weather patterns. No doubt they'll be subject to the effects of climate change, but perhaps their generation will do better than mine did.
Last edited by sun burnt in aus; Oct 16th 2019 at 5:44 pm.
Oct 16th 2019, 5:56 pm
#85
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
I have the suspicion that we will be back to oil and gas (it's the devil we know) fairly soon (about 3 business cycles) after everyone realises that battery production and recycling is very damaging to the envr; sort of like transferring addiction from heroine to methadone.... And all the keyboard warriors will spit the dummy when a massive disposal tax is put on all their battery operated gear and vehicles... The world believes the media, not science, and there's a lot of issues with all new alternative energies and their viability to accomplish what the world demands, as opposed to what it needs for a viable future. The reality is we need to go to a 99% vegetation diet and cut out 80% of the energy consuming items we use. And with such radical thought, a vegan would go into convulsions, when they have to wear wool instead of a recycled pop bottle to stay warm in their unheated skin covered yurt.
Oct 16th 2019, 6:15 pm
#86
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
This doesn't make any sense. Firstly, a person may very well not have an opinion on a topic, for example I don't mind if you live or die. Secondly, while an opinion may be offensive to reason "there is a God" or to sensibility "Arsenal are deserving of a place in the Premiere League" or to both "I would like to have sex with Donald Trump" it is the opinions that offend, not something that derives from them. Please try harder.
Oct 16th 2019, 6:24 pm
#87
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
We’ve lived here 8 years and for all of that time one of our recycling boxes has been an old yellow toy box no bigger than the regular recycling boxes but a slightly different shape. If we had enough recycling to need it as a second box it’s always been emptied, except for the last 2 weeks. Checking the council website turns out they won’t empty non regulation boxes.
I am not sure how many times a recycling box would have to be emptied to justify buying another one, but after CBC reports that most Canadian plastic recycling is burning/polluting Malaysia I am guessing it won’t happen before I die/the world ends.
As for what I do, apart from this pointless recycling, well the answer is probably nothing that’s anything more than a token gesture (reusable water bottles, straws, etc).
I drive a lot, have 3 resource draining offspring, air conditioning blah blah blah. I suck. Others are worse, but I would like to be better.
I am not sure how many times a recycling box would have to be emptied to justify buying another one, but after CBC reports that most Canadian plastic recycling is burning/polluting Malaysia I am guessing it won’t happen before I die/the world ends.
As for what I do, apart from this pointless recycling, well the answer is probably nothing that’s anything more than a token gesture (reusable water bottles, straws, etc).
I drive a lot, have 3 resource draining offspring, air conditioning blah blah blah. I suck. Others are worse, but I would like to be better.
Oct 16th 2019, 6:43 pm
#88
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
[QUOTE=Novocastrian;12742950
I know that experts are derided these days, but individual cabbages like you deserve worse.
[/QUOTE]
And ya know what, us "cabbages" tend to enjoy our lives more than you self imposed enlightened ones because we don't stress and fuss near as much
We're all gonna die, so might as well have a good time before it happens.
I know that experts are derided these days, but individual cabbages like you deserve worse.
[/QUOTE]
And ya know what, us "cabbages" tend to enjoy our lives more than you self imposed enlightened ones because we don't stress and fuss near as much
We're all gonna die, so might as well have a good time before it happens.
Last edited by sun burnt in aus; Oct 16th 2019 at 6:55 pm.
Oct 16th 2019, 6:47 pm
#89
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
This doesn't make any sense. Firstly, a person may very well not have an opinion on a topic, for example I don't mind if you live or die. Secondly, while an opinion may be offensive to reason "there is a God" or to sensibility "Arsenal are deserving of a place in the Premiere League" or to both "I would like to have sex with Donald Trump" it is the opinions that offend, not something that derives from them. Please try harder.
TO be honest I am of the same opinion. I don't care if I live or die either.
You mean push harder?
Last edited by sun burnt in aus; Oct 16th 2019 at 6:51 pm.
Oct 16th 2019, 7:33 pm
#90
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 72
Re: What are you doing to combat climate change?
It just makes sense to have solar panels in hot climates. We got 16 installed when we bought our house on our return to Oz a year ago, and the savings and rebates so far cover a third of what we paid.
Some years ago the federal government had a huge push for people to get solar, they provided rebates of up to 80% of the cost of having them installed. Too many people took them up on the offer, so they stopped it
Electricity companies are the same, they used to pay 42c for every unit of energy fed back to the grid, now they only pay 15c. Meanwhile, we still have huge mines ripping coal out of the earth 
Some years ago the federal government had a huge push for people to get solar, they provided rebates of up to 80% of the cost of having them installed. Too many people took them up on the offer, so they stopped it
Electricity companies are the same, they used to pay 42c for every unit of energy fed back to the grid, now they only pay 15c. Meanwhile, we still have huge mines ripping coal out of the earth To be effective it needs strong legislation based upon intelligent thought. I did a study on solar in Queensland and looked at economy of scale and how it along with legislation could impact on energy needs. In the end it was clear it wouldn't solve all the problems, as solar is no good at night. But Queensland, if they legislated it to be installed on every roof in the state, would have become an electricity exporter, or trader. QLD could sell the excess to the other states so they can power down their fossil fuelled generators in the day and buy back at night when QLD can't generate... The Tesla battery farm in SA was a godsend to them a few years back when they couldn't meet the energy demands but probably wouldn't have been needed if every building was required to have solar installed on it's roof. And in five years those millions of tesla lithium batteries need to be recycled and disposed of.
The by product of such initiatives would be that the natural tendency for the built up envr to create heat islands would be reduced. The populous would have absolutely spit the dummy with such invasive legislation and assault on a mans home is his castle mentality but it would have been revolutionary and so simple to implement. Instead places like the sunshine coast brag about their solar farm that locks up acres of land and turns them into mini deserts. There are those that think turning western QLD into a massive solar farm is a good idea. It would be nothing more than (similar to drug addiction transference) energy addiction transference (I need to copy write that statement LOL) from one ecological disaster to another.
For me personally I think we should stay with the devil we know, oil and gas, until we are confident in a solution that will be viable at least 50 years from now, instead of chasing unicorns such as wind and wave generation. Solar certainly is promising but with the mismanagement of it, who knows where it will be in 50 years. And everyone pisses and moans Alberta for their oil and gas but they have a strong future in solar if government can get their shit together. But I get why they're dragging their feet in getting rolling on putting in solar because of all the political BS (Such as this greta gal traveling the world chastising world leaders. She makes for good click bait but will solve nothing, only cause derision) and not wanting to waste money on something that quite possibly will no longer be viable in 10 or 15 years.
Wow... Ii just scrolled up. I have by far wasted too much time trying to solve the world problems instead of pouring a vodka and orange.