How Green Are You?

[MJ_1993]

Okay, so because Britain robbed India via mercantilism, they have to the pay the price, by not only being backward for a good century+, but having to come up with a greener, and inevitably slower way of becoming developed.

Also, it is not China's mostly, its because us foreigners decide to dump factories there, because of cheap labour etc. We need to shoulder some of the blame here.

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

[quote]mercantilism,

[kieran]

Sadly, what India and China probably realise that if global warming continues then they will probably suffer worse than USA and Europe given the size of their populations (e.g. water wars) and large areas of poor land (large tracts of China are turning into desert etc due to change in rain fall pattern). it would not be sensible for them to do as the west did over 100 years ago.

[John the old'un]

[quote="Mo Jaffer"]Yes we do have control. You see we contribute a mere 5% to the carbon cycle. But this five percent causes an imbalance which the natural process cannot remedy.

[kieran]

"Global Warming in a Politically Correct Climate " written by a man who is funded by ExxonMobil? unbiased??

Why take this book to heart and not the other books by academics like:

"Global Warming : The Complete Briefing ?" by John Houghton?
but of course he is part of the IPCC so is only protecting his interests? Still must remember he was previously Professor in atmospheric physics in Oxford.

[Jon H]

My carbon footprint is huge; two full carbon frames, another one with carbon forks and seat stays, TT bars, set of wheels, disk wheel, saddles, bottle cages etc...

[Stu Merckx Man]

maybe india and china should convert their carbon emissions into carbon parts for bikes....
think about it- its a new way of storing carbon without releasing it into the atmosphere, all the bike manufacturers would get that reduction in tax 'incentive' for reducing carbon footprints, then there would be billions of carbon bikes going on the cheap!

[adrian]

[<trivialise]
[quote]are you scared by how little people are willing to pay for food these days

[quote="John, the old'un"][quote="Mo Jaffer"]Yes we do have control. You see we contribute a mere 5% to the carbon cycle. But this five percent causes an imbalance which the natural process cannot remedy.

[Snoop Doug]

Political correctness (PC or politically correct) is a term used to describe language, ideas, policies, or behaviour seen as seeking to minimize offence to groups of people.

Some commentators, usually on the political left, have argued that the term "political correctness" is a straw man invented by the New Right to discredit progressive social change, especially around issues of race and gender.

Nicked the above from Wikipedia so probably written by some drunk logging on from under his park bench (sorry Dad). Guessing that the title of the book referred to implies that it is not PC to diss global warming, maybe...?

As I said before I think issues around sustainability, resource scarcity, urbanisation, demographic shifts and other tedious guff are more important. Partly cos we can get our heads round them and do something. There's some good stuff in this thread that I will nick and spout forth at my next presentation. Andrew - I don't fly around the world wagging my finger - yet. China trip was for pleasure, big time!

Anyhoo I offset 1 microgram of that by cycling to work today.

[-Adam-]

Why 'waste' my time worring about things that are way beyond my control.

Don't get me wrong, I do my bit, I turn uneccessary lights off, don't leave my TV on standby, get 45mpg out of my car etc. Hell, I even study a degree for which I MUST design 'sustainable' projects. But even this is a contradiction, when I finally get a job, much of what I am taught to use now will still be a financial no-go in 3 years time.

But hey, whats the use of arguing about it all? I'll never be in a position to really impact upon this issue so I'll just continue to do my little bit and say c'est la vie.

Oh and, my carbon footprint is terrible too, a frame, forks, wheels. Oh well

[Dombo]

Great Success!
Got my household number to over 5. Swapped some low energy bulbs for a couple of 5-bulb ceiling lights over the weekend. Only 40w bulbs though, and really really tiny. Still, that's 400 watts straight off when I flick the living room lights on.
Anyway, I thought trees and plants and stuff soaked up carbon dioxide and gave out oxygen?
And what about the theory that we are just in a warm part of a very long solar cycle? That 5,000 year old bloke they found in the Alps when an old pass thawed recently and opened up didn't get there in a 4x4.

The main reason governments are so keen on the global warming theory is that they can tax emissions. Gordy Broon can't see a bandwagon without wanting to slap a tax on it.

[MJ_1993]

I know what PC is, I dont understand what is meant by that in this context.

[Snoop Doug]

I reckoned you did know - sorry no offence meant. I guess I was just thinking that by setting that out first and then trying - albeit badly to put it into context, made more sense.

So - title implies it's not pc to diss da global warming

F'rinstance at my work place most folk just blindly follow the herd and accept that global warming and co2 emissions are inextricably linked. So - when I even suggest that maybe there's more to this - I just get swatted away akin to an annoying fly, or wasp if you will.

I'm going down the pub on a pair of coal fired, rocket powered micro wave skates, stuff it!