Captain Kirk wrote: ↑Sat Sep 21, 2019 9:41 pm
if they simply said petrol/diesel cars are all banned.
And when it starts running out, I can even envision wars over it.
And this world might just be a much better place without us.
"God made the ocean
God made the sky
God made the people
God knows why"
- Lee Marvin (Ben Rumson), 'Paint Your Wagon'
...there already have been. Iraq? Wasn't it Rumsfeld who said "It's not our fault God put our oil under someone else's land"? - and we pretend Muslims are the bad guys. (LOL am I gonna get shot at for that one - can't wait)
...without doubt it would be.
...Godawful movie. Only one I've ever walked out of and I've seen some bad 'uns.
Captain Kirk wrote: ↑Sat Sep 21, 2019 9:41 pm I think we're all probably hypocrites on the climate issue. We'll all sacrifice what we want to sacrifice but some of it we won't. We'll accept a certain amount of inconvenience, a certain amount of cost but we all have our own red line. I do the plastic bag thing, some can't even be arsed doing that much. I have a car - and I'm keeping it. I'm not standing on the street in the pissing freezing rain waiting for a bus in the middle of winter nor walking to a train station in similar conditions.
I tend to agree that we are all hypocrites to a greater or lesser extent. No way will I sacrifice my trips to Thailand, but I WAS prepared to cycle to work all around the year, with exceptions for rain or snow (so cycling ~80% of the time in winter).
My car has done just under 3000 miles so far this year, with maybe another 1000 to go. I will probably fly ~17,000 miles & travel over 1500 by train.
When we get serious about climate change, it will involve taxes, incentives and legislation to get you out of that fossil fuel burning car. However, I expect all this to happen way too late.
Jun wrote: ↑Sun Sep 22, 2019 1:19 am
I tend to agree that we are all hypocrites to a greater or lesser extent.
Sadly I wholeheartedly agree.
Captain Kirk wrote: ↑Sat Sep 21, 2019 9:41 pm
Climate change (significant) will eventually arrive whether anyone likes it or not. It's also one thing for richer developed nations to say we shouldn't do this or that but how can we possibly preach to developing nations, tell them what they should and should not do? We've all benefited from fossil fuels and now we want to say to them it's all bad so you can't do it? In their place I'd be telling the world to mind their own business (or words to that effect).
I think that's a very valid argument which most in other countries just dismiss. The only counter I can think to it is that back during the west's industrial revolutions, what was being spewed out into the atmosphere seems to have had little effect on the world as a whole.
But it's fascinating to note which countries are making extensive effects to make major reductions in carbon emissions. There is an interesting list in a January 2019 article on the climate change website on 11 countries which are leading the way.
Sweden aims to eliminate fossil fuels from electricity generation by 2040 within its borders, and has ramped up investment in solar, wind, energy storage, smart grids, and clean transport.
Costa Rica has produced 95% of its electricity from hydro, geothermal, solar and wind over the past four years. Costa Rica aims to be entirely carbon-neutral by 2021.
Nicaragua invested the fifth-highest percentage worldwide of its GDP in developing renewable energy. The country is aiming for 90% renewables by 2020, with the majority of electricity coming from wind, solar, and geothermal sources.
Towards the end of last year wind power generated 98% of Scotland’s electricity needs.
Germany is a world leader in renewable energy and in the first half of 2018 it produced enough electricity to power every household in the country for a year.
Uruguay is now almost 100% powered by renewables almost after less than 10 years of concerted effort
Denmark gets over half of its electricity from wind and solar power and in 2017, 43% of its electricity consumption was from wind – a new world record!
in 2017 China had by far the largest amount of solar PV and wind capacity installed of any country – by a long shot. China has also committed to generating 35% of its electricity from renewables by 2030
The largest concentrated solar plant earth is nearing completion in Morocco. With its accompanying wind and hydro plants, the mega-project is expected to provide half of Morocco’s electricity by 2020
In the USA, a new solar energy system was installed every two minutes and 30 seconds in 2014, earning the US fifth place on the installed solar PV capacity global rankings. America also has the second-highest installed wind energy capacity in the world after China.
Kenya gets around half its electricity from geothermal– up from only 13% in 2010. Kenya’s also betting big on wind, with Africa’s largest wind farm (310 MW) connected to the grid in October and set to provide another 20% of the country’s installed electricity capacity.
