Solutions To Climate Change

[Mongo]

This thread is not about whether you believe in global warming.

 

It is about the proposed solutions and whether you consider them viable and or which ones.

 

Vote and discuss!

 

Mongo

[Vigile]

I vote that I'm too uninformed on the subject to vote.

[Monk]

I vote that I'm too uninformed on the subject to vote.

 

 

I'll second that for myself!

[Robbobrob]

My main hang up is, how do we know what part of global warming is due to our carbon emissions, and what part of it is due to the Earth still coming out of the last Ice Age? (I will remain serious and not mention the lack of Pirates causing the raise in temperture, for now).

 

I understand that the emissions do have an effect, but so do other factors. Can 6 billion plus people live on a planet and decrease energy use enough to even make an impact at all. Or, do we all really need to start considering the only way out is to allow "THE END TIMES" to start, just so we can decrease the surface population. (joking, of course).

[Dhampir]

I vote that I'm too uninformed on the subject to vote.

No, you aren't. The truth is there are no workable solutions. The majority of humanity can't be made to believe that a. global warming is happening at all, b.that we may have something to do with it, and c. that cooperation in search and enacting of a solution is within their collective power, all at the same time. They'll only believe all three once it's too late to change anything. That's the way it usually works. The only real solution is for the entirety of industrialized humanity to DIE and the earth will sort itself out in a few millenia, and we do know that. But that is rather contrary to the idea of a 'solution', isn't it?

[Guest vanesa]

Global warming isn't really an issue. We don't know what causes it, and coal and fossil fuels are actually much better for the environment in some ways vs biomass and wood. 1 KG of coal has less carbon in it vs 1 kg of Wood. 1 kg of gasoline has even less carbon per unit mass. Liquid hydrogen has....no carbon (duh). Carbon buildup in the atmosphere is probably due to solar activity of some sort. Does this mean we should burn up coal and petroleum for electricity? No. They emit other chemicals that are toxis to humans and are a fairly poor source of energy. Some form of nuclear fission or perhaps fusion would be much more effective. WInd and solar are nice but they aren't strong enough to run cities on. Hydroelectric is good but limited in availability.

[Dave]

Global warming isn't really an issue. We don't know what causes it, and coal and fossil fuels are actually much better for the environment in some ways vs biomass and wood.

Yet not one scientist would agree with that.

 

1 KG of coal has less carbon in it vs 1 kg of Wood. 1 kg of gasoline has even less carbon per unit mass.

Not true, but not in the way you have been led to believe. The carbon in the coal or gasoline has been locked up, or removed from the carbon cycle, for millions of years. The carbon in biomass is still part of the carbon cycle. With biomas there is no net gain as there is with fossil fuels. To put it in simpler terms; burning trees just moves the carbon around. Burning fossil fuels adds carbon.

 

Liquid hydrogen has....no carbon (duh). Carbon buildup in the atmosphere is probably due to solar activity of some sort.

No. The Sun can add heat, not carbon.

 

Does this mean we should burn up coal and petroleum for electricity? No. They emit other chemicals that are toxis to humans and are a fairly poor source of energy. Some form of nuclear fission or perhaps fusion would be much more effective. WInd and solar are nice but they aren't strong enough to run cities on. Hydroelectric is good but limited in availability.

Then do not rely on any one specific replacement. Use them in combination. What is this fixation with having only one main source of energy?

[Dave]

On the "Useful Sollutions" I had to pick all of them. It will take all that, and more, to make a tiny dent in the problem. Right now no one is really talking about any kind of pratical sollution; just interim bandages. That's probably the best we can do for now anyway.

[Mongo]

OK... 58 reads and only 7 responses. Keep in mind, some people read it multiple times.

 

I tend to interpret this as people are intellectually uncomfortable with the topic and many disinterested.

 

This is not a shock as I have said that people only pay real attention when an issue is clearly affecting them.

 

So the "as is" world seems to be:

- First, the mental link between CO2 emmissions and whatever discomfort/inconvenience (dryer Atlanta, stronger hurricanes, melting artic) has not been connected.

- Second, there is insufficient personal discomfort (water shortage, loss of habitat/species, gas prices) with environmental problems.

 

Mongo

[Monk]

OK... 58 reads and only 7 responses. Keep in mind, some people read it multiple times.

 

I tend to interpret this as people are intellectually uncomfortable with the topic and many disinterested.

 

This is not a shock as I have said that people only pay real attention when an issue is clearly affecting them.

 

So the "as is" world seems to be:

- First, the mental link between CO2 emmissions and whatever discomfort/inconvenience (dryer Atlanta, stronger hurricanes, melting artic) has not been connected.

- Second, there is insufficient personal discomfort (water shortage, loss of habitat/species, gas prices) with environmental problems.

 

Mongo

 

 

I'm uncomfortable with it, and I have no problems admitting that.

 

I recycle. I pick up trash from the road side. I try to drive as little as possible. I turn out the lights when they aren't used. I use compact fluorescent bulbs. I don't get extravagant with the thermostat. ETC. ETC. ETC.

 

What else are people like me supposed to do? Everyone talks the talk....so, how are we supposed to walk the walk all the talking heads want us to walk?

 

This issue has become far too politicized, and that never should have been the case. Noble causes die in politics far too often.

[Vigile]

Mongo, Monk makes a good point about it being political. He also makes a good point about there not being anything the individual can do to make an impact. Nothing changes globally if I decide to go out and get a Hummer and unplug two of the spark plug wires so that it runs less efficiently. Likewise, nothing changes globablly if I sell my car and buy a bike.

 

Politically, no one is ever going to come to any real solutions that will work. I submit that you will never ever get coutries to change their habits or wean them from their addiction to energy. It's impossible.

 

The only real solutions are going to come through technology. New, cleaner energy supplies and perhaps technology of some sort that can reverse the damage already done. Nothing else is ever going to get anything more than lip service, or worse, more government control over people's lives without any possitive effect from it.

 

If I'm wrong I'm willing to consider the flaws in my argument if you can point them out.

[Monk]

Mongo, Monk makes a good point about it being political. He also makes a good point about there not being anything the individual can do to make an impact. Nothing changes globally if I decide to go out and get a Hummer and unplug two of the spark plug wires so that it runs less efficiently. Likewise, nothing changes globablly if I sell my car and buy a bike.

 

Politically, no one is ever going to come to any real solutions that will work. I submit that you will never ever get coutries to change their habits or wean them from their addiction to energy. It's impossible.

 

The only real solutions are going to come through technology. New, cleaner energy supplies and perhaps technology of some sort that can reverse the damage already done. Nothing else is ever going to get anything more than lip service, or worse, more government control over people's lives without any possitive effect from it.

 

If I'm wrong I'm willing to consider the flaws in my argument if you can point them out.

 

 

Well said.

[Amethyst]

Mongo, Monk makes a good point about it being political. He also makes a good point about there not being anything the individual can do to make an impact. Nothing changes globally if I decide to go out and get a Hummer and unplug two of the spark plug wires so that it runs less efficiently. Likewise, nothing changes globablly if I sell my car and buy a bike.

 

Politically, no one is ever going to come to any real solutions that will work. I submit that you will never ever get coutries to change their habits or wean them from their addiction to energy. It's impossible.

 

The only real solutions are going to come through technology. New, cleaner energy supplies and perhaps technology of some sort that can reverse the damage already done. Nothing else is ever going to get anything more than lip service, or worse, more government control over people's lives without any possitive effect from it.

 

If I'm wrong I'm willing to consider the flaws in my argument if you can point them out.

 

I agree with Vigile. There will always be skeptics in every country. You're never going to get them all to change. The real solutions will include technology that affects things globally, not just in one little corner of the world.

[Grandpa Harley]

I mean no offense to anyone on this board. Personally I do not buy the arguement that man is the cause. I have posted articles and personally spoken with more than one Ph.D., in fields of meteorology, biology, and other related fields. There is no consensus no matter if the media tries to hype it as such. I refuse to change my lifestyle for squat. I have posted articles from people who are published and peer reviewed and those who disagree with me just blow it off. Oh well...your choice.

 

At the risk of lambs lying with lions, I'd add my voice to Burny here... The question is marred by the a-priori assumption that 'Global Warming', the 'Inconvenient truth's take of it actually does exist. If it doesn't exist, then what are we trying to 'solve'... we are in a a definite period of increasing temperatures, but no one knows how long it will last, what caused it, and whether we (as a species) are even partially to blame...

 

I don't stand with Burny's view that doing squat is acceptable, simply from the POV of finite resources. There is also the problem of the technology we use now requiring more and more power... and the fact we switch very little off, infact a lot of devices, unless you unplug them ONLY standby... but I digress...