We're screwed! (enviro talk)

[Denis]

Anyone else see the special on CBC about the earth?
'6 degrees could change the world'

It stated what would happen to earth if the temperature rose 1-6C higher than normal. We're currently at 0.8c above normal. I don't remember the specifics but even being 1c above is bad news.

I was never huge on global warming, always thought it was just a cycle the earth was in. Looks like theres truth behind it, even though its hard believing
the assclown David Suzuki as he speaks greenhouse gas problems flying in his private jet.

I also never believed it when people said 'global warming won't harm us, it'll harm our children'. If nothing changes, i'll live to see the changes, and i'm only 21.

I'm no crazy environmentalist, but i hope shit changes.

Thoughts?

[Johnnysks]

It doesn't hurt to be environmentally conscious and to be more efficient. If nothing it will make you get off your ass and walk around and maybe get some exercise. Even if there was no climate change issues, and green house gas emission were not a concern, we certain do have an energy crisis with China and India building up their infrastructure (and rightly so) to catch up to the 21st century. Want not waste not.

PS. Random rant: Don't be like the fat slob and his fat slob family that I ran into the other day at the Pearson airport's designated waiting parking lot. Dood had his big ass SUV idling for 45 minutes for no good reason. Everyone else had their windows rolled down and their ignition off. Get a clue.

[lexusecutive]

Environmental change is for real. On top of that, humankind's impact on our environment is ever evolving and the impact that we have on our surroundings as a species in such great volume will dynamically alter the way the earth responds and the way our species responds to the earth itself.

(side note: david suzuki doesn't travel in a private jet. He ain't that baller. He does travel in business class though. I sat next to him once on a flight to denver)

Do your part by reducing wasteful uses, trips, product etc. A big help is to reduce our dependence on big-oil too.

Help educate third world countries of contraception and do our part by keeping our reproductive rate to 2.2. etc.

Automotively, I've always been a fan of the Prius. And thats why my wife drives one.

There are some great documentaries out there. Al Gore's one is good An Inconvenient Truth. If you take it further, there are also some great theorists regarding our species' and civilization's ultimate quest to advance to a Type1 civilization vs what wasteful idiots we are now as a Type0 civilization....... but that's for a totally other topic!

[Johnnysks]

For those who are not aware, you can't beat China's contraceptive program. You're only allow to have one kid. /Zing

[Denis]

Originally Posted by Johnnysks

For those whou are not are, you can't beat China's contraceptive program. You're only allow to have one kid. /Zing

yeah, lets throw all the infant women because they can't carry on our names! </sarcasm>

lexusecutive: the only problem is that all the greed in the world won't allow for change. AFAIK there was an insanely efficient engine built years ago and was bought by the oil companies (anyone know about this?)

I've seen many of the documentaries on global warming, but most didn't give valid proof like this one did.

And what's with the reversing of photosynthesis i hear about? They said its already been happening.

[Johnnysks]

Originally Posted by Denis

lexusecutive: the only problem is that all the greed in the world won't allow for change. AFAIK there was an insanely efficient engine built years ago and was bought by the oil companies (anyone know about this?)

I've seen many of the documentaries on global warming, but most didn't give valid proof like this one did.

And what's with the reversing of photosynthesis i hear about? They said its already been happening.

Details?

[lexuriuz]

The positive side to all this is that we can take steps right now to help turn things around. I think the NA governments are slowly but surely getting the point.

[cdeslandes]

The problem is more severe than just global warming, or pollution, or water access, etc.

The problem is that the Earth can only sustain about 2 billions humans long-term. There's 6.5 billions of us.

To bring all 6,500,000,000 humans to the same standard of living as we enjoy in the West, we'd need 4 Earths.

Sooner or later, perhaps in our lifetime, we'll have one massive breakdown of society in developing countries, perhaps even a global war of unheard of proportions resulting in several billion deaths. That's inevitable.

[lexusecutive]

Originally Posted by lexuriuz

The positive side to all this is that we can take steps right now to help turn things around. I think the NA governments are slowly but surely getting the point.

Yes, if you google the ontario gov't new Feed-In-Tarrif program to offer households $0.80/kWh for any electricity they generate from solar panels up to a 10KW solar array.....the NA govt is definitely looking to the future for some of our energy issues.

I will be installing a 3KW array once the program is fully launched.

[Johnnysks]

We're very behind already. Germany and Japan launch their programs a few years back, and are the biggest consumers of panels last I checked. McGuinty only launched Ontario's program as part of their economic stimulus plan (if I recall correctly).

[Johnnysks]

FYI.

China and the U.S. each account for about 20 per cent of all the world's greenhouse gas pollution created when coal, natural gas or oil are burned. The European Union is next, generating 14 per cent, followed by Russia and India, which each account for five per cent.

Interesting. Yet China has 5 times the population of US.

"We are asking developing countries to do as we say, not as we did," said Ed Miliband, Britain's climate secretary, whose country has pledged to cut carbon emissions by more than a third from 1990 levels by 2020, and said 40 per cent of the UK's electricity by then would come from renewable sources.

China has been cutting energy intensity for the past four years and could the new carbon intensity goal in a five-year plan for development until 2015. China already has said it is seeking to use 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

I don't know. To me it still seems North America still has a lot of catching up to do in terms of awareness and commitement.

Major UN climate summit puts China and India in spotlight - Yahoo! Canada News

[digger08]

Originally Posted by lexuriuz

The positive side to all this is that we can take steps right now to help turn things around. I think the NA governments are slowly but surely getting the point.

I'm doing my part




Digger08