Green pollution

Well we (including me) listened to the "Greens".

We bought low CO2 diesel cars. They were expensive but we wanted to help.

We bought "carbon neutral" wood burners for our homes. They were expensive but we wanted to help.

Now London (on its bad days) is worse than Beijing for pollution. People are getting sick (especially children) and radical action is needed to protect them. Diesel car owners face what amount to fines for using the diesel cars they told us to buy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/01/24/air-pollution-london-passes-levels-beijingand-wood-burners-making/

I wonder what "green" advice we shall get next.

Well we (including me) listened to the "Greens".

We bought low CO2 diesel cars. They were expensive but we wanted to help.

We bought "carbon neutral" wood burners for our homes. They were expensive but we wanted to help.

 

You, did something for the 'Greens', surely not.

You, did something for the 'Greens', surely not.

Yes. I express scepticism about some of what they say. With good reason as you can clearly see from the wood/diesel debacle.

But I take their concerns seriously and I give weight to their arguments (and especially the underlying science) when making decisions about my own life.

I think in the wider debate they are given too much credit, too much credence and insufficient oversight; but that doesn't mean that they're universally wrong.

Above all I resent their attempts to silence opposition with false claims of scientific heresy.

If we had been permitted to openly discuss the potential down-side of prioritising CO2 reduction at the expense of absolutely everything else from other environmental concerns to the impoverishment of the poor, in a reasoned and informed way this mess could have been avoided.

I think you'll look back in 20 years and say exactly the same things about renewable energy. Yes we needed to reduce CO2 production, but this was a damn stupid way of going about it.

was it an eu directive why we were told to buy diesals if so cant we sue them before we get out

was it an eu directive why we were told to buy diesals if so cant we sue them before we get out

That was part of it. But the green movement, Greenpeace etc, lobbied every government on the matter and was very successful. So we would likely have ended up in this mess anyway.

It's not for me to dictate, but it was not my intention to generate another Brexit thread.

That was part of it. But the green movement, Greenpeace etc, lobbied every government on the matter and was very successful. So we would likely have ended up in this mess anyway.

It's not for me to dictate, but it was not my intention to generate another Brexit thread.

It must be European thing though, Germany etc also have the same problems. Manufacturers are, slowly, getting on board building more commercial vehicles with petrol options but there aren't many. A bigger question might be why we're essentially using the same method to power cars that we did 100 years ago.

It must be European thing though, Germany etc also have the same problems. Manufacturers are, slowly, getting on board building more commercial vehicles with petrol options but there aren't many. A bigger question might be why we're essentially using the same method to power cars that we did 100 years ago.

Next best option is electric. We've implemented that everywhere fixed wires are practical. But batteries have been holding us up. Give it another 10 years or so.

Next best option is electric. We've implemented that everywhere fixed wires are practical. But batteries have been holding us up. Give it another 10 years or so.

Going electric only moves the pollution to areas surrounding power stations, so it's not reducing it, just relocating it.

Going electric only moves the pollution to areas surrounding power stations, so it's not reducing it, just relocating it.

Depends on what's generating it.

Depends on what's generating it.

Quite. My vote has always belonged to nuclear.

Renewables are very expensive, unproven and intermittent requiring massive ver-supply and fossil backup.

well if the demand for electric cars soar they're going to need to build a few more power stations.

Quite. My vote has always belonged to nuclear.

Renewables are very expensive, unproven and intermittent requiring massive ver-supply and fossil backup.

Renewables are expensive it is true However taking into account the subsidy on Nuclear it is just as, if not more expensive. We also, or rather future generations, have to deal with the radioactive waste, which will also be expensive hazardous and a potential disaster many times larger than that of the Aberfan disaster. How reliable renewables is is surely down to what methods are used.

The tonnage of human and farmed animal waste has been expensive to deal with for years and its potential ignored except by a very few when we have known for a long time that it produces methane gas. Surely that gas would be better captured and burned than allowed to pollute the air. Animals are often wintered inside where waste can be managed at a time of year when more energy is consumed farms could produce energy to use locally or feed into the grid.

Water is underused in the energy production industry, we have massive rivers all around the country which could be producing energy either from tidal lagoons or the natural fall of the land. Regulating the flow of the water from these rivers would help in flood control too.

Most of our energy production is owned by foreign companies and we are dependent on foreign coal production to fire the remaining coal generators. So much for forward planning

The political will to look at and develop alternative means of energy production has not been very evident. Solar and wind energy are now losing the subsidies given for development and the government want to go into a method of gas production that could very well pollute the land and the water that we depend on. The possibility for increased earthquakes due to fracking is being largely ignored at the same time as the risk from Nuclear is proposed to be increased. This government needs a couple of psychiatrists to look after their future behind closed doors.