global climate change, and you*

[LewisLegion]

Public transporation. If I took public transporation to work, it would take me two and a half hours, since for some reason the bus routes through a major city over twenty miles in the wrong direction. Two and a half hours too and from work when you work ten hour days is...I'm sorry, ludicrous. Taking my car takes 45 minutes.

We recycle easily 85-90% of our trash. Solar panels are desired as soon as we can afford them. We do combine trips as much as possible.

[protege]

Technology can help with a lot of problems .

Maybe...but trying to haul 70 pounds up one of Pittsburgh's many steep hills...on an unpowered vehicle (by that I mean one that has no engine) isn't happening. It's simply too dangerous.

[Gravekeeper]

I apparently have a carbon footprint of 5. This amuses me.

Global climate change is, honestly, at its very core largely a top down problem in the US. The US government can't even agree it even exists, nevermind doing much about it. And you're certainly not getting the upper 2% to unlatch themselves from the big oil cash teet anytime soon. Until they do, you're not likely to see much in the way of major change. Because in the meantime they're going to derail as much green energy technology and legislation as they possibly can.

In the meantime, you can slowly try to claw your way upwards at a grassroots level, but its definately a hell of a climb. Until we get affordable and comparable electric vehicles, wide spread public transportation networks and older shittier vehicles off the roads, you're not going to make much headway in vehicle emissions. Naturally, expect the oil industry to shit all over any attempts to bring alternative vehicles to the market.

I fear we're going to end up stuck with fossil fuel until we run the fsck out of it. Then they'll be a mad panicked dash to try and replace it while the economies of several countries with no foresight collapse. -.-

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'm childfree. There, now I've reduced my carbon footprint and I didn't have to do a thing.

[Mikkel]

Maybe...but trying to haul 70 pounds up one of Pittsburgh's many steep hills...on an unpowered vehicle (by that I mean one that has no engine) isn't happening. It's simply too dangerous.

No, steep hills are the nemesis of cyclists. I won't even link to electric bikes. They can help a lot, but with a big load and a long bicycle trip, they will exhaust the batteries. Not to mention that the good ones are expensive and the cheap ones are first or second generation, heavy, breaks easily down and the batteries won't hold much of a charge. In a few years, though, they will be a viable alternative.

I fear we're going to end up stuck with fossil fuel until we run the fsck out of it. Then they'll be a mad panicked dash to try and replace it while the economies of several countries with no foresight collapse. -.-

I'm hoping that the oil will run gradually out over perhaps ten years, resulting in higher and higher prices, which will then start the replacing of tecnology.
Of course war is likely when a lot of countries don't have the money to buy oil.

[Andara Bledin]

Because in the meantime they're going to continue to derail as much green energy technology and legislation as they possibly can.

Fixed that for greater accuracy.

Oh, yeah, on the subject of emissions: biofuel doesn't pollute like fossil fuel.

Ethanol Myths and Facts from Feb 12, 2011 at the US Department of Energy website.

From what I can tell, the US government is being proactive about where we go once the fossil fuel teat gets sucked dry. Though it would be nice if we actually used the technology that's been available to us since Ford himself was first making cars now that it's actually been proven to be a more efficient and less costly and damaging alternative.

Another thing that many people don't consider is that the biomass plants that can be used for biofuel are also among those that will grow in the least hospitable climates, making it possible for the country and the people to make use of even more of the land within our borders.

^-.-^

[Lace Neil Singer]

I can see more nuclear reactors being built rather than people actively using stuff like solar and wind power. It's not as dangerous as people think; however, a lot of people round here do not like wind farms as they consider them an eyesore. The latest farm has been stuck out in the sea cuz of all the nimby.

[Andara Bledin]

Right. It's all about NIMBY, and has nothing to do with the higher windspeeds you get offshore.

^-.-^

[Lace Neil Singer]

No, it's about nimby. People actually are fighting to stop wind farms being built anywhere near their houses, therefore the sea is really the only place where wind farms can be built without pissing anyone off. Cept possibly seagulls.

[Plaidman]

I'm childfree. There, now I've reduced my carbon footprint and I didn't have to do a thing.

Well now, what are you doing to please the pro-life and pro-family people?

[protege]

No, it's about nimby. People actually are fighting to stop wind farms being built anywhere near their houses, therefore the sea is really the only place where wind farms can be built without pissing anyone off. Cept possibly seagulls.

It's not just the wind farms either. Locally, quite a few people do not want new power plants in their area...and some are even trying to get the *current* plants shut down. Several people have been busted for breaking into Allegheny Energy's Hatfield's Ferry (Masontown, PA) plant...and doing stupid things like "protesting," by climbing up the towers, and just being nuisances. I have a feeling that these same idiots would freeze in the winter if it wasn't for that plant. A plant, that has been in operation decades before the rich yuppies started building mansions all around it.

Sure, coal power isn't exactly clean. But the fuel is relatively inexpensive, readily available...and nobody around here wants nukes because of Three Mile Island, and later, Chernobyl. Never mind that the TMI "meltdown" released less material than the average person is exposed to in their lifetime. As I'm typing this, there's a nuke plant just north of me. Am I worried about it? Nope.

We need other sources of energy. Nuclear power has been proven to be (for the most part) reliable and cleaner than power from coal or oil. Yet, we'll never get the plants we need because of TMI, NIMBYs and Chernobyl.

[Lace Neil Singer]

A lot of people cite Chernobyl without knowing jack shit about it. The fact was, the disaster was caused by poor design and human error... nuclear power stations are as a rule now a lot better and safer. Also, a lot of the stuff people predicted about the site turned out not to be true; for example, that the site would be a dead, dessicated wasteland for two centuries after.

http://www.englishrussia.com/images/...ripyat/070.jpg

Strange... I could swear that there's trees in that photo. Must be my imagination.

[protege]

Strange... I could swear that there's trees in that photo. Must be my imagination.

I've seen those, and other photos from the area. Sure, it looks pretty, but there are some really nasty spots, mainly where the radioactive waste was dumped. Even though the plants and some animal live has adapted to the conditions, most people tend to stay away. Some though, still live in the "dead zone" around the plant. From what I've read though, there have been some strange animal mutations in the area. Don't know if that's 100% true though.

Here's another link about the disaster, and what it's like there now.

[Lace Neil Singer]

According to what I've read, the mutations were around in the beginning, but after several generations, the mutations disappeared. Scientists think that a simliar thing would happen to humans, but obviously, it's not testable.

The people who mainly live in the dead zone are elderly people who moved back after the evacuation, and homeless drifters who went to live there. At first, authorities tried to remove these people, but now they let them stay and even provide care packages. No children are permitted to live there, however, due to the risk of illness.

Re the link; I love her site. I've gone thru all the pictures and read the captions, too. There's also a link I posted on CS.com of Pripyat in winter; I'll see if I can find it when I have more time.