International News Climate Change 🌍

[tonyw]

We (nearly) all need to take more responsibility I guess. The will from the masses just isn't there.

I've given up hope that it's going to be now until something truly cataclysmic happens*.
Not enough people are willing to give up their creature comforts and cushy, convenient lifestyle in the face of existential threats.

(*though this may not be too long away if Thwaites and much of the rest of the Antarctic ice shelf does collapse in the next five years, as some are predicting)

 

[unification]

Just think, COP26 was in November last year where so much was said on this issue. Now every Western nation is scrambling around for the cheapest barrel of oil going and some are even going back to coal as a resource. Greta Thunberg said it was 'just blah blah blah'. She was not wrong.

We're the most intelligent and yet the most stupid species on this planet.

 

[bashamwonderland]

Global population has doubled since the mid 70s, so we need to half our individual carbon output to even get to those (already unsustainable) levels.

I just try not to worry about it anymore. It will take a moment of scientific brilliance to get us out of this. No amount of flight reduction or electric car (soon to be the biggest con in modern history) purchasing will help.

 

[Essexyellows]

Population control.

That`ll fix it.

Doesn`t fit the consumerist Ponzi scheme though.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Pahahahaha!

What a complete cock!

The Independent: Nigel Farage cancels launch of campaign against net zero after second venue pulls out.

Nigel Farage cancels launch of campaign against net zero after second venue pulls out

Vote Power Not Poverty organisers claim ‘abuse, threats and intimidation’ have made event untenable

www.independent.co.uk

 

[QR]

Global population has doubled since the mid 70s, so we need to half our individual carbon output to even get to those (already unsustainable) levels.

I just try not to worry about it anymore. It will take a moment of scientific brilliance to get us out of this. No amount of flight reduction or electric car (soon to be the biggest con in modern history) purchasing will help.

Go on.

 

[bashamwonderland]

Go on.

1. Solve climate change by buying 1-2 tons of newly mined and processed aluminium, rubber, plastic and lubricants! There are 32,000,000 cars in the UK alone. That's welp over 32,000,000 tons of carbon-heavy material to manufacture to replace current stock (in the UK alone). If we focussed investment on better catalytic conversion, standard fuel technologies we'd be able to totally minimise damage.

2. New electric car costs 26tons of carbon to build. Average carbon output for mid 2010s Audi on 4000 miles per year is around one ton. That's before we improve emissions technologies - they aren't fully developed yet.

3. A new electric car is a piece of technology. What we know about all technology in the last decade is that it has in-built obsolescence. The car manufacturing industry is evil but we still have cars on the road which are over 50 years old. Electric cars will have in-built obselesence to force consumers to continually switch to new models. Old models will be no good for the second hand market. Evidence? Look at your phone and everyday appliances. They aren't built to last. Electric cars will not be built to last.

It's fine if you want to disagree with me on this one, but I think electric cars will be one of the biggest environmental disasters of all time.

 

[Oslernorth]

I am flying in June for my ruby wedding anniversary, unfortunately can’t see Any other way to get abroad for holidays etc, if other alternatives come up in the future that are safe and carbon neutral then I think it will be a good thing but alas can’t see anything in the horizon that will be able to be carbon neutral, so for holidays flying will be the only way for now.

A lot of major cities in Western Europe are fairly easily accessible via the Eurostar, the connections on the continent are high speed too.
For example, you can get from Paris, all the way down to Bordeaux in just 2 hours. That’s just 4½ to 5 hours (depending on connection) from London.

 

[Oslernorth]

1. Solve climate change by buying 1-2 tons of newly mined and processed aluminium, rubber, plastic and lubricants! There are 32,000,000 cars in the UK alone. That's welp over 32,000,000 tons of carbon-heavy material to manufacture to replace current stock (in the UK alone). If we focussed investment on better catalytic conversion, standard fuel technologies we'd be able to totally minimise damage.

2. New electric car costs 26tons of carbon to build. Average carbon output for mid 2010s Audi on 4000 miles per year is well below one ton and possibly as low as 0.5 tons. That's before we improve emissions technologies - they aren't fully developed yet.

3. A new electric car is a piece of technology. What we know about all technology in the last decade is that it has in-built obsolescence. The car manufacturing industry is evil but we still have cars on the road which are over 50 years old. Electric cars will have in-built obselesence to force consumers to continually switch to new models. Old models will be no good for the second hand market. Evidence? Look at your phone and everyday appliances. They aren't built to last. Electric cars will not be built to last.

It's fine if you want to disagree with me on this one, but I think electric cars will be one of the biggest environmental disasters of all time.

I agree with the general point about disposal electronics made obsolete through needless updates.
Car’s are a bit different because of the up front cost. If they only last 3-4 years before they become unusable, they won’t be able to sell them for upwards of £30,000

 

[QR]

1. Solve climate change by buying 1-2 tons of newly mined and processed aluminium, rubber, plastic and lubricants! There are 32,000,000 cars in the UK alone. That's welp over 32,000,000 tons of carbon-heavy material to manufacture to replace current stock (in the UK alone). If we focussed investment on better catalytic conversion, standard fuel technologies we'd be able to totally minimise damage.

2. New electric car costs 26tons of carbon to build. Average carbon output for mid 2010s Audi on 4000 miles per year is around one ton. That's before we improve emissions technologies - they aren't fully developed yet.

3. A new electric car is a piece of technology. What we know about all technology in the last decade is that it has in-built obsolescence. The car manufacturing industry is evil but we still have cars on the road which are over 50 years old. Electric cars will have in-built obselesence to force consumers to continually switch to new models. Old models will be no good for the second hand market. Evidence? Look at your phone and everyday appliances. They aren't built to last. Electric cars will not be built to last.

It's fine if you want to disagree with me on this one, but I think electric cars will be one of the biggest environmental disasters of all time.

I didn't ask the question to disagree with you, I just didn't know what you were getting at. Food for thought though.

 

[m]

Population control.

That`ll fix it.

Doesn`t fit the consumerist Ponzi scheme though.

Tautology.

You could have just said capitalism.

 

[bashamwonderland]

I agree with the general point about disposal electronics made obsolete through needless updates.
Car’s are a bit different because of the up front cost. If they only last 3-4 years before they become unusable, they won’t be able to sell them for upwards of £30,000

I have a feeling they will be priced so as to prevent people from buying them. The manufacturers, dealers and finance companies want all of us on rolling hire contracts. That way, we get a shiny new vehicle every 3-4 years at a monthly subscription price. Those who want to be thrifty get 50,000 miles before obsolescence kicks in.

Watch an advert on the infotainment before you can drive off, perhaps? Targeted ads based on the locations you visit? Pay extra to unlock additional performance?

It's all a trap, I tells ya!

 

[bazzer9461]

A lot of major cities in Western Europe are fairly easily accessible via the Eurostar, the connections on the continent are high speed too.
For example, you can get from Paris, all the way down to Bordeaux in just 2 hours. That’s just 4½ to 5 hours (depending on connection) from London.

I’m going to an island which is approximately n8 hours on a ferry from the southern tip of Italy.

 

[chuckbert]

2. New electric car costs 26tons of carbon to build. Average carbon output for mid 2010s Audi on 4000 miles per year is around one ton. That's before we improve emissions technologies - they aren't fully developed yet.

How many tons of C did it cost to build a mid2010s Audi?

 

[chuckbert]

I have a feeling they will be priced so as to prevent people from buying them. The manufacturers, dealers and finance companies want all of us on rolling hire contracts. That way, we get a shiny new vehicle every 3-4 years at a monthly subscription price. Those who want to be thrifty get 50,000 miles before obsolescence kicks in.

Watch an advert on the infotainment before you can drive off, perhaps? Targeted ads based on the locations you visit? Pay extra to unlock additional performance?

It's all a trap, I tells ya!

I get the cynicism about the sales model, but I don't think that has anything to do with electric. Exactly the same model can (and has) been used with petrol cars.

An alternative future would be autonomous electric "taxis" which come and fetch you and drop you off, with a substantial reduction in total car numbers, reducing the environmental costs of manufacture.

 

[SteMerritt]

Pay extra to unlock additional performance?

I believe Tesla already off a performance "pack" which is unlocked via an over-the-air update, for a price of course.

 

[bashamwonderland]

How many tons of C did it cost to build a mid2010s Audi?

A 2010 Audi already exists - the carbon has been expended. We should be severely restricting car imports and shifting the focus to maintaining, improving and repairing current stock.

We've got 32 million cars. They don't need to be replaced.

 

[Oslernorth]

I have a feeling they will be priced so as to prevent people from buying them. The manufacturers, dealers and finance companies want all of us on rolling hire contracts. That way, we get a shiny new vehicle every 3-4 years at a monthly subscription price. Those who want to be thrifty get 50,000 miles before obsolescence kicks in.

Watch an advert on the infotainment before you can drive off, perhaps? Targeted ads based on the locations you visit? Pay extra to unlock additional performance?

It's all a trap, I tells ya!

Paying extra to unlock features already built into the car is something Tesla already do sadly.
I don’t know if you’ve also been following the campaign for the Right to Repair? Essentially people are paying ownership prices for what is effectively a user agreement, and can’t replace a part on their item without needless electronic pairing. iPhones are a good example of this, but it’s a particular problem with tractors in the USA, where they have a short amount of time to get a crop harvested. But if the tractor breaks, it can’t be repaired by the farmer anymore, and will have to be sent hundreds of miles away to the main dealer.

 

[chuckbert]

A 2010 Audi already exists - the carbon has been expended. We should be severely restricting car imports and shifting the focus to maintaining, improving and repairing current stock.

We've got 32 million cars. They don't need to be replaced.

If you were suggesting electrifying them I'd definitely agree. That doesn't involve so much carbon, but a lot of labour.

What's your plan for new cars (which I'm sure you agree are needed at some point)? Cars last for ever here in WA because of the dry air, but I still see very few 30+ year-old cars and that's not just because most people want a shiny new one.

 

[bashamwonderland]

If you were suggesting electrifying them I'd definitely agree. That doesn't involve so much carbon, but a lot of labour.

What's your plan for new cars (which I'm sure you agree are needed at some point)? Cars last for ever here in WA because of the dry air, but I still see very few 30+ year-old cars and that's not just because most people want a shiny new one.

If the conversion could be done cheaply then sure. That way we only have to solve the charging problem (number of chargers, source of electricity used for charging and, if all properties cannot charge, a much reduced charging time) and the transition will be effectively painless.

Virtually no new cars would be needed if we stopped icing roads and if people were incentivised to maintain the cars. How many cars have a full service history? It should be mandatory to annually service your car just like an MOT.

Obviously for crashes and scrappage, some new stock should be allowed into the country on an emergency or quota basis. Essentially shut down our car market Havana style.