I consume as little as possible to still enjoy my life cologne, but at the end of the day I cannot control government about keeping open open cast mines as an example. I just received a booklet about the risks from the nuclear power station that is about 35 kms away as the crow flies. The risks from it are miniscule, but for some it might be too much. Although the government is investing huge sums in renewables, nuclear will be required for years to come. Not my call, but I am pleased to see the central investment that will set how people receive their power in the coming years.
Germany manages without nuclear power Frenchie. I admit that there is a problem here with open cast mining - but this has reached its last years of operation here. All I am saying here is that we need a two pronged approach - yes we want governments to do something, but we don't sit on our hands waiting for it in the meantime. There is nothing to stop a municipality or a commune developing their own developmental plan for reducing their own co2 balance independently of central government - the transition town network provides a kind of blueprint on how this can be done, although the exact measures will vary from place to place. Whilst I can think globally I can only act locally. I would love to live under a government which was not in the lap of the car industry and the pharmaceutical industry (talking about Germany here), and will do all I can to change that but I can have more influence closer to home.
History is the reason that France relies so much on nuclear power, and you cannot do away with that overnight. The UK has chosen to go down the same road to some extent, but this usage and argument is something that goes back half a century when my late father in law worked within the industry. I am with you on many things about taking local responsibility and within a small community it is fairly simple to implement. However when you get into much larger towns it creates a different set of problems. I don't know what it is like in Germany, but in France there is a far greater local involvement with the town councils than there ever was in England. I still keep up with the minutes of my old parish and district councils, and find that most times there are no members of the public to listen to the debate. This I think shows the disconnect that exists in England to what the people expect and what a local council can actually do.
The amount of responsibility the (very) average UK citizen has for the environment is evident on the previous page. Hence why I don’t hold the view that it’s up to us as individuals to sort this out. UK citizens, on the whole, are far too selfish. Or stupid. To imagine that the PM’s latest fling is going to have any impact on our national involvement with recycling is absurd.
The fact I could buy and sell you and not even notice, does make your posts enjoyable. But I have never bleated on about it, and do feel responsibility (and do give a lot of my time and money) for those less fortunate. I don’t expect nouveau to do so because... well, they’re so nouveau.
Thought this an interesting article on where effective initial moves might be made: https://www.timeshighereducation.co...-act-swiftly-and-independently-climate-change We’ll need these specialised graduates to help us in the future, so we need to start developing them now. Cantab and Imperial have started, there’s probably more.
So basically you are happy with the situation as it is. It is a well known fact that if the whole World consumed at the level of the British then we would need the resources of two and a half planets to sustain this - if everyone was like you we would need many more planets on top of this. So other parts of the World are becoming uninhabitable as a result of your/our greed ! It is time we stopped calling this theme 'environmentalism' because it is about climate justice - one part of the World is consuming resources at an unprecedented rate, and the other part is paying for it, through submerged land and desertification, amongst other catastrophes. So, for me, making life difficult for you and your SUV is a matter of justice.
Comrade Corbyn is running the government and Watford are battling Man City for the title. keep taking the pills.
I'm sure most people are concerned about environmental issues and are happy to look for technological solutions to many of the problems we see today. I'm sure your time would be better spent targeting the governments that are doing much less than the UK is at present.
There are no techno fix solutions SH. A few years ago people were lauding the future of electro cars as the 'solution' - now we are starting to realize that Acu's blow up occasionally and fires cannot be put out in the conventional manner. It is a mistake to presume that we can go on consuming and producing at the same rate, but just with other technology - because those technologies will create problems which can only be solved with newer technologies, which will also be problematic - and so the cycle continues. Trusting in this alone is like saying to a chain smoker that he should carry on with his habit because technology will produce a reliable cure for cancer in the future. The Co2 emissions of the UK are above the EU average - per head they are not as bad as Belgium or Germany, but they still belong amongst the biggest culprits on this. I do not have the influence to 'target' the governments of China, the USA, India, Canada or the gulf states so I concentrate my efforts closer to home. I have no idea how recycling works in France, but I do know that their Co2 emissions per head are lower than those of the UK. so they must be getting something right. You say that most people are concerned about environmental issues - but the problem is that they always look for the problem somewhere else, and not on their own doorstep.
We are guaranteed an EU free Conservative government for the next 10 years at least. Carrie's influence is your best, and only, option for a more environmental pathway. You need to become a believer in one nation Conservatism, anything else is just blowing in the wind.
When are you ripping out your old gas boiler for a much more efficient air source heat pump like mine?
I have also invested in a heat recovery system which takes the heat from the kitchen / bathrooms and redistributes around the house. It also filters the air. I do have two log burners but they are the most efficient available to burn off any pollutants.
What is it about you? You come on every thread and throw in your inflammatory grenades? No one is interested. We indulge you because some of us feel kinder to you than me.. You are an irritation with these posts... that is all
Actually we have nothing fuelled by gas - and our electricity comes from Aggerström - Engelskirchen produces its own electricity and it is 100% hydroelectric. I am not saying that all technology is equally damaging - the question is, 'how much hot water do you actually use' ? There is no such thing as 'green' technology, or environmentally friendly technology - we need to scrap those words because they give a false impression - one technology can be less harmfull than the other, but that is the most that can be achieved. Moving this onto transport - if you have to get from a to b then you should, of course, choose the means of transport which is the least damaging - but, prior to this, you have to ask if the journey itself is necessary.
You may be correct in your negative outlook but what you requesting is not likely or practical. Unless Armageddon is staring the public in the face attitudes will change dramatically. The best we can hope for is technology continues to address the problems.
Ah, the urban dweller. If I had an old gas boiler I would certainly throw it away as the nearest gas supply is twenty miles away. I once had a telephone sales call in England from a young lady trying to sell a joint electricity/gas plan. When I told her that we didn't have gas within five miles, her reply was, "How do you cook then?" Where are you calling from I asked. "Warrington" she told me. It does show that the mind set of a dweller in Berko or Warrington is just about the same.
