Off Topic The Environmental & Pollution Thread

Actually, I have a problem with Biomass as a supposed CO2 neutral power provider, so let's call it just OVER a quarter.

 

Cruise ships.
Last time I read an article about, Southampton City Council were stating that they contribute upto 23% of the air pollution in and over the city. And now here's a video which I shall watch later.

EDIT: Interesting video. It wasn't a whitewash, and did get down to a few details. LNG powered engines and shore to ship power link ups coming too. But don't hold your breath, even though that might seem a good idea bearing in mind the air quality in 21st century Southampton.

BBC News - How cruise ships contribute to Southampton's air pollution
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-51729602

 

And the latest on Covid-19 affecting events, the Fully Charged LIVE Show has been postponed until Friday 30th October to Sunday 1st November.
Anyone who already bought a ticket (Me, for the Saturday) is good for corresponding day on the rearranged schedule.
The dull thud is that it will be going into Winter, and GMT will be in place. The bright side is that it will be an even bigger show, with several more SOTA exhibits, including more sustainable power, and Electric Aircraft, as well.

 

This week, Dave from Just Have A Think gives us, Antarctica : What happens if the 'Doomsday' Glacier collapses?

 

The belief that the richest consume most energy, and hence cause the most pollution, is fairly widespread. Here's some of the most recent data supporting this:
BBC News - Climate change: The rich are to blame, international study finds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51906530

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/ao726ind7u/shipbreaking

 

I read that article. I think it's fairly well known that ships go to die and be cut up on the shores of the Indian subcontinent. It's a practice that comes as no surprise, seeing that it involves the oil companies. But how about this use for old oil rigs? Cute!

https://electrek.co/2020/03/18/desi...tic-housing-social-distancing-xtu-architects/

 

as a plastic business, with a factory closed in northern Italy and lines dropping down daily at our other european plants due to lack of staff, we are prioritising anything we make by application. Medical first, then critical food applications. Sadly I don’t think we’ll be able to continue producing for too much longer.

all of it for single use plastics.

 

Right saintrichie, and in their own style, the guys at Now You Know have done a little In Depth video on the plummeting pollution, and how, if we want it to reduce to those levels permanently and even lower [ie, carbon neutral eventually], we'll need to change to electric vehicles, clean production and clean sustainable energy.

 

Why is Covid-19 being taken more seriously than HICC? After all, Covid-19 will kill some of us. Unchecked, HICC will eventually kill all of us:

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/03/21/why-is-covid-19-taken-more-seriously-than-climate-change/

 

Is the holy grail of Nuclear Fusion about to be achieved? Or is it still at least 20 years away. Just Have A Think has a good look:

 

Just back from my afternoon constitutional with Tigger. How blue the sky is without jet trails..

 

Indeed. Really kinda nice.

 

The USA Covid-19 business stimulus package: https://electrek.co/2020/03/24/gop-democrats-green-new-deal-stimulus-package/#more-127504

It appears to mean more subsidies for fossil fuel companies and nothing for Clean Energy. I mean, just how many brown envelopes are the US politicians willing to accept?

 

This is specifically what goes on under people's noses while they are distracted by a pandemic. Talk about hiding bad news:

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/03/2...ent-moves-full-speed-ahead-on-oil-gas-leases/

I'm sure only about 3 people will read the link as well. That's an example of how they get away with it.

 

The truly oddest thing is that, in the USA particularly, Trump is currently pursuing the backing of the Fossil Fuel industries. He's even coming up with a new subsidies stimulus for them which excludes subsidies of Clean Energies. And those Clean Energies are still going to undercut the old Fossil Fuel industries, which can't compete anymore. But while FF lobbyists have got their dirty hands down Trump's trousers [yuck!], he'll bow to them. Especially if they make him that offer he can't refuse - richer. He will still pursue subsidies that allow the coal industry to start up and provide old jobs to miners with black lung disease, when they could easily be retrained in the Clean Energy sector, which is going to provide so many more jobs, and be better for the US economy in the long run, it'll make Trump's orange wig spin. But it won't make him richer. There's the vapour rub.

 

Scientists have discovered a strain of bacterium which can feed on polyurethane. Ironically, they found them at a waste site, so it's likely that the newly discovered bacterium Pseudomonas evolved from other strains in order to profit from all the plastic waste:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/27/scientists-find-bug-that-feasts-on-toxic-plastic

Click on the links to other discoveries and developments throughout the article.