Putting the World to rights

[dctucker]

Originally Posted by eupa

Very brave of you-- but it wont save the world!!!!!!!!

Ok - we will put a 30 meter high turbine in your garden
Go down to a 1 liter LPG Kia Rio.- Probably the worse **************
Ensure that anybody driving a car greater than 1500 cc is severly ostracised
Walk a lot ( has two very positive attributes!)
Set up a local committee to have a better public transport system
Stop the airco
Buy a horse
Get rid of the local Walmart ( everything comes from China- so when buying there, you are incresaing demand for oil in that country
Close Macdos
Throw out the TV
Cut the electricity at 2100 hrs.
Stop the cental heating/ buy more blankets

Why the hell is it taking so long to get new forks for the bike......dont tell me --- i guessed it --- made in PRC

and SELL THE RIB!!!!!!

jonathan

Unfortanately, my garden's not big enough for that. There are plans for a wind farm in Cape Cod Bay, out of my line of sight, but I liked seeing the turbines while visiting Holland. Rather that, than living in the shadow of one of the 5 filthiest coal fire electrical stations, as I do now.

Not giving up our Saabs any time soon.

Ostracize people driving 1.5L+ cars? I try. SUV=Stupid Useless Vehicle in my view, unless you have to tow a substantial load. I drove to a school function (in the rain) for my daughter entering kindergarten. Parking lot ALL SUVs and minivans, with 2-3 station wagons (estates). My Saab convertible was the smallest car in the lot.

Public transport is actually pretty good around here, assuming you want to go to Boston, buses & rail. Just not widely used, except for commuting, as you can't easily go anywhere else.

I leave in a seaside community, usually a good breeze, so I keep turning off the A/C, though the 7 month pregnant woman I live with has ultimate authority on that decision! Only have 2 window units anyway.

Horse? Worse economics than driving an SUV!! Also, see garden size!

We've automated the thermostats for the central heat. Can't go too extreme on the electricity, as we need to keep my father-in-law employed. He manages wholesale electrical contracts for town run light departments, including ours!

Bike fork probably made in PRC, just shipping from NYC though!!

[codprawn]

Wind turbines have to be the most inefficient - most expensive - most old fashioned way of generating power. They are a joke!!!

When you see statements like "enough power for x amount of homes" they always say - to "light" in the small print. A typical bulb these days uses about 20W - an electric kettle - 2.2kw - one hell of a difference!!!

Burning fossil fuels is not the answer - tidal power would make a hell of a difference but there IS one power source that would solve most of our problems and that is Nuclear.

Visit places like Trawsfynnydd in North Wales and you will find just how little impact it had on the landscape.

France is one of the few countries to meet the Kyoto accord - because something like 80% of their power comes from nuclear.

Yes Chernobyl was a major disaster - but then it was a bad design in a 3rd world country!!! More people died in London from smog caused by coal burning - they haven't banned that!!!

The "terrible" disaster at 3 mile Island that finished off the USA nuclear energy industry was responsible for 0 yes that is 0 deaths!!! Long term studies have shown that there were NO greater increases of cancers etc in the area.

I LOVE out beautiful countryside more than most - I would far rather see a few nuclear powerstations than ALL the hills and mountains covered in windturbines - along with the pylons and everything else.

Britain has very little countryside left - why destroy it on a whim???

[Richard B]

Trawsfynydd has been out of commission for twelve years!

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Richard B

Trawsfynydd has been out of commission for twelve years!

Yes and you would never know it was there!!! Even when it WAS there it was very unobtrusive - no piles of coal and slag everywhere

Compare this

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...3Doff%26sa%3DN

With Drax - a big coal powerstation

http://www.munters.co.uk/www/Help.nsf/ByKey/ABRL-5JNDY9/$file/Drax%20Power%20Station%20Image%204.gif

or even this - a big windfarm

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?im...3Doff%26sa%3DN

Compared to the Nuclear plant the windfarm covers a FAR bigger area and only generates a miniscule amount of power!!!

[eupa]

ok DC- you have passed the test...........


What about Michael Moore for president in 2008???
Codders agree on nuclear.

Jonathan

[Jonny Fuller]

I'm no expert on nuclear power, but two issues worry me, first, terrorism, and what they could cause if they so wished.

But more importantly, nuclear waste, WTF do we do with it? it seems to be a subject that gets swept under the table (like the N-Waste itself I expect)

It's lethal for decades, or more (don't know details) and if we go full nuclear, there'll be fkkn loads of it to deal with....nice

[Matt]

Nuclear fusion is the answer.
http://www.focusfusion.org/energy1.html

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

It's lethal for decades, or more (don't know details) and if we go full nuclear, there'll be fkkn loads of it to deal with....nice

Burying it all under Belgium is my favoured option...

[Jonny Fuller]

Originally Posted by Jono

Burying it all under Belgium is my favoured option...

You could be right, specifically, just under Raffshore marine!

And keep a bit back for Malta

although Belgium is a little close for comfort.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

I'm no expert on nuclear power, but two issues worry me, first, terrorism, and what they could cause if they so wished.

But more importantly, nuclear waste, WTF do we do with it? it seems to be a subject that gets swept under the table (like the N-Waste itself I expect)

It's lethal for decades, or more (don't know details) and if we go full nuclear, there'll be fkkn loads of it to deal with....nice

Nuclear waste is NOT nice stuff - but then neither are a lot of other things. Belgium would be a great option but failling that just store the stuff until widespread Fusion power becomes available.

Terrorism would be a concern but then I reckon more people would die crashing a plane into Wembley stadium!!!

People seem to forget that the 2 cities that were taken out with nuclear bombs are once again thriving - of course according to some people the place wouldn't be inhabitable for 2000 years.....

[Jono]

Originally Posted by codprawn

....People seem to forget that the 2 cities that were taken out with nuclear bombs are once again thriving - of course according to some people the place wouldn't be inhabitable for 2000 years.....

I really, really can't believe you said that.

[Andy Gee]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

I'm no expert on nuclear power, but two issues worry me, first, terrorism, and what they could cause if they so wished.

But more importantly, nuclear waste, WTF do we do with it? it seems to be a subject that gets swept under the table (like the N-Waste itself I expect)

It's lethal for decades, or more (don't know details) and if we go full nuclear, there'll be fkkn loads of it to deal with....nice

Hey they would just build them in Scotland, after all we've got Hunterson Power, Dounrey, All the bloody Nukes in our hills, all the subs in our Lochs and all the scrap ones at Rosyth!!!!
Andy

[Jono]

Originally Posted by Andy Gee

Hey they would just build them in Scotland, after all we've got Hunterson Power, Dounrey, All the bloody Nukes in our hills, all the subs in our Lochs and all the scrap ones at Rosyth!!!!
Andy

"One volunteer is worth a hundred pressed men".... Cheers... let's hear it for the Scots!

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Jono

I really, really can't believe you said that.

WHY - it happens to be a fact!!!!

Those 2 cities suffered no more - and no less - than plenty of other poor buggers - Tokyo had just as many dead after a massive firebomb raid - nobody seems to remember them!!!

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by Andy Gee

Hey they would just build them in Scotland, after all we've got Hunterson Power, Dounrey, All the bloody Nukes in our hills, all the subs in our Lochs and all the scrap ones at Rosyth!!!!
Andy

Still better than covering all your stunning mountains with windfarms and pylons.

And NO I am NOT a Nimby - I would far rather see a Nuclear powerstation being built in somewhere like Port Talbot(which is a dump) than on the mountains behind!!!

[dctucker]

I'm not a big fan of nuclear, primarily due to the issue of the waste. The stuff will be around for thousands of years, and NOBODY wants in their backyard. transportationof if is a huge problem as well.

If I could afford the initial investment, I'd re-roof my house in photovoltaic cells, and on net put power INTO the grid. I'd love to see my electric meter spin backwards!! IIRC, it would have cost me ~$60,000 USD when I looked into it a few years ago, less god knows how much back in initial rebates from the power company. There are a few houses in my neighborhood that have solar hot water and/or heat.

[Alex Brown]

The thing is, would you rather the waste be stored somewhere safe in a container underground for many years, or would you prefer to continue to see clouds of smoke going into the atmosphere which could potentially harm the planet for a lot longer?

I was the only one on the energy resources course at college to be in support of nuclear energy. I agree that terrorism is a large threat these days, but surely any nuclear station built from now onwards would be built sufficiently to take on threats?
The larger nuclear stations can provide a significantly larger amount of energy than equivalent size fossil fuel burners, and better still, they don't pollute the atmosphere helping to upset the climate.

Nuclear fusion is the way forward without doubt - it's just a shame it's still a short while off before becoming a useable source of energy

-Alex

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by dctucker

I'm not a big fan of nuclear, primarily due to the issue of the waste. The stuff will be around for thousands of years, and NOBODY wants in their backyard. transportationof if is a huge problem as well.

If I could afford the initial investment, I'd re-roof my house in photovoltaic cells, and on net put power INTO the grid. I'd love to see my electric meter spin backwards!! IIRC, it would have cost me ~$60,000 USD when I looked into it a few years ago, less god knows how much back in initial rebates from the power company. There are a few houses in my neighborhood that have solar hot water and/or heat.

Don't you realise the ONLY way these crackpot "alternative" schemes work is because of so called "rebates" - solar and wind are just NOT economically viable!!!

A school near me has had it's roof covered in solar cells - it will take over 100yrs to recover the cost - madness given the cells won't last that long!!!

[eupa]

I refuse to be drawn on this one.....
Wales would be the ideal depository for ALL waste- all those deep coal mines
you could drop it in,one dark night ( together with a bevy of Welsh politicans - kinnock springs to mind - what a useless git!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Nobody would ever know... In fact Codders , you could take all the world's waste and not know the difference....


more important: price of petrol ( gas) euro 95 today

1. Belgium 1.33 to 1.45 euros/liter
2. France 1.35 to 1.39
3. Lux. 1.18
4. Belgium LPG 0.389 euros /liter/ france 0.559
5. Diesel 1.08 to 1.14 across the board

1 euro= 0.67 pounds stirling
1.25 us$= 1 euro/ 3.80 liters=1 us gallon

So Dtucker - you are still better off than us!!!!!!!!!!

Jonathan

[codprawn]

Remarkable coincidence but today an official long term report into cernobyl has just been released.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4216102.stm

It concludes it is the worst disaster of it's kind - in total 4,000 deaths - considerably less than first feared.

"Dr. Burton Bennett, chairman of the Chernobyl Forum and an authority on radiation effects, said:
Bennett continued: "This was a very serious accident with major health consequences, especially for thousands of workers exposed in the early days who received very high radiation doses, and for the thousands more stricken with thyroid cancer.
"By and large, however, we have not found profound negative health impacts to the rest of the population in surrounding areas, nor have we found widespread contamination that would continue to pose a substantial threat to human health, within a few exceptional, restricted areas"

As a contrast the London Smog of 1952(there were loads of others) killed 12,000!!!!!!

http://www.portfolio.mvm.ed.ac.uk/st...reatsmog52.htm