Are ebikers saving the planet?

john

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 1, 2007
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What action are you suggesting? Reducing fossil fuel usage? Reduction in oil use will happen naturally due to lack of supply and high price. Gas the same.
Unfortunately, that reduction will not be rapid enough in itself. There are still vast deposits of coal.
There is plenty of things to worry about if you want - try over population - feeding and watering billions more people.
I agree. And a deteriorating climate, with reduced supplies of fresh water will only make the problem worse.
Try thinking about the consequences of oil running out or being so expensive it cripples the economies of the world. Is our government working on this? I doubt it as it is too busy trying to scare us silly with exaggerated stories about global warming.
The point of politicians taking up the issue is that they have to set the framework for the country (us) to take action. Which means reduction in use and development of alternatives to fossil fuels.
 

HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
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London
Unfortunately, that reduction will not be rapid enough in itself
only if you believe in catastrophic climate change and that we can do anything about it
There are still vast deposits of coal.
might be useful when the oil runs out or if we are being held to ransom by the Russians.:D

I agree. And a deteriorating climate, with reduced supplies of fresh water will only make the problem worse.
again only if you believe in catastrophic climate change and that we can do anything about it. Not everyone agrees The IPCC: Hiding the Decline in the Future Global Population at Risk of Water Shortage « Watts Up With That?

The point of politicians taking up the issue is that they have to set the framework for the country (us) to take action. Which means reduction in use and development of alternatives to fossil fuels.
Don't get started about politicians. If this was a serious problem they would be doing something about it, believe me. They could start with mass insulation of the older housing stock. I blame Thatcher as she encouraged all this - very convenient if you are pro-nuclear and anti-coal.
 
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HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
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john

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 1, 2007
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Manchester
Don't get started about politicians. If this was a serious problem they would be doing something about it, believe me.
In a democracy, politicians cannot go much further than public opinion without risking loosing power. I know of several MP's who would like to take greater action on climate change, but when a significant portion of the population don't even accept it as a reality then they are limited in how far they can go. Remember what happened to the fuel price escalator.
 

Northern Irelander

Pedelecer
Jun 4, 2009
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If it's in the Daily Express it must be true...
There are other media sources, it just so happened to make front page on the Express, maybe other sources just don't care enough, or they are in the C02 global warming camp because there's something in it for them.

media were quick to condemn Bellamy when he used duff sources of information
 

Xcytronex

Pedelecer
Jul 23, 2009
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In a democracy, politicians cannot go much further than public opinion without risking loosing power.

How about going to war with Iraq ? I don't seem to remember a pro-war general public at the onset of the conflict.
 

HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
1,317
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London
In a democracy, politicians cannot go much further than public opinion without risking loosing power. I know of several MP's who would like to take greater action on climate change, but when a significant portion of the population don't even accept it as a reality then they are limited in how far they can go. Remember what happened to the fuel price escalator.
Copenhagen climate summit: Gordon Brown's climate change record attacked - Telegraph

PS The fuel price escalator was introduced to raise more taxes and to ease congestion. By the way it is back for the same reasons.
 
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jasono

Pedelecer
Sep 19, 2009
217
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Leicestershire
You may have seen this, one of the climate change directors and his theories have been discredited.

He also has an invested interest in a company (TERI) which promotes green products, hmmmmmm no bias there :rolleyes:

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: The new climate change scandal
What's interesting about this story is that no one is actually denying climate change, which the vast majority of scientists agree is happening. It seems to be a story about how long it will take for the Himalayan glaciers to melt

If people have not yet seen it, I would urge you to take a look at the Age of Stupid docu/film. I thought it made very interesting viewing

Plus, regardless of the 'climate change' debate, it has got to be wrong to exploit the planet and some of its poorest people
 

Northern Irelander

Pedelecer
Jun 4, 2009
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What's interesting about this story is that no one is actually denying climate change, which the vast majority of scientists agree is happening. It seems to be a story about how long it will take for the Himalayan glaciers to melt

If people have not yet seen it, I would urge you to take a look at the Age of Stupid docu/film. I thought it made very interesting viewing

Plus, regardless of the 'climate change' debate, it has got to be wrong to exploit the planet and some of its poorest people
Yes correct on the timescale, however, the point is... his comments were left unchallenged until now. With his close links to company that he runs and recent blunders, it undermines the integrity of his argument that GW is man made. More importantly, he's not an environmental scientist!!

In science you never prove anything, you only ever disprove. Someone can come up with a theory, which stands scientifically, until somebody else disproves that theory..........that's the way in works in the science community.

Accept nothing, check everything!


I'm a scientist in the minority.... for reasons mentioned earlier in this thread
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,163
30,581
Plus, regardless of the 'climate change' debate, it has got to be wrong to exploit the planet and some of its poorest people
Quite right. That's why despite my dismissing the nonsense side of doing something about climate change, I nonetheless recycle and practice minimal usage in order to reduce my burden on the planet.

Of course if we were really serious about "saving the planet", we'd all just commit suicide and solve the problem at a stroke. :)
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arkwright

Finding my (electric) wheels
Jan 9, 2010
14
0
Of course if we were really serious about "saving the planet", we'd all just commit suicide and solve the problem at a stroke. :)
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That's one way of doing it:D
 

Barnowl

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 18, 2008
954
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Of course if we were really serious about "saving the planet", we'd all just commit suicide and solve the problem at a stroke. :)
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I found the prospect of Mutual Assured Destruction a big concern in the seventies and eighties - could be viewed as suicide from an alien perspective. It would have stopped global warming though.