Do all we can do - global warming

[Karlin]

Now that we have dilly-dallied for 20 years since we first noticed things were heating up, we have to make up for it. World Bank Chief Scientist Robert Watson said on Monday that "It is going to take a major change in the way we generate and use electricity to even stabilize between two and three degrees," he added. "The time for action is now."


http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2886814


A major source of global warming's emissions come from our cars. Alberta could build a train between CAlgary and Edmonton, for eg.

A really big issue on the future will be "what to do with all these cars with big engines?" , and so we have to start NOW to produce ONLY car engines that will be less polluting, and one way to ensure that happens is to limit the horsepower of car engines to 100HP, maybe 120HP. I have been driving 100hp cars for many many years... and if everyone had them and not bogger ones we would all be SAFER, and with less fossil fuels emissions that cause global warming.

Isn't that a reasonable sacrifice for people and industry, compared to the sobering crisis of global warming?

Germany did it. Well, they did limit the amount of emissions to the point where only hybrids or small i.c. engines can meet.

check it out:

"Germany plans to tax cars on emissions"
http://tinyurl.com/38adlh


I mean, c'mon people, this is a huge deal and we cannot let things like our need for ego-boosting big cars or the selfish idea that you won't be killed in bigger cars - what about the other people in smaller cars- you are the threat and must be eliminated!!!!!!!!

The car engines we make today will pollute for 20 or 25 years. That will be long after we take really serious measures against emissions, and you will not likely be allowed to drive it, so don't get yopuorself into a jam and just buy "cars for the future".

It is partly up to individuals, and jerks who want to remain stubborn about climate change are still allowed to buyu big cars and thereby make all of us suffer for their beliefs, which are wrong. So just don't buy those old-fashioned cars and hold out for a hybrid or something small. It will help a bit, and we do need to do all we can now.

 

[Curiosity]

I don't get the finger pointing and blame laying

Super-speed rails could have been built rather than highways where we have to use our individual vehicles....

The governments have left it up to people to get themselves from "here to there" instead of creating
a better and cleaner method of transportation...

And they say "it's your cars' emissions"....

 

[Avro]

I don't get the finger pointing and blame laying

Super-speed rails could have been built rather than highways where we have to use our individual vehicles....

The governments have left it up to people to get themselves from "here to there" instead of creating
a better and cleaner method of transportation...

And they say "it's your cars' emissions"....

They do it all over the world except for here.

 

[RedGreen]

Do we need to 'save' the planet? Yes.
Do we need to cut GHG emissions? Yes.
Do we need to change the way we live? Yes.
Do governments need to be the ones to take leadership roles in all of this? Yes.

People won't change enough on their own. The government of Canada needs to stop arguing over who said what and who didn't do what and needs to implement some radical changes in order for us to be part of the solution to global warming. I highlight Global because as we all know for any changes to take palce in our atmosphere (which we all share) all countries need to cut GHG emissions. If only some do, but the big polluters like the US, China and India don't, nothing will change. CO2 and other GHG concentrations will continue to go up until we render the planet unlivable for human-kind.

SO... Why should a small contributor like Canada do anything until the big polluters (the ones who contribute significantly to global warming) start reducing emissions. I'll tell you why. We signed an international agreement saying that we would.
1. Its not so much about even fixing the problem yet, its about developping global political will to do so.
2. For us Canadians, we NEED to meet, or at least get close to meeting the kyoto requirements in order to have any type of credibility with the rest of the international community on this issue. For us right now, reducing GHG emissions is more about politics than it is about saving the planet.
3. If and only if "the rest of the world" (i.e. not the US, China and India) significantly cuts their GHG emissions, can we (the rest of the world ) knock on these other country's doors and say "Ok look, we've done it now its your turn". We can't tell them to do anything about it if we ourselves aren't doing anything (it would be hypocritical). If Canada gets in as a major player in fighting the war on GHGs we can even help other countries with their battles by providing technologies and information on the steps it takes to cut GHG emissions.

If we manage to solve this most important global issue, we will advance as a civilization and we will know what is possible when we put all of our will together for a single common cause... I want more than anything to see the happy ending that this story deserves (that our planet deserves).


Dear Canadian government:

Lets get moving on this issue before its too late!

Yours truely,

Everyone who wants kids and wants their kids to have kids

 

[dumpthemonarchy]

I met a mechanic who told me that a he needed a fair sized van, and the only sized engine he could get was a four litre. Engines are too big and the choice to small these days. The big corps run things.

 

[L Gilbert]

I don't get the finger pointing and blame laying

Super-speed rails could have been built rather than highways where we have to use our individual vehicles....

The governments have left it up to people to get themselves from "here to there" instead of creating
a better and cleaner method of transportation...

And they say "it's your cars' emissions"....

Our gov't isn't great for keeping things that use rail on track.Private is waaaaaaaaaaay better. What gov't could do is make incentives for private concerns to develop ra[id transit, though.

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/rail/1994/index.asp

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/rail/1996/r96s0106/r96s0106.asp

etc.
etc.

 

[Zzarchov]

or, here is an even better idea.

Keep pumping carbon into the air as fast as you want.

Pay to pump an equal amount back under ground. Its not rocket science, its not hard, its just an expense and people whine and cry about paying to clean up the mess they make.

Even if you use less polluting cars your still polluting, your just putting the problem onto your kids instead of yourself.

If you put carbon into the air, the air we all share, you pay to take it back out.

 

[hermanntrude]

or, here is an even better idea.

Keep pumping carbon into the air as fast as you want.

Pay to pump an equal amount back under ground. Its not rocket science, its not hard, its just an expense and people whine and cry about paying to clean up the mess they make.

Even if you use less polluting cars your still polluting, your just putting the problem onto your kids instead of yourself.

If you put carbon into the air, the air we all share, you pay to take it back out.

has anyone actually shown that this is a realistic thing to do? or is it purely theory? i thought the latter

 

[L Gilbert]

or, here is an even better idea.

Keep pumping carbon into the air as fast as you want.

Pay to pump an equal amount back under ground. Its not rocket science, its not hard, its just an expense and people whine and cry about paying to clean up the mess they make.

Even if you use less polluting cars your still polluting, your just putting the problem onto your kids instead of yourself.

If you put carbon into the air, the air we all share, you pay to take it back out.

That's what I thought smog tax et al were for. Trouble is that gov'ts use the money for other crap (EG the gov't of Canada was sposed to use GST to pay off national debt and not a penny has gone to that purpose).