Could you cut your emissions by 80%

[UserRemoved1]

ergergeg

[fishaholic18]

80% is a lot.
It would seem impossible the way things are today.
I think we'd have to start by going to 100% electric vehicles.
Hybrid, gas/electric wouldn't cut it by that much and I don't think people would go for all the disadvantages of fully electric vehicles.
Nothing is impossible I guess, but will it happen, I don't think so.

[FishermanTim]

Yes, just simply cut your driving by 80%.

The next question would be "How would we be able to cut it by 80%?" or "How would you LIKE to be able to cut it by 80%?"

Being given a choice/option as compared to a request/order is usually better received by the public.

[JohnR]

Electric vehicles won't work unless they are charged by a nuke/hydro/geothermal/wind source...

is this possible? Errrrr Maybe probably not. But Alternative Energy must be vaulted to the forefront and Big Oil ain't gonna allow that...

[Swimmer]

No beer, beans, or eggs, yikes!

[Raven]

i was raised on hotdogs and beans...

free mass transit maybe...

[pmueller]

Utill there's reliable mass transit, its a dream.

[Sluggoslinger]

I probably cut my emmissions by 80% last year by going from a 93 merc 200 to a new honda 150. The amount of pollution that the old engines put out is unreal.

I did a project on college about snowmobiles in yellowstone and found that a snowmobile polluted as much as a car does in a year in under a day...

[Rob Rockcrawler]

From may until november i prolly could cut it by 80%, but i think we all could cut it during those months, but i dont see it happeneing.

[Mr. Sandman]

I plan on increasing my emmsions. I am thinking of getting a much larger boat and burning a lot more fuel.

[ThrowingTimber]

Yeah I could do it easy, I'd need at least 80 horses just for fishing. I'd leave home, ride each one at full gallop for 1.5 - 2 miles. then switch horses... I figure it'll take about 2 days round trip for me to fish the areas i like. work should be easy only about 6 horses at full gallop. For a grocery getter I'd get a few of those icelandic ponies, have you seen the gate on these????, they do what it called a tolt, its like a trot gallop mixture wicked funny to look at, I'd use the ponies as grocery getters etc. Yeah I could do it 100% if you supply, board and feed for my t-breds and ponies salty

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by pmueller

Utill there's reliable mass transit, its a dream.

And that's the real solution right there. This Country is not only missing the boat, but we're denying that there is one. I know of many "summer people" in P-town and Truro who took the train from New York and points all over back in the day. Now here's the ironic/moronic part: The tracks were ripped up and the rail bed was sold as lots to build, you guessed it, summer homes. What wasn't sold for homes was made into bike trails. Now the train CAN'T return. And we're now stuck with nightmare traffic through out the Summer.
Another source of emissions in the Northeast is our homes. If you heat with oil you contribute to emissions. During the Winter, look at the chimneys as you drive along. You'll see quite vividly who needs to call a burner technition.

[saltydog]

BIG BUSINESS does-not want IMPROVED EMMISIONS they would LOOSE millions if not billions. I have a 91 chevy S10 it gets 20mpg hi-way. I havent see any IMPROVEMENT in MPGS' in 17 years they have everyone by the SHORT HAIRS, an will be TWISTING even more.
the GAS companyes will be DICTATING to you , as soon as they get the INDIPENDENTS out of the way. so they can have ALL the CONTROL . WE could put a end to this ? if we ALL got together an NOT BOUGTH GAS on said days.that would hit them where it hurts. but that will never happen, so we must tredge on. looks like $5.00 by JUNE, kiddies. save your pennies for GAS.
GOOD LUCK GOOD FISHIN

[fishonnelsons]

Instead of driving back/forth to the shop this year, I "thought" I could ride the bike - 10 miles each way, some hills.

Yesterday I took the bike to the boat - 4 miles - thought I would die, a far cry from running marathons a few years back!

But, with a few weeks working my way up in distance, it's easily possible, so at least the gas emissions are reduced.

But 80%, that will take some massive intervention such as mass transit, different heating systems, and so on.

[Backbeach Jake]

Geepers, Rich, it's been many, MANY moons since I've made that bike trip. I was young, buf and ripped, ( don't snicker, I was a force in my day, Now I'm the over 50 poster boy) and I raced the paths with my brothers. It nearly killed us then. (Altho my son ,Noah, Woulda blown us away), We need reliaable public transport, like the Shuttle from Truro to P-town for a Buck and the Truro to Harwich for a buck(!) one they have. If the Cape can do it , so can all the others..Gotta admire your stamina, tho..

[RIROCKHOUND]

BBJ and Fishonnelsons...

I hear ya and I'm a lot younger.
got a bike and decided to save some gas and get some exercise...

Rode 8mi each way last week for the first time, took the longer 10mi route this week.. not bad, 2x a week saves a couple of gallons, I drive less (I tend to wander on my way home if I have my truck) and the best part.. the bike path runs right by the bait shop in town...

[Raven]

is they use up allot of juice pushing
the heavy automobile frames and body's

but as soon as we switch over to carbon nano tube frames
that are ten times stronger than steel
and body's made of a similar material then we'll be getting somewhere...

but a car thats so light you could push it up a hill...
is also quite easy to make it go extremely fast ...
so braking systems will have to be improved too

[Nebe]

My 1971 super beetle gets better gas mileage than half of the cars on the road.. I have been driving it everywhere the past few weeks and the thing just sips the gas.. oh and its cool. Chicks dig it.

[WoodyCT]

The Earth is believed to be 5,000,000,000 (5 Billion) years old.

Humans have been emitting carbon dioxide for roughly 200 years.

(200 / 5,000,000,000) X 100 = 0.000004%

SO IN .000004% OF EARTH'S HISTORY HUMANS HAVE HAD SUCH A DRAMATIC EFFECT THAT WE ARE CHANGING GLOBAL CLIMATE?



The veteran weatherman who visits my classroom each year agrees. The miniscule amount of climate data/history we have is in no way representative of the natural cycles Earth's climate goes through.

At least we are seeing a new global mindset in terms of environmental awareness and stewardship!

Woody


PS I could not reduce my emissions by 80%.

[WoodyCT]

Try this-

Type one row of asterisks on a word processing document.
Count them.
Copy and paste until one full page of asterisks is achieved.
Using the number of asterisks on 1 page, calculate how many pages of asterisks you would have to type to show 5 billion of them.
Given that there are 500 sheets in one ream/package of paper, how many reams would be needed to print out 5 billion asterisks?
Given that there are 10 reams in one case of printer paper, how many cases of paper would be needed to print 5 billion asterisks?

WELL? HOW MANY??????????????

Woody

[spence]

Yes, instead let's focus on mindless illustrations that attempt to marginalize the situation through distraction mechanisms targeted at the dimwitted or already uninterested.

By the way, your example is killing a lot of trees.

-spence

[GattaFish]

Originally Posted by WoodyCT

Try this-

Type one row of asterisks on a word processing document.
Count them.
Copy and paste until one full page of asterisks is achieved.
Using the number of asterisks on 1 page, calculate how many pages of asterisks you would have to type to show 5 billion of them.
Given that there are 500 sheets in one ream/package of paper, how many reams would be needed to print out 5 billion asterisks?
Given that there are 10 reams in one case of printer paper, how many cases of paper would be needed to print 5 billion asterisks?

WELL? HOW MANY??????????????

Woody

Sorry Woody,,,, could not resist,,,

The worst emissions I have ever seen are in Africa, India and the middle east,,,, IT is choking and burns your eyes,,,,,Maybe Al Gore should shift his efforts from the U.S. to other countries,,,, I will let you know about China soon,,,

[WoodyCT]

Spence-

What exactly would you recommend we focus on?

Woody the dimwitted and uninterested eco-concious environmentalist science teacher.

PS Which hybrid electric beach do you drive while reducing your emissions?

[spence]

You're missing the point. You ridicule the notion that there may be a problem with an illustration that leads to no logical conclusion. The only real effect this has is to turn people off of the discussion rather than take potential issues seriously regardless of the root causes.

The sky may indeed be falling, I don't really know for sure, but I do know that the % time on Earth is only one important variable in the formula.

BTW why do you hate creationists?

-spence

[RIROCKHOUND]

?The Earth is believed to be 5,000,000,000 (5 Billion) years old.
Humans have been emitting carbon dioxide for roughly 200 years.
(200 / 5,000,000,000) X 100 = 0.000004%
SO IN .000004% OF EARTH'S HISTORY HUMANS HAVE HAD SUCH A DRAMATIC EFFECT THAT WE ARE CHANGING GLOBAL CLIMATE? "

Wow.
Thats beneath rhetoric. A few points, because I'm not getting into a long drawn out climate argument
1. The Earth is believed to be 4.6 Bil yr, so that changes your math a little
2. You are saying something cannot have an impact unless it takes a very long time?

3. Minuscule amount of data? Seriously? You believe that? Human records go back hundreds, biologic proxies (Tree-rings etc) back thousands of years, and have geologic (ice core) data back 800,000+yr.

4. Your right, I'm assuming your heading down this argument path, in the geologic past we have had warmer environments, and higher sea levels and higher CO2. BUT nowhere in the recent or geologic record do we have records that show this abrupt rate of change, and when coupled with observational data form the last few centuries, I find it unfathomable that someone educated in science doesn't agree.

But your right, I trust Art Lake over the scientific majority within every field dealing with climate.

And before you ask, I drive a Tacoma, my sheets aren't spotless, but I have a short commute, and don't just drive for the sake of driving. You can be damn sure I drive my wifes 30mpg car as much as possible, and we live as low-energy as possible given our means.

Do I agree major changes be made globally, including third-world countries? Yes, but as the largest superpower in the world, we should damn sure lead the way in a better future.

[WoodyCT]

I may not share their views, but I don't hate them. And I usually refrain from poking fun at them, silly as they are.

Honestly, I do as much as I practically can to set a good example for my children when it comes to taking care of the environment, BUT

...until the global climate issue is a lot better understood I am not about to make my family suffer financially so that the good old USA can be a global leader in fighting for what might be.

If you have the means to install a new heat pump system or solar panels on your house, or keep up with the latest and greatest hybrid-electric cars, then by all means be the global leader you feel you should be. I applaud and appreciate your motives and actions.

Unless I win Powerball, I'll be spending my modest income enjoying my time on Earth with my family and friends, not trying to save human kind from itself. When the time comes for that, it will happen.


Woody

BTW- Did you hear the Yellowstone super-volcano may erupt in another 100,000 years? Talk about a global catastrophe!

[spence]

Originally Posted by WoodyCT

I may not share their views, but I don't hate them. And I usually refrain from poking fun at them, silly as they are.

It was a joke, look at the numbers in your math

...until the global climate issue is a lot better understood I am not about to make my family suffer financially so that the good old USA can be a global leader in fighting for what might be.

Hence my point above.

I think I said something like "The only real effect this has is to turn people off of the discussion rather than take potential issues seriously regardless of the root causes."

How are people to deal with the more serious issues, and there are very real environmental issues, when everything from real science to tinfoil hat conspiracy is being lumped together and tossed aside in one motion?

I guess your and my kids can just deal with it.

-spence

[WoodyCT]

The kids are alright.

When I was in college I was rabidly pro-environment / anti-human. I was certain that the end was near and we would drive ourselves to a well deserved extinction. And then reality set it. Marriage. Career. Kids. The joys of the simple things in life. Seeing what is right, and not fixating on all that is wrong. The world is an amazing place and infinitely better in many ways than it was for prior generations. No longer to the rivers run red, blue or green, or catch fire on occasion. No longer do foreign factory trawlers prowl America’s coast wiping out our stocks. No longer do sharks come back to the docks only to wind up in dumpsters soon after the flash bulbs have ceased. No longer does DDT wipe out our birds. So much has improved. So much.

I love that our environmental awareness and mindset is changing. Never did I think I would see cars, chemicals or food marketed as being ‘environmentally friendly’, much less engineered to be so. Things are definitely headed in the right direction.

But cut my emissions by 80%? Not feasible, and not necessary. Not in this country. I would like to see the USA take the lead in pushing clean technology on the developing industrial areas of our world however.

The kids are alright. And I’m content to enjoy them and foster their love of nature and learning. They will undoubtedly take our teachings to the next level so that our grandchildren will have a better world still.

Woody

[EarnedStripes44]

i thought this thread was about flatulence