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Actual solution not just weather trivia - small nuke certified 15

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sin tax... as long as the financial penalty is cumulative, too.

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik
 

As long as the end result is cutting down on CO[sub]2[/sub] emissions and not just directly forwarding the cost on to the consumer. The consumer will already be picking up the ticket for a lot of other increased costs due to climate change.

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik
 
What kind of vehicles do contractors use to service wind farms?

I've commissioned and serviced multiple wind farms in the Upper Midwest. A 4x4 pickup is the most practical vehicle. Working on any kind of apparatus in the main (collector) substation requires several big, heavy test sets. Working in the control house requires less.

Working on the GSU's or anything in the towers absolutely requires 4x4. The access roads may be gravel, many are not. Depending on the time of year, mud or snow is very common. Cable fault locating is even more of a challenge and those underground 35kV cables have many splices in them that tend to fail.

Some of the big farms in MN and the Dakota's don't have reliable cell phone service, so if you get stuck, you may be there for a while.
 

How about privately owned vehicles? Weed out the gas guzzlers and single use transport, or at least make it very expensive for that. There has to be some sort of sliding scale so that once you use up your allotment of gasoline, the extra stuff gets real costly.

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik
 
It's all called income redistribution. They're coming after yours next.
 
The redistribution has to be based on usage and effect. There will have to be some big changes in transportation in the not too distant future, I suspect. [pipe]

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik
 
Start by simply enforcing CAFE by not permitting so many ridiculous exemptions.

"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"
 
A big part of the solution will be individuals scaling back on overconsumption of FF burners; i.e. big boys and their big toys.
Time has come to be less selfish and infantile about these matters.


"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"
 
"so that once you use up your allotment of gasoline" ... so you mean rationing ?

whilst you're at it ...
who needs single family housing ? ... 1 bedrm, a common bathrm, kitchen, and lounge is what you "need".
who needs "fancy" cloths ? ... grey is a nice colour
vacations ? ... "busman's holiday for you"

"Hoffen wir mal, dass alles gut geht !"
General Paulus, Nov 1942, outside Stalingrad after the launch of Operation Uranus.
 
Big boys and their toys are such an infinitesimally small contribution. Any attempt at targeting them is strictly symbolic. A pickup truck and a boat in the driveway is a strictly American symbol and that really irritates some people.
 
brimstoner said:
Start by simply enforcing CAFE by not permitting so many ridiculous exemptions.

Can you elaborate on what CAFE is? Is that one of the Climate Accords?

I'm just not familiar with that term and I'd like to learn more about it.
 
With tobacco and alcohol... it was a manner that the government could gain revenue, making it sound like a 'good thing'. Smoke and Mirrors 101.

Yup, govts do love boogeymen. Those two industries alone have contributed trillions to the coffers between punishing manufacturers for legal advertising/other practices and exorbitant production/inventory taxes, nvm sales/sin/consumption taxes paid by consumers that often double the product price. The truly amazing bit to me tho is that the public largely believes the nonsense. Lifelong chain-smokers have a lower risk of lung cancer than California residents, yet many correlate smoking to lung cancer and California to govt hypochondria about everything causing cancer rather than cancer itself. Rather ironically, nuclear weapons and by association nuclear energy is probably the only boogeyman that is larger thanks to the Cold War.

If the goal is to encourage healthy living by penalizing the unhealthy, then let's punish those with high healthcare costs. Put a hefty tax on anything beyond annual physicals and dental cleanings to discourage the public from partaking in anything further. I suspect doing so tho would upset the hypocritical senses of folks wanting to simultaneously declare those with high healthcare costs victims and villains.

And no, occasional use of tobacco is far from rare, just as many who enjoying drinking rarely do so. I know very few habitual smokers anymore but fewer yet who would turn down an offered cigar, pinch of dip, or cocktail.
 
TugBoatEng said:
Big boys and their toys are such an infinitesimally small contribution.

I'm not sure the point is to target them specifically. But, to target CONSUMPTION in general. There are environmental 'moralists' who will attribute virtue with conservation of energy or water or such.

Personally, I'm more of an "economist" in my outlook on this subject than a moralist.... We have a lifestyle that we live which depends on a cheap (but problematic) commodity. Essentially, our economy is addicted to cheap and plentiful fossil fuels. It's not possible to quit cold turkey. But, we have to find a way to transition away from our addiction.

The way to do that (economically speaking) is to add the extra costs that these fossil fuels are necessitating into the price. While introducing alternatives that are partially subsidized (due to their reduced impact on our environment).

This isn't 'free market' capitalism because it's punishing one action and rewarding another. But, still relies on much of the free market mechanics to help our population make a smoother and easier transition.

 
Note: I should point out that the type of interference in the economy is a dangerous business and is often fraught with error. Often causing results that are exactly the opposite of what was intended.

Look at what what we (and Europe) has done in the past. We've added all kinds of "clean energy" restrictions on "bad industries" like manufacturing. That raised the cost of manufacturing and companies have largely switched their global manufacturing to other countries without ANY clean energy restrictions. So, now those same goods are manufactured in China in facilities that get their energy from Coal powered plants instead of natural gas or nuclear. Then we have to ship those products across the world to get to the Western consumers. Causing even more CO2 emissions in the transportation.

Therefore, we'd probably also want to introduce tariffs on imports from countries or regions that still rely on coal power or such.
 
whilst you're at it ...
who needs single family housing ? ... 1 bedrm, a common bathrm, kitchen, and lounge is what you "need".
who needs "fancy" cloths ? ... grey is a nice colour
vacations ? ... "busman's holiday for you"

Full send....

add grocery stores to the list of unnecessary sinful luxuries, shipping in food from half a world away creates plenty of emissions vs forcing folks to grow a garden and hunt locally.
add the national mail systems, they create plenty of emissions and incentivize sending paper rather than electrons.
add shaving products, nature gave us hair for a reason and shaving wastes energy
add....
 

It appears most people cannot afford this anymore... [pipe]



Yes, but not transferrable... If you can't use it, you lose it; you cannot re-sell your surplus.

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik
 

A small part but cumulative. Your pickup truck and boat can remain in your driveway... it's never bothered me... but fuel from both comes from your allotment.

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik
 

I suspect that will change in the not too distant future.

So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik
 
dik, you do realise your policies would condemn maybe 90% of the human population to death. And I'm pretty sure they won't go down without a fight (and probably make do for the other 10%).

"Hoffen wir mal, dass alles gut geht !"
General Paulus, Nov 1942, outside Stalingrad after the launch of Operation Uranus.
 
The planet is sending a clear message that we need to scale back. The status quo is driving us off a cliff.

So unless you believe technological solutions will allow to have our cake and eat it too, where do members suggest we begin?



"If you don't have time to do the job right the first time, when are you going to find time to repair it?"
 
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