'Educated' opinions on climate change 41

[csd72]

As engineers we are educated in physics and chemistry and should have a reasonable idea on what really effects the energy consumption that causes climate change. I am looking for peoples opinions on what suggestions have been good ideas to reduce your individual impact. Alternatively what suggestions have you heard that are utter nonsense.

It would be good to hear comments from engineers on this matter.

 

[electricpete]

Correction:
"For example putting a 250W equivalent output cf into a 100 watt fixture.... "

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[sms]

I live in air conditioning country, incandescent bulbs have a negative heat impact almost all year round...

"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970

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[jmw]

OK, so are we back to the di-hydrogen monoxide thread?
Al Gore is a self appointed scapegoat.
When it all goes pear shaped it won't be the IPCC members and contributors who get blamed because no one really knows who they are but Al has made AGW his crusade and his is a name to remember. His and of course, Tippa's for her anti-heavy metal crusade, but she must be supporting his stance.... don't you worry about crusaders?

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[Tomfh]

Water vapor contributes around 50-60% of total greenhouse effect. This is around 3 or 4 times the contribution of CO2. This is reflected in all the climate models.

 

[PSE]

Looking at the original post, my actions for reducing personal impact:

Try to reduce the amount of overall consumption. In general create less resource demand either in material or in energy. The more "stuff" I have generates the need for increased storage space etc. ad infinitum. It also (hopefully) means I end up with less waste to either throw away or send to recycling.

Tap water is my beverage of choice followed by either tea or coffee. If spending a long time in an area of questionable water quality, a filtration set works well. I do keep some bottled water around for emergency use.

I utilize a mix of Compact Fluorescent and Incandescent lighting. CF for long term/heavy usage and Incandescent for quick on/off locations such as storage/utility rooms.

Programmable thermostat has helped tremendously with both heating and cooling use.

Being that my son has gotten more and more into battery powered toys, I have become amazed at the number of battery powered items we have. They seem to accumulate without a lot of notice. I recently picked up a battery charger and am beginning to move away from non-rechargeable batteries.

I do not water my lawn and frankly at the moment it is a lovely shade of brown. I have also not needed to mow it for the past six weeks or so. I plan to plant some shade trees and more robust landscaping to reduce the amount of grass as well. I have thought about composting but haven't gone there yet.

I know there is more I can do (I only occasionally carpool). I have not heard of non-sensical suggestions for reducing one's impact on the environment. I tend to run in a crowd of some pretty bright folks. I do have to work on the wife a bit as she tends to be a bit less frugal when it comes to overall consumption.

Regards,

 

[csd72]

Use more nanotechnology - there are less materials involved so it must be good for the environment.

csd

 

[KENAT]

Except for the health risks.

'Bucky balls' have been found to kill in some tests.

I brought up the topic of getting a water filter with my wife at the weekend as this post had got me thinking. I was vetoed!

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[jjf1]

Come on - we're all smart people here.........

Is it possible that this current focus on climate change is just another fad?

Not too long ago, there was concern that we were going to enter a new ice age;
then run out of fuel;
then run out of food;
then run out of space to live;
then Y2K was going to end civilization;
then bird flu pandemics;
(etc, etc, etc....)

Are we that easy to manipulate?

I'm not saying some good isn't derived from each one of these exercises - most notably conservation and pollution controls - but when you look at the human imprint on the globe - we're still pretty insignificant)

My guess is the current global warming craze has reached its apex and celebrities and the press will lose interest. Shortly after that all these people will be chasing the next big global catastrophe.

My advise - save your $$$ the next big scare is going to be poisoned food ingredients in cheap pet food and cheap toothpaste - oops maybe I'm too late....

jjf1

 

[SomptingGuy]

I just keep reminding myself that the next big hunk of rock/metal from space to hit us will put all of this into perspective.

 

[0707]

“Since land and sunlight are distributed more equitably than coal and oil, biotechnology can be a great equaliser, helping to narrow the gap between rich and poor countries.”

Freeman Dyson

luismarques

 

[25362]

Consider the policy started in Paris (France) on replacing the gas-gulping machines with bycicles. One arrives at destination sooner and healthier.

 

[csd72]

0707,

That theory doesnt stand up.

Most of the current sources of coal and oil (outside the middle east) are in third world countries, many of these are actually worse off than they were before.

The Biotechnology setup costs are prohibitive. These countries would require rich foreign companies to come in and set it up and the cycle of exploitation starts again.

Being in Petroleum, you probably work for one of the major culprits.

csd

 

[25362]

I should have written bicycles. See the rental policy in:

http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=41910

 

[Ussuri]

According to this article it seems to be the fault of the patio heater.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1157442007

 

[KENAT]

Discovered a good one this weekend.

Check that the bulbs/globes in your house haven't been painted over.

I'm in a rental. A while back I discovered when installing a cfl, that my sons bedroom bulb had been painted over. I figured it was a one off and left it at that.

Over the weekend I saw the grocery store had 3 60W equivalent CFL for $150. Inspired in part by this thread I brought some. Went home and started installing them.

2 of them went into closets. In the first closet the globe was painted over, in the second the actual bulb was painted!

So I've replaced 2X 100W bulbs with 2X 15W (I think that's right) CFL, and the closets are actually brighter now!

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[ewh]

Boy, that's a lot to spend to save a few cents!

 

[KENAT]

Oops, $1.50, or 150C.

Or in real money appoximately .75 stirling



KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[0707]

Hi csd72


As you are an educated person I am sure that you are not culprit of anything on climate change. For sure you have no car, you ride a bike, you have solar panels on the roof of your house, you spare your own trash, you don’t smoke, you ware no synthetic clothes, when you go to down town you always travel on public free co2 emission public transports, you recycle your own wastes, you rationalize your water consumption, you don’t burn coal on your grills. As you are in the design of structural building constructions you include in your design conceptions proper insulation and sun orientation locations. All your projects are equipped with devices environment friendly to avoid power consumption in winter and in summer.

Me as working in the oil industry I am ware that the fossil oil resources are not infinite and one should make as much as possible to reduce its consumption, that way we also reduce climate alterations.

Nowadays oil industry is no more the old oil industry. Because of environment impacts, most of new developments on emissions reduction technology come from Oil industry. Oil operators are being more and more stressed by environment organizations and civil society.

Oil industry is now investing lots of money on Biotechnology (bio diesel components). European countries are expected to incorporate by 2010 about 10% of bio diesel on oil combustibles.

Wind, tidal power, biotechnology, and natural gas can compete soon with traditional petroleum fossil fuels.


Regards

luismarques

 

[jmw]

On the whole I think patio heaters are a frivolous waste of money and energy.
If it is cold or wet, go inside. Or tough it out. That's what being British is meant to be about.
Parents didn't take their kids to the beach on warm days, if you waited for a warm day you'd wait for ever.
Besides, you booked your holidays or arranged to borrow a car long in advance and you took your chances with the weather.

Parents would go down on the beach and clothe their kids in the woollen swimming trunks and send them into the water while they devoted their energy to trying to erect a wind break, never easy on a shingled beach in a high wind, and get the primus stove going. If lucky, the primus would let the adults have some tea before the kids came out of the water suitably blue (I forget which stage of hypothermia was the most desired).
No hot drinks for the kids, just orange barley water once they'd been rubbed down with a coarse textured sand encrusted towel guaranteed to remove the top (blue) layer of skin.
While the adults huddled in the shelter of the wind break, wrapped like Eskimos (Inuit), the kids would then stand outside shivering and eating egg-mayonaise and sand or cucumber and sand sandwiches.

The weather is, or should be, irrelevant to any outdoor British activities from taking the top down on the sports car to drinking outside at the pub by the river.

I remember last year in Singapore deciding to go for a river cruise on the tourist boats.
As we queued the heavens opened and water turned the steps into a waterfall. I, my wife and one other family duly boarded the boat for our cruise and huddled into the driest corners we could find (everyone else fled for shelter).
I bet they're Brits, I thought to myself looking at the other family. This was later proved by the fact that neither group said a word either to other members of their group or to strangers.

Patio heaters are for wimps.
Of course, I saw my first one of these in Santa Barbara. One? half a dozen at a cafe in one of those small side passageways.

On the other hand, by the law of unintended consequences, the article said this:

Patio burners powered by gas cylinders are also becoming more popular in the country's pubs, hotels and restaurants, with the smoking ban encouraging proprietors to make outdoor areas more people-friendly.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[KENAT]

The only British outdoor activity afected by weather should be Cricket. And even then only the players. Spectators will take their lot and like it. (There is an argument for calling off Rugby when the pitch is frozen but this sounds like something American footballers would do so I'm against it)

JMW you're correct the British way is to tuff it out and put up with the consequences. I used to sit out in beer gardens in December no complaints. This usually after lending my jacket to some attractive young lady.

Patio heaters are for wimps, and as you point out a complete waste of energy.

Wear a wooly hat & scarf!


KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...