When choosing cars, I wanted to use as little fuel as possible (within the cars that fit my driving needs) even when it was $1 per gallon. But then some of the cars that I bought saw fuel prices double or triple during the time that I owned them. Since they were fuel efficient cars to begin with, that did not bother me financially anywhere near as much as it bothered those who could barely afford to fuel their thirsty cars or trucks during lower fuel prices.
Given how fuel prices are volatile, it would be unwise to financially plan for them to stay where they currently are through the lifetime of car ownership.
Looked at what the shale plays were contributing, kept in mind that frac technology never regresses, only improves, and made a call. Won’t cry if if the Saudis shut all theirs in - I’ll just buy an old Scion beater, since I’m familiar with them.
---- So, basically, you are ignoring science and scientists in general (and concerns of the DOD for that matter)…
Not exactly. I still read Seth whatever his name that’s the NYT or WaPo guy on climate change, along with the occasionally Guardian screech. Heck, I even read, a few days ago, some free lance writer for some outlet along those lines trying to link climate change to increased vulcanism.
On the other hand, I also know who Ross McKitrick is, along with Steve McIntyre, etc. and their entirely reasonable beefs with Michael Mann. What Phil Jones of the Met told one of them, in regards to the value of sharing data with “someone who would just try to find something wrong with it”, too. A little internet digging as to the points hinted at in the preceding wouldn’t hurt anyone who professes to have an interest in saving the planet.
BTW: That grant money Oceanographer really needs to find a productive and necessary job, because the one of selling a decidedly grey issue as a black & white one is eventually going to dry up.
My S20 has inspired me to: eat less meat (impossible burgers/beyond meat is great), use cloth grocery bags, switch to a green energy provider etc… I took forever to do these things - didn’t grow up thinking about them at all.
Every bit of plastic we use is contributing to climate change. But But But…That is all I hear from people who deny the significance of Climate change. But Al Gore has a jet. But look at how cold it is outside. I get that people don’t want to be controlled and many are pro-business/pro-profit, but we are seriously messing up the future of our grandchildren.
Recently got a hybrid car although I don’t try to drive it as efficiently as I could. Son told me my next car would be electric. We’ll see- in about ten years. By then I’ll truly be old and not traveling as much. Plus- won’t need the instant refueling compared to the time it takes (can’t change chemistry- some would say physics, but my undergrad major was…).
Anyone else remember when straws were paper? They lasted long enough if you didn’t chew on them et al while drinking your school milk.
Also- remember when people drank water before and after doing things? No need for water bottles at all times/places. Plus- I don’t understand the people who don’t just use the fine tap water here. Or who buy single serve bottled water for hurricane season instead of gallon jugs…
And those who don’t do any recycling… Sometimes I feel like that drop in the ocean- does it matter how hard I try???
When will spell checker return? Tired of missing my typos…
Ditto the water bottle thing. I never understood the need for everyday bottled water–unless it is an emergency/water is turned off or contaminated. Everyone used to get by with drinking fountains, tap water. They had a drink before they left home or after returning from an activity. Or took a big cooler/jug for a group. It’s really just marketing–getting people to pay $$$ for something that costs pennies.
Depending on the type of bottled water and location of the municipal source, bottled water can be much cleaner, so I don’t think we can universally pass judgement on bottled water.
Well, there are plenty of people in my area who have water contaminated by PFOAs and therefore are required to drink bottled water so I’ll cut them some slack as well as Flint residents but it certainly is safe to drink bottled water for the majority.
Of course, improving water quality, eliminating pollutants, and investing in that infrastructure should be a very high priority environmental issue as well.
People do not want to pay water bills or taxes for clean tap water infrastructure… but then the amount they pay for bottled water is so much more than their water bills or taxes related to clean water infrastructure. Stuff like this makes it look like some want the US to be like a poor country in the future, where (among other things), the tap water is not safe, so people have to boil it or use bottled water (which may not be trustworthy if the sellers are corrupt).
I know water in my area is safe. Well probably, usually, as far as I know. But I use a reverse osmosis filter anyway just in case. A few years back there were reports of amoebas or some such thing in the water, and before that there was a huge chemical spill into our main drinking water river (ironically enough it was a spill from an EPA cleanup of a toxic site).
Our water is too high in nitrates from all the farming around us. It’s in the water table and we have well water. I still use it for some things - esp cooking things like pasta or boiling potatoes - but we buy bottled water for regular drinking use. We’ve also played around with a distiller, though “green” lad took that with him when he moved to his own place (which is close enough to where his wife works that she walks).
Our well water is also super high in e-coli, but we mitigate that with a UV light. The light doesn’t do a thing with the nitrates though.
Anyone ever think how costly and inconvenient it will be if the tap water were generally untrustworthy, so everyone has to treat the tap water (filtering, boiling, UV, etc) before using it for anything? In many poor countries, this is standard – but how much does this dead weight loss hold back economic development in those countries, as well as create additional negative environmental impact? Do we really want the US tap water to regress to that state?
So yeah, those places where tap water is contaminated is an issue. But…where do you think most bottled water comes from and what kind of testing is done on it to make it any different? (Not required.)
I’ve got to say that I am so tired of the “here’s the exception” to…straw usage, bottled water, and anything else “I want to still use”, even though most people don’t fall under the exception. I’m not saying clean water isn’t problematical in some places, but any time someone argues for change, the argument immediately goes to “but someone, somewhere needs this thing.” So change doesn’t happen.
@ucbalumnus. I just went through this in a minor way visiting my family in a suburb of Detroit. For months now their is lead detected in the water with like no end in site. Local stores seem to have a hard time stocking bottled water. I went to several dollar stores to get gallon jugs of it. Kinda scary actually.
Like many things, the issue and what’s best for an individual is not black and white applicable to all. It requires a bit of thought very much similar to which college is best, or is college even the best path at all, for the individual.
What’s best for the planet is still often discussed even among those who care. There’s a reason various trials are being conducted by my lad on our farm. Theories are being tested to see what works best.
Those who choose to do nothing certainly don’t help. If one thinks nothing has happened over the past few decades take a look at the waterways and Lake Erie for a quick example. That hardly means we’re done, but it certainly shows a significant difference can be made if folks (and governments) get on board.
Recently a local grocery store chain decided to quit giving out single use plastic bags. They are giving everyone who shops there three free reusable bags (one for each $20 purchase) and are only charging 10 cents each for additional bags. Our state and the local area don’t require the changes. The company decided themselves to do it. At the very least there will be fewer “urban tumbleweeds” (our nickname for the loose bags/trash) polluting the land/waterways. Kudos to them.
Kudos to all people and companies who make positive changes without being “made” to do it with laws. (Kudos to laws too as we know many won’t do something unless the alternative is worse.)
None of that means an individual needing to do something else is ruining everything. None of it means we shouldn’t be considering birds in our decisions about wind power. It might not be the best decision everywhere. Theories may or may not hold up once trials are done and what can work somewhere might not be the best everywhere.
Just read the first and last page. I have actually learned a lot from both of my early 20 kids in college. Years ago in middle school they started us separating our trash into bins. Then Chicago made it super easy with large blue bins to separate out our trash. I am still amazed that we fill up our bins weekly with plastic and paper etc.
My daughter has been to Southeast Asia for school and education the last two years. Indonesia is here go to but backpacked throughout SE Asia
In the summer she was in Borneo, Indonesia. She helped make a movie about the indigenous people. It was about the country burning palm oil trees (one of their main exports), and the amount of pollution affecting the people there. Besides helping with the film and film festival she also passed out masks to schools and any child they saw walking around. They literally went door to door. Her pictures of the sky were orange and her clothes smelled of a deep smoke when she came back. She didn’t even realize it. She just presented to her college about her experiences and we were there at Beloit. Palm oil is in just about everything we use from make up, cooking oils, food, etc. The orangatanges are dying off in this area and becoming extinct since they have no place to go. Lots of her friends are in Environmental science and they explain things to me that I frankly don’t understand.
My son a junior in engineering did a study abroad and it was in sustainable engineering. He’s getting a certificate in it but majors in Industrial engineering.
He explained to me what engineering is doing with water pollution, land tests and the effects on our environment…
So it seems my kids and their friends are more in tune with climate change and changes that can be made now. We try to follow the little things that have already been mentioned and try to educate ourselves in the process.
@Creekland. In the city of Chicago we are like 3 years into paying 7 cents for any plastic bags at any store. So people don’t want to pay for bags and buy reusable bags. It’s only 7 cents for a plastic bag but you would think it’s $700…lol… Many like me…forget their bags in their car and walk out holding their items out the door. Looks like everyone is stealing from the grocery store ?️??.. But this has been a very successful program. Thank goodness to the Aldi grocery bags… They hold alot?. Hopefully other cities will start a program like this.
Is it common to pay for your trash bags? We have to pay $2 or $3 for special bags (depending on the size) in order to have our trash collected by our town. I was annoyed at first, but now I like it. It helps that we have a trash compactor, so we can get a week or two of trash in one bag. But we’re also doing much better about recycling and composting. Our town collects recyclables at the curb and we don’t have to separate anything. We recycle about half of our waste in this town.
We also have to pay a 5 cent deposit on soda cans and bottles in Maine. More for wine bottles. It’s weird when I go back to Texas and see people throwing out bottles.