Damn good point
What I want is for the leaders of the world to invest their nations money in sustainable energy and electric cars (though biofuels can fuck off because they will starve the world's poorest nations and kill the last rainforests just for the west's cars), cancel debt for the poorest counties (which mainly exists due to our selling them weapons and their corrupt leaders defaulting on payment) and work together in the UN to protect countries from being picked on who are of little "value" to us (eg, Western Sahara being under siege from Morocco for 30 years)
So what I'm going to do is sit on my arse in front of my computer until these leaders notice I'm sulky and annoyed, and fucking well do something about it!
(, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 13:48, Reply)
the problem is....
A lot of people there DON'T know what they are really there for, and let's imagine that you went there to make your point (which you havent, you're sat on the net too), there is such a mix of voices wanting to draw attention to a wide number of issues that it just becomes a white noise of shouting and smashing up McDonalds.
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Kung_Fu_Russ ran out of amusing signatures on, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 13:52,
Reply)
I'm not the one screaming for change.
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Kung_Fu_Russ ran out of amusing signatures on, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 14:00,
Reply)
how do you know
that a lot of people there DONT know what they are there for? Have you taken a poll???
(
Dr Drink, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 15:04,
Reply)
I applaud your suggestions
I will blog about them vociferously, and perchance even tweet.
(, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 13:55, Reply)
Aren't protests with
too many disparate aims ultimately flawed, though? It makes it hard for anyone to sum up what the protest is about. Is it about green issues? Poverty? Human rights? It just becomes a left protest against the right.
Because of this, such protests always seem to be sabotaged by smaller political parties. I saw an anti-nazi one when the BNP were in Leeds. If you wanted to be on that march, you'd be stood under a lots of logos for far left groups which I also wouldn't agree with their policies.
I agree that it's better to do something, but sometimes think that lots of lone voices are better than a mob.
(
monkeon schmonkeon, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 14:07,
Reply)
i agree
but fuck sustainable energy i want a sustainable population
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Rebel biscuit stercore sumus et nos esse novimus, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 14:18,
Reply)
True.
I wonder if the reason that population explosion is hardly mentioned (even though it's necessary as part of a solution for all these issues) is that it's a not a left/right thing. Everyone should have less kids, which would involve a personal sacrifice for many people who'd want more than one, including many green protesters.
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monkeon schmonkeon, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 14:38,
Reply)
Yeah
You've hit the nail on the head. Hardly going to be a popular cause like Saving the Rainforest, is it...
(, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 14:47, Reply)
My pet hate
is electric cars. First, you have to dig up the entire country, every road and car park, to install wiring that could cope with the extra demand. Then you need to install charging points, at a cost of... That would take years, by which time we might have found some better way. You then need every precious metal on the planet for all the electronics and batteries, (which are hard to recycle). Oh, and 2,000 new power stations to charge all the cars.
It is a VERY silly idea.
(
TheSundaeLunch I'm a fucking shrub, alright?, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 14:39,
Reply)
plus they sound really shite
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Rebel biscuit stercore sumus et nos esse novimus, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 14:48,
Reply)
ok, so electric's out before it's started
So we do nothing, carry on with the oil, hope something better comes along and..?
Like it, soldier. It's a robust plan.
We'd need more electricity, fine. We can build more power stations. Those power stations will, initially, use the same fuel as the cars, but eventually we go over to wind power, wave power and, when they finally perfect it, fusion. We need to change our infrastructure - so what? If we don't change it, we die: It's really very simple.
(, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 15:03, Reply)
surely it'd be best for the planet if we did die?
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Rebel biscuit stercore sumus et nos esse novimus, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 15:15,
Reply)
I didn't say we do nothing
I just suggested we stopped howling at the moon with silly ideas. O level physics will tell you energy never runs out, it simply changes form. Newton will tell you for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Whatever we harness from the wind or sea, there will be a price to pay somewhere; especially with the amount we are talking about to power the planet. The only free energy we get without a 'physics' price is the sun. I suggest we work on harnessing that.
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TheSundaeLunch I'm a fucking shrub, alright?, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 15:22,
Reply)
Seems fair :-)
How about marshmallows on really long sticks?
Drop one of those bad boys in your cocoa, it'll boil instantly...no more microwaves needed!! :-D
(, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 15:26, Reply)
Now that idea I like!
But it does really bug me that people rant, even violently protest, without thinking it through. Take wind energy. If a turbine was able (they aren't yet) to harness 1% of the wind passing it, the wind the other side hass 99% of the power it had. So 100 turbines would mean a dead calm on the lee side. Pollen relies on wind, as does much of nature. What are the quincyquonces? I don't think we know.
If we dam every river or bay to grab tidal power, what does that do th the eco-systems that existed there? I don't think we know.
In summary, I'm not about to go and bash a copper over the head to save the planet when I have no idea what I'm talking about.
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TheSundaeLunch I'm a fucking shrub, alright?, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 15:37,
Reply)
Having no idea what you're talking about
If you'd like to have an idea what you're talking about, try reading this book, available for free online Sustainable Energy - without the hot air by Prof. David MacKay.
(, Wed 30 Jun 2010, 16:04, Reply)