Global warming.

[SocketRocket]

Badge play definitely comes into it. One of my work colleagues won't drive a Skoda because.... it is a Skoda. Most VWG have the same chassis underpinnings but you tend to pay more for the German badges.

But back on-topic. Hybrids are undoubtedly a stop-gap but, at least when you are using it around town, you are spending a lot more time on electric (providing you keep it charged), so you are impacting less on the environment in terms of vehicle emissions.

In terms of global warming, I do fear we may be too late. We've had hundreds of years of pumping emissions into the atmosphere with little or no thought of the consequences. Let's take my old company as an example, and some of the products they produced.

• Trichloroethylene - used for metal degreasing in large, open topped degreasers which basically allowed the vapours to go straight to the atmosphere.
• Perchloroethylene - mainly used in dry-cleaning. Modern machines are now far more efficient and recycle the product, but I'm of an age when you could walk into a dry-cleaners and you would almost be overcome by the fumes (goodness knows how it affected the people working in it).
• Methylene Chloride - used as a paint stripper
• CFC's - multi-purpose propellant, fire extinguisher, electrical cleaner
• BCF - multi-purpose fire extinguishant

I could name others, but these are just an example. The other thing to consider is that THEY WERE ALL VERY GOOD AT WHAT THEY DID. I'm not condoning the damage that they have contributed, but that when things worked as well as these did, people saw no reason to change until legislation forced the change.

You are absolutely correct in those instances

But

In the past when these processes were in common use there was complete ignorance of climate change in the general populace so they were quite acceptable then.

 

[SocketRocket]

But there is also a growing demographic imbalance, too many older economically unproductive but high consumers of health and care services, and too few people producing for the economy and providing care for the first group.

The traditional approach to managing population is to reduce birth rates. This only amplifies the demographic problem. What we really need is to better balance the population. Sorry oldies, some of you need to go (heading that way myself). Maybe a Logan's Run, with a cutoff set a bit higher than the movie (30, IIRC).

Or, put more resource into caring for our vulnerable elderly and less into propping up those that can look after themselves..

A measure of a community is the way it cares for it's vulnerable.

 

[Crumplezone]

But there is also a growing demographic imbalance, too many older economically unproductive but high consumers of health and care services, and too few people producing for the economy and providing care for the first group.

The traditional approach to managing population is to reduce birth rates. This only amplifies the demographic problem. What we really need is to better balance the population. Sorry oldies, some of you need to go (heading that way myself). Maybe a Logan's Run, with a cutoff set a bit higher than the movie (30, IIRC).

It's not a demographic 'problem', it's an economic issue. Governments are willing to chuck billions at increasingly ludicrous and extremely expensive measures to combat climate change, yet the obvious and far cheaper alternative is to spend money looking after older people who are no longer supported due to a decrease in the number of younger people and to discourage people having children through incentives and increased access to sex education and contraception worldwide..

 

[Bunkermagnet]

The climate is changing, theres no question about that. However, I don't feel we can do enough to stop the process or reverse it.
The focus is currently on personal transport, but why not look at restricting car ownership to a minimum of 10 years before you can legally change a car. Lets stop the short term car ownership through lease or PCP's so we don't need to rape the earth as much for the valuable elements needed for the constant new car supplies.
The same with electronics, phones, or anything else our consumer goods purchasing World has to change every 2 or 3 years.
The constant "i'm green with my EV on a 3 yr lease then will change it" isn't proving a persons green, just green washing to convince others they are better than them.

Personally I think WW3 will erupt before the World as a collective can do enough to slow or stop the damage to the climate..

 

[Ethan]

It's not a demographic 'problem', it's an economic issue. Governments are willing to chuck billions at increasingly ludicrous and extremely expensive measures to combat climate change, yet the obvious and far cheaper alternative is to spend money looking after older people who are no longer supported due to a decrease in the number of younger people and to discourage people having children through incentives and increased access to sex education and contraception worldwide..

That may seem an obvious alternative, but it is a very destructive one. It ends up with a massive right shift in the age distribution of the population. Some countries now have a replacement rate (number of babies per woman) below that needed to sustain their population. That population will just get older until there are more people needing locked after than there are to look after them. Then there will be a shaper correction, but then the process resumes. Ironically, that is why immigration is necessary, to bring in more young people.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Looking forward to reading a Nigel Lawson comment piece in the Daily Telegraph explaining how the extreme temperatures that initiated wildfires across England and that resulted in the loss of 60 houses were simply a result of the normal UK weather cycle and nothing to do with some non-existent climate change.

When was the last time in the UK that 60 houses were lost to wildfire in the same day?

 

[SocketRocket]

That may seem an obvious alternative, but it is a very destructive one. It ends up with a massive right shift in the age distribution of the population. Some countries now have a replacement rate (number of babies per woman) below that needed to sustain their population. That population will just get older until there are more people needing locked after than there are to look after them. Then there will be a shaper correction, but then the process resumes. Ironically, that is why immigration is necessary, to bring in more young people.

But that policy is self destructive. Bigger population will inflate the problem and need an exponential increase.

Culling the old isn't a realistic solution (or I hope it's not) so we need another one. IMO making resource to care for the aged vulnerable has to be realised. Automation will create a larger available workforce who would be better utilised in this work than unemployed. OK, it has to be paid for but far too much money is wasted by the state and those that can afford it should pay more.

 

[Oddsocks]

Jesus this got political.

 

[ColchesterFC]

Looking forward to reading a Nigel Lawson comment piece in the Daily Telegraph explaining how the extreme temperatures that initiated wildfires across England and that resulted in the loss of 60 houses were simply a result of the normal UK weather cycle and nothing to do with some non-existent climate change.

When was the last time in the UK that 60 houses were lost to wildfire in the same day?

Haven't you heard? Apparently it was all arson by Extinction Rebellion so that they could claim a climate emergency. At least that's one of the conspiracy theories that has been doing the rounds.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Haven't you heard? Apparently it was all arson by Extinction Rebellion so that they could claim a climate emergency. At least that's one of the conspiracy theories that has been doing the rounds.

Ah - that'll fit with Nigel Lawson's ideas.

 

[SocketRocket]

Looking forward to reading a Nigel Lawson comment piece in the Daily Telegraph explaining how the extreme temperatures that initiated wildfires across England and that resulted in the loss of 60 houses were simply a result of the normal UK weather cycle and nothing to do with some non-existent climate change.

When was the last time in the UK that 60 houses were lost to wildfire in the same day?

Is a 'wildfire' in London different to a 'Fire in London' I heard a news reporter saying a fire in a country park as a 'Climate change fire'
I live on the edge of the Malvern Hills and over the years there have been large fires there in dry periods, normally caused by some dimwit using a disposable barbeque or throwing down a lit cigarette.

We've just had a couple of days very high temperature which a weather person on the TV said was created by an anomaly due to a divided Jetstream trapping heat, it seems to have returned back to normal temperature today.

There is obviously a problem with the greenhouse gas effect in the atmosphere but it just seems to me the media is once again using their platform to brainwash us with their constant drip feed of doom and gloom on anything and everything.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Jesus this got political.

It won't get political if there is consensus across the political spectrum on what has to be done in the UK to combat climate change and to work towards Net Zero. But even then it only gets political if any political group looks to play off what has to be done towards Net Zero against other politically driven imperatives. But we so need some consensus, and desperately so.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Is a 'wildfire' in London different to a 'Fire in London' I heard a news reporter saying a fire in a country park as a 'Climate change fire'
I live on the edge of the Malvern Hills and over the years there have been large fires there in dry periods, normally caused by some dimwit using a disposable barbeque or throwing down a lit cigarette.

We've just had a couple of days very high temperature which a weather person on the TV said was created by an anomaly due to a divided Jetstream trapping heat, it seems to have returned back to normal temperature today.

There is obviously a problem with the greenhouse gas effect in the atmosphere but it just seems to me the media is once again using their platform to brainwash us with their constant drip feed of doom and gloom on anything and everything.

The difference is surely where the fires have broken out - mostly it seems not in locations where individuals would be having picnics with BBQs, and mostly close to housing.

 

[Ethan]

But that policy is self destructive. Bigger population will inflate the problem and need an exponential increase.

Culling the old isn't a realistic solution (or I hope it's not) so we need another one. IMO making resource to care for the aged vulnerable has to be realised. Automation will create a larger available workforce who would be better utilised in this work than unemployed. OK, it has to be paid for but far too much money is wasted by the state and those that can afford it should pay more.

Wishful thinking. With the young minority looking after the old majority, who does the manufacturing, construction, science, finance? The state will have a lot less money because the employed minority's tax contribution will shrink and the pension and healthcare costs will skyrocket. It just doesn't add up. Automation won't do it unless you invent a machine which feeds people and changes the bed.

 

[SocketRocket]

Wishful thinking. With the young minority looking after the old majority, who does the manufacturing, construction, science, finance? The state will have a lot less money because the employed minority's tax contribution will shrink and the pension and healthcare costs will skyrocket. It just doesn't add up. Automation won't do it unless you invent a machine which feeds people and changes the bed.

Those type of machines will happen.

How will we look after the exponential increases of old People created by the increased population? I really would like to know your suggestion.

Manufacturing is now massively less labour intensive than in the past, robotics are common place. Finance and Science also have a fraction of previous workforces. In my opinion there is and will be an adequate workforce available, the fact that people live longer means they will be in the workplace longer, many people are not suitable or interested in skilled and academic work.

 

[Oddsocks]

I’ve always accepted a shelf life, when my times up throw me in the bin.

Just please recycle my pink castle tees

 

[SocketRocket]

The difference is surely where the fires have broken out - mostly it seems not in locations where individuals would be having picnics with BBQs, and mostly close to housing.

Lickey Hills near Birmingham had a massive fire that spread onto a golf course.

On the Malvern Hills yesterday ?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Lickey Hills near Birmingham had a massive fire that spread onto a golf course.

On the Malvern Hills yesterday ?
View attachment 43551

Well - I 'Liked' but I don't like...

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Lickey Hills near Birmingham had a massive fire that spread onto a golf course.

On the Malvern Hills yesterday ?
View attachment 43551

Is that a discarded sweet wrapper? If so then the massive fire is about the size of one of my size 9’s
?

 

[Blue in Munich]

Is that a discarded sweet wrapper? If so then the massive fire is about the size of one of my size 9’s
?

Is it for context to show the size of the barbecue tray that some numpty has taken up there in those conditions and presumably dumped?