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Nick Ramsay on July 8th, 2008

Danger! CO2!If you’ve been watching, you’ll have noticed that Japanese television is filled with eco-friendly, CO2-cutting, planet-saving propaganda. Commercials are promoting “eco” products, the news is covering the summit and how our leaders (most of which score less than 30% in public opinion polls) are planning measures to curb CO2 emissions, and documentaries are talking about self-sufficient families with makeshift water heaters and their own very natural gas!

What are your views on the global warming “crisis”?

Here are some questions to prompt discussion:

  • Is global warming really caused by CO2?
  • What do you make of all the eco-talk in the nation’s media?
  • Are you making an effort to save the world? If so, how?
  • Are there any other issues more attention-worthy?

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Comment by Mike
2008-07-08 15:21:19

Yes, Global warming is caused by too much CO2. Think about it, millions of cars traveling millions of miles everyday for nearly 100 years along with all of the other factories that in some way use oil. The balance is off, way off so this obviously can’t be a good thing.

Eco-talk is just another way to sell newspapers and commercial time on news broadcasts. The planet is falling apart and of course the media will take full advantage of this as more and more people will watch or read about it.

My efforts are to ride my bike to work, walk to the grocery store, use public transit, recycle pets bottles and newspaper, and overall just try not to consume so much. These efforts also help save my wallet which I like even more.

Other issues? Well there is always starvation around the world, civil wars and genocide, the secretive Bilderberg group, and of course the intentional implosion of the World Trade Centre towers.

Comment by Nick Ramsay
2008-07-08 16:01:44

When you say the balance is way off, you mean the carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle? How is the balance measured? Can you post a link?

Comment by Mike
2008-07-09 04:04:05

The world has existed for thousands and even millions of years. All of the sudden (within the last 100 years) humans start using oil for energy which has resulted in a greater amount of CO2 than ever before being produced. Therefore the balance must be off. No numbers, no charts, no links, just common sense.

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Comment by Nick Ramsay
2008-07-09 09:22:38

According to Wikipedia

Five hundred million years ago carbon dioxide was 20 times more prevalent than today.

Those dinosaurs must have had some pretty toxic breath! ;)

 
Comment by Mike
2008-07-09 09:26:09

The world was a very different place then my friend… and whatever happened then was natural…. consuming billions of barrels of oil in a 100 years isn’t a natural occurrence. And I’m sure that life back then must have been completely different from what it is now…

 
 
 
 
Comment by Nick Ramsay
2008-07-08 15:26:07

On Monday night, Japan turned off the lights in some 76,000 buildings between 8pm and 10pm. This supposedly reduced CO2 emissions by 475 tons. On Japan Today, “weedkila” says:

Japan derives it’s energy mostly from nuclear powered stations so how did this action save 450 tons of CO2 being pumped into the air? I’ve read that there are, quote “…virtually no atmospheric pollutants at nuclear powered plants.” Is this info wrong?

I think that’s a great question. Can anyone can shine some light on the science behind the 400+ tons claim?

 
Comment by Steve in Nagoya
2008-07-08 16:20:53

And yet when they tried the Cool Biz thingy a few years ago the amount of CO2 generated by the Chinese factories making the Cool Biz suits actually exceeded the amount of CO2 which would have come from simply turning on the air-con.

At any rate, I think things have gone way too far now to make much of an impact. We all better get used to the idea of long term and major climate changes.

For my part, I don’t own a car, recycle, and so far this year, I haven’t turned on the air-con. But that may be changing since my wife is getting tired of me lounging around the house in my underwear.

 
Comment by billywest
2008-07-10 01:52:51

I think the Cool Biz idea, while promoted as eco-friendly, is just a way for companies to save money by not running their air conditioners all day.

Since none of the major polluters are interested taking drastic measures, if we truly are near the point of no return, inertia will surely carry us past it. But, I don’t have any idea of how close we really are to that point.

What I do: carry my own chopsticks and shopping bag, and try to eat-in at restaurants rather than get take-out in plastic containers. Just simple stuff; I should do more, I guess.

 
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