Comments cdehaes has made

  • As already said, a very clear set of graphics, thank you very much. Would you be able to let me know if this includes the subsidies to the international travel/transport industries? As far as I understand no fuel duty is charged on any fuel used for air/sea travel/transport. Given their disproportionate damage to the environment (air travel because the level at which it happens, sea travel because of the type of oil they use) it would be interesting to know what the level of their 'incentive' is.On Fossil fuel subsidies dwarf clean energy subsidies; Obama wants to eliminate them posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago 13 Responses

  • They Know How to Cell It

    There would of course be an even better resource saver the mobile phone companies could implement.  Since all mobile phones run on more or less the same battery, with the same voltage output and probably made by no more than 2 different manufacturers, it would make ecological sense to make charger sockets in all mobile phones the same.  We would then need to buy only one charger and could use it for any mobile phone we buy.  Families, workmates, people sharing a house would only need one charger, rather than 4 or 5!On Cell-phone chargers rated on energy efficiency posted 11 months, 3 weeks ago 1 Response

  • fuel from crops

    Just to say that the use of crops to generate alternatives to fossil fuels is, in my opinion, a double edged sword.

    Yes it would be carbon neatral and thus not add to global warming.  At the same time though it would also encourage the further expansion of agricultural land, more than likely at the cost of the rainforest.  It may turn out like the craze for soya beans (after the BSE crisis in Europe), which has caused the destruction of vast swathes of rainforest in order to find an alternative feed for dairy cows and beef cattle.

    Has anyone actually worked out how much extra agricultural land we would need to replace even 30% of our current thirst for fossil fuels with this 'wondr fuel'?  I haven't.  And this land would have to be in addition to the current agricultural requirements.

    I am sorry, there is only one thing for it.  Drive less and hybrid, put solar panels on the roof of your car, slow down, don't fly! (And that is just the transport bit!

    I did not inherit the world, I am borrowing it from my grandchildren (as yet unborn) and at the moment I don't even know if they will be able to live there!

    On Kyoto is a bargain posted 3 years, 6 months ago 9 Responses

  • Ten ways to turn that global frown upside down

    There could be a fairly simple list just for car drivers:

    10:
    Don't use your car for journeys of less than 1.5 mile.  Walk for 20-30 minutes instead.  Or cycle it in less then 10 minutes (it is amazing how much shopping you can carry on a bike (ask the Dutch!)
    9:
    accelerate slow rather than fast (accelerating consumes a lot more fule than driving at a steady pace)
    8:
    take your foot off the accelerator early (red traffic lights etc) rather than brake at the last minute.
    7:
    reduce your average speed over long distances by 10%, it reduces the fuel consumption by 10-20%
    6:
    avoid driving at peak-hour, the air you breathe will be cleaner, your journey will be shorter and you will use less fuel.
    5:
    share a car with a neighbour/friend/colleague
    4:
    switch off the air-conditioning (it can add up to 10% to your fuel consumption
    3:
    drive the smallest car in your drive rather than your biggest one
    2:
    encourage your government to tax cars on the basis of: wieght, ability to accelerate fast, maximum speed.
    1:
    teach your children these rules too (especially when they want to be driven to a party in the next street).  Walk/cycle with them to wherever they need taking.On Ten ways to turn that global frown upside down posted 4 years, 7 months ago 8 Responses