Reversing Climate Change

[robert.]

The heat from our cars, air conditioning and gas furnaces aren't directly responsible for global warming, it's the carbon dioxide that acts as an solar energy insulator that causes most human derived global warming, and perhaps a little methane. These gases are the byproduct of combustion or the hydrocarbon industry. You can use as much solar power as you want to power your home or car and it adds pretty much zero to global warming.

BS. heat is heat. There is no such things as cold. There's a lack of energy. Air conditioning only moves heat from one place to another. They do take energy to run. Furnaces create heat and carbon dioxide. Reduction of use needs to be across the board.

[Neil]

Nope. Heat retention leads to global warming. Heat from the sun, earth’s core is already here. Gases like carbon dioxide determine how much heat stays and how much is leaked to the vacuum of outer space.

[HONDO74]

Really, or just being facetious? We were looking at getting one of those smaller cars with the rather high mpg ratings up into the 50s just for commuting, but since retiring we have 2 cars and only 1 gets much use at all.

I'm serious, not being facetious. I have already had the person that did all my electrical when we did the addition come over and see what it would take to install a charging station in my garage. An overnight slow charging station. The batteries last a long time if not fast charged.

Some of these electrics are pure hot rods, faster than high horse power V8s. I would like to have one that will go at least 250 miles. That's the distance I travel to visit my kids in Kansas. Other than that I only need one that will do 100 miles round trip.
That's the distance to Springfield and my place at the lake.

[gregj410]

You can use as much solar power as you want to power your home or car and it adds pretty much zero to global warming.

And you’ll pretty much add zero power to your home and car too.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Really, or just being facetious? We were looking at getting one of those smaller cars with the rather high mpg ratings up into the 50s just for commuting, but since retiring we have 2 cars and only 1 gets much use at all.

I'm serious, not being facetious. I have already had the person that did all my electrical when we did the addition come over and see what it would take to install a charging station in my garage. An overnight slow charging station. The batteries last a long time if not fast charged.

Cool! I'm curious as to what's involved in doing that and what the local utility thinks about it. That would make getting one quite viable here.

Some of these electrics are pure hot rods, faster than high horse power V8s. I would like to have one that will go at least 250 miles. That's the distance I travel to visit my kids in Kansas. Other than that I only need one that will do 100 miles round trip.
That's the distance to Springfield and my place at the lake.

Indeed. For those that think they are under powered might consider the ones from Tesla and then Porshe. More than enough power for almost anyone doing their routine driving. I see lots of Teslas around here zipping by me on the Beltway w/o much apparent strain.

The ones I'm seeing advertised now are claiming more than 250 miles - 2021 GM Bolt (200 hp) is listed as having a range of 259 miles. Tesla Standard Range Plus model claims a range of 263 miles.

[chuck]

Gases like carbon dioxide determine how much heat stays and how much is leaked to the vacuum of outer space.

This actually pretty easy to demonstrate using bread dough. If you want to make sure the dough rises, cover the bowl with clear plastic wrap ("saran wrap"). Old school method was to use a "moist towel". Compare the time and volume to rise with two bowls, one covered with plastic wrap, the second one with a moist towel. Note, plastic wrap is transparent to thermal infrared, aka it lets long wave IR heat leak out. Moist towel doesn't trap CO2 or thermal infrared, it just keeps the dough from drying out.

I don't even need to place the bowl in a "warm" place. The CO2 released by the yeast traps the heat. In fact, I can cut the first rise time in half and the second and third rise by half again just using the plastic wrap. Sometimes to slow things down I will put the bowl in the fridge to slow down the rise on the second and third pass as the room temp method can get too fast. I could crack the seal and let the CO2 out but it also leaks the moisture and can dry out the dough.

[up148]

[quoteIndeed. For those that think they are under powered might consider the ones from Tesla and then Porshe. More than enough power for almost anyone doing their routine driving. I see lots of Teslas around here zipping by me on the Beltway w/o much apparent strain.][/quote]

My son autocross's in the OKC area every couple of months weather permitting. We were able to attend about 3 weeks ago for the 1st time. There was a Tesla sedan at the event that ran like crazy, but it sure is strange not hearing an engine and only tires screeching around the cones. Sounds of the future.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Indeed. For those that think they are under powered might consider the ones from Tesla and then Porshe. More than enough power for almost anyone doing their routine driving. I see lots of Teslas around here zipping by me on the Beltway w/o much apparent strain.]

My son autocross's in the OKC area every couple of months weather permitting. We were able to attend about 3 weeks ago for the 1st time. There was a Tesla sedan at the event that ran like crazy, but it sure is strange not hearing an engine and only tires screeching around the cones. Sounds of the future.

Yes! That's the one thing that really worries me about EV's - I can just barely hear them in parking lots and folks with lousy hearing or just not paying attention with their noses in their phone may be at some risk. It's the seniors with their noses in their phone talking loudly that really won't hear that Tesla.

[chuck]

I can just barely hear them in parking lots and folks with lousy hearing or just not paying attention with their noses in their phone may be at some risk.

Mostly what you do hear (if anything) is the tire noise, crunching on small stones/gravel/sticks. When the Prius first came out there were people that were asking for the vehicles to have an "external" sound system to make some kind of noise to alert pedestrians that there was a vehicle moving around. A faculty member in one of our labs had one and it was deadly silent at slow speeds. Someone joked about making the external sounds selectable, e.g. diesel tractor truck, lawnmower, 747 at idle.

[rogruth]

My sons wife at that time had a Prius. He said they had many close calls from people not hearing the car.
I don't think there were as many noses in the phone at that time either.
A "noise maker" sounds like a good idea.

[HONDO74]

Moved to the car thread

[HONDO74]

How Ireland is abandoning its dirty fuel
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2020 ... tiest-fuel

Peat bogs have played historic role in Ireland’s economy and culture, but this high-carbon fuel is in fast decline. How will Ireland’s peat-reliant regions adapt?

Though the practice of cutting turf is centuries if not thousands of years old, and still takes place in several countries, there is growing recognition that burning it for fuel is not sustainable. Peat is a highly carbon-inefficient fuel, more so even than coal. Intact peatlands are an efficient carbon sink, but damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, annually releasing almost 6% of global CO2 emissions.

As Ireland tries to rapidly abandon peat, the people that depend on the fuel are facing an uncertain future, and the need to find new uses for the land that has for decades been given over to cutting turf.

Everyone has to sacrifice something to reverse CLIMATE CHANGE.....

[Rufus T. Firefly]

...........the people that depend on the fuel.....

How many people?

[HONDO74]

...........the people that depend on the fuel.....

How many people?

It's a long article. I read it a couple of times and can't come up with an exact figure. It just says a lot of people will be affected,

[HONDO74]

Climate change: UK aim of 68% emissions cut a 'colossal challenge'
https://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-u ... 18193.html

Roger Harrabin - BBC environment analyst
Fri, December 4, 2020, 10:37 AM CST

Meeting the UK's world-leading climate change target will be a "colossal challenge", a government spending watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office says it will affect the way we work, travel, heat our homes - even how much meat we eat.

In a report it says the cost of cutting CO2 is highly uncertain, but the cost of allowing temperatures to rise would probably be greater.

The PM has vowed to cut emissions by 68% by 2030 based on 1990 levels.

One of the UK’s leading climate scientists, Prof Sir Brian Hoskins, told BBC News: “Mr Johnson’s target is ambitious – but we need action to back it up, right now.

He noted that Chancellor Rishi Sunak recently committed £127bn to the HS2 rail link and new roads - which will both increase emissions - while offering just £1bn to home insulation, which would reduce emissions.

He and other scientists said even if the UK and other nations keep their promises on cutting emissions there was no guarantee the world would avoid serious heating.

“The world will be increasingly difficult and dangerous with every percentage point of temperature rise,” he said. “There are important things we don’t know for sure. How much more does it take to destabilise Antarctica, for instance? We don't know… and the impact could be devastating.”