Hurray!
It's about time we made some progress around here. But is it too little, too late?
Instead of being paranoid, I will instead muse upon the solar-powered cars I see on display everyday. Ho hum.
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Hurray!
It's about time we made some progress around here. But is it too little, too late?
Instead of being paranoid, I will instead muse upon the solar-powered cars I see on display everyday. Ho hum.
Yeah, I was glad to hear this news too.
However, without the world's biggest polluter signing up, things aren't going to improve much, if at all. The Protocols give signatory states about ten years to reduce the rate of pollution to turn-of-the-millennium levels. So each current government can pass the buck, doing nothing about it at all because it'll be someone else's responsibility.
But it's a start, at least. Enough countries have finally agreed that the life of the planet is a little more valuable than our God-given right to deplete fossil fuels and increase carbon monoxide emission rates.
Someone should tell Bush that oil's running out... no wait. I dount that'd hold him back. No developed country is going to make a serious attempt to develop alternative fuel sources, not while petroleum's still so relatively abundant and commercially viable. Oh hell no. Creating something new, better, cleaner would cost money, thus the corporates would sooner see us all die than make the investment they're gonna have to make someday. Nothing's going to change until petrol power becomes too expensive to be feasible; then they'll finally start making genuine efforts to develop hydrogen fuel cells on a big scale. I mean genuine efforts, not the token (obscene) gesture they're flinging at us now.
Hydrogen fuel cells have been around since the 60s; if the companies actually gave a rat's about developing them, they'd have been in widespread use since the 70s, easily.
'Tis all about the money, folks; until our lives are worth something, others will have no qualms about throwing them away.
Mmm, carcinogens.
"Egad! It appears that we are running out of fossil fuels!"
"Quickly! We must use more before we run out!"
It's like the Huia all over again :/
Businesses do what they do in order to make the most money. I hope for the sanctity of my argument that solar powered cars would cost more money in terms of profits than gasoline powered cars. I tend to think so as well, seeing as solar power = no more monopolising the country's need for "oil", or some sort of energy source.
Yup. Humanity's greatest bungles are the ones that get repeated the most.Quote:
Originally Posted by Calliope
[q=ShlupPiePants]I hope for the sanctity of my argument that solar powered cars would cost more money in terms of profits than gasoline powered cars. I tend to think so as well, seeing as solar power = no more monopolising the country's need for "oil", or some sort of energy source.[/q]Yeah, they can basically charge as much as they want for them, but there are problems. If they try to sell an expensive solar car while petrol's still available, no-one'll buy it. Also, the cost of developing and improving solar technologies would set back the all-important profits by years before it started generating revenue.
Dear Helen Clark,
Please ban all non solar powered cars/buses/big horrible trucks (unless you are an invalid, or elderly, or pregnant), and make everybody ride bicycles instead. It'll be just like that Margaret Mahy book, remember? NANOCYCLE! NANOCYCLE! Mmm, The Gnasher.
Anyway, I think that would be really neat. Y'know, promote our clean green image and whatnot.
Yours sincerely
N. Andrews
ps - Bring on the Stagecoach Hybrid Electric Buses!
That certainly gives me a degree of hope that perhaps soon, even America (As crazy as that sounds) may move away from oil and find a way to heal the environment even a little bit.
Very good news to hear about, even if it's just beginning to really take flight.
Take care all.
Christchurch already has electric hybrid busses running a free service around the CBD. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Calliope
Auckland does too, so nyer nyer nyer :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Big D