Slow down, you're killing the planet

merlin · 12 Oct 2009 at 13:35

...apparently :rolleyes:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6870115.ece

Seems the committee on climate change are a little late latching onto this report done in 2005: -

http://www.transportenvironment.org/Publications/prep_hand_out/lid:391

Traffic smoothing is the way forward, stop the motorway "lunging" and you'll reduce CO2 output.

Surely there's more ways to smooth the traffic than simply to slow everyone down to a crawl?

dalin80 · 12 Oct 2009 at 13:39

alternatively they could actually do something that would make a difference.

doesnt china produce more co2 a day then every vehicle on the uk roads a year or some such?

SoundsGood · 12 Oct 2009 at 13:43

dalin80 said:
alternatively they could actually do something that would make a difference.

doesnt china produce more co2 a day then every vehicle on the uk roads a year or some such?

I'd like that as a bumper sticker if true

Howard · 12 Oct 2009 at 13:45

I read a similar piece in the paper this morning, I lol'd. I'll use as low a gear as I want, thanks.

BD10NNF · 12 Oct 2009 at 13:48

i hate people that say tax motorists more to make them car share and not use their car as often. What should happen is bring the price of fuel down so that i would use a bus cause i wouldnt cost me an arm and leg to get somewhere.

Ive found out that its costs to go to from city A to city B nearby £4.70 on a bus and for me to use my car it costs about £1.34 in petrol and i can park in a free place.

Surely that would be the best option.

SeatIbiza · 12 Oct 2009 at 13:53

Wow expensive bus - where are you in the country?

but fuel is not the only running cost...but i doub it'd add to more than £3.36!

MikeHunt79 · 12 Oct 2009 at 14:00

It also says the Government may have to double the grants planned for electric cars from 2011 to £10,000 for at least the first 25,000 buyers. It says otherwise the extra cost of battery-powered cars would be prohibitive

So they think £250,000,000 of tax payers money should go towards battery powered cars? Do they realise batteries use lots of Lithium or Lead which aren't exactly going to save the planet either, and the fact that the batteries have to be replaced every few years also... Not exactly cheap.

mrthingyx · 12 Oct 2009 at 14:10

MikeHunt79 said:
So they think £250,000,000 of tax payers money should go towards battery powered cars? Do they realise batteries use lots of Lithium or Lead which aren't exactly going to save the planet either, and the fact that the batteries have to be replaced every few years also... Not exactly cheap.

Are you suggesting that a British government should actually think through a headline-grabbing policy? Really?

Glaucus · 12 Oct 2009 at 14:14

SeatIbiza said:
Wow expensive bus - where are you in the country?

but fuel is not the only running cost...but i doub it'd add to more than £3.36!

Most people need cars and can't get by without cars and as such incur the running costs regardless.

So fuel and maybe parking are the only cost that needs to be compared. This makes public transport stupidly expensive.

EddScott · 12 Oct 2009 at 15:13

To help climate change, I think MacDonalds and Kellogs should be charged for making farmers keep cows. That should curb the CO2 from those flatulent bovines!

Firestar_3x · 12 Oct 2009 at 15:16

Oh well, i'm doing my bit to speed up the process.

dekez · 12 Oct 2009 at 15:19

EddScott said:
To help climate change, I think MacDonalds and Kellogs should be charged for making farmers keep cows. That should curb the CO2 from those flatulent bovines!

Maybe they should get electric cows

Jonnycoupe · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:13

MikeHunt79 said:
So they think £250,000,000 of tax payers money should go towards battery powered cars? Do they realise batteries use lots of Lithium or Lead which aren't exactly going to save the planet either, and the fact that the batteries have to be replaced every few years also... Not exactly cheap.

Or NiMH when the Chevron large format runs out in 2014, only need to mine nickel once and will outlast the car.

BigglesPiP · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:38

Using a high gear and groggling the engine will not help carbon emissions.

Cars are a comparatively small slice of carbon emissions, stop taxing us.

There is no evidence linking carbon emissions to climate change, and the world has not gotten any hotter in over a decade.

If the limit is reduced to 60mph on the motorways, I will continue to do 80.

Housey · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:45

I've reduced my fart count substantially, only 3 a day now.

BigglesPiP · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:47

Housey said:
I've reduced my fart count substantially, only 3 a day now.

Careful, you don't want to combust.

miniyazz · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:49

Housey said:
I've reduced my fart count substantially, only 3 a day now.

Won't help

you'll just bottle them up and fart three big farts instead of lots of little ones. It's probably actually worse for the environment as you're encouraging the bacteria by saying it's acceptable to have those gases in there

On a side note, using a diathermy (essentially a scalpel that cuts/cauterises using heat) during bowel surgery is bad because it can set fire to methane, or whatever it is, in the bowel and cause the bowel to catch fire and perforate

SB118 · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:50

I'm doing my bit to keep the plants healthy by releasing as much stored up co2 as i can when driving.

Jonnycoupe · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:50

1997 was the hottest year of recent times anyway.

End of the day, the less black stuff we need to buy from the middle east the better, the less stuff in our local atmosphere the better.

Dolph · 12 Oct 2009 at 20:50

If the government stops buggering up the traffic flow, then there will be less speed changes...