World finally agrees that global warming threatens everyone (1 Viewer)

[talon_dfa]

...I think man threatens bird species and many more lifeforms on this world due to his constant destruction of habitat, far more than global warming. Global warming doesn't chop down the forests, drain the marshes, plough up the flow bogs etc. There appears to be a blind belief that building windfarms on prime environmentally sensitive areas and in the feeding and wintering areas of many species, is justified if it's in the name of reducing global warming. It's already been said, China alone is producing more CO2 in one day than the total amount of windfarms in the world can reduce, (they don't reduce it anyway).nirofo.

I agree.

Most environmental issues stem from human population growth. Since Global Warming has become such a hot topic, many popular solutions to environmental problems seem to be linked to CO2.

Many seem to think Wind Farms etc. just magically appear and produce clean free energy forever.

What are those towers made of?
How is electricity transported back to cities?
Steel, aluminum, copper, rubber,plastic, carbon fiber?
Where do those materials come from?
Are the mined, transported, refined and transported again without monetary or energetic cost?

Before I put all my eggs in that basket, I would like to know the total cost (monetary and energy cost) to produce, transport, install and maintain a large wind turbine and the projected net energy gain (hope gain and not loss).

And still, factors such as aesthetics and wildlife disturbance have not been addressed.

 

[Tyke]

A very interesting article in The Sunday Times today highlights the damage being done to the environment as a result of Carbon Offset Schemes-and the appalling effect on forests & food prices resulting from the mad dash for corn ethanol as a petrol substitute.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article1654238.ece

Corn Ethanol & Wind Farms are two examples of knee jerk reactions which can have a net cost to the environment-not a benefit.

I agree with his conclusion that properly implemented ( upstream) carbon cap & trade will produce carbon scarcity, driving up it's cost to the emitter, increasing consumer prices for carbon intensive products & services, and encouraging low/no carbon technological inovation.

Colin