‘risible’ is such a good word
British MPs tell some home truths to the airline industry
“The airline industry has “a diverse and generally unsatisfactory attitude” to carbon offsetting, a report from MPs says today.
British Airways’ offsetting efforts had been “risible”, the report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee added.”
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July 25th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
anyone spot the Herald Your Views on whether we should sell the Auckland airport shares to the arabs?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501154&objectid=1045 3477
This was my submission:
“Yes sell the airport while it is still worth something. In 5 years, once Peak Oil starts to really bite and world air travel crashes the shares will be worthless - let some other fool get caught owning them.”
July 25th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
We really need to start a Dirigible company
July 26th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Well, heres some positive news for you. Man will adapt eh.
http://stuff.co.nz/4132221a23399.html
July 26th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
bjchip.
I had that idea awhile ago after reading a post on the Natural Capitalism discussion board. Have a look at these sites. I actually posted it, but the spam-filter ate it. Lol don’t know how many comments I’ve lost thanks to that damned thing. I copy my comments before posting now.
http://hyperblimp.com/
http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/cargolifter/
July 27th, 2007 at 1:47 am
Isn’t it right that emissions from the airline industry aren’t even included in the targets that we have to reach? I could be wrong, but from memory I think they are simply ignored in official statistics on carbon emissions. Something like that anyway, which is crazy when they are among the biggest problem.
I also read a report that said that China plans to build about 5 new airports every year over the next 10 years… It’s only going to get worse!
July 27th, 2007 at 1:54 am
phil, check out roman’s link
http://stuff.co.nz/4132221a23399.html
This could make dairy farm effluent more valuable than milk. That would stop the dairy run-off problem real quick.
July 27th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Kevyn,
I hadnt made the connection to dairy but you might be right. That would be a nice winner. Well done.
July 27th, 2007 at 10:06 am
um..!..what connection..?
what has this..save in the most peripheral manner..
got to do with (cash-rich!) dairy farmers pouring cowsh*t and pollutants into our streams waterways/rivers..?
each and every day..!
and hey..!..isn’t the silence from these quarters on that subject resounding..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
July 27th, 2007 at 10:16 am
btw..aucklanders..
george galloway is speaking at the auckland uni at 6.30 tonight..(library basement..)
and at auckland girls grammer tomorrow night at 7.30..
and those who have taken note of galloways expulsion from parliament..and are going..’what is that all about..?..’
could go to whoar..where about a week or so ago i linked to the vid of the speech/explanation galloway gave outside of the house of commons..
go and watch that..and you will wonder no more..
and fans of his dressing down of the american senate of the iraq war..which whoar also has archived..
will know what to expect from this new vid…’
and from his upcoming public appearances..
(heh-heh..!..i can relate to his scots/irish whakapapa..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
July 27th, 2007 at 10:53 am
phil,
Cos farmers will have an economic incentive to construct settling ponds to contain their cow’s waste. A byproduct of nutrient enrichment of the waterways as a result of dairy waste flowing there is a sharp increase of algae growth.
I should know as I live in Rotorua and often can’t swim in the lakes due to the algae turning the water toxic.
Plus being a raft guide trainee I witnessed a research programme by EBOP testing my fellow guides to ascertain the impact constant exposure to the water has on their health.
Its true that the government shouldn’t be allowing farmer’s to externalise costs of their business onto the rest of us, but as it stands farmers make a goodly proportion of our banana republic economy’s export revenue.
July 27th, 2007 at 11:08 am
In simpler terms Phil
The algae helps turn cowsh!t into JP-5.
Which is only going to get more expensive as the stuff made from dinosh!t runs out.
I should trademark some of these made-up words… but I don’t so feel free
respectfully
BJ
July 27th, 2007 at 11:30 am
i did say i could see the peripheral connections..
but ’tis quite the infrastructural/eco-leap from pouring cowsh#t into rivers..
to it fueling our existances..
and a canyon-leap in presumption to conclude the latter will begat the former..or vice versa..
eh..?
so treehugger..our dairy farmers..currently awash in cash..should just be allowed to blithely carry on breaking the (already there/unenforced) laws against poisoning/polluting our waterways..?
just ‘cos they earn ‘export-cash’..?
is your chosen ‘nom de-blog’ an exercise in ‘black’ irony..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
July 27th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
phil, Like I originally said, dairy farmers will be motivated by the profit from not pouring cows**t into our waterways. The solution isn’t going to come from politicians otherwise they would have got tough on water polluters the same way they’ve got tough on boy noise polluters.
With their latest payouts it’s not as if they can’t afford to mitigate the damage they are doing to waterways.
Mind you, I was assuming most of the pollution is from effluent from milking sheds. If run off from paddocks is also part of the problem then only part of the problem will be solved.
July 27th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
No Phil,
Just explaining the mindset behind the pollies’ decision to turn a blind eye.
I’ve previously said that government are negligent for not holding farmer’s accountable for their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol and accused the farmers of being selfish for not wanting to meet them when it is easily possible for them to do so using current technology.
July 27th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Found the link to support my argument above.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=244&objectid=10448138
http://www.sustainabilitynz.org/docs/AConvenientUntruthJune07.pdf
http://blog.greens.org.nz/index.php/2007/07/09/15-green-politicians/