European Leader of the Year

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: European Leader of the Year

This is the frightening thing, we don't yet fully understand what unforeseen and unwanted effects may be caused by our activities to resolve the situation. We're on a very steep learning curve!

There is no point in just making pollution cleaner or less obvious, which is all we have been doing for the past 100 years, and is all we are planning to do now. (Electric cars anyone?) We need to be polluting less.

The uncomfortable truth is that we need to travel a lot less, manufacture a lot less and build things to last longer instead of sending everything to landfill before the credit card bill has been paid. Consumerism is killing our planet.

This will need a major readjustment to our lifestyles and expectations, but right now far too many people are working frantically to meet ridiculous production and delivery targets, making and ultimately buying stuff that will become obsolete before it is paid for. Why not build less, make it last longer and get paid a bit less? There is no point being a £billionaire on a dying planet.

[Graham_of_Rainham]

Re: European Leader of the Year

A massive improvement can be made by changes to the food we eat.

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/t...at-production/

The carbon “paw print” of cats and dogs is massive.

Then there’s the planets maximum sustainability population, which a lot of people think we have already exceeded...

I doubt that it will be long before someone like Trump sets in motion ways to reduce the population.

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: European Leader of the Year

Never mind cats and dogs. What is the carbon footprint of football I wonder?

Chelsea and Arsenal fans now face a long journey to the eastern edge of Europe for the Europa League final.

[Zuiko]

Re: European Leader of the Year

For 50 years usable fusion power has been 10 years away - and it still is .

And no doubt the oil companies and oil producing nations will continue to keep it that way.

[Zuiko]

Re: European Leader of the Year

Never mind cats and dogs. What is the carbon footprint of football I wonder?

Chelsea and Arsenal fans now face a long journey to the eastern edge of Europe for the Europa League final.

The sensible thing would be to move the final to Wembley, but we all know that won't happen.

[Zuiko]

Re: European Leader of the Year

There is no point in just making pollution cleaner or less obvious, which is all we have been doing for the past 100 years, and is all we are planning to do now. (Electric cars anyone?) We need to be polluting less.

The uncomfortable truth is that we need to travel a lot less, manufacture a lot less and build things to last longer instead of sending everything to landfill before the credit card bill has been paid. Consumerism is killing our planet.

This will need a major readjustment to our lifestyles and expectations, but right now far too many people are working frantically to meet ridiculous production and delivery targets, making and ultimately buying stuff that will become obsolete before it is paid for. Why not build less, make it last longer and get paid a bit less? There is no point being a £billionaire on a dying planet.

This, indeed, is the uncomfortable truth.

[MJ224]

Re: European Leader of the Year

This, indeed, is the uncomfortable truth.

Yes, also agree with Nigel even with his dig at my electric car!! But which parliament will make this happen. Political (dare I say it) parties are in it for the short term, or micro-term (5 years). We seriously need a leader with a realistic vision of the future that Nigel maps out...….and is allowed or can MAKE it happen.

Chances of that happening is low to zero I reckon, until its too late....

[drmarkf]

Re: European Leader of the Year

Never mind cats and dogs. What is the carbon footprint of football I wonder?

Chelsea and Arsenal fans now face a long journey to the eastern edge of Europe for the Europa League final.

Yes, of course if we were all to stop doing everything we each enjoy in life, we’ll all die a little every day. If we just banned everything we might exist longer, but my gawd it would certainly feel longer!

The key is to keep good transport but make it more energy efficient, and the same for good food etc. etc. and all the while keeping it possible for companies to make a living from all this.

It’s a narrow path we’ve got to walk and there aren’t a huge number of current examples of the large-scale human cooperation projects that give me cause for optimism. Anyone care to name any? I’m going to counter with the word ‘Brexit’ to the first one offered, of course

I’m actually a bit more optimistic than I was 5 years ago when there were some international agreements but little or no popular support, and it all felt ‘imposed’ by those famous ‘faceless bureaucrats’. Now at least some societies in the west have apparently finally woken up and maybe started kicking their politicians in the ballot box, but meanwhile the world’s CO2 concentration clicks inexorably upwards...

[wornish]

Re: European Leader of the Year

Blimey, this thread has certainly developed quite a way from Juncker receiving an award.
I get the feeling that the majority here agree something has to be done, but our political systems are not up to it.

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: European Leader of the Year

Yes, of course if we were all to stop doing everything we each enjoy in life, we’ll all die a little every day. If we just banned everything we might exist longer, but my gawd it would certainly feel longer!

The key is to keep good transport but make it more energy efficient, and the same for good food etc. etc. and all the while keeping it possible for companies to make a living from all this.

But there must be a balance between enjoying ourselves and killing the planet.

I don't follow football much but it seems two London teams are travelling to the far side of Europe to play a football match. Why? Is there not a football pitch somewhere in the UK they could use? Surely that would make more sense all round; not only saving the planet but allowing thousands more fans to enjoy the game at a reasonable cost.

[Ricoh]

Re: European Leader of the Year

In all probability the venue is booked ahead of the semi-finals. Same with the Champion League, Liverpool v Spurs.

[wornish]

Re: European Leader of the Year

What's the carbon footprint of the EU when it moves its meeting location from Brussels to Strasberg every few weeks.

Also whats the carbon footprint of the 30,000 corporate lobyists that work in Brussels.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...sels-corporate