Pollution and Energy (Split from Obama)

[Slornie]

Hey, its an alternative fuel. though expensive and costly to your wallet and the enviorment. and scarecrow, it produces a little less co2 than normal gas. and all the global warming crap is BS anyways so who cares

So its more expensive than oil (which many Americans complain is too expensive already), is harmful to the environment, causes huge inflation in food prices, and produces equivalent or more CO2 than regular fuel (this is a certifiable fact, at least for the current generation biofuels).  That makes it a rather poor alternative.

And FYI, Global Warming is real.  While it may not be wholly caused by human activity, that doesnt mean that we should continue changing the atmosphere by pumping out more greenhouse gases.

[Meyer]

just rely on nuclear power. it's safe and doesn't pollute.

[s-t-n]

seems me and meyer have similar views on where the immediate future lies.

has this topic been officially hijacked? lol. i dont think anyone is interested in that videos message...

[siegfried1]

Okay, but has anyone heard of Chernobyl (i think that's how it's spelled)......

[Dr. Knickers]

Nuclear power plants ruin the ecosystems of the fish. They draw on the cool water from oceans or other sources to cool the reactors and they excrete warm water, which is NOT good for the fish.

Won't SOMEBODY think of the fish?! 

[vadereclipse]

Okay, but has anyone heard of Chernobyl (i think that's how it's spelled)......

25 years ago, and a poorly maintained power station. modern ones are frequently checked and safe.

[siegfried1]

I just don't want something that can eplode and kill everyone for miles in my back yard.  and what Dr. Nick said, i like fish personally.

[s-t-n]

the cause of chernobyl was poorly trained staff operating a complex power system and forgetting every rule in the book during a routine test.

[vadereclipse]

nuclear fission is pretty poor. nuclear fusion is awesome.
once they find a mechanism by which fusion makes more energy than it requires, it'll be great.
also, the half life is only 30 years for fusion.

[Scarecrow63]

Hey, its an alternative fuel. though expensive and costly to your wallet and the enviorment. and scarecrow, it produces a little less co2 than normal gas. and all the global warming crap is BS anyways so who cares

The actually ethanol when used in a car produces less co2, but you forget the process of transporting corn and such from the fields to refineries and the cutting down of huge amounts of rainforests, which release co2.

Okay, but has anyone heard of Chernobyl (i think that's how it's spelled)......

And yes, that was nearly 25 years ago caused by a combination of poor construction, poorly trained staff, and a supervisor that didnt know what he was doing.  At this point nuclear power is the best solution we have.  Look at France (i know, im actually praising the french), they get 75% of their power from 59 nuclear powerplants, and look, no explosions.  It shows it can be done with proper attention to safety.

[Delta 07]

I did not mean there is no such thing as global warming, though i admit i did a crappy way of saying it. I just think that global warming is a cycle that happens every so and so years. but i dont think we people are causing it. We may be speeding up the process, but that has yet to be determined.

[Scarecrow63]

Well, I have no doubt we are changing the environment, but what i dont get is, the climate on earth has been changing for millions of years, whats the big deal with it changing again?  I'm not saying we shouldn't try to be more environmentally friendly, but i think its been blown way out of proportion.

[siegfried1]

So you think we should do nothing to stop it...? (to Delta 07)

[Slornie]

Look at France (i know, im actually praising the french), they get 75% of their power from 59 nuclear powerplants, and look, no explosions.  It shows it can be done with proper attention to safety.

Arent you forgetting the recent scares the French have had with their nuclear reactors?  The series of leakages of irradiated material.

The uranium, etc used in nuclear reactors is a non-renewable energy source (it will run out eventually), and leaves an increasing legacy of radioactive waste (which will increase at an accelerated rate when new plants come online in the future).  Instead of investing in another exhaustible fuel, surely we should be investing in solar technology:  Free, pollutionless, and essentially inexhaustible.

[Delta 07]

(to Siegfried) There is no point to trying to stop global warming because it happens every so and so years. are tax payers money could go to something worth researching

[Slornie]

Even if human activity isnt causing Global Warming, that doesnt mean we should continue as we are.  Global Warming has drawn attention to the extent of the pollution we are causing to Earth, which is a very real and urgent issue, and something well worth investing in.

[siegfried1]

I couldn't have said it better myself Slornie

[Delta 07]

So, why do they try researching to prevent global warming instead of research for cleaning the pollution.

[GrndAdmrlPellaeon]

This is an Obama thread.

[siegfried1]

Wow, we really got sidetracked......