Climate Change

[antikristuseke]

Because hybrids are the ones that are recharged from the power mains.
You should look up what hybrid means in the dictionary.

[SteamWake]

Uhhh what? You should look into where that 'mains' power is generated.

Anyhow something I never see mentioned when discussing 'hybrids' or electrics is the small matter of the large quantitys of heavy metals involved in the batteries and how to deal with them at end of life.

Meanwhile I saw a commercial last night that just made me laugh out loud and then shake my head.

Scene opens with a polar bear sitting mournfully atop a little patch of ice. He (the bear) plops into the water and begins a trek accross urban america. "Growl" he protests loudly as the semi trucks and SUV's wizz past him. Finally the bear makes into the suberbs and approaches a man getting into his Chevy "Leaf" car. There is a moment where you think "oh god this guy is lunch" but next thing you know the Bear is hugging the man and feel good music is cued.

So yea uhh go hug a Polar Bear ! Go green

[AVGWarhawk]

Electric cars are the ultimate 'big lie' as far as I'm concerned. TTM is correct, the plants in Baltimore burn coal to generate electricity. The ash and filth the stack belch into the air are serious pollutants. Not to mention the strip mining plus the 6 odd some diesel engines pulling the hopper cars to Baltimore daily. And as SW states, the lead /acid batteries can and are a problem. All we can say is there is no perfect solution for powered mobility.

We all should get a set of sneakers or a good bike. Just think...everyone is healthy from walking and riding. The air is clean.

[Takeda Shingen]

So what? The only things that hearings generate are fuel for pundits. Of course, that may be the point.

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

Uhhh what? You should look into where that 'mains' power is generated.

Anyhow something I never see mentioned when discussing 'hybrids' or electrics is the small matter of the large quantitys of heavy metals involved in the batteries and how to deal with them at end of life.

I am not trying to defend hybrids like that POS Prius, just pointing out his error in claiming that hybrids use power generated from coal. Anyway, hybrids like thay are today are a bad idea, for the reason you mentioned and some others on top of that.
If fuel efficency is a concern then there are other, better, ways to go about achieving that end than loading a vehiacle down with heavy batteries made of toxic, although recycleable, materials. Ande before anyone starts, most of recycling is a waste of time, but it works as far as lead is concerned.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

I am not trying to defend hybrids like that POS Prius, just pointing out his error in claiming that hybrids use power generated from coal.

Where I live the only power plant in town is indeed coal-fired.

[Ducimus]

I've always wondered why the skepticsm where global warming is concerned. It IS getting warmer. So, call it whatever you want. Global warming, climate change, whatever. Doesn't change two things.

A.) It IS getting warmer as time goes on. Although, it doesn't really matter why because....
b.) Fossil fuels (IE oil) aren't going to last forever.

Personally, ive always thought people raise their noses at this subject because.

1.) They can't imagine life any other way then how they've been living it.
2.) Nobody wants to change ( I count myself here )
3.) Economic fears. ( I also count myself here. I can't afford new alt fuel cars)
4.) Screw it anyway, i'll be dead by the time the excrement hits the fan. Not my problem.

I'm not a gone green, tree hugger hippie, but seems like to me, facts is facts. Gotta face them sometime. I expect that by the time im 60, whatever truck i'm driving at that stage in my life, will be sitting in a parking stall most of the time because it will be too expensive to gas it up, and there probably won't be enough gas to go around. I don't like that thought, but i think its a very distinct possibility.

[August]

I for one have never understood why people automatically think that if there is global warming then it must be the fault of man.

or

That if man is indeed the cause of global warming then cutting back on emissions in the countries who already have the strongest environmental laws while allowing population growth worldwide to remain unchecked is ever going to correct the problem.

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Where I live the only power plant in town is indeed coal-fired.

Yes, but hybrids generate their own power using a gasolene engine which drives an electric motor/generator.

[tater]

Warming is not all that clear, frankly. It probably has been (which it does, the earth's average temp (a semi-meaningless concept) varies over time). That said, you simply cannot compare the temps measured 20 or 30 years ago with the data collected today. Different everything.

You need a consistent sensor array, in consistent places that are unchanged. Not Satellite data for 2010, and some digital ground temp from 1990, and a paper tape chart with analog probe from 1980, etc. They are not the same.

You also need to know that the "average" temp is NOT measured, or objectively calculated. It is an algorithm that weights some stations or data over others, and makes assumptions about temperature in areas without data. It's complicated.

Not saying it isn't warming, it likely has been or had been. It's not cut and dried, however. As a science geek, I'm entirely fine with VERY probabilistic statements instead of X happened, and was caused by Y. I'm more a "X might have happened, and could possibly have been caused by Y."

It's not like climate science is what I'd call "hard" science. They have **** for predictive models, unlike, say, high energy physics.

Originally Posted by August

I for one have never understood why people automatically think that if there is global warming then it must be the fault of man.

That is the argument. I agree it isn't man made.

The counter to man made warming is.....man made cooling.

Will our decisions now contribute to the cooling which is far more damaging to humanity than warming? Simple answer....YES.

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

Yes, but hybrids generate their own power using a gasolene engine which drives an electric motor/generator.

look at the energy required to make the parts in a hybrid and also look at all the heavy metals and dangerous chemical used in the manufacture of them - they may not produce much pollution when their finished and being used But there's a huge amount of pollution in their manufacture ,way more than just a normal petrol or diesel vehicle.

[Weiss Pinguin]

NEWS FLASH: Global warming thing from 2-3 years ago may still be problem

[the_tyrant]

why do we still care?
from
"the japs are taking over!"
"the soviets are coming!"
to
"y2k will turn our computers into the terminator!"
we have been scared again and again, and yet nothing happened
now nothing can scare me

[Weiss Pinguin]

But what about 2012? I dunno about the rest of you, but if you ask me that $h!7 is the real deal.