Going Green...is it worth it?

Essexyellows

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Myself & Mrs EY are reasonably environmentally conscious. If it was on a 1-10 scale we are up around the 7 mark, we do the recycling, don`t waste food, use public transport or walk/cycle more often than using the car that kind of thing.

But is it worth it when populous countries like China/India et al don`t give a fig? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48353341

Discuss..... :unsure:
 
Myself & Mrs EY are reasonably environmentally conscious. If it was on a 1-10 scale we are up around the 7 mark, we do the recycling, don`t waste food, use public transport or walk/cycle more often than using the car that kind of thing.

But is it worth it when populous countries like China/India et al don`t give a fig? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48353341

Discuss..... :unsure:


It's certainly a convenient excuse to do nothing!

Much like yourself I'd say me and Lady M are a 7ish.

Change your own part of the world before you worry about the rest of it I say.
 
It's certainly a convenient excuse to do nothing!

Much like yourself I'd say me and Lady M are a 7ish.

Change your own part of the world before you worry about the rest of it I say.
definitely agree with that. too many think why bother cos it won't make any difference but if everyone did their own bit it's a start. I think the younger generation are better with this because of education so there is hope for the future
 
definitely agree with that. too many think why bother cos it won't make any difference but if everyone did their own bit it's a start. I think the younger generation are better with this because of education so there is hope for the future

I would take issue with that! Having two big Universities in town (Leicester & De Montfort) we endure this on a regular basis.
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They carry all the stuff there but don`t take the rubbish home.....
 
I would take issue with that! Having two big Universities in town (Leicester & De Montfort) we endure this on a regular basis.
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They carry all the stuff there but don`t take the rubbish home.....
that's just bloody laziness. but generally education appears to be more environment focused. my niece and nephew are much more aware of global warming than I was at their age ( OK 30 odd years ago it wasn't talked about as much as now)
On the other hand I was outside climbing trees and the like rather than sat indoors burning up electricity on xstations and playbox.
point being though I think the youngsters growing up now are much more aware as they'll be living with the consequences of environmental destruction
 
Tbf, it isn't so black and white with China as they are mass polluters but also have plenty on the other side of the balance sheet as these demonstrate:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_electricity_production_from_renewable_sources (China is just behind us as a % of renewable production against total energy production)



On CFCs I believe the Chinese authorities in planning to deal with it as it looks absolutely bad on them and there is no economic benefit to the overall economy as it is for the domestic market rather than in competition with overseas companies. Also, it is an easy propaganda win in their trade war with the US.

Personally, I do what I can including having the majority of the back garden set over for wildlife rather than just straight low cut lawn.
 
Tbf, it isn't so black and white with China as they are mass polluters but also have plenty on the other side of the balance sheet as these demonstrate:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_electricity_production_from_renewable_sources (China is just behind us as a % of renewable production against total energy production)



On CFCs I believe the Chinese authorities in planning to deal with it as it looks absolutely bad on them and there is no economic benefit to the overall economy as it is for the domestic market rather than in competition with overseas companies. Also, it is an easy propaganda win in their trade war with the US.

Personally, I do what I can including having the majority of the back garden set over for wildlife rather than just straight low cut lawn.
saw an interesting program on telly about Chernobyl. areas nearby had amazed scientists as the wildlife there was flourishing - bears, wolves etc. cos humans weren’t around to interfere. China has purchased huge areas of land to clear and install solar panels, so a lot of the animals and plants will lose that habitat
 
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I too reckon it’s better to do what’s within your own control than do nothing because others are not so vigilant. (Aren’t we good?)

But it is frustrating that China pays lip service to environmental issues and the greatest power in the world (that’s the USA Brexiteers, not us) doesn’t take the environment seriously either. World leadership is required, and this will more likely come from a more caring US president than a change in attitude in China.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to recycle baked bean cans, carefully washing them first, of course.
Don’t waste water Pete. It’s a valuable resource
 
I do my bit too.
Even though I do many miles by car I use an economical petrol one.
I walk where possible.
It’s All the little things that make a difference, we won’t buy liquid soaps.
The amount of plastic water bottles created should be reduced considerably. What’s wrong with tap water anyway or filtering water?
 
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what really annoys me is bloody packaging. we're encouraged to recycle and be aware of what we buy (which obviously is a good thing) but if the suppliers changed their methods it would cut out loads of waste. I know it's getting better but still some products are way over the top
 
Spend a few months of the year in Mumbai and Coimbatore with work each year and whilst I should do my bit here in the UK there’s no amount of paper straws that will make up for the amount of plastic and rubbish being burnt on the streets or the pollution from vehicles at rush hour in India.

Spent a few weeks in Texas earlier in April and again we talk about our tax on cars yet there’s 6 wheel Dodge Rams driving down the highway paying 2.38 a gallon (from what I remember).

I really should care particularly as we’re about to bring a child into the world but separating empty tins from plastic bags in Abingdon won’t make a blind bit of difference. Maybe that’s not the way to look at it but it’s pissing in the wind as far as I’m concerned.
 
Much of the environmental problem in China is the stuff they make for export to countries like the UK. So, it's not really due to the Chinese, but the British.
 
The interesting thing about China is that they have the greatest capacity to change. While democratic countries are letting their politicians play with climate change denial for short term economic reasons, meaning they aren’t doing what they could, China is making wholesale changes that could swing them rapidly to a climate friendly position. When they achieve that we will be in the s**t because we will have neither the economic nor moral advantage. For global issues like this large autocracies are much more effective at making the kinds of changes that individual interests find hard.
 
The world population increases by 10,000 every hour (net).

There's literally nothing we can do as individuals while that remains a fact.
 
The world population increases by 10,000 every hour (net).

There's literally nothing we can do as individuals while that remains a fact.
that's the problem, no point me doing my bit cos nothing will change. as mentioned before change comes from within. small steps and all that
 
that's the problem, no point me doing my bit cos nothing will change. as mentioned before change comes from within. small steps and all that

I do my bit, I just acknowledge that me doing my bit is pointless. Because there are 10,000 'me's' added to the world this hour. Most of them will want to fly one day. All of them will use plastic packaging, drive cars and eat meat.

And then there's the next hour!

Change from within doesn't work with a problem like this - we only have 10 years to fix the climate or we are all doomed. Even if the UK went carbon free (no flights, no cars, no electricity), that's 70,000,000 people of a 7,000,000,000 population. 1%.

Ultimately any individual changes are conscience-soothing methods only. That's not necessarily a problem - I do it too - but it really is all over unless there is some sort of mass extinction event or, more likely, a cheap alternative to fossil fuels can be found. Tidal energy, perhaps.
 
You are right of course in that what recycling we do as individuals/families is a gnat's bite on an elephant's bum. But it IS better than doing nothing (even if only marginally) and I think, more importantly, it does keep the issue alive. Maybe people will become so used to (and expecting of) ecological issues that it becomes expected - and any government will simply have to apply similar logic or be regarded as failing in their duties. What the hell we do about numpties like Trump, the CEOs of corporations who are happy to pollute as long as it's 'somewhere else' or emerging economies who are burning fossil fuels as if there's no tomorrow (and there might not be!) in an effort to catch up, I have no idea.
 
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