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Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 8:09 am
by M. Henri Day
...
The last article is about why Russia also refuses to sign the Accords.
Actually, Russia
has signed the accords and the Treaty has gone into effect. Here's a
link to an article (
nota bene,
not from the terrible trio - but I am not sure that you consider NPR any better), to which you can also listen, on the Treaty and its consequences....
I have not forgotten my promise to ask my brother-in-law, the economist, for his opinion about the economic impact the accords might have on developed countries.
Nor have I. It will be interesting to hear his analysis of the respective advantages and disadvantages....
Henri
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 9:52 am
by M. Henri Day
For
William, and
Apo, and all other skeptics regarding pollution and global warming - and for us true believers as well - the
article I reproduce below might just possibly be of some interest. And though it does come from the
Guardian, one is permitted to crack a smile....
Henri
Forget the tiger - put sheep urine in your tank
David Adam, science correspondent
Friday June 10, 2005
Guardian
A British bus company is testing a new secret weapon that it hopes will help forward its push to cut its polluting emissions - sheep urine.
Stagecoach has fitted a bus in Winchester with a tank containing the animal waste, which is sprayed into exhaust fumes to reduce emissions of harmful nitrous oxides.
Andrew Dyer, managing director of Stagecoach South, said: "It is a novel way of reducing pollution but we believe it will work. There is nothing to worry about - we won't be asking passengers to leave a sample and we won't be carrying a resident sheep at the back of the bus."
The scheme is backed by Hampshire county council as part of an effort to reduce pollution. The bus carried its first passengers last month.
The urine is collected by the fertiliser industry from farmyard waste and refined into pure urea, which is then sold on to be used in the green engine technology. Ammonia from the urea reacts with nitrous oxides in the exhaust fumes and converts them to nitrogen gas and water, which is released as steam.
Mr Dyer said the idea was no laughing matter. "I got some laughs when I told a transport conference in Birmingham that sheep urine could be the key to cleaner vehicles but it is becoming a reality. This is the latest in green technology and we believe it will help make our cities better places to be for the public."
New EU regulations to be introduced in October next year will bring tighter restrictions on emissions, he said.
The urea-injection system was developed by Darlington-based engine manufacturer Cummins.
Andy Wren of Hampshire county council said: "We are running many anti-pollution initiatives, but the sheep urine idea gets the attention."
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 10:14 am
by anders
A lovely example of misleading journalese, disregarding facts and only exploiting the sensation factor.
It is no more a question of "put[ting] sheep urine in the tank" that it is a case of injecting mares' urine when treating a person with injcetions of estrogens. Hell, urea is used in candy!
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:08 am
by M. Henri Day
And toothpaste. But if I don't misremember, in one of his poems Catullus accused a man, whose teeth the poet found too white (i e, whiter than his own), of brushing them in (horse ? camel ?) urine, obviously a well-known and effective dentifrice of the day, and the reason why urea was/is included in toothpaste formulae in modern times....
Henri
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 5:20 pm
by anders
LOL,
One thing mother (88) and me agree about is that we don't want to bleach our teeth, not to make people believe that we've got false teeth.
Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2005 11:19 pm
by Apoclima
Well, very creative! I am certainly not against creative ways to reduce pollution, but then neither do I want to see everyone regulated out of jobs by (too) strict environmental laws.
Apo
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 2:40 am
by uncronopio
I'm one of the skeptics, not about temperature changes, but about our influence on them. I find that this paper by Warwick McKibbin from the Lowy Institute for International Policy (
Sensible Climate Policy, PDF file) presents a reasonable position, shows the flaws of the Kyoto protocol AND puts forward a much more sensible alternative.
Considering all the challenges that humanity is currently facing, global warming ranks way down in my list of priorities.
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 10:59 am
by Brazilian dude
What is uncronopio, for God's sake?
Brazilian dude
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 12:11 pm
by M. Henri Day
In reading Professor McKibbin's interesting paper, I was reminded of Voltaire's observation to the effect that «le mieux est l'ennemie du bien». One «sensible» approach might be for the Australian government to implement his ideas domestically (making its own decisions regarding the costs of long-term and short-term permits, as no international agreements exist here) now and, in 2012, the terminus of Kyoto Protocol, compare the results obtained in controlling the rise in carbon emissions nationally with the target set for that country under the Protocol (I speak here of «controlling the rise in» carbon emissions rather then of «reducing» them, as the goal set for Australia in the Protocol was a level of emission some 1.08 times those emitted in 1990). Doing so would demonstrate the sincerity of the Australian government in dealing with the problem of carbon emissions (which Professor McKibben regards as necessary), and in the event that emissions in 2012 under this regime in fact proved to be less than those envisaged under the Protocol, the argument for constructing a successor to the latter along the lines advocated by Professor McKibben would be very strong indeed. If, however, Mr Howard's government merely uses these ideas (or others) to point out the imperfections in the Kyoto Protocol, without taking any serious steps to curb emissions, then cynical persons like myself might be excused if we suspect that that government was motivated by another agenda than the common weal of the people of Australia and the world....
Henri
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 6:43 pm
by uncronopio
BD, the
answer to your prayers. Henri, given that the relationship between CO2 emissions and temperature changes is not known, any target pulled off thin air is pretty pointless, wouldn't you say so?
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 8:44 pm
by Brazilian dude
Thanks.
Un is the Spanish word for the preposition a.
Do you mean article?
Brazilian dude
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 12:26 am
by Apoclima
Watch out, uncronopio! That BD is a stickler!
"To" is the most likely English word for the Spanish preposition "a."
"Un" is one of two Spanish words for the English article "a."
He rarely misses a trick! We all have walked around on pins and needles since he first showed up. He jumps on every little mistake like a cat on a mouse. It's just his nature to be a nitpicker! So forgive him! Even though he is relentless!
Apo
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 12:47 am
by tcward
Speaking of sticklers...
"Un" is one of two Spanish words for the English article "a."
Of course, we all know you mean "...for the English articles 'a' and 'an'."
-Tim
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 1:35 am
by Apoclima
Et tu, Tim!Good one.
See, everyone, nitpicking should be treated as a game, not a humiliation!
Apo
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 4:22 am
by uncronopio
Of course you are correct BD. It was late at night when I was writing that part, while moving my old site to wiki form. Humilliation? Not at all, just a fair correction.
So what was happening with global warming? (changing topics to see if anybody notices...)