This thread IMO could develop into a really good debate. I very much doubt that the vast worldwide populus would agree that the future of our home, planet earth is in a bad state. Even as some predict. The future is not rosey. If I may. Throughout my life. I have always endeavoured to treat others with respect, and to at least listen to what they say. I have absolutely no intention of breaking that rule, buy upsetting any of my friends here on GC. Greta is a young child. It may be considered amazing that such a young person can and does speak out. Please be honest and reasonable. Each and everyone of us can see some of the basics. Basics of everyday living that may cause us to think, at least. Things can't continue to go on like this. This youngster has, 'taken the bull by the horns' and spoken out. Her voice has been heard, around the world. Not everyone is calling her a twit. David Attenborough has given support to her. OK. Sir David and I do not agree on all that talks, preaches about etc. David is a strong believer in evolution. Here is where even remaining friends, we have this falling out. I believe in creation. David as can be seen by us all, following his involvement in natural history. He has seen at first hand, just how the planet has suffered as a result of man's management. Yes he recently made a lot of noise regarding plastic, particularly waste plastic in our oceans. Some worldwide action is now being taken. For decade we have listened to voices, saying. The world is over populated. Utter rubbish. I don't know todays numbers but, I believe the population to be below eight billion. Some calculations have over time been carried out and figures arose. Forgive me, but the name of the island escapes me, but in short. It was calculated that all of the present day population could stand on this island and have an area of two feet space around them. Take a look at our towns and cities. Over crowding. Don't say much for mankinds efforts and administration. Another area of concern. Starvation. For yonks, we have listened to the plight of starving nations. So science came to the rescue. GM crops. This is a process whereby, scientist discoveredmethods of altering the DNA structure of plants, especially grain and cereal crops. Today greater volumes of crops are havested. World-wide. The starving nations have increased. Reason. So much of what has now become excess harvest is dumped in landfil sites. OK now. Having had the truth bought home to us. Yes. We all do our bit a recycling. If we burn the non recyclable stuff. We shoot ourselves in the foot. We produce more toxic gases. We bury it. Here we not only pollute the soil, we also cause methane gases etc. Sorry friends but. I stand by Greta and David. Roders said. God help us. Let's hope he hears our prayers.
I think she has had a certain success with getting the message out there and people in her age group need to be aware that their constant demands for umpty pairs of shoes and the latest gadgets or only drinking water that is bottled is not reasonable. And hopefully they are listening to her. I don't think we need more government to tell us individuals what is right, we need government to work with industry and researchers to find alternative power solutions that won't bankrupt us. I currently pay a carbon tax on petrol. I can reduce my use by combining trips but I feel for those who have to drive. A plumber or electrician can't use mass transit. I pay nearly 20% extra on my natural gas bill. Over here, our central heat needs to be on nearly 7 months of the year, and for some longer. I'm in zone 5 and in one of the warmer regions. Imagine living in a zone 3 or 2? We have no choice and there is no alternative, we must heat our homes. Had electric heat once and a February bill came in at $423. Cdn- thats over £240. For a 28 day period! So yes, had to change to natural gas or freeze. And electric has gone up by more than 132% since that time because we got rid of the coal plants. I don't know anyone who doesn't have their thermostat turned down to wine fridge temperatures for the sleeping hours even with gas. Lots of people in Quebec burn wood. This is a province that has cheap hydro electric and they burn cords and cords of wood. How bad is that? . So here is another example of regions within a country acting in completely different ways. And the feds only answer was to force carbon taxes on everyone and since the wood burners operate in the underground economy, there s no punishing carbon tax.. Our Prime Minister is proud that he pays extra, buys carbon credits, to offset his pollution. Private jet planes, sometimes two of them for each trip but that's okay, he paid extra... how two faced is that? What I'm saying is more government is, in my opinion, never the answer. Less government and more support for finding solutions is needed. And there should be think tanks to come up with solid workable plans and then teams to go into industry to force implementation. Not just hand out money without any accountability. My feet are sore. Soap boxes aren't soft so I'll get down now.
This comment will probably surprise many on here, but I fully agree with @pete on this. My reasons though are a bit complicated, and I really must attempt to be diplomatic to avoid breaking forum rules! For a start, her campaign is being run by a PR company. Even if its well hidden from most, it is common knowledge here. If she really wanted to help the world, she would still be in the classroom, getting an education so that she could do it better in the future! Take notice that she never, ever, offers any kind of suggestion or solution to her perceived problems! Thats right, never, ever! My personal opinion is, she is false, and her actions are for one reason alone. To make money! Her earnings this year have probably exceeded those of most on here. As regards the comment about her being false. As some may be aware, she made a trip by yacht to the US a while ago. Although claimed to be "for the environment" no mention was made of the dirty great diesel engine that was used on the boat! On the return journey by catamaran, there was no mention that five of the crew were flown in from Europe! Hardly saving the planet in both cases! One final thing. Young people are listening to her, and getting worried as to whether or not they will wake up the following morning as the planet is so polluted. I read the other day that in some cases, this is creating mental health issues. What right does she have to cause other children these kind of issues? Best I stop there...
Well I was getting round to mentioning that she is probably the "front " for some money making scam .
There are so many prongs to this for me, as the argument is not a black and white one. Do we need to take a lot more care of our environment? Without doubt! We waste energy (and thereby fuel) all over the place - government buildings lit up when not in use, our own buildings being lit up when not in use, unnecessary travelling (especially in an age when we can conduct so much business via the internet), excess production, excess waste and my pet hate, poorly handled waste. Greta, well, she is a child that has mental health issues that has been used for other folks to make a lot of money whilst pushing their own agenda. They have put her health at risk, and under any other circumstances we would all be calling it child abuse. Man made CO2 warming the planet? Give me a break. The climate is definitely changing, of that there is no doubt, just as it has done for thousands or even millions of years. CO2 makes up 0.04% of our atmosphere, and the human race is responsible for producing 3% of that - even by my poor maths, that is a tiny amount. There are far more damaging things that we are doing that we need to change - unnecessary packaging, unnecessary travel, food waste and failure to dispose or recycle our own waste effectively being right at the top of the pile. We also need to return to managing our countryside and rivers as we did in decades past - not only in terms of litter, but also in terms of drainage and water management. Currently, the governments are being allowed to hide the lack of maintenance by blaming climate change when we see severe flooding and are able to do so because insurance companies are picking up the bill to repair the damage. That means that we are all paying for it in the end, so surely it would be better to front-invest and have maintenance and precautions? Not to mention the amount of waste that is produced when buildings need to be gutted and everything replaced.
I was wondering, over in the UK, what newspaper is considered fair in their reporting? I've decided to add another to my list of media to peruse in the mornings and to see views from the other side. Telegraph? or ?? thank you Lori
In her case, I dont regard any media reports being fair for one simple reason. If anyone refutes her comments, they are always ridiculed or in some cases, even chastised! No matter which country the reports come from. If a fair and just conclusion is to be made, then the debate must be allowed from both sides with open minds. Not just a case of "she's right, everyone else is wrong" point of view.
I honestly believe that all new houses should where possible have Solar Panels fitted to the the roof. Does the cost of producing these panels outweigh the electricity produced? Or how long would they last? Can they be re-cycled?
Even the solar panels that I bought at a local retailers are warranteed for 25 years. So I'm thinking that their longevity and giving out power and saving others producing in a less clean manner is the perfect solution. If everyone could have solar panels and produce their own, that would be great but also don't we have to consider the batteries. How long do they last and how to safely dispose of them. Someone here has a roof full of panels so let's ask him, he's got the real life experience. @shiney ? @Sandy Ground I was thinking more along the lines of general news. Greta has come along and soon will go.. Thank you, Lori
I've been thinking of starting a newspaper lately. It would be called "The Sandy Times" because the name sounds familiar. Basically, all the stories would be the exact opposite of that written in the usual papers, and therefore, closer to the truth!
