Global Warming, Personal Health, & Finances

[carpaltunnel]

Like many people I've been doing a LOT of thinking about global warming. I keep coming back to the realization that many of the actions that are good for the environment are good for personal health and finances.

Drive less; walk or bike more = better health & lower expenses.

Consume less electricity: turn off the tv = better mental health, more personal time, less advertisement driven spending, lower electrical bill, lower personal spending.

Eat less meat = lower food bill, improved health.

I know people who may be concerned about global warming but can't talk about it because they work for an indistry that can't admit the problem exists. It seems to me those folks can still take action and explain their conservation behavior as good for their health finances.

[Python]

So-called Global Warming is the biggest con-trick ever conceived by greedy, corrupt governments. It is the biggest excuse ever to impose hefty taxes on ordinary people who are falling for the spin left, right and centre - and no, I do not work for any industry.

This planet has warmed up and cooled down again since time began and it will continue to do so until one day it goes bang. Once in the UK grape vines grew as far north as the Scottish Borders. No way would grapes vines grow there now - too cold. Look back through history and there has been periods when the earth has been hot, then cooled again - e.g. the Ice Age. What concerns me more is the use of pesticides and artificial fertilizers, and of course GM crops. I think the consequences of these will be far more damaging long-term than what we think.

Cycling definitely has many benefits. I know since I started using the bike to commute to work I've felt much healthier, not to mention the money I've saved. I also sleep better at nights and actually wake up feeling refreshed in the morning where before when I woke up I felt (and looked) like death warmed up.

I like eating meat - all kinds but also have vegetarian dishes too. We just had one tonight - Cauliflower and Brocolli Mornay. Very tasty and doesn't take long to make.

I'm not into watching a lot of TV. Most of the programmes are rubbish and an insult to my intelligence (although I do admit to being a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation and also Voyager). I prefer to read up about things on the internet or read a good book. I also make greetings cards and I do some dressmaking which keeps me busy. I play several instruments which I like for relaxation. When I'm in the house on my own I usually have the radio or a CD on.

With using my bike for commuting, what money I save by doing that is going towards the cost of my new bike.

[madscot13]

You know, I can't respond to global warming naysayers with out a sore spot in my heart. Speaking as a biologist and a chemist, there is a lot of science out there documenting the effects of increased human emissions.

The ozone layer is a protective covering that blocks the sun's UV rays and therefore the warming of the Earth. Think of this those CFC's we are producing (don't tell me we have stopped because we haven't and besides they stick around for a long time) go into the atmosphere and they start a chain reaction that for every CFC molecule destroys on average 20 billion molecules of ozone.

You may be saying that there is a lot of ozone out there. Well there is less and less and it is beginning to show in frightening ways. We have been able to see a hole in the ozone since 1985, ever since I was born. But we are not just seeing global warming we are feelin global warming. For the one degree change we have felt, the North and South Poles have increased by 8 degrees.

As a result, the Arctic ice is melting, tropical species are moving northwards, forests are migrating, and we are just sitting here.

The government isn't just saying this to make money out of us. The government is being pushed around by firms trying to make money. As a result they have actively denied and suppressed information on global warming.

I know I may just be a crazy kid. I don't do everything I can to prevent Global Warming. But I recognize that I can't do everything. I won't push or force people into the topic and make them feel like bad people for not agreeing. But I am doing my part to learn and to become engaged. Besides who is it hurting if I recycle more, turn off the lights, and ride my bike more?

[mimitabby]

Python,
in my lifetime ihave seen the changes. Maybe where you live there are no
glaciers in retreat, no mountains that used to stay covered with snow all summer that now turn brown, and no ice and tundra.
They have a dog race called Iditarod that nowadays is having trouble finding enough snow to run the race. If you want to ask about global warming, ask an eskimo. their way of life for thousands of years is coming to an end. they are drowning because the ice is too weak to sustain their weight in the winter!

Trees that used to bloom in may are blooming in april. I suppose you didnt' notice the heat in your neck of the woods in the last few years, but our nurserymen did and as a result, they are changing the planting zones in the USA because
you can now grow tropical plants ever more north every year.
And the birds as well are changing their migratory patterns because it's hotter longer and further north.
I don't expect to change your mind, but I agree with the gal that started this thread. Like it or not there is a finite amount of everything on our planet. The best thing we can do for it is to conserve. if we are conserving by not driving cars and riding bikes instead, that means we are burning less fossil fuels,
(of which there is a finite amount) we are putting less gas and filth into the air and we as a result are getting healthier.
Here in Seattle bikes are getting more popular all the time and the more people that see you out on your bike the more people are going to try it again. kind of the 100th monkey effect. If you care about the world that your children's children are going to end up with, think about it. conserve.

[mimitabby]

and another thing. what do scientists have to gain by saying there is global warming? In fact those who hoped to gain are the ones who suppressed the information from the public so they and their fat industrial partners could continue to let their factories spew toxic waste, continue to build cars and homes etc, that are not energy efficient, and they could continue to profit while the average consumer sat fat and ignorant and happy.

[kjay]

And no doubt you've all been hearing about one of the highest producers of methane gas: THE COW!

Here's an excerpt from an article I just read, and there are many articles similar to this.

Bessy’s Stomachs

Methane is the second most significant cause of greenhouse warming, behind carbon dioxide. Bessy, the science cow, and her many brothers and sisters are one of the greatest methane emitters. Bessy’s grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause her to produce methane, which she exhales with every breath. The sheer size of her herds makes a significant contribution to global warming.

Bessy the Science Cow

Bessy and her cow friends are one of the world's greatest methane emitters. Cows exhale methane, which is a byproduct of the digestion of their grassy diet.

Livestock lead rice-growing, gas-flaring, and mining in global emissions of this highly potent greenhouse gas. Options for reducing methane emissions go beyond reducing beef and dairy consumption. These mitigation strategies also include reducing methane emissions from mines, gas production facilities, and landfills. . . .

Can you believe how much this adds up to all over the world???

[HappyAnika]

So-called Global Warming is the biggest con-trick ever conceived by greedy, corrupt governments.

I haven't read all the posts, but this comment really strikes a nerve with me. Our greedy, corrupt government won't admit to global warming, it isn't acknowledged by them, much less conceived by them.

I agree that the earth has warming and cooling cycles, but let's try a little thought experiment here, it's really all just thermodynamics: For millions of years the earth was inhabited by much less life than there is today (at least the kind that consumes and wastes as much as humans). The earth ran its natural courses of warming and cooling without much external influence. Then come along humans, and eventually the industrial revolution. You may remember back in junior high and high school science classes about different types of energy, potential energy and kinetic energy. For example, if you hold a ball above the ground, it has potential energy (due to its mass and gravity and such). Now if you let it go, it has kinetic energy, its now moving. Now think back to chemistry class, there are two type of chemical reactions, exothermic and endothermic. Exothermic reactions release heat as they happen, endothermic reactions consume it. So now think of the earth as a ball above the ground, it has all this potential energy. Now the humans and their industry come along and "drop" it, releasing much of that potential energy in the form of intiating a bunch of exothermic reactions. We are burning up all of the fuel stored in the planet. Every machine we run converts that fuel into heat and mechanical energy. Heat, heat, heat. Just think about all the heat created running cars and airconditioners and industrial machinery. We don't have many endothermic reactions going on to balance all the exothermic ones. We are literally tearing up the earth and releasing all of its stored energy and since no thermodynamic process is 100% efficient, a significant amount of that energy is pure heat. Even without green house gases and natural warming and cooling cycles, it is inevitable that the earth will warm if it is disturbed. As the population continues to increase and we continue to increase our consumption of "things", we warm it at a faster rate. Even if another cooling cycle comes along, the irreversible damage has been done, the earth will never be as cool as it once was.

[kelownagirl]

Thanks for posting that Happyanika! I have wanted to reply to this thread but haven't had time to do the research to back up my comments.

My main point was that it's not the governments who are "pushing" global warming, it's the scientists, thousands of them from many countries. The governments are only now being forced to listen, mainly because people are finally cluing in that this is real and since we are the voting public, the govt finally realizes they have to address it, even it it means pi$$ng off their "big business" friends. Sadly, in Canada, the govt sucks at dealing with global warming. The recent laws to reduce emissions are weak and will barely make a dent. We won't even make the Kyoto targets - I'm embarrassed by my govt on this issue.

Go watch An Inconvenient Truth to have a better understanding of why this warming trend is so different from any natural weather pattern. Most scientists in the world now agree that the warming is man-made. That part is no longer under contention. Just how fast and what effect it will have, we will have to wait and see. But go up north and ask the polar bears, and they'll tell you it's happening even faster than they originally thought.

[Python]

In the UK the government only pays lip-service to the big industries too. Our government has operated a policy of tax, tax, tax in the 10 years it has been in government. The majority of people in this country are crippled by heavy taxation but most of us don't earn enough money to pay the taxes as it is. On top of tax deducted from our wages, everything we buy is taxed at 17.5%. For every litre of fuel we buy for our cars we pay approximately 80% in tax and duty to the government. Then we have expensive Road Fund Tax (aka Road Tax). All of it goes into the Treasury coffers and very little gets spent on building new roads or even maintaining the ones we've got. Most of our roads are so full of pot-holes that you've really got to watch you don't catch a deep one and fly off your bike. Then we have Council Tax. That is a tax all householders pay supposedly to pay for rubbish disposal, lighting, the police etc. That is the tax that this government keeps on increasing. Old people have been put in prison because they can't afford to pay it.

The government we have at the moment seizes on every opportunity it can to tax the ordinary working person here and global warming is their latest tax grabbing venture and they're exploiting it to the max

The quickest and cheapest way for me to visit my daughter in Scotland is to fly up. I can get a cheap return flight for as little as £20 if I book far enough in advance. By the time airport tax is added on to that the price goes up to about £60. All in the name of Global Warming.

The ones who are suffering because of all the extra taxation are those who can least afford it. For people on high incomes, paying extra tax will hardly be missed. We have a rich/poor divide here which is getting wider all the time and given our government's track record on taxation you can understand why I'm very cynical of global warming.

[lph]

The ones who are suffering because of all the extra taxation are those who can least afford it. For people on high incomes, paying extra tax will hardly be missed. We have a rich/poor divide here which is getting wider all the time and given our government's track record on taxation you can understand why I'm very cynical of global warming.

Well, I can understand that you're unhappy about taxation, and dislike your government, but that doesn't really imply that global warming isn't real...

I mean - let's say for the sake of argument that your country got involved in a war. Taxes would surely go up to support the war effort, and the effect would hit people hard. You could disagree with your government whether it was right to get involved in the war or not, but that doesn't mean the war doesn't exist.

Honest, not trying to be snide here, just pedantic

[Trek420]

....I keep coming back to the realization that many of the actions that are good for the environment are good for personal health and finances.

Drive less; walk or bike more = better health & lower expenses.

Consume less electricity: turn off the tv = better mental health, more personal time, less advertisement driven spending, lower electrical bill, lower personal spending....

Going back to what I think is the intent of this thread no matter which side of the debate you are on many actions we can take to reduce climate change save money, are healthier, easy to do, some are even fun.

So why not do them?

My tree huggy credential go waaaay back, let's see I was one of a group of students who started one of the first recycling centers in Sonoma county in Jr. High, fast fwd a year later the same group we won a State award for enviornment al education teaching ecology to 4th graders.

Jr high folks...and I'm 51 and climbing. This is not news.

My Mom has lived pretty much in the same Sonoma valley for unpteen 60 some odd years. An astounding gardener, very observant. Take a walk in the country with someone older sometime, they notice

"____ always blooms at this time of year right here, there's fewer now, redwing black birds nest at this time here, there are fewer of them".

Things I'm doing right now;
cfls's throughout, cheaper and last longer
gardening a bit, it's fun, adds curb appeal, cross training
bird feeders fore and aft same as above
energy star appliances, saves me money, get a tax deduction
I'll get dual pane windows same as all above
recycle of course
compost bin, soil is G** awful. I'd go broke buying soil amendment.
ride my bike of course

[KnottedYet]

Don't worry about saving the planet. Yup, the planet will be fine, it's us who're gonna be in trouble.

Comets, asteroids, ice-ages, steamy jungle periods; planet keeps on rollin' along. It's the critters who pay the price.

What's gonna hurt us (but not the planet, the planet will cope) is that this warming is far more abrupt and extreme than "normal" global change. All the niche-refilling and adaptive radiation and migrational change that would normally have plenty of time to keep up just *can't* right now.

50 years of human-initiated warming isn't as sexy or dramatic as 50 minutes of comet collision, but on a geologic scale it might be just as devastating. We've got extinction rates going thru the roof right now. Just look at what's happening to the amphibians.

I'm actually more concerned about living ethically/low impact than I am about global warming. (though I suppose they do tie together) I feel more ashamed knowing that someone in China is living substandard, breathing incredibly polluted air, and working under conditions I would never want to work under; just so I can have my Nikes for cheap. How many child slaves worked to death mining, how many murdered gem smugglers, just to get that pretty diamond necklace from The Shane Co at half it's real value?

(though now you can get "certified" blood-free and slave-labor free diamonds, but I don't really believe it. A metallurgist I know has a titanium wedding ring, because he feels the mining practices for titanium are more ethical than for gold. There are choices to be aware of everywhere.)

[madscot13]

Oh yep I am sorry to be so preachy above.

KnottedYet is right, it is hard to be aware of every decision we make and consider the millions of consequences that they may or may not have. I am just trying to do the best I can, living my life with intention.

[KnottedYet]

I didn't think you were preachy. I'm right there with you, but global warming is beyond my scope of comprehension (despite living with an atmospheric physicist for 10 years) so I look at the more local and ethical effects of my choices for my inspiration. In the long run, these same choices impact global warming, too.

It's all one big interactive piece.

Whatever focus gets a person out of their consumer-media-prescribed rut is a good focus. (Outreach is the toughest part.) One person might ride her bike because it saves her gas money, another might ride hers because it makes her healthy, another might be riding to cut down on greenhouse emissions. Well, all 3 are reaping all 3 benefits. It's just the inspirational focus that is different.

Edit: my "don't worry about the planet" comment was meant to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek. The planet will continue (maybe as something like Venus, maybe like Europa) but the conditions we create are going to impact life on the planet including ourselves.

[Python]

The Ozone layer is something I'm not convinced about either. Perhaps the hole in the Ozone layer has always been there we just didn't know about it until the advent of space satellites and computers.

I'm more concerned on a local level. In the centre of our town there are so many "traffic calming" schemes that cars end up crawling or sitting stationary - and it stinks. We definitely have too many cars, lorries and buses on the road. Parking space is at a premium - and it's expensive. Getting to work on my bike is so much easier too. It takes a maximum of 16 minutes to get to work as opposed to anything up to 35 minutes in the car. 35 minutes to go 2 1/2 miles Even going home is quicker by bike as in the car at peak periods you end up stuck in a bottle-neck and it can take 45 minutes for the same journey. 20 minutes maximum by bike (and I hope to knock a few minutes of that time as I get fitter). If hubby drove the car from our place of work and I took the bike, I'd have his cup of tea waiting for him by the time he got home LOL.

In my house I switched to energy saving bulbs a long time ago for two reasons. 1. They work out cheaper. 2. They last much longer than conventional bulbs. Using them does have a knock-on effect for the environment too.

It does frequently cross my mind that by using my bike I am helping the environment in a small way but I'm still not convinced about the hype on Global Warming. It is a natural phenomena that's been around since time began. I just think it's being exploited to clobber ordinary people with taxes they can not afford, certainly in this country.