Offset Onset 3

Posted by Sean Thu, 03 May 2007 20:05:00 GMT

This superb cartoon says everything I've been wanting to say about this particular trend:

Carbon Offsets cartoon

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  1. lisa about 12 hours later:

    once again i have nothing of intelligence to add. so I'll just say "word!"

  2. biobot about 1 month later:

    I find it ironic that the new 'energy saving' lightbulbs have dangerous levels of (non-biodegradable) mercury in them.

  3. Sean about 1 month later:

    That fact also makes me wonder about techno-fixes, but the reality isn't as straightforward as it might seem.

    Firstly CF lightbulbs contain many orders of magnitude less mercury than, say, a mercury-based thermometer.

    Secondly, there is an argument to be made that they are still responsible for less mercury pollution than incandescent lightbulbs, despite incandescent lightbulbs containing no mercury at all.

    Ironically, compact fluorescent bulbs are responsible for less mercury contamination than the incandescent bulbs they replaced, even though incandescents don't contain any mercury. The highest source of mercury in America’s air and water results from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, at utilities that supply electricity. Since a compact fluorescent bulb uses 75 percent less energy than an incandescent bulb, and lasts at least six times longer, it is responsible for far less mercury pollution in the long run. A coal-burning power plant will emit four times more mercury to produce the electricity for an incandescent bulb than for a compact fluorescent.

    Ultimately, I believe that solutions to our toxification of the planet lie in changing our lifestyles - in radically reducing our consumption and waste - not simply in inventing new 'green' technologies to supplant existing ones.

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