Keep it Cool!

[alferg 0]

This is good to see. It could be argued that this is a selfish reason to support environmental responsibility, but any reason is a good reason, right?

 

Keep Winter Cool

 

The snow is great, and we want to keep it that way.

 

The trouble is, things are heating up out there. That could mean shorter seasons and less snowfall. The reason is global warming, caused by heat-trapping pollution. We can fix the problem, as long as we start soon. That’s why the Natural Resources Defense Council and the National Ski Areas Association have teamed up to Keep Winter Cool.

 

Learn what global warming means for you, and how you can help stop it.

[brit-gob 9]

I bet Japanese resorts are at the forefront

[metroid256 0]

Nice link.

[miteyak 0]

The problem for the ski industry has to be it's customers, who are partly responsible for global warming themselves...

 

4WDs

flying to resorts

driving to resorts

idling

Electric aids to get up the mountain

 

As for Japan living foreigners, the very fact we're here means we're horrific polluters (unless you're a Brit who comes and goes to Europe on the trans siberian express), worse than any red-blooded hummer driving American.

 

(I couldn't find the line about avoiding air travel)

[mikazooki 0]

ok... here are a couple of GHG emission calculators.

 

pick your country and see how you go (u'll need your utilities bills)

USA

 

OZ

 

Canada

 

and the US EPA site has a selection of calculators if u don't like those other ones

[miteyak 0]

Once again, no mention of air travel, which accounts for over 20% of transportation greenhouse gases, I believe, and growing. One international flight can pollute as much as driving a 4WD for years.

 

Probably our (ex-pat) worst polluting crime, given we live in a country of nuclear power and hydro-electricity...

[mikazooki 0]

the aussie one includes air travel...maybe i should've just recommended one

[mattlucas 0]

2.6 metric tonnes of pollution a year. But that is my Japanese living under the Canadian guidlines.

 

Kero wasn't an option so I put oil. And I most certainly don't use air-conditioning in summer. Sweat it out.

[miteyak 0]

plus a round trip ticket to Canada... 7.5 metric tonnes... puts it in perspective, eh?

[jared 0]

just a wee question - is that 7.5 tonns for the entire plane or just his 1/250ish proportion?

 

P.S enjoy travel while you can - in 15 years it will be too expensive for most people to fly because of oil costs and at this stage there are no viable alturnatives

 

P.P.S I read that in 10 years China will overtake the US becoming the largest oil consumer in the world.

[miteyak 0]

That's per passenger mile, so it's all you, not shared with the other passengers.

 

Jared, we've been hearing about the end of oil for fifty years, but they keep finding more... the danger isn't lack of supply of the stuff, more that we shouldn't use all we have due to the dire environmental effects.

 

Airflight is affordable in part because aviation fuel is not taxed. If it were taxed as other fuel is, or taxed relative to it's environmental impact, i'm sure it would be abused less and allow for alternatives. (how about a bullet train from Vladivostoc to London)

 

The lack of fair trade regarding the aviation industry could well be the reason there are no alternatives.

[mattlucas 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by miteyak:
plus a round trip ticket to Canada... 7.5 metric tonnes... puts it in perspective, eh?

No actually it doesn't. I don't want to spend 6 weeks on a boat getting here.
And I'm not sure if that would be any better environmentally than an 8 hour flight.

I think I do alright. I don't own a car, only heat 1 room in my apartment, don' have a/c, shower on average once a day and rarely use my stove except for weekends when I eat eggs.

[miteyak 0]

Sooo, three years worth of living equals one airflight... ummm, i'd say that really does put into perspective how environmentally damaging air travel really is.

 

I'm a rather heavy sinner myself. I just find it rather ironic how many holier than thou environmentalists I know who so selfrighteously parade their eco car, or even lack of, while they happily refuse to acknowledge the role of their holiday habits on the health of the planet.

 

It's a bit like the recycling farce...

[mikazooki 0]

aye, tis true.

 

the real solution to many of these issues is to pay the real cost for what we do.

 

unfortunately many of the most damaging acts and behaviours are actually subsidised by governments because they lubricate our economies and help them grow.

 

internalising the externaties of our economic activity is the challenge. but it will never happen unless people are aware of the consequences of their behaviour and become willing to accept the alternatives a more sustainable lifestyle would entail. the reality for us richies being less - not the 'more' that everyone strives for.

[mikazooki 0]

as another example...look at the shaken complaints in other threads.

 

and compare this to countries like denmark or singapore that have addressed the issue of high levels of car use with licence fees that represent 100-200% the value of the car, and annual taxes that cost in the $1000's. then the japanese rip off doesn't seem so bad.

[frannyo 2]

That makes me feel better (wallet-wise). 200% of the value of the car? Seriously?

[mikazooki 0]

nah, i was exaggerating (and its a actually a sales tax). it's only 180%, and thats only on the price over 7000 Euros. Below 7000 Euros its only 105%