Maria asks…
Do we want our Government forcing us to use fluorescent light bulbs?
Congress plans to phase out the use of incandescent light bulbs by the year 2014. While standard light bulbs cost about 50 cents, the spiral CFL sells for about $3. If the lamp is installed where it is frequently switched on and off, it will age rapidly. Under extreme conditions, its lifespan may be much shorter than a cheap incandescent bulb.
If a fluorescent lamp is broken, mercury will contaminate the surrounding environment, which leads to evacuation of the area.
Since fluorescent lamps produce a small amount of UV light, they can trigger problems among individuals with very high pathological sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
Fluorescent lamps with magnetic ballasts flicker and this flickering can cause problems for some individuals with light sensitivity, they’re problematic for some individuals with epilepsy, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, and vertigo.
I personally have a problem with the light flickering, as it triggers seizures for me.
And then we have the problem of disposal when it wears out/breaks.The disposal of phosphor and particularly the toxic mercury in the tubes is an environmental issue. Governmental regulations in many areas require special disposal of fluorescent lamps separate from general and household wastes. In some areas, recycling is not available. There will develop a need for a recycling infrastructure on the proposed bans of incandescent bulbs, as well as for the fluorescent bulb disposal.
The argument states that incandescent bulbs makes heat as well as light. A fluorescent bulb produces less heat, so it is much more efficient. A fluorescent bulb can produce between 50 and 100 lumen’s per watt. This makes fluorescent bulbs four to six times more efficient (as far as making light) than incandescent bulbs.
It makes one wonder if less energy efficient ovens will be another product ban congress will have to debate.
I’d like to hear other peoples opinions on this issue.
oikos-“Evacuation of the area, my eye.”
::evacuate as in, leave the area. according to the directions on the container, you must “air out and leave the premise” when the bulb breaks.
The Expert answers:
When you think about it, do you really want the Government telling you what to do about anything?
Democracy is freedom of choice, and while it is a great idea to use wisely, having the Government in position of that much power is wayyyyyyyy to close to Communism for meand mine.
Richard asks…
How can I tell how socially responsible a company is?
I realize many companies have information in the ‘About Us‘ section of their websites. But what they claim as their ideals can be entirely different from their business practices. Is there some third-party website that investigates and posts reports on how companies are contributing/resolving environmental and global injustice issues? I’m especially interested in retail and how the factories they work with are operated.
The Expert answers:
Knowmore.org
Helen asks…
Why people fuss over environmental and peak oil issue and forget the most important issue: OVERPOPULATION ?
This is a fact that is often forgotten!!! We encounter issues such as global warming, pollution, oil depletion, food scarcity, clean water scarcity, urbanization while forgetting that what causes all this is that the world has 6.5 billion people nowadays!! if we only have 20% of the population that we have now, the earth will still big enough to sustain us humans and possibly renew themselves! Yet why this issue is not a hot topic, in fact hardly anyone ever support a movement to control our greed to breed…..
Josh: Having 2 kids is NOT a ridiculous idea. Just remember that if everyone thinks like you, the kids you create will have to live a harder life than what you have fighting for resources. Do you ever ask yourself why your parents made you?
jeff_bau: there may be enough room to fit everyone on earth spatially, but do you forget that each one of them has to eat and drink everyday, and if they are to live the american lifestyle then each one needs a car, a house, water, a bank account and a golf club membership. In order to survive, people needs FOOD and not liberty. That is why people live near markets or farms and not in antarctica with penguins. Nigerians don’t have more liberty than Americans yet they breed a lot faster. Before the fossil fuel-supported farming system, the earth population don’t exceed 3 billions because earth itself can’t support the amount of people we have now. If oil is depleted in the future, that will also mean a major starvation and it is guaranteed.
Richard E: Good insight in seeing the different circumstances that contribute to overpopulation. It is indeed one of the most difficult issue, and the way I see it is how human population increase when survival rate increase. But this cannot go on forever, and either we have to control ourselves or else the nature will, which seems likely to happen. But it just will not be a pretty sight…
The Expert answers:
Because it is not a sec- analysis of the problem. Environmental problems are unsustainable rates of resource extraction, to high rates of ecosystem degradation, or pollution beyond the regenerative capacity of our environment. (i think those are pretty much all categories.
Overpopulation is a political solution (and a very undesirable one at that), disguised as an analysis. It gears you towards only one solution: less people, instead of piecemeal solution of actual problems
And then there are some nasty, hidden questions, such as: Which people then should be allowed to live on? In what lifestyle? Your life style? The lifestyle of a Namibian? And how many of these people are allowed in our spacious utopia? What kind of people should that be? The higher the resource use, the lesser the people allowed on the planet.
Food has ceased to be a real problem, at least in terms of quantity. It’s the mechanisms of distribution that are failing. Demanding market reforms for the economically weak countries has proven to be disastrous
Funny thing on the side is that prosperous western countries, which use a lot of resources, often have very low reproductivity rates, whereas poorer countries, with low per capita use of resources have high rates of resource use. Children, in countries where pensions are non-existent, serve as you retirement fund. So do you choose for the people who pollute the planet the most, but who don’t reproduce so much, or for those with little impact, but who reproduce a lot?
Steven asks…
sound frequencies in a marine environmen?
Recently, environmental activists sued the US Navy to prevent them from using a certain
range of sound frequencies in a marine environment.
What was the outcome of this lawsuit?
What were the issues presented by both sides?
Any article on it?
The Expert answers:
Http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/marine/sonar.asp
Sharon asks…
who is going to participate in the global turnoff?
Global Turn-Off
* The 1st of February 2007: *
Participate in the biggest mobilization of Citizens Against Global Warming!
The Alliance for the Planet [a group of environmental associations] is
calling on all citizens to create 5 minutes of electrical rest for the
planet.
People all over the world should turn off their lights and electrical
appliances on the first of February 2007, between 1.55 pm and 2.00 pm in New
York, 18.55 for London, and 19.55 for Paris, Bruxelles, and Italy.
1.55pm in Ottawa, *10.55am on the Pacific Coast of North America*.
This is not just about saving 5 minutes worth of electricity; this is about
getting the attention of the media, politicians, and ourselves.
Five minutes of electrical down time for the planet: this does not take
long, and costs nothing, and will show all political leaders that global
warming is an issue that needs to come first and foremost in political
debate.
Why February 1? This is the day when the new UN report on global climate
change will come out in Paris.
This event affects us all, involves us all, and provides an occasion to show
how important an issue global warming is to us. If we all participate, this
action can have real media and political weight.
Please circulate this call to your utmost ability to your network.
The Expert answers:
As long no one do anything to stop the population growth, then you can save as much energy you like.
The world population will be doubled in the next 60 years and nothing is done to stop that. Laws who allow max 2 child per family is a must NOW, even someone like it or not.
I think the climate is changed perceptibly year after year now. A small panic will spread
and the consequences are that more and more start selling their houses, because they
feel the time is running out faster than they are told.
We’ll see an unemployment as never before. Companies which produce too much have to produce
less and to follow the quotas they implement. The future will be a hell
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