Should we Colonise Mars or Fix Earth?

Should we colonise mars or fix earth? 

I believe that we should do our best to fix earth as it is the planet we’ve been given and we shouldn’t try to run away from our problems. We would not be able to fix it completely but we can at least try. It’s our fault that we have to fix or leave earth and if we go to mars it will be inhospitable and we would just ruin that planet too. Even if we did move to mars it would be like that scene in Loki where the rich people are boarding a train to leave the planet as the moon is about to crash into it, and the poor are waiting in a cue yelling about their children, there would be no way to move the whole population and how would they decide who to move since they couldn’t? I believe that we should learn to adapt to the planet that we’ve been given, we should change as the planet changes. Otherwise the human population will not survive climate change. If the past generations had taken better care of the planet this wouldn’t be happening right now, if all humans had taken care of the planet then we wouldn’t have to think about questions like these. But we do. And since we might have to move to mars we should consider it as it may be our only option. Maybe two family’s will move to Mars to restart the population, probably Elon Musks and whoever else is wealthy enough to buy seats on the rocket or maybe by the time it has become necessary humans will have left earth because of advances in technology, like in Valerian: The city of a thousand planets. 

Home Sweet Home

No one knows the future! 

Maybe we will fix the planet, maybe we won’t, but either way we have to start doing something.I believe that we should do our best to fix earth as it is the planet we’ve been given and we shouldn’t try to run away from our problems. We would not be able to fix it completely but we can at least try. It’s our fault that we have to fix or leave earth and if we go to mars it will be inhospitable and we would just ruin that planet too. Even if we did move to mars it would be like that scene in Loki where the rich people are boarding a train to leave the planet as the moon is about to crash into it, and the poor are waiting in a cue yelling about their children, there would be no way to move the whole population and how would they decide who to move since they couldn’t? I believe that we should learn to adapt to the planet that we’ve been given, we should change as the planet changes. Otherwise the human population will not survive climate change. If the past generations had taken better care of the planet this wouldn’t be happening right now, if all humans had taken care of the planet then we wouldn’t have to think about questions like these. But we do. And since we might have to move to mars we should consider it as it may be our only option. Maybe two family’s will move to Mars to restart the population, probably Elon Musks and whoever else is wealthy enough to buy seats on the rocket or maybe by the time it has become necessary humans will have left earth because of advances in technology, like in Valerian: The city of a thousand planets. No one knows the future, maybe we will fix the planet, maybe we won’t, but either way we have to start doing something.

Written by "O" aged 14 

Life Cycle Assessment for Amazon Climate Pledge

5 Things that People Regularly Buy that they Don’t Need.

5 Things that People Regularly Buy that they Don’t Need

There are tons of things that we use everyday that we could avoid using. This will not only save us money, but also it is save the planet. Just stop buying things!

• One thing that I have in my house usually is wet-wipes, these are really useful for cleaning windowsills and desks etc. but they are single use and bad for the environment, an alternative to using these, is a dish cloth which does the job the same way.
• Another product which I use a lot is cotton pads, they are extremely useful for washing my our face and removing makeup but there is an alternative which works just as well and isn’t as bad for the environment; reusable cotton pads, they are like flannels but rounded and since I got some around last Christmas I have stopped using the single use cotton pads.
• Another simple thing to go without is plastic bottles, as convenient as they may be when out and about, using a reusable water bottle is a lot better for the environment and some shops now have refilling stations for them. Similarly paper coffee cups can be avoided by taking a reusable cup with you.
• Something which is surprisingly bad for the environment is tea bags, they are made out of plastic and using a teapot instead may take longer but is better for the planet. Some companies do make plastic free teabags as an alternative.
• Something relatively simple to avoid is single use plastic bags, 300 million plastic bags every year end up in the Atlantic Ocean. It can be avoided very easily by using tote bags or any type of bag that is reusable to put shopping in.

So you see, here are five of the hundreds of things we can go without, maybe next time you’re out getting a coffee and you see a reusable cup available to buy, buy it, and you can use it, then use it again, then use it again.

Life Cycle Assessment for Amazon Climate Pledge

The life and lies of Boris Johnson

Top 5 Environmental Movie Quotes

Top 5 Environmental Movie Quotes 

Below are my top 5 Environmental Movie Quotes: 

Number 1 - Donald - Interstellar 

"When I was a kid, it seemed like they made something new every day. Some, gadget or idea, like every day was Christmas. But six billion people, just imagine that. And every last one of them trying to have it all."

This for me is the single most thought provoking line, in any movie with regards to the Environment. The reason I found Donald's (pictured) line  so profound is that it points out the insanity of our current consumerist habits. We are being gaslighted in to thinking, that we need new stuff and it will make a us happy, and in following this false doctrine we are  destroying the planet. 

Number 2 - Scientist vs Politician - The Day After Tomorrow 

Vice President Becker: "Our economy is every bit as fragile as the environment. Perhaps you should keep that in mind before making sensationalist claims." 

Jack Hall: "The last chunk of ice that broke off was about the size of the state of Rhode Island. Some people might call that pretty sensational.”

This brief exchange sums up the impasse that we have been at for year with regards to climate change. Polarised thinking, with no consideration of middle ground leaves scientists such as the character dennis quad (pictured) trying to justify facts, to politicians who often work in the realms of opinion.  That fact that our current course, of global capitalism, and corporate governance  is very unlikely to deliver the change we need, should be everyone's most pressing concern!

Number 3 - Freeman Lowel - Silent Running 

"There is no more beauty, and there's no more imagination. And there are no frontiers left to conquer"

 This quote is a bit depressing, but is it also realistic? We might consider hat we have conquered all frontiers here on earth. But this is not true. In quantum physics there are still a lot of discoveries and understanding to be made. 

But looking outward to the stars, and imagining (and they are just that) of us colonising other solar systems, the distances are so huge how will we get there? The distances are so massive, that just to accelerate a human body up to sensible speed (in order to make trip in sensible stasis period) would probably kill it. So many unknowns. And all the while we degrade and destroy our only habitable planet. 

Number 4 - Marco Lambertini - A Plastic Ocean

“Not only are plastics polluting our oceans and waterways and killing marine life – it's in all of us and we can't escape consuming plastics.”

In this documentary film, we see the breadth and depth of damage done by humanities reliance on plastics. It is not that plastics are a problem in themselves, but our mistreatment of them them after we have used them is a big problem. 

Does California have the most environmentally friendly Cars?

Does California have the most Environmentally Friendly Cars?

Having visited LA a few years ago, the first thing that struck me was how unnecessarily large, and overpowered most of the vehicles were.

On that basis alone, I would say no. Japanese or European Cars (if telling truth!) will have lower emissions!

Air Quality - 25% better than Europe, but worse than Japan.

Whilst we still try and measure end of pipe emissions, most environmental measure also considers the . . . environment. We measure quality of the air, California is no exception.

California aims to maintain an Average Annual Air Quality of 0.03ppm, or 30ug/m3. This is better than the European Air Quality Objective, set at 40ug/m3.

Japan have a Hourly Average Air Quality Objective set at 0.04 - 0.06ppm. This will result in annual average far lower than those found in california.

Efficiency

The wider use of diesel cars in Europe is not great. They produce a lot more pollution. Many smaller diesel cars will easily get 50 - 60 miles to the gallon, which would meet the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards of 54.5 miles to the gallon. Despite giving off very high NOx, and PArticulate Emissions.

Emission Control

So let us compare actual emissions standards, I will compare two countries:

Japan

California

Europe 

Now there is a lot to go through in these tables, the units are all different as are the substances measured. But dwelling on NOX:

California has a NOx limit of  0.05 grams per mile, or 0.03 grams per kilometer 

European Cars have a NOx limit of 0.06 grams per kilometer 

Japanese cars have a NOx limit of 0.05 grams per kilometer 

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Environmental Claims Consultant 

Climate Change Offset & Obstacles - Notes

 

Intro

We know what the problem is, we know how big it is, and how to stop it. This includes companies and their directors. Looks at news . . . could it be any clearer. So why no rapid action?

'comparing financial incentives to environmental issues',

Carbon Offsetting

EU Benchmark Price 71 euros (£60).

Brazilian REDD+ $10 (£8).

Terrible Scheme such as capping of well, or CFC destruction. £2.

Example: Shop fitters. 138 tons (Scope 1 and 2) costs from £8200 to £250.

Farmers: 500 tons ha, = £7500 – less certification costs (subsidy for planting)

 

'how does ease of implementation encourage or discourage sustainable action?'

Word on knock-ons: Solar (easy): BUT roof replacement, structural engineer,

 'is there any structure to a report that can create a more persuasive argument?'

People will read a report or not read it. You should highlight cost savings ahead of carbon savings, or other benefits e.g. biodiversity gains. 

Summary

The problem is well defined, and measured.

The company’s main objective is to make profit.

Consider real world Practicalities

Gauge you client, are they a front runner (keen) or are they just following crowd, regulatory minima. You may need to adjust your MO, on that basis.

What will work.

Carbon Tax. £75 per tonne. Cheese 14kg / kg. 7.5p - £1.

CEOs

What will get you voted out at SEO, failing to make a profit or failing to progress climate action.

 

 

Climate Change Notes on Boris's Speech - 06/10/2021

Climate Change Content Boris's Party Conference Speech on the 6th October 2021

Below are a few notes notes of Boris's party conference speech, where he discusses topics related to climate change. 

It's slim pickings, as you might expect from a party who regularly shout about "their" targets and commitments to zero carbon, whilst doing very little to augment change outside the change that is automatically delivered by economic forces. 

Protesters

In reference to  Insulate Britain Protesters and their M25 protest. He dubs them a nuisance and that they should be placed in "well-insulated" police cells. 

Comments: Cringe worthy. If Boris had been shown to act meaningfully on climate change, then these protests would not be happening. Does he imagine that members of the public enjoy sitting in roads, being abused by drivers, and with criminal records earned from their activities, damage their employability. The suffragettes, remember them? They had no choice but to protest, it is the same with this new wave of suffragettes. 

Hydrogen Buses

"Some" Buses will run on hydrogen. This is a clean air initiative, and may well be more carbon intensive that using diesel. 

Rewilding

Boris makes reference to the rewilding of Britain with a figure 30% of land area, and 10's of millions of trees. Beavers reintroduced to certain areas. 

Comments: This will only happen if it is made economically possible. New farm subsidy replacement ELMs may offer some routes for farmers to rewild, but it will not happen quickly enough to make a meaningful contribution towards climate change. Trees only meaningfully begin to remove carbon 5 years after they have been planted, and it takes 10 to 15 years for them to get up to speed. 

COP

"Can we keep alive the ambition of paris, to stop the planet heating by more than 1.5 degrees. The government cant do it alone, and taxpayers certainly can't do it alone, the other day I took a boat out in to the Moray Firth to sea this aquatic forest of turbines towering over water like redwoods of california."

Comments: This reference to wind energy is run for around 2 minutes, and then Bris flips back to perceived successes of vaccine roll out. Wind now makes up about 25% of UK grid energy (3.4% for Solar). The reason we have 25% wind is economic it is the cheapest form of generation capacity. 

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