Heathrow...

Time for a first post and on a nice controversial subject too: Global Warming!

Now the camp of new age wannabes and protesters has wound down and dismantled outside Heathrow airport, the big question what has been achieved? In my opinion, absolutely nothing.

First off it was claimed the camp's objective was to attack the "corporations" that cause the biggest slice of the UK's greenhouse gases. In this much it was right as industry in the UK produces the highest amounts in this country, notice industries such as steel works, car manufacture, chemical and engineering, not air travel. Air travel is oh course a polluter but compared to these other sectors and then the numerous coal and gas power stations it forms a very little percentage. So the camp instead of being pitched at headquarters to highlight this fact, was instead put in a place to try and promote the crippling of air travel in a bid to make people "aware". Unfortunately, the target audience seemed to be the same that lobby for wind turbines then drive Cuthbert to school vi a nice big 4x4 . Granted air travel and air freighting of goods especially is wasteful and polluting and should be reduced or forced to become much cleaner there are much more serious polluters that where conviently left out.

That's another thing, generating power. Renewable sources such as wind tend to be utter crap compared our existing coal or gas fired power plants, resulting in large numbers of installations to match even one existing power station. The steam turbine is a victorian invention and has yet to be topped which i think says a lot in terms of producing power. Also where are all these new "clean" power plants be built? I mean build half a million wind turbines so you can close one old power plant or flood a valley to build a dam but what's the environmental cost? How many habitats, species and people will be affected so we can sleep easy at night? I mean the real simple stop gap is not turn the north sea into a seagull slice n' dice but build the ye forbidden and cursed nuclear power stations. They aren't perfect but they provide at least, a sustainable cleaner source of energy until science provides us with that messianic solution to our power needs.

One of the biggest polluters of green house gases worldwide that is often left out, is the humble cow or bull. Our desire for meat has resulted that there is enough cattle in the world to produce enough CO2 and methane to top all the industries and home owners combined. And before we all go vegetarian, rice paddies are also huge produces of greenhouse gases and lets not forget all those fruits and vegetables that are shipped in year round to provide our whims out of climate and seasons.

Then of course we hit the whole china debate and America with its fingers in its ears whenever the terms global and warming come together. All i'm going to say is grow up and take your own stance. And if you can't get that much then well your lost.

I'm not rubbishing global warming as it is true black cloud on future's horizon. I'm just assaulting those who believe they are right and thus everyone else must think it their limited fact filled view. If you want to help out the environment, walk more, turn off lights after use and don't leave stuff on standby. After all we in the UK are even sure of what global warming will truly mean for us and if it'll sort out our weather then maybe we'll be the only country supporting it!