Climate Change

[SteveH]

Ian,  The link is not connecting.

[Ian]

Thanks, Steve.  Fixed now.

[SteveH]

I think it is going to be like an "accident black spot", say five or six major accidents, and then you get the title, then some changes are put in place, to late for those affected,....... so what equals an accident, on a bigger scale, Tsunami, global warming, CO2 emmisions, fossil fuels etc........ these warnings still not being acted on, so whats it going to take.   

[SteveH]

This has in recent years become one of my pet hates, not so long ago we talked about smoke from fires, affecting breathing, this is another culprit, idling vehicles, and just to kick you when your down, one of the worst places is outside CYD surgery, taxi's and cars idling for ages, perfect when you exit with your inhalers,........ and in the article busses, never seem to switch off, is there a reason ?

Drivers could be banned from leaving their vehicles idling.
It's part of a bid to tackle the Welsh 'toxic air crisis'

Council vehicles need to be banned from letting their engines idle.
Vehicles on council businesses like buses as being a place to start fighting pollution.
action and enforce a ban on drivers being allowed to run their engines without moving.

“Councils have a duty to lead by example and put into practice the principles and guidelines that have been set out to tackle harmful levels of air pollution that continue to plague communities across Wales.”

“We cannot expect the public to adopt a more ‘clean air friendly’ attitude if council service providers are not doing the same, regardless of what vehicle they’re using.”           https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/drivers-could-banned-leaving-vehicles-16500839


 

[Ian]

It's a pet hate of mine, too, Steve. The buses and coaches are the worst; sitting there, pumping out toxic fumes without reason or thought.

[Ian]

The reasons why Swansea lagoon was cancelled (and other similar lagoons) can be heard in this podcast by Private Eye:

https://www.private-eye.co.uk/issue-1497/eyeplayer/play-343

It's quite...eye-opening.

[SteveH]

Eye's opened, I was really keen on this project, coastal defense and green energy, great pity.

[SteveH]

Cut meat and dairy intake 'by a fifth', report urges.

"The document recommends a host of measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the countryside.

Others include increasing UK forestry cover from 13% to at least 17% by 2050, and restoring at least half of upland peat bogs.

But it’s the proposals for reducing consumption of dairy produce and red meat that are likely to draw attention.

The authors say reducing the amount of beef, lamb and dairy we eat by at least 20%, and reducing food waste by 20% would save the equivalent of seven million tonnes of CO2 from farms.

They say land that’s no longer needed for cattle and sheep could support trees crops to burn for energy."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51210622

[SteveH]

This has in recent years become one of my pet hates, not so long ago we talked about smoke from fires, affecting breathing, this is another culprit, idling vehicles, and just to kick you when your down, one of the worst places is outside CYD surgery, taxi's and cars idling for ages, perfect when you exit with your inhalers,........ and in the article buses, never seem to switch off, is there a reason ?

Drivers could be banned from leaving their vehicles idling.
It's part of a bid to tackle the Welsh 'toxic air crisis'
Council vehicles need to be banned from letting their engines idle.
Vehicles on council businesses like buses as being a place to start fighting pollution.
action and enforce a ban on drivers being allowed to run their engines without moving.
“Councils have a duty to lead by example and put into practice the principles and guidelines that have been set out to tackle harmful levels of air pollution that continue to plague communities across Wales.” 

Air pollution is not just a pet hate of mine, it affects my health and I am sure many others, smoke from poorly managed home fires, not burning hot enough, combined with the wrong fuels, is a big part of the problem, I also believe some fires are used for effect and not their heat value, the number of times we have to close our windows on a nice night, so maybe this might help, but I doubt it, a bit more awareness would be good.

Owners of wood burners, stoves and open fires will no longer be able to buy coal or wet wood to burn in them, under a ban to be rolled out from next year.
Sales of the two most polluting fuels will be phased out in England to help cut air pollution, the government says.

Bags of logs sold in DIY stores, garden centres and petrol stations often contain wet wood - a type of wood which produces more pollution and smoke.
The public should move to "cleaner alternatives", the government says.

Plans for the ban were first announced 18 months ago, but the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has now confirmed it is going ahead.

The government said wood burning stoves and coal fires are the largest source of PM2.5, small particles of air pollution which find their way into the body's lungs and blood.

"Cosy open fires and wood-burning stoves are at the heart of many homes up and down the country,"
"But the use of certain fuels means that they are also the biggest source of the most harmful pollutant that is affecting people in the UK."
"Wet - also known as green or unseasoned wood - is often sold in nets and is cheaper to buy.
It contains moisture which, when burned, creates more smoke and harmful particles of air pollution (PM2.5) than dry wood.

Wet wood can also damage chimneys much more, by allowing tar and soot to build up, with an increased chance of fire"

"According to the strategy, air pollution is the top environmental risk to human health in the UK.
In Wales, a consultation is currently ongoing for a clean air plan, which is looking at whether wet wood could be banned."

Full article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51581817

 

[SteveH]

With all this restricted travel, the worlds air quality must be having a bit of a "Breather............

Air quality in Delhi, notorious for being the worst in the world, looking better already, after lock down being in force.

[Ian]

The empty roads plus the instant decline in airline travel has had a marked effect on pollution across the UK. But there's a slight downside; modern jets are fitted with atmospheric recorders, which send their data back to the UK's met office on landing. So it's possible our weather forecasting is going to become less accurate in the short term.

[Hugo]

It doesn't matter really, we are indoors for the duration     

[SteveH]

London views, once covered in smog, are clearer. Certainly at night you can see far more stars and satellites and asthma sufferers say they are breathing more easily.

Air pollution in London has fallen so dramatically since the capital's Covid-19 lockdown, monitors used to measure toxicity are alerting the data collectors to possible faults with the readings.

As a result of the coronavirus restrictions on movement, average air pollution levels have fallen to their lowest since recordings began in 2000, according to the London Air Quality Network.     cont  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-52114306

[Ian]

In every cloud...

[SteveH]

Planefinder map looking a lot different these days, most of these you can see are Fedex, DHL and UPS cargo planes, the photos are about 20 mins apart.