Climate change: what are YOU doing to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand?

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#1841110 8-Aug-2017 13:45

Seakiwi:

MarkH67:

I'm picking up my first EV on Saturday, I'm going to use it to commute to work which will reduce my petrol burning by somewhere around 1,000 litres a year. I have replaced the most used light bulbs with 13W LEDs, plenty of light with a lot less energy than the old bulbs used to use, even compared to CFL bulbs the LEDs use half as much power.

I do understand that this is very little in the scheme of things, but if everyone in the world that has a car were to switch to an EV over the next decade or two then it really would make a significant difference. None of us can do much to improve the world, but ALL of us combined CAN make a difference. There are other things that should change which would be done at a much larger scale than the individual person - I'd love to see our national electricity production moved to 100% renewable (currently 80%) and of course it would be good if all other countries tried for the same thing, especially those currently using coal.

For those people that wont buy an electric car today - I would hope that they would reconsider within the next 5 years, there will be many more choices and better performance as time goes on.

Have you factored in the CO2 emissions and environmental damage caused by mining and making and then recycling the batteries in your EV?

Have you factored in the cost to the environment of producing the electricity to recharge your EV.

How many people need to buy EVs before we have to fire up Huntly with coal, or buy back and restart Marsden B, or perhaps another dam, cried the fantail as he flew into, flew into the sky......

Have you seen those big spinning things getting build around the country?

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Geektastic

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#1841112 8-Aug-2017 13:46

I read today Wellington can look forward to Sydney warmth.

Sounds marvellous to me. If we can get the sea up to the same sort of temperatures as, say, the Andeman, then swimming might even become worthwhile! I once recorded 31 C diving there - scuba in a bath!

MarkH67

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#1841117 8-Aug-2017 13:50

Seakiwi:

Have you factored in the CO2 emissions and environmental damage caused by mining and making and then recycling the batteries in your EV?

Have you factored in the cost to the environment of producing the electricity to recharge your EV.

How many people need to buy EVs before we have to fire up Huntly with coal, or buy back and restart Marsden B, or perhaps another dam, cried the fantail as he flew into, flew into the sky......

Yes, of course! The lifetime CO2 emissions of a petrol power car is between 7 times and 10 times as much as for a battery powered car, taking all factors into account.

The electricity in NZ is 80% renewable, charging at off-peak times would mean the electricity is much more likely to be from renewables.

I am fine with them building more dams, hydro power does not pour CO2 into the atmosphere and any ecological negatives are very localised. We are likely to see more hydro, geothermal and wind power rather than coal, oil or gas. Solar may come into play more depending on how the pricing of panels goes.

I don't even know how anyone could wonder if burning 10,000 litres of petrol over the next 10 years might not be as bad as producing an electric car. It seems pretty clear to me that there will be a LOT of CO2 going into the atmosphere when burning petrol day after day. The EV batteries get produced once and then used for many years.

MikeB4

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#1841118 8-Aug-2017 13:50

Geektastic:

I read today Wellington can look forward to Sydney warmth.

Sounds marvellous to me. If we can get the sea up to the same sort of temperatures as, say, the Andeman, then swimming might even become worthwhile! I once recorded 31 C diving there - scuba in a bath!

you have missed the bit about the accompanying weather extremes, coastal erosion, slips and general instability of hills. Changes to all the waterways, flooding, acid seas.

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#1841121 8-Aug-2017 13:51

Dratsab:

Staying on the off-topic subject of plastic pollution ...

Not off topic at all ... habitat destruction, fossil fuel emissions, and plastic pollution are some of the ways that plastic bags and climate change cannot be separated.

Geektastic

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#1841137 8-Aug-2017 13:55

Batman:

Rikkitic:

Geektastic: Nothing. I'm not concerned.

For the sake of the FUG, I will let others fill in what I think about people with your attitude.

He's got no children.

But I am told that the future generations will just accept pollution as normal. Which means Auckland house prices go up. More.

Ah. You reminded me.

What am I doing to reduce global warming?

I restrained myself from adding to the planet's human population. Having a child is the single biggest act of damage to the environment it is typically possible to do.

This from the Independent recently

Having children is the most destructive thing a person can to do to the environment, according to a new study.

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden found having one fewer child per family can save “an average of 58.6 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions per year”.

Eating meat, driving a car and travelling by aeroplane made up the list of the most polluting things people can do to the planet.

But having children was top, according to the new study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

“A US family who chooses to have one fewer child would provide the same level of emissions reductions as 684 teenagers who choose to adopt comprehensive recycling for the rest of their lives,” it said.

kryptonjohn

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#1841141 8-Aug-2017 14:00

We just refurbed our house - now has insulated wall cavities and some double glazing, but most significantly 100% LED lighting, with ceiling lights sealed in rather than gaps in the ceiling, and no radiant or oil heaters - just a heat pump.

Geektastic

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#1841147 8-Aug-2017 14:04

Does heating your house by burning wood, a la 17th century, affect global warming? It certainly aggravates things like asthma and pollution-driven health issues, yet seems to be remarkably normal in NZ.

Wood smoke and your health

Wood smoke affects the quality of both indoor and outdoor air.

It is made up of coarse and fine particles. Coarse particles can include soot, dust and pollen. When breathed in these particles settle in the lungs and narrow airways.

Fine dust particles, such as smoke, are more likely to settle more deeply into the lungs while ultrafine particles can be absorbed into the blood stream.

The majority of the particles in wood smoke are fine particles, which are linked to the most harmful health effects.

Fine and coarse particles both contribute to several health problems:

Short term effects

irritation of the eyes, throat and nose
coughing
difficulty breathing
aggravated asthma.

Long term effects

decreased lung function
development of chronic bronchitis
cardiovascular effects.

Seakiwi

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#1841148 8-Aug-2017 14:06

Hmm no kids here either Geektastic.

Might add a Harley to my 12 cylinder car , supercharged V8 car, 4 cylinder car, and 2 x 200hp marines Diesels.

You are making me feel like I haven't maximised my carbon footprint as much as all these other breeders have!

kryptonjohn

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#1841150 8-Aug-2017 14:11

Ah now I can see how you can afford all the toys...

floydbloke

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#1841151 8-Aug-2017 14:12

Dratsab:

floydbloke:

frednz:

floydbloke: I've just invested some money in some more forestry (works out to owning about 3000 trees). Does that count?

Yes, I would say that counts if it helps NZ to increase its number of trees. Can you give any more details about this investment?

We use Forest Enterprises. They do all the work,...

ETA: The yearly maintenance and admin costs are covered by the carbon credits that the forest earns, so our net annual payment is $0.

Out of interest, what's the emissions liability once those forests are felled?

Good question. I recall getting lots of correspondence around this when the ETS first came in and must confess to getting rather confused by it all. I believe the upshot is that 'my' carbon credits actually get leased to some other outfit ( a subsidiary of NZ Forest leasing Ltd.), what they do with them I'm not sure, but the income of this covers the annual running costs and it somehow means that I don't have to worry about the value of the future carbon liability at harvest time.

After I was born, I didn't talk to my parents for two years.

kryptonjohn

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#1841154 8-Aug-2017 14:14

I'm in Forest Enterprises too - Millwood Forest out of Gizzie. All I know is that the carbon credits are paying for the annual upkeep now the forest is reasonably mature so no annual calls! Looking forward to payday!

Rikkitic

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#1841181 8-Aug-2017 14:39

Seakiwi:

Have you factored in the CO2 emissions and environmental damage caused by mining and making and then recycling the batteries in your EV?

Have you factored in the cost to the environment of producing the electricity to recharge your EV.

How many people need to buy EVs before we have to fire up Huntly with coal, or buy back and restart Marsden B, or perhaps another dam, cried the fantail as he flew into, flew into the sky......

Yeah, people keep bringing up this kind of thing, but what is your point? That we should all just keep doing the same thing as before and all go to hell together in a handbasket? You can try to be part of the solution, or you can just carry on being part of the problem.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

Seakiwi

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#1841188 8-Aug-2017 14:52

Rikkitic:

Seakiwi:

Have you factored in the CO2 emissions and environmental damage caused by mining and making and then recycling the batteries in your EV?

Have you factored in the cost to the environment of producing the electricity to recharge your EV.

How many people need to buy EVs before we have to fire up Huntly with coal, or buy back and restart Marsden B, or perhaps another dam, cried the fantail as he flew into, flew into the sky......

Yeah, people keep bringing up this kind of thing, but what is your point? That we should all just keep doing the same thing as before and all go to hell together in a handbasket? You can try to be part of the solution, or you can just carry on being part of the problem.

Well no, actually, the answer to those questions may well decide whether what you are proposing as a solution to what you define as a problem is actually a solution at all.

Blindly doing something so you feel better even though it may or may not be a solution to what you perceive as the problem would make you part of that problem.

Dingbatt

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#1841193 8-Aug-2017 15:01

I too do nothing to reduce my carbon (dioxide) footprint.

I drive a hybrid because I like the tech and the way it drives. And will buy an EV in the future for the same reason.
We have LEDs in the house because they last longer and give nicer light.
I walk when I can, but for health reasons.
We have a heatpump for climate control because it is quiet, efficient and easy to use. The same for all the other electrical appliances in the house.
Our overseas holidays only happen every three years or so because that is all we can afford.

On 'Earth Day', my house will be the one with every (led) light on.

Better sign off now before the mind police localise where I'm sending this from.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

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