Earth Hour. Who participated?

[HAL9000]

Take a look at tax incentives for purchasing a hybrid, then the tax incentive for purchasing a SUV over I think it was 6000 pounds... I don't remember the exact numbers, but if you are a person with some wealth looking for tax writeoffs, you could essentially get your SUV for free.

[David M]

Given only 20% of the United States energy usage goes towards private transportation, one can see how little effect it would have if everyone drove a hybrd.

Nuclear energy is what is needed. Pretty much all of France is powered by nuclear energy as are most of the larger naval ships and all the large submarines. Is France or the US Navy having problems with nuclear power? No. Has anyone died from nuclear energy recently? No. Have coal miners died recently? Yes.

In fact, coal puts more radioactive isotopes into the air than has ever been released by all the nuclear plants combined including Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.

Using food crops for evergy and land intended for food crops, will only serve to drive up the cost of food. Commodity prices for corn have hit record highs since we started producing ethanol. Has anyone noticed the price of beef over the past couple years?

Solar power is very expensive per watt and is only available during the day.

Public transportation only works where the population is dense enough such as in Europe and Japan. Europe's major population centers are not separated by 3000 miles with desert, mountains and plains...the same goes for Japan.

Wind power is downright ugly, only works when the wind is blowing, is noisy, kills birds and is also very expensive per watt.

I think the French have the right idea here.

[David M]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 Take a look at tax incentives for purchasing a hybrid, then the tax incentive for purchasing a SUV over I think it was 6000 pounds... I don't remember the exact numbers, but if you are a person with some wealth looking for tax writeoffs, you could essentially get your SUV for free.

That applied to those with businesses who could use it as a business writeoff....not a writeoff as an individual.

SUV's do pay more in road taxes through state and federal taxes paid at the pump...as do commercial trucks who pay more per gallon in road taxes with the tax on diesel bing higher than that of gasoline combined with much higher usage that trucks have. Taxes paid is proportional to the energy used.

[HAL9000]

(Didn't I mention about bracing the universe against collapse in another thread as I agreed with David?)... I don't know why there hasn't been further development of nuclear energy. It does produce clean power, yes, there is nuclear waste, but that's what should be researched, how to make use of that and keep the cycle going... then my home province can jack up the price of Uranium as we hold 95% of the world supply.3

Originally Posted by David M That applied to those with businesses who could use it as a business writeoff....not a writeoff as an individual.

Doesn't take much for an individual to become a business and do just that. There are many reasons to open a business and require purchases and show losses.

[David M]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 (Didn't I mention about bracing the universe against collapse in another thread as I agreed with David?)...

Hell must have frozen over for a few minutes.

Originally Posted by HAL9000 Doesn't take much for an individual to become a business and do just that. There are many reasons to open a business and require purchases and show losses.

In this country, the IRS requires that you eventually have to show a profit. I don't remember the time period but if you cannot eventually show a profit then you don't get the business deductions.

[HAL9000]

Profit doesn't need to be much though... I know many people doing this both in Canada and the US, there are many loopholes to work with.

[David M]

I say more power to them. If creating something to legally get around paying more taxes benefits them then good.

[HAL9000]

But having this kind of deduction is kind of counter productive to the so called "need" to "save" the environment and go "green".

[David M]

Then the carrot treatment is what is needed for hybrids...cut the taxes on them. Make them less expensive for everyone. Its too often the government uses the stick treatment by raising taxes on things they do not like. It's pretty obvious why they prefer the stick treatment.

[juppy]

Originally Posted by David M Nuclear energy is what is needed. Pretty much all of France is powered by nuclear energy as are most of the larger naval ships and all the large submarines. Is France or the US Navy having problems with nuclear power? No. Has anyone died from nuclear energy recently? No. Have coal miners died recently? Yes. In fact, coal puts more radioactive isotopes into the air than has ever been released by all the nuclear plants combined including Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. Using food crops for evergy and land intended for food crops, will only serve to drive up the cost of food. Commodity prices for corn have hit record highs since we started producing ethanol. Has anyone noticed the price of beef over the past couple years? Solar power is very expensive per watt and is only available during the day. Public transportation only works where the population is dense enough such as in Europe and Japan. Europe's major population centers are not separated by 3000 miles with desert, mountains and plains...the same goes for Japan. Wind power is downright ugly, only works when the wind is blowing, is noisy, kills birds and is also very expensive per watt. I think the French have the right idea here.

Well said, David, and I agree totally. I read an article on nuclear energy awhile back, and the main argument against using it was that the public was afraid to have the production plants built in their area because of the possibility of another Chernobyl.

Of all the "good" things that could come from nuclear energy, I thought these fears were rather stupid. I mean, there's that old saying, nothing ventured nothing gained. Life is all about "chances" and whether you take them or not. The people that fight against nuclear power plants just because of their fear of what might happen apparently don't think twice about just driving somewhere in their car, which holds a much greater risk of personal injury or death. So yeah, I'm with you, I don't see why nuclear energy isn't being more seriously persued as the "new" fuel and energy source.

[Captn]

Originally Posted by Floppyman .I'll refrain myself from saying more since this is PCM....so I'll just say enjoy it while you still can.

I'll enjoy it for many years to come, sorry that I don't agree with global warming. So I to will refrain from saying more since this is PCM.

[faulkner132]

Regardless of whether you think global warming is hoax or some sort of extortion by the government, the fact is humanity is dependent on non-renewable and finite fossil fuels. Being blissfully wasteful is both ignorant and selfish as future generations will have to deal with the problems we are creating for them.

The point of Earth Hour was simply to make people aware that you can do little things, like switch off your lights when you are not in the room, and make a big difference. I don't see how you can fault or criticize anyone for conserving energy.

Originally Posted by earthhour.org Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off [their lights], leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city [which is powered, primarily, by coal].

Nobody is asking you to drastically change your lifestyle, simply shut things off when not in use.

[Lespaul20]

Originally Posted by faulkner132 Nobody is asking you to drastically change your lifestyle, simply shut things off when not in use.

I don't know about everybody else, but I've been taught that since grade school.

[Force Flow]

Originally Posted by faulkner132 The point of Earth Hour was simply to make people aware that you can do little things, like switch off your lights when you are not in the room, and make a big difference. I don't see how you can fault or criticize anyone for conserving energy. Nobody is asking you to drastically change your lifestyle, simply shut things off when not in use.

I think what some people don't realize is that it also has an effect on your electric bill by following a basic rule of thumb: if you leave the room, turn the light off.

Then again, some people don't really care in the first place...

[shadowpr]

Originally Posted by Lespaul20 I don't know about everybody else, but I've been taught that since grade school.

I'm with you on that.

[Jester]

honestly I am just a selfish american that wants a smaller electric bill. Thats why I turn things off. The only things running in my house when i go to sleep are the alarm clocks my cable modem and my router.

I am looking into the "smart" power strips so i can stop the leake and further reduce power consumption.

[Captn]

Originally Posted by faulkner132 Regardless of whether you think global warming is hoax or some sort of extortion by the government, the fact is humanity is dependent on non-renewable and finite fossil fuels. Being blissfully wasteful is both ignorant and selfish as future generations will have to deal with the problems we are creating for them. The point of Earth Hour was simply to make people aware that you can do little things, like switch off your lights when you are not in the room, and make a big difference. I don't see how you can fault or criticize anyone for conserving energy. Nobody is asking you to drastically change your lifestyle, simply shut things off when not in use.

Do with what you will with your lights, but leave mine alone. Besides how would you know im um let me see how you put it, oh yea being blissfully wasteful?

[juppy]

Originally Posted by Captn Do with what you will with your lights, but leave mine alone. Besides how would you know im um let me see how you put it, oh yea being blissfully wasteful?

He's been hiding in the bushes out in front of your house. And to think, all this time you just thought that was a big bunny.