okie wrote:So how come the temperatures were rising even before much of the increase in industry and the existence of most of the evil automobiles, Walter? What caused the beginning of this rise?
Were they? Temperatures started their rise in the mid eighteenhundreds. Although there were no automobiles at the time, there was plenty of heavy industry, an exploding number of people who burned coal for heating, and other major emittors of greenhouse gasses.
Thomas wrote:okie wrote:So how come the temperatures were rising even before much of the increase in industry and the existence of most of the evil automobiles, Walter? What caused the beginning of this rise?
Were they? Temperatures started their rise in the mid eighteenhundreds. Although there were no automobiles at the time, there was plenty of heavy industry, an exploding number of people who burned coal for heating, and other major emittors of greenhouse gasses.
Nonsense, Thomas, and you know it. Temperatures obviously started to rise 21,500 years B.C., or there's no explanation for the fact we in the Northern hemisphere don't all live under a mile-high glacier
High Seas wrote:Thomas wrote:okie wrote:So how come the temperatures were rising even before much of the increase in industry and the existence of most of the evil automobiles, Walter? What caused the beginning of this rise?
Were they? Temperatures started their rise in the mid eighteenhundreds. Although there were no automobiles at the time, there was plenty of heavy industry, an exploding number of people who burned coal for heating, and other major emittors of greenhouse gasses.
Nonsense, Thomas, and you know it. Temperatures obviously started to rise 21,500 years B.C., or there's no explanation for the fact we in the Northern hemisphere don't all live under a mile-high glacier
Could that be about the time that ancient man discovered fire? I am sure it had to be man's fault.
:
New York taxis going hybrid
TheStar.com - sciencetech - New York taxis going hybrid
May 22, 2007
SARA KUGLER
Associated Press
NEW YORK - The city's fleet of yellow cabs will go entirely hybrid within five years, and all its vehicles for hire will have to meet new emissions and mileage standards by next year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday.
Today, there are just 375 fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles among the 13,000 taxis rolling on city streets. That number will increase to 1,000 by October 2008 and will grow by about 20 per cent each year until 2012, when every yellow cab will be a hybrid.
Hybrid vehicles run on a combination of gasoline and electricity, emitting less exhaust and achieving higher gas mileage per gallon. Changing over the fleet is part of Bloomberg's wider sustainability plan for the city, which includes the goal of a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
"There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City obviously, so it makes a real big difference," Bloomberg said. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes; this does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us.''
The hybrids that have been successfully tested in the city's taxi fleet over the past 18 months include the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h and the Ford Escape.
Bloomberg made the announcement on NBC's "Today" show. In addition, Yahoo Inc. said it would donate 10 hybrid Ford Escape taxis, which get 36 miles per gallon.
The standard yellow cab vehicle is the Ford Crown Victoria, which gets 14 miles per gallon (U.S.).
Besides making the yellow cab brigade entirely green within five years, the city will require all new vehicles entering the fleet after October 2008 to achieve a minimum of 25 miles per gallon. A year later, all new vehicles must get 30 miles per gallon and must be hybrid.
City officials said the new standards, when fully implemented, are expected to reduce carbon emissions by more than 200,000 tons per year.
Hybrid vehicles are typically more expensive, but the city said the increase in fuel efficiency will save taxi operators more than $10,000 (U.S.) per year.
And anyway my response was to a comment, presumably intended to be humorous, that somebody would object to riding in an energy efficient and/or environmentally friendly powered taxi or bus. I don't know a soul who objects to that. The objection comes from Mayor Bloomberg or any other government authority requiring me or my business to use the same kinds of vehicles at an unacceptable cost for uncertain benefits.
)
foxfire wrote :
Quote:And anyway my response was to a comment, presumably intended to be humorous, that somebody would object to riding in an energy efficient and/or environmentally friendly powered taxi or bus. I don't know a soul who objects to that. The objection comes from Mayor Bloomberg or any other government authority requiring me or my business to use the same kinds of vehicles at an unacceptable cost for uncertain benefits.
to continue in this humorous vein :
do you accept the mayor's (and the ciy's , i presume) edict "go green if you want to do business" or do you object to it ?
if you think that bloomberg is right in his approach to reduce pollution ; that is , "forcing" business to go green , my comments about a2k'ers objecting would indeed be wrong .
however , since you go on saying "The objection comes from Mayor Bloomberg or any other government authority requiring me or my business to use the same kinds of vehicles at an unacceptable cost for uncertain benefits. " - i'm not quite sure where you stand on this issue of presumably "forced greening" .
hbg(trying to inject a bit of humour - but NOT forcing it
