Quote:
Originally Posted by accyman
they made us use energy saving light bulbs that use less electricity...
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...but are full of poisons which do far more damage to the environment than the extra bit carbon dioxide that was made from the additional power for the old-fashioned bulbs
Governments have no idea when it comes to the environment. They have the "save the planet" types on one side and the "make a profit" on the other. The only time a government takes action is when someone can convince it that it's saving the planet whilst making a profit. Usually with a bit of a kickback for the politicians involved.
For example, to qualify for a feed-in-tariff for solar panels, you need to have a certain minimum energy efficiency level for your home. Why? The electricity you are generating would be going towards global warming if it were not for your panels soaking it up instead. You could fill up your storage heaters during the day and leave your doors open at night - the net effect on the climate is zero. That energy would have been released into the environment anyway without the panels to "catch" it.
The biggest single way of improving the score is to replace an immersion heater with a condenser boiler. So you're replacing a simple machine which should really last a lifetime with a complex one that needs replacing every 15 years or so. You're replacing a use for your free electricity with hot water that costs you money. And the real kicker? The "inefficient" immersion heater connected to solar panels has absolutely zero carbon footprint. Even the panels are usually made from recycled glass (the impurities help with generation). With the boiler, you are using up an irreplaceable resource and generating greenhouse gases while you do it.
I'm not an environmentalist or an anti-capitalist. I just hate stupidity when it's from people who should know better.
(Sorry for the rant.)