[arista]

http://news.sky.com/story/climate-ch...tries-10617682


Some good news


[The agreement divides countries
into three groups with different
deadlines to reduce factory-made
hydrofluorocarbon gases,
which are used in fridges,
air-conditioning, some inhalers
and insulating foam.]

[Samm]

hope the ****ers stick to it

[Kizzy]

Is it the same one that was agreed in 72?....They won't stick to it just keep ballsing up the planet for the next generation to sort out.

[Northern Monkey]

Does'nt matter anyway.HRC will wipe the planet out with nuclear radiation soon enough.

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by arista

http://news.sky.com/story/climate-ch...tries-10617682


Some good news


[The agreement divides countries
into three groups with different
deadlines to reduce factory-made
hydrofluorocarbon gases,
which are used in fridges,
air-conditioning, some inhalers
and insulating foam.]

Thanks Arista - This is, indeed, good news.

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Is it the same one that was agreed in 72?....They won't stick to it just keep ballsing up the planet for the next generation to sort out.

Real increases in Ecology awareness have been made over the past few decades, and as a result, real improvements in reducing Environmental Pollution have been made also.

The improvements and reductions are not comprehensive or universal, but every little DOES help, and if the 'message' continues to be 'rammed' home, greater reductions will follow.

It is such a massively important issue that perseverance is vital.

Meek resignation and whinging that 'nothing will change' serves no purpose at all.

[Maru]

I think I saw something about this on Twitter some weeks ago when it was being discussed. I know it had to do with countries agreeing on some policy(ies).

Originally Posted by kirklancaster

Real increases in Ecology awareness have been made over the past few decades, and as a result, real improvements in reducing Environmental Pollution have been made also.

The improvements and reductions are not comprehensive or universal, but every little DOES help, and if the 'message' continues to be 'rammed' home, greater reductions will follow.

It is such a massively important issue that perseverance is vital.

Meek resignation and whinging that 'nothing will change' serves no purpose at all.

We've been seeing these trends locally changes (though partially out of necessity). I remember many years ago we were making a big deal about beating LA for their pollution rate, so they adjusted the speed limit to compensate. We went back down not too long after iirc... though some people were majorly bummed that they had to slow down their speeding habits with the enforcement (I'm surprised we're not higher with all the petrol/poop pants on the east side of town)

I'd say inner city, our speed is 65mph (104kmph) most places... though the interstates here are still 75mph (120kmph) in a lot of places.

In Maryland, a very pro-green state, their speeding limit is 55mph (88kmph) (which feels turtle slow to me).

These Are America’s 10 Most Polluted Cities
http://time.com/3840001/most-polluted-cities-2015/

Here are the U.S. cities with the most ozone pollution in 2015:

1. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
2. Visalia-Porterville-Hanford, CA
3. Bakersfield, CA
4. Fresno-Madera, CA
5. Sacramento-Roseville, CA
6. Houston-The Woodlands, TX
7. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK
8. Modesto-Merced, CA
9. Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ
10. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

THE IMPACT OF LOWERED SPEED LIMITS IN URBAN AND METROPOLITAN AREAS
http://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/...6/muarc276.pdf (Environmental Impact is on pg 51)

One of the most important questions for debate raised by Tingvall concerned whether or not energy efficiency would take over as the main issue for speed management in the future. The reasoning behind this predicted shift in importance among transport system objectives is due to the increasing awareness of climate changes and increased fuel prices that are anticipated to have a profound impact in terms of travel patterns, road design, traffic management, speed, vehicle design, etc. Tingvall points out that future transport system targets will also refer to energy efficiency, which in the future must involve renewable sources

Lately the big push seems to have all the trails connecting along the water systems here (pretty much everyone lives next to or near Bayous/creeks here). In fact they are paving the part that goes along our bayou in our neighborhood . and connecting those with creating bike lanes on the roads. The city bus/park and ride system recently was revamped... Houston Bike Plan: https://twitter.com/houstonbikeplan

They also keep lots of green areas/Texas plains untouched to allow for water to get soaked up instead of all going into the bayou... though we still need pervious surfaces in other spots ... not concrete everything... we have so many flooding issues because so many of us live off a water system. Would be great if they made a move towards permeable pavement in certain areas... and maybe they have I haven't checked. I live near the progressive side of town where they are doing all the environmental buildings, natural/sustainable shopping, etc... that's been expanding gradually..

They're also planning to build one of the shikansen style bullet trains (Japan style subway) in-between Houston and Dallas metros (3 hr drive @ 75mph). Though admittedly we are at an advantage to have room to grow (and SE is mainly super flat)... so I'm sure it helps cost and makes red tape less of an issue.

In Maryland where they are aggressively environment, they have a substantial charge on water bills to help protect the Chesapeake Bay (people need their crabs :laugh)... they had/have a rain tax that charged according to impervious surfaces (runoff) to counteract the affects on the bay... (not sure if it got appealed or not)

A stormwater management fee was established via House Bill 987 (April 2012) and signed into law by then-governor Martin O'Malley, affecting the largest urban jurisdictions in Maryland (nine counties and the City of Baltimore) in order to meet the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act as it concerns the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Tax Foundation states House Bill 987 "was passed in response to a decree by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally known as the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, which identified mandatory reductions in nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment that damage the Chesapeake Bay." This mandate from the EPA was mandated to the states of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Maryland is the only state that has levied a tax to meet the EPA’s standards.[2] According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the fastest-growing source of bay water pollution from Maryland is currently stormwater runoff.[3][4] This tax, of course, does not tax rain but has been implemented in varying ways at the county level, such as a flat fee per property owner, or based on impervious surface square footage.

The law specifies that accrued funds must be used for specified stormwater pollution-related purposes.[5]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_tax

In TX, we have water conservation, but instead of charging a set fee, if you go over a certain amount of water usage per month, they effectively double your bill in some places. I have to keep explaining this to my grandmother every time she runs the sprinklers why her bill jumps up by nearly $100

[Northern Monkey]

We need to find a way to stop cows from farting.Maybe plug their buttholes somehow.Cow farts are a danger to the atmosphere.