www.talkcyprus.org

[stavrizatz]

In 2006, 30 years after scientists started ringing bells about global warming, Cyprus shows few signs or even beginning to grapple with the scale of the global warming challenge. Greenhouse Gas Emissions are the main cause of climate change and Cyprus has one of the worst emission rates in the world. Cyprus has one of the highest level of car ownership in the world and public transport is almost unfound at the time that huge funds go for road transport.

In order to reduce our impact on the environment we can reduce consumption as well as use renewable energies – especially solar power. Furthermore we can improve our habits and find alternative methods that increase energy efficiency.

How can we make a difference:
- Invest in public transport and support the introduction of hybrid car that can save up to 40% energy.
- Introduce a 5-star energy efficient standards for houses and buildings.
- Develop a recycling system
- Develop a Solar power station or increase the use of solar energy in house holds
- Recycle water and rain water
- Education to reduce over-consumption

All these come with a degree of inconvenience, “an inconvenient truth” as the ex US vice president Al Gore sais.

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

[cannedmoose]

I'd add a couple of simple things that all of us can do now (and I already do)...

1. Invest in energy-saving bulbs
2. Turn off all electrical equipment at the plug (excluding things that must be on obviously, e.g. fridges ;)) Leaving equipment on standby uses massive amounts of energy AND costs you money.

[city]

stavrizatz wrote: All these come with a degree of inconvenience, “an inconvenient truth” as the ex US vice president Al Gore sais.

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

He did not only say this. Its how the movie he made is called and with which he is touring the world.
Has anyone seen it yet? I didn't have the time to go to the cinema :-(

[brother]

cannedmoose wrote: I'd add a couple of simple things that all of us can do now (and I already do)...

1. Invest in energy-saving bulbs
2. Turn off all electrical equipment at the plug (excluding things that must be on obviously, e.g. fridges ;)) Leaving equipment on standby uses massive amounts of energy AND costs you money.

I have been doing that for years too. :wink:

[stavrizatz]

That's good brother, stabdby energy uses approximately 10% of the total household use.

I hope also the government make some steps forward in reducing the impact of the environment because Cyprus is falling behing

[thebrix]

cannedmoose wrote: I'd add a couple of simple things that all of us can do now (and I already do)...

1. Invest in energy-saving bulbs
2. Turn off all electrical equipment at the plug (excluding things that must be on obviously, e.g. fridges ;)) Leaving equipment on standby uses massive amounts of energy AND costs you money.

The trouble is that, despite all the fuss about them, the energy saving by doing those is next to nothing. I wish I could remember the URL, but I put my "figures" into a carbon footprint calculator and the saving came to about 3% of the total possible!

The big ones, as I remember, were:

1. new condensing boiler (40%)

2. insulating internal walls (25%)

3. new fridge/freezer (12%)

1 and 3 were done recently; 2 is not really possible as the Victorians were ingenious designers (although a large flat, ours has remarkably few external walls), but we are about to insulate our ceilings.

The real surprise was 3. It turns out that fridges/freezers made before about 1998 are absolutely hopeless; ours was using about £120 of electricity a year. A new 2006 model (John Lewis) uses £13 (!) a year and will pay for itself in four years :shock: :shock: :shock:

All that said, it would be interesting for someone to come up with a "hot countries calculator" as 2 and probably 1 would be less important and other things more ...

[stavrizatz]

2 is also important in hot countries as insulation makes the house cooler and there is no need for airconditioning in the summer especially if the house is design in such a way, that a current is created that cools down the house.

[brother]

I have done 3-got a new fridge freezer 2 years ago, my loft is insulated already but the condensing boiler i have not got around to because they cost so much. :?

[stavrizatz]

I asked a friend of mine to join Unite Cyprus Platform and he said "why bother solve the Cyprus problem when the real problem threatening the world is the environmental problem!"

I didn't know what to say!

ps. A recent survey showed that significant changes in the world climate have been recorded and that action must be taken immediately.

Still I cannot see any action :(

[thebrix]

stavrizatz wrote: I asked a friend of mine to join Unite Cyprus Platform and he said "why bother solve the Cyprus problem when the real problem threatening the world is the environmental problem!"

I didn't know what to say!

ps. A recent survey showed that significant changes in the world climate have been recorded and that action must be taken immediately.

Still I cannot see any action :(

On the contrary, there was a London Climate Change Action Plan released today and it is far from being hot air ...

Love him or loathe him, it could never be said that Ken Livingstone does not lead; the targets are ambitious, to put it mildly. For example, moving 1/4 of London's electricity generation from the National Grid to local schemes in 18 years will be tough, especially as the current figure is probably about 0.0001% :)

[cypezokyli]

surprisingly theres also a response from the private sector, namely carmakers. who knows...perhaps with some succesful media and advertising campaign, being anti-climate change might even become "trendy" in the future...

Quote: Caught off guard by the success of Toyota's hybrid Prius model, German carmakers are racing to catch-up. DaimlerChrysler and GM announced plans on Monday to jointly produce hybrid technology for their cars and trucks.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1427912,00.html

at least in germany there was some discussion when a green MP proposed hybrid cars, and the rest where dissatisfied that she proposed for people to buy jaapanese instead of german cars.

[stavrizatz]

Cypez wrote:
Quote: at least in germany there was some discussion when a green MP proposed hybrid cars, and the rest where dissatisfied that she proposed for people to buy jaapanese instead of german cars.

You see, that is the problem - most countries (if not all) think about their personal benefits first.

[city]

cypezokyli wrote: .... at least in germany there was some discussion when a green MP proposed hybrid cars, and the rest where dissatisfied that she proposed for people to buy jaapanese instead of german cars.

its about f***** time that German car companies start really looking into this. They like slept for the last 20 years and didn't move one iota.
Diesel particulate filters could be in place for years, as they are in France!

Btw, Al Gores documentation won an Oscar as well. (well, Davis Guggenheim made the movie) http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/winners/10_doc_feature.html

Quote from Gores speech

Quote: My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act, that's a renewable resource. Let's renew it.

[cypezokyli]

Quote: Austrian Economics Minister Martin Bartenstein has criticised plans by EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas to buy an environmentally-friendly Japanese hybrid car.

Bartenstein said it was more important to protect the European car industry than to have an eco-friendly car, the Austrian Press Agency reported.

Dimas’s announcement to consider a green hybrid as his next official vehicle was “not adequate� and “not a good example,� Barteinstein said in Brussels.
http://www.neurope.eu/view_news.php?id=70802

Quote: EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas is risking offending European carmakers by apparently asking for a Japanese rather than a European car.

It is rumoured that the heretical Mr Dimas wants a green Toyota Prius to replace the gas-guzzling Mercedes he inherited from his predecessor.

The Greek commissioner is currently battling to impose tough CO2 emission limits on new cars sold in Europe.

A spokeswoman said he had asked for a car that was the greenest in its class.

Officials say there is no rule that says a European commissioner may not have a Japanese or other non-European car - but commission sources say they are rarely seen in the car park.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6321699.stm


:lol: :lol: :lol:

[city]

There you have it - nothing decent available from the European car makers. No wonder Dimas goes for a Toyota...