I don't know if you noticed, but I wrote in my journal about George Monbiot just last night ( see here), after reading an article about him in the Sunday Herald yesterday (which was really just a promo for his book). I haven't read the book yet, but there's a link in my journal-entry to the associated web-site, which is very interesting
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Hmm, I will have to look into this book further, though a review I have read of the book points out Monbiot, for all his ideals still misses some rather important points.
One noteable issue he fails to address, an issue that was raised in an interesting documentary last year, is that of global dimming. For example, ironically, if you cut back drastically on airline flights as he suggests ( one of the most heavily touted villans by environmentalists, despite the fact air traffic is not one of the major CO2 emitters ) without adressing the much greater contributors to the rising CO2 levels, it is likely that the rate of global warming would increase, not decrease ! Principally because air traffic is responsible in part for the increase in aerosols in the upper atmosphere which reflect back radiation from the sun, thus leading to a cooling effect on the planet.
Yep and it was interesting to note that the first empirical evidence for global dimming came just post Sept 11 2001 when many flights were grounded as a result of that attack.
OF course, contrails are not the only contibutors to global dimming. Industrial pollutants also ad their fair share, so on the one hand industry emits CO2, on the other, it emits pollutants which lead to cooling ( especially in the Northen, industralised hemisphere ) but its by no means benign in its counter effect.
Personally though we can only do small things to reduce CO2, the vast majority of reductions can only be made by industry and government policy, switching from driving a car or motor bike to riding a bicycle will not save the planet sadly.
Re your last point, I already catch public transport, shop at local organic markets, recycle everything I can't reuse and I compost. I understand that this is not enough and that if these ideas are going to be effective, huge amounts of the population need to do them. As you said, industry and government policy needs to be changed and it is for that reason that I am running in State and Local Council elections as a Greens candidate. I know that not everyone can run for office but there are plenty of NGOs as well as poltical parties that people can get involved in.
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One noteable issue he fails to address, an issue that was raised in an interesting documentary last year, is that of global dimming. For example, ironically, if you cut back drastically on airline flights as he suggests ( one of the most heavily touted villans by environmentalists, despite the fact air traffic is not one of the major CO2 emitters ) without adressing the much greater contributors to the rising CO2 levels, it is likely that the rate of global warming would increase, not decrease ! Principally because air traffic is responsible in part for the increase in aerosols in the upper atmosphere which reflect back radiation from the sun, thus leading to a cooling effect on the planet.
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Pipistrelle, if not household recycling and planting trees, what can we do to reduce personal CO2 emissions?
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OF course, contrails are not the only contibutors to global dimming. Industrial pollutants also ad their fair share, so on the one hand industry emits CO2, on the other, it emits pollutants which lead to cooling ( especially in the Northen, industralised hemisphere ) but its by no means benign in its counter effect.
Personally though we can only do small things to reduce CO2, the vast majority of reductions can only be made by industry and government policy, switching from driving a car or motor bike to riding a bicycle will not save the planet sadly.
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