LordsFire
Internet Wizard
Huh. That's a weird one; not sure if there's anywhere this is an observed problem outside of a lab though?
Conservatism and the Environment
- Thread starter Bacle
- Start date
Huh. That's a weird one; not sure if there's anywhere this is an observed problem outside of a lab though?
No, bio-accumulation is a serious issue that affects a lot of ecosystems, and is a real bitch to handle because removing those chems from the environment is no simple task.
There are always trace amounts of stuff like anti-depressants, hormones, and other pharma products that linger in human waste and industrial discharge.
Some of those compound take a long time to naturally break down, and start accumulation in different animal and plant species when they enter the waterways/oceans.
Remember when Alex Jones talked about how chemicals were turning frogs gay? He wasn't lying, and was addressing this issue in his own fashion, completely separate from green groups.
One example in the US is how we stopped using DDT partly because it was found to be seriously hurting the ability of prey birds to successfully brood, because it made the egg shells thinner than normal. Including the Bald Eagle, which was endangered in the Lower 48 for a while (Alaska's pop hadn't been exposed to near as much DDT and remained healthy).
Here are a few links on the issue of bio-accumulation:
Antidepressants in Waterways Can Change Animals' Behavior | Health And Medicine
Prescription drugs in waterways may be altering the behavior of aquatic animals, according to a study published this week in the journal Ecosphere. | Health And Medicine
Contaminants and Environmental Pathways | U.S. Geological Survey
Living things are intricately connected to each other and to the air, water, and soil that surrounds them. Our research looks at how contaminants move through the environment and living things to understand the chemical and physiological processes and ecological factors that influence exposure...
Bioaccumulation of DDT pesticide in cultured Asian seabass following dietary exposure - PubMed
Bioaccumulation and metabolism of p,p'-DDT was studied in the marine carnivorous fish Lates calcarifer, Asian seabass, in a controlled aquaculture experiment. Over a 42-d period, seabass were fed pellets dosed with p,p'-DDT at environmentally realistic levels. Virtually all p,p'-DDT in pellets...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This issue is part of why the environmentalists are renewing the push for chem-free farming, to reduce the amount of at least ag pollutants that are bio-accumulating.
Chem-free farming and this issue are probably one where I think the Left and Right can likely agree; both prefer more 'natural' methods of farming, when possible. However Big Pharma very much dislikes when people pay attention to this subject, because it is an issue they are worried both sides could agree on.
Chuck Norris did an... interesting commercial for the Norwiegian Energy Company Aker ASA pertaining to the latters carbon capture and renewable energy technologies.
The Governors of five Midwestern states, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, have launched a bipartisan initiative to build and expand a network of electric vehicle charging stations in something called the REV Midwest Agreement.
www.npr.org
5 Midwestern governors agree to create a network to charge electric vehicles
The bipartisan plan will help the Midwest "lead on electric vehicle adoption, reduce carbon emissions, spur innovation, and create good-paying jobs," says Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
www.npr.org
Not a huge surprise, lots of places are adding EV charging stations to thier parking lots, even in podunk towns in the middle of nowhere.
A lot of times it's just a charging station in a Walgreens parking lot, or on the side of a gas station.
A lot of times it's just a charging station in a Walgreens parking lot, or on the side of a gas station.
LordsFire
Internet Wizard
Eh, I don't particularly mind. It might end up as wasted money, but they're not trying to force anyone to do anything, so even if it does end up as a waste, this wouldn't even rise to the level of 'minor nuisance.'
If this was what leftists focused on, we'd be in a much happier place than we are right now.
If this was what leftists focused on, we'd be in a much happier place than we are right now.
Bigking321
Well-known member
Now we just need nuclear plants to power them.
Oh wait, we can't have those.
Oh wait, we can't have those.
If we could get fusion to work then the last major complaints go by by, the problem is getting fusion to work.
They broke the 70% return in energy level earlier this year, and some of the new designs seem to have fixed a few of the old issues with chamber wall integrity and mag field confinement.
I think fusion can be made to be energy positive, but the engineering needed to get to that point is going to require decades of fine tuning and new design ideas/materials.
Navarro
Well-known member
Some greens have been ranting about how we need to stop fusion being developed because it represents a clean source of abundant energy.
bintananth
behind a desk
Nuclear fission is one of the cleanest sources of energy we've got but we can't have that because radioactive waste is scary and when someone screws up or a natural disaster hits things like Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island happen.
The least environmentally damaging I can think of are geothermal, hydroelectric which diverts flow from a waterfall, and a waterwheel turned by a flowing river.
Other forms of hydroelectric mess up waterways and watersheds. Wind is notorious for killing birds because they can't see the turbine blades until it's too late. Solar, in the places where solar is most efficient, has a bad habit of roasting wildlife like an ant spotted by a child with a magnifying glass on a sunny day. The kinds of large-scale solar which don't do that use materials which are not environmentally friendly to produce or dispose of when they wear out.
With hydrocarbons and biofuels it doesn't really matter which one you use because the exhaust is CO2 + H2O + plus whatever noxious pollutants came along for the ride you either couldn't get rid of or didn't bother getting rid of.
Society shouldn't be run on their whims
Bigking321
Well-known member
Modern designs pretty much eliminate any actual risk of meltdown and there are plenty of safe ways to recycle or eliminate waste without any issues at all.
Any current resistance to nuclear power is based on outdated inaccurate information or deliberate propaganda against it.
The most recent disaster was because (as I recall) they exactly copied a plant designed for a completely different geological location and didn't update it to account for local issues like tsunamis. They had safety updates designed but they were never implemented so critical infrastructure was underwater at a very bad time. A properly designed plant wouldn't have had any problems at all.
sander093
Well-known member
I always get a giggle at people lumping in Three Mile Island with the 'big' nuclear disasters, the only casualty of that event was the reactor itself which was a write off.
Bigking321
Well-known member
Well there are only 3 to choose from as far as nuclear plant failures go. (I think.)
I believe there are more if you include mobile power plants like for subs and such. K-19 being the most famous of those.
I believe there are more if you include mobile power plants like for subs and such. K-19 being the most famous of those.
bintananth
behind a desk
On the INES scale of severity Three Mile Island is tied for third while Fukushima is all by it's lonesome down in fifth place.
The dubious honor of #1 goes to Chernobyl and the other two in the top five took place in 1957 back when "how to nuclear powerplant" was "I don't know, we're just guessing".
Nuclear power plant accidents: listed and ranked since 1952
How many nuclear power plants have had accidents and incidents? Get the full list and find out how they're ranked
www.theguardian.com
LordsFire
Internet Wizard
On the INES scale of severity Three Mile Island is tied for third while Fukushima is all by it's lonesome down in fifth place.
The dubious honor of #1 goes to Chernobyl and the other two in the top five took place in 1957 back when "how to nuclear powerplant" was "I don't know, we're just guessing".
Nuclear power plant accidents: listed and ranked since 1952
How many nuclear power plants have had accidents and incidents? Get the full list and find out how they're ranked
How many people died or had their lifespan seriously reduced by Three Mile Island?
bintananth
behind a desk
Not many because it was wisely located several miles away from the nearest town instead of being placed in one.