Electric cars, and the national grid!

[dave2010]

It's important also not to downplay the UK's contribution to the CO2 problem too much. China and the USA are the worst offenders, at the national level. Re per capita measures, I don't know what a precise figure for CO2 releases is by the UK, but if it's 1% then it's above average. A quick calculation suggests that the UK has 0.88% of the world's population.

Additionally, as has been noted, the UK and presumably other "advanced" countries have a lot of manufacturing done in Asia, so that we can sit back smugly, yet let the Asian countries do the dirty work, and then we buy the stuff they make - which as has also been mentioned - is then put into huge ships and sent around the world.

I think the notion that one container ship emits as much CO2 as the whole of the UK is an over exaggeration, but shipping insn't good. Cruise liners aren't good either, but many people seem to enjoy them. I have been on a few, but I can't say I'm a great fan of them. I'd probably rather drive round Europe in a van, but haven't done that for years.

[Pigmy Pony]

Probably oversimplifying and a bit naïve, but what if UK government used the money they would be spending on making us 'greener' to subsidise British manufacturing, to make us more competitive? Not so many container ships coming from China if we are able to say, "No thanks, I've made me own"

[struth]

Probably oversimplifying and a bit naïve, but what if UK government used the money they would be spending on making us 'greener' to subsidise British manufacturing, to make us more competitive? Not so many container ships coming from China if we are able to say, "No thanks, I've made me own"

problem lies in capitalism there.. The biggest improvement we as a species could make is to buy something and then keep it for 40 years(if poss) instead of continually buying new stuff. Of course we would need manufacturers to make things properly to last and not fall apart in x amount of time.

[Pigmy Pony]

Manufacturers, consumers, advertisers/style gurus, whatever - not sure who is the dog and who is the tail, but we as consumers need to be convinced that going back to repairable toasters is practical and cool. I'm all for it, we've built stuff that way before and we can do it again

[anthonyTD]

Manufacturers, consumers, advertisers/style gurus, whatever - not sure who is the dog and who is the tail, but we as consumers need to be convinced that going back to repairable toasters is practical and cool. I'm all for it, we've built stuff that way before and we can do it again

[Barry]

Manufacturers, consumers, advertisers/style gurus, whatever - not sure who is the dog and who is the tail, but we as consumers need to be convinced that going back to repairable toasters is practical and cool. I'm all for it, we've built stuff that way before and we can do it again

+1

[Marco]

problem lies in capitalism there.. The biggest improvement we as a species could make is to buy something and then keep it for 40 years(if poss)..

Exactly! Rather than stupidly (and blindly) following fashion, like hapless and brainwashed sheep! Our policy has always been to use something until it breaks and/or is no longer fit for purpose. Then, if it can't be fixed, try and replace it with something of equal quality (based on our principles of 'buy ONCE, but buy WELL'), and then do the same with that [ad infinitum]...

That's why we spent £40k on our new kitchen, and before that, £20k on our bathroom, as short of being maintained and kept clean, both will outlive us! That might seem like a lot of dosh, but how many times would the average female fashion victim (it's usually a woman) change 'her' kitchen and/or bathroom, or move house, and then do it all over again, in a lifetime - and at what cost...?

And that's always the focus when we take on a project with our house: do it RIGHT, once, and then live with it, rather than superficially, following the latest trends (read as fads) and changing things as often as your socks. One of the modern terms/buzz words I hate that you often see online is 'Trending Now', which I see simply as a signal to brainwash the easily led.

Oh and btw, you can still buy toasters that can be fixed [all products are hand-made in house from scratch, and therefore parts can be replaced], and which are also 100% British, from Dualit: https://www.dualit.com/products/classic-toasters

Beautiful stuff; we simply wouldn't use anything else!

Marco.

[Haselsh1]

I think we should go with hydrogen powered cars. They're bound to go down a bomb

[Haselsh1]

I'd love an electric powered motorbike if they're like those buggers in Tron.

[anthonyTD]

I'd love an electric powered motorbike if they're like those buggers in Tron.