Is it the death knell for the combustion engine?

[Minisorella]

Yes Japanese cars are very popular in the states.
Must have been great living in DC.
We spent a week there and never got everything done.
I suppose that’s an excuse to go back.
The museums were fantastic and free (my favourite word being a scot )
Apart from the national geographic which was amazing.
We had booked a tour of the Whitehouse but they cancelled it the day before

We had 3 wonderful years in the US... loved every single moment. To be honest, I was reluctant to go - listened to too much of the anti- sort of hype beforehand! Once we were there, living in a normal family neighbourhood with the kids at school and all of us making friends, we all totally fell in love with the place and all the neighbourly, hospitable and supportive people we met. DC is still my favourite city in the world and I never tire of all the amazing things centred around the Mall - the many Smithsonian museums, the Capitol, all the stunning monuments and a walk around the tidal basin, which, in the Spring with all the hundreds of cherry trees in full bloom and forming overhead arches, has to be the prettiest place to walk that I've ever seen. We were lucky and did the White House tour, plus we were guests in the grounds when Maggie met Ronald... a dubious honour that horrified my Labour councillor sister but my late husband worked at the Embassy, so we got the odd bit of special treatment. I'd go back every year if I could but my daughter lives in Australia, so my loyalties lie there if and when I'm flush enough for a far-flung holiday. Australia is fabulous too... all the best bits of the UK and the US, without all the angst

 

[Minisorella]

Just like you rarely see 40 odd year old cars on the road over here, but it doesn't alter the fact more full size pickups are sold annually in the states than cars.

I can only relate what's seen in residential suburbia, where pickups never were and never will be the norm. It was always cars, 4x4s and people-movers.
If you think about the size of the country - with a landmass more or less equivalent to the size of Europe, with all the varying topography and geography that you'd find in Europe - it's not surprising at all that pickups out-sell any other vehicle. They're a necessary tool in the vast swathes of farming/agricultural country and always have been.

 

[runnach]

Minisorella when my parents retired spent a lot of time in the states ,they then visited my cousin who lives just outside Sydney......upon there return my dad said I don’t know what you two are playing at to me and my brother and the same words best of the us best of the uk = Australia ....how uncanny you mention it too

 

[Fisherman]

I can only relate what's seen in residential suburbia, where pickups never were and never will be the norm. It was always cars, 4x4s and people-movers.
If you think about the size of the country - with a landmass more or less equivalent to the size of Europe, with all the varying topography and geography that you'd find in Europe - it's not surprising at all that pickups out-sell any other vehicle. They're a necessary tool in the vast swathes of farming/agricultural country and always have been.

That‘s what I observed but I have only been in large cities throughout the US.

 

[Asterix]

It's good that we can debate climate change without it getting heated....

 

[Fisherman]

It's good that we can debate climate change without it getting heated....

Some old fossils need to chill out

 

[Fazerloz]

As you know, oil has numerous functions, ethylene is one by product, which is used to make plastics. Gas: Powers cars, heats our homes, cooking, then of course bottled gas for our MH's.

With the pressures on any government around the oil producing world, I doubt fields will close due to GW. Millions of people are employed within O&G industry, globally. what would all these men and women do????

I know globally oil fields will not close I just wondered what these SMPs moral stances would be if ever the time came that they had the say over what are now the UK fields.
As no doubt you know how a refinery works and the amount of different products that come from crude including medicines. I wonder how refineries will be powered heat wise for the distillation columns to work in the future if we are to stop burning oil. These never seem to get a mention. I suppose we will ship biomass half way around the world to fire the furnaces of a oil plant.
No doubt at the end of the day money will win out.
At times if i didn't know better I might think politicians didn't think any further ahead than the next self promotion opportunity.

 

[Fazerloz]

I was at a food recycling centre a few week back on business, this is where waste food basically ends up as organic fertiliser, which being the end product, is given away free to farmers for muck spreading.

Food in, goes through various processes, with methane being one by-product, methane is captured and stored in a huge dome-like gas holder. The methane then powers a huge genny that drives the whole business, excess produced power goes back into grid =££'s for company.

There is also rainwater harvesting, which includes UV filtration. All in all was an interesting visit to see how this particular company is self-sufficient for their energy needs. They also have plants dotted around UK, but of course, food waste is required.

As for politicians, most are only interested in an easy life paid by us hard workers, then, of course, there is their tidy pension fund to look forward to.

All very laudable as long as they are allowed to keep burning the methane in the future. Which i hope sense prevails.

 

[trevskoda]

Methane is many more time harmful to earth than the gas cars put out.

 

[Fazerloz]

Methane is many more time harmful to earth than the gas cars put out.

They are burning the methane which is basically natural gas, not venting it direct to atmosphere.

 

[Fazerloz]

All that money and technology will be ploughed pardon the pun into growing sea lettuce for when we are all forced to turn vegan as well.

 

[SimonM]

All that money and technology will be ploughed pardon the pun into growing sea lettuce for when we are all forced to turn vegan as well.

I’ll happily turn vegan Provided I can have the occasional lamb chop, or a sausage, or a nice bit of steak. With eggs, and a side order of chicken nuggets and...............

 

[SimonM]

Aha, methane! I could run my MH - just like old Jonesie’s van in Dad’s Army

 

[2cv]

Surprising conclusions in this article.

 

[trevskoda]

Aha, methane! I could run my MH - just like old Jonesie’s van in Dad’s Army

The extracting and compressing of methane is 40 the vol and on expence as electric used,so not clean by any standard.

 

[Andrew]

2 weeks, wow, the fastest I ever managed was a 9 week maternity hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Shame they weren't actually used when needed. Good PR though, which looks like the point https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ls-say-about-its-secretive-system#maincontent

 

[Andrew]

"Boris Johnson will say that the sale of new combustion engine cars and vans will end in 2035 rather than 2040."

Anyone who believes Johnson actually does what he promises is clearly very deluded, based on previous evidence. In this case he'll be out of office by then so it really doesn't matter what he promises. Good click bait though isn't it, which is probably the point.

 

[Andrew]

The real problem stems from the fact that our insignificant little planet on the edge of one of many solar systems is vastly overpopulated . We can all tread as lightly as you like but it aint going to make one jot of difference

That didn't make sense. If there are so many people then small personal improvements are multiplied up enormously. That's a reason to make the effort, not sit back and resign yourself to doom.

 

[Andrew]

Sure homebuilders will fit solar as soon as there is a market

Or as soon as we get a government that increases minimum housing standards rather than constantly decreasing them. And the usual house builder bleat that people buy what they build, so it must be what they want doesn't wash.. if they all build to minimum standard then there is no choice what people buy. Just compare the boring small utilitarian boxes built here with what you get for your same money in any other European country to see that this market isn't working.

 

[Andrew]

As electric come in fuel sales will drop garages will stop fuel and lpg sales prices will go thru the roof

LPG is another fossel fuel. Expect it to go too.