Can private cars be justified any more?

Qualitymark

As the world lurches towards a new Ice Age caused by climate change, with the tipping point set just 20 years from now, can it any longer be justified for private individuals to recklessly use up our depleting sources of fossil fuel just to drag one person around in a single car?
Is it time for efficient, cheap, regular, well-regulated public transport now, worldwide?

catallus

There's plenty of oil left.

Mena

No, I'll keep my car thanks. You and the rest of the hippies can take the bus.

Sir Arthur Daley

Run them on farmers wine.

Chucken

What caused the last ice age?

The_Pretender

Qualitymark wrote: »

Is it time for efficient, cheap, regular, well-regulated public transport now, worldwide?

Yes. Let me know when it happens

wazky

Yes we should give up our sub two litre econoboxes as China builds another coal powered power plant today and the US horses yet more carbon dioxide into the air they we could ever imagine to do.

smash

Feck off!

Sir Arthur Daley

Chucken wrote: »

What caused the last ice age?

Lack of sun.

Hitchens

only on AH

porsche959

Qualitymark wrote: »

As the world lurches towards a new Ice Age caused by climate change, with the tipping point set just 20 years from now, can it any longer be justified for private individuals to recklessly use up our depleting sources of fossil fuel just to drag one person around in a single car?
Is it time for efficient, cheap, regular, well-regulated public transport now, worldwide?

New Ice Age, lol. I thought the mountains were going to melt into the sea with the heat. Are the greenies every going to make up their minds?

SCOOP 64

Yes to first question
No to second

Shiraz 4.99

Looky here boys, we have ourselves one of those hippy liberals . . . do you know what we do with hippy liberals around here.
Listen to their arguments & reason with them rationally, but this fell comes across more as a Chicken Little type, I'd wait to see if he comes back before engaging.

Guy:Incognito

Chucken wrote: »

What caused the last ice age?

Formula 1.

It was much bigger then.

Sh1tbag OToole

The tipping point is supposed to be 20 years from now, 20 years ago, or tomorrow depending on which type of alarmist you listen to. I reckon we will just run out of oil and that will be the end of it. If we banned cars in Ireland it would just make petrol 0.01c/l cheaper in China

Industry and uses far more oil than private cars (worldwide - we ship a lot of our pollution to China). Maybe we should all start living in off the grid cottages, give up our obsession with consumer goods and keep our cars.

Shiraz 4.99

Looky here boys, we have ourselves one of those hippy liberals . . . do you know what we do with hippy liberals around here.
Listen to their arguments & reason with them rationally, but this fell comes across more as a Chicken Little type, I'd wait to see if he comes back before engaging.

The Backwards Man

I'm all for the banning of private cars off the road, they are the bane of every professional who has to use the roads to make a living.

kneemos

Ice age? What happened to global warming?

Qualitymark

kneemos wrote: »

Ice age? What happened to global warming?

Here you go:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2003/nov/13/comment.research

Sh1tbag OToole

kneemos wrote: »

Ice age? What happened to global warming?

Could you imagine it, if we were heading towards a massive ice age and also running out of fuel at the same time. People don't know how good they have it with global warming

kneemos

Poll is biased too by the way.
Is it normal for climate change enthusiasts to present their findings from biased data?

Qualitymark

kneemos wrote: »

Poll is biased too by the way.
Is it normal for climate change enthusiasts to present their findings from biased data?

It's an open forum, if you don't like the wording, stick up your own poll.

Manach

Perhaps before we devolve ourselves into the steam age, it would be handy to compare the carbon footprint of say China and the lack of political will for them to sign up for any of the industrial limiting treaties that has hampered EU's industrial base.

endacl

Chucken wrote: »

What caused the last ice age?

Dinosaur farts.

catallus

Qualitymark wrote: »

It's an open forum, if you don't like the wording, stick up your own poll.

But the wording is contributing to an untruthfully biased worldview.

Global Warming is a hoax.

Qualitymark

Manach wrote: »

Perhaps before we devolve ourselves into the steam age, it would be handy to compare the carbon footprint of say China and the lack of political will for them to sign up for any of the industrial limiting treaties that has hampered EU's industrial base.

But isn't that a bit of "Look at the bad boys over there" thinking?

NIMAN

I find it strange that the power of vacuum cleaners is being curbed to save energy, yet they continue to let car manufacturers make cars with massive engines.

porsche959

I remember Clarkson in his younger, less PC days (no, seriously, he used to be much more extreme) advocating that all London buses should be burned and their drivers imprisoned.

I think the green movement has it's own fanatical corollary to Clarkson with their demands that cars be banned.

Chucken

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I'm all for the banning of private cars off the road, they are the bane of every professional who has to use the roads to make a living.

Right I'll make a start. It's teaming outside and I need a few bits from the shop. Will you pop down and drive me? Please

kneemos

Qualitymark wrote: »

It's an open forum, if you don't like the wording, stick up your own poll.

OK.

Cool down.

magick

"People need cars more than we need climate safety"

Thats not a loaded poll question at all!

Tail Docker

I for one just released some methane with the excitement of our impending doom. Yawn. Been listening to this "the end is nigh" shyte since I was old enough to listen. I'm keeping my car. Jog on.

Chucken

Chucken wrote: »

What caused the last ice age?

People equate climate change with global warming.

Climate change is perfectly normal in the lifespan of the Earth, Global warming is the man-made aspect of climate change which tips the balance between what the atmosphere can cope with and what it can't. People are apparently responsible for a small % of carbon emissions, but it's that 6 or 7% that tips the whole balance.

Regardless, if someone tried to take my car off me I'd put a hit on them. I love my car. They'd have to prise the steering wheel from my cold, dead, hands.

Red Nissan

Chucken wrote: »

What caused the last ice age?

Pollution from a race of men far more advanced than us while we were still walking out of Africa, the bleeding cold nearly killed us all off almost before we got started, but also luckily for us, it killed of or forced the more advanced man to emigrate to space somewhere so we arose as the dominant human species afterwards.

Now it may be our turn to allow the next species of man or animal to have a chance, we can't keep the bleein thing for ever you know, we, as man are only quests and there was plenty of diverse life before we arrived and man did arrive out of catastrophe that killed off the dominant lifeforms allowing us a chance.

The Backwards Man

Chucken wrote: »

Right I'll make a start. It's teaming outside and I need a few bits from the shop. Will you pop down and drive me? Please

Is there no pensioner's bus down there to take you on a weekly shop?


:pac:

ShadowHearth

Aren't cows making more air pollution then cars?
It's just easier to tax and blame cars then a heard of cows.

foggy_lad

Feck off ye scabby auld crusties!

Qualitymark

kneemos wrote: »

OK.

Cool down.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude, was just pointing out that anyone can put up a poll here.

Chucken

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Is there no pensioner's bus down there to take you on a weekly shop?


:pac:

It wouldn't be too hard to find you boyo :mad:

Qualitymark

Candie wrote: »

They'd have to prise the steering wheel from my cold, dead, hands.

*Very* cold, and probably very dead, if the climate scientists' projections are right

kneemos

Shams wrote: »

"People need cars more than we need climate safety"

Thats not a loaded poll question at all!

There's an unnecessary emotive aspect to it.

Chucken

I don't even own a car. I'm obviously a saint

ScumLord

The good news is that once the next generation of batteries come out electric cars will destroy combustion engined cars.

Rogaine2

I've just climbed a tree and I am staying here for the night. Saving something.

Me hole.

Atlantic Dawn

What about the winter of 2010, this was the coldest in decades and against any of the warming theory? Ireland should encourage global warming to reduce heating prices in the future, save us money in not having to travel abroad for sunshine and allow us to grow decent crops like grapes to make wine.

the_syco

Qualitymark wrote: »

Is it time for efficient, cheap, regular, well-regulated public transport now, worldwide?

When public transport strikes, you still have to goto work. Also, public transport in anywhere but the major cities is useless, and even then, it can still be useless.

Also, should climate cause outages, you need your own transport to get to shops.

Simonigs1.0

I can justify mine. I liked it, I could afford it, so I bought it.

Pwindedd

I think the next level of transportation needs to be attained. But unfortunately the motor industry, whilst it makes all the right noises about fuel efficiency and alternative fuels, are just making too much money to change right now.

I don't really need a car, what I need is a reliable cheap way of getting from home to work - approx 4 miles - in under half an hour.

I tried cycling before, it's Just not worth the hassle of showering at work, changing, inclement weather, I had a bike stolen and it was pretty terrifying on a daily basis.

It's 2 buses and a long walk - would take an hour some days.

What I need is a hoverboard !

Reindeer

Shut up and drive.

The Backwards Man

Climate safety is a bit of a misnomer. The temperature of the earth was up and down like a yoyo before humans came along. We came along and it more or less has settled down since. We saved the day.

All the polar bears and elephants and boa constrictors and sequoia tress would have been extinct years ago and replaced by god knows what hideous monstrosities if it wasn't for us

I'm not worried about global warming. I'm worried about a big-ass asteroid wiping us all out like the dinosaurs. I'm amazed we've lasted this long.