What About China?

Qu: Is climate change really our fault?

Bethan — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:46:22 +0000

Qu: Why are humans to blame for climate change? Every now and then I allow myself the luxury of believing one of those guilt-relieving theories that humans are not responsible for the rate at which the Earth’s climate is changing. There is no correlation between the increase in our GHG (green house gas) emissions and the [...]

Qu: Tyre dust – the new threat on our roads

Bethan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:44:29 +0000

QU: Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of car tyres are worn down on roads every year. What effect do the tons of rubber dust have on the Earth and on us? Everyone knows that cars are bad for the environment – of course they are – we love to bemoan the rate at which they [...]

Qu: How bad are bbqs?

Bethan — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:26:39 +0000

QU: What are the environmental impacts of the many BBQ’s held throughout the summer? Summer? What summer? Thank goodness that autumn has arrived and we no longer have to live with the disappointment of grey and drizzling days. Roll on frosty mornings and ripening orchards… Sorry, I digress, despite the highest rainfall since records began this [...]

Qu: Can we make our rubbish into fuel?

Bethan — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:50:43 +0000

Qu: Would it be possible to put waste, i.e. bio-degradable rubbish and sewage into an air-tight container, let it produce methane gas, siphon it off to cook with and power gas-fired central heating, filter off the water, and be left with compost to put on gardens? Yes – very possible, in fact it’s already being done. [...]

Qu: Cigarettes: the environmental impact…

Bethan — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:00:57 +0000

Qu: Having read your answer on the effect of patio heaters (last bastion of the smoker) on global warming I wondered what the effect of the 6 billion cigarettes smoked annually around the world has on the global environment? Oh dear, this answer sure ‘ain’t pretty. Now I’m really going to have to disown all my [...]

Qu: Are energy-saving bulbs the brightest idea?

Bethan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:55:29 +0000

Qu: What’s your stance on energy saving light bulbs? I’ve heard several reports that they contain mercury and can be dangerous. The media had a field day at the end of last year with some serious scaremongering regarding the dangers of energy-saving bulbs (CFL’s). It all began when The Daily Mail picked up on a report [...]

Waste not want not…

Bethan — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:08:40 +0000

One of the key issues at the recent G8 summit was the global increase in the cost of food. As discussed previously, the rising price of staple foods has been linked to the increased cost of oil, which has caused land previously used for food crops to be turned over to crops for bio-fuels. At the [...]

Qu: What about population increase?

Bethan — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:09:44 +0000

Qu: To what extent will reductions in carbon emissions in the UK as a result of greener cleaner technologies be compromised by predicted world population growth of (according to a study by the U.N) a further 2.5 billion souls by the 2050? Good question, and one that seems to be ignored in the general media hype [...]

Question: A drop in the ocean?

Bethan — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:04:27 +0000

Qu: If turning off appliances, recycling etc. are just a drop in the ocean; is there any point doing them at all? With all the media hype, the threat of peak oil and messages of impending catastrophe for the planet, I don’t blame you for feeling over faced. Ultimately global change will happen quickest if instigated [...]

Question: are patio heaters evil?

Bethan — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:58:14 +0000

Qu: I’ve heard that patio heaters are worse than trans-Atlantic flight for carbon emissions. Can this be true? Hmmm… I’ve heard this one before, it’s the kind of gloomy end-of-the-world rumour that people like to pontificate as they light up outside the pub under one of the offending appliances! Patio heaters are obviously so wasteful, in that [...]