An Inconvenient Truth

[gooseberry]

Just watched this documentary on global warming and highly recommend that everyone watches it.

More info on the documentary...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497116/
http://www.climatecrisis.net/

I believe it'll be released to cinemas here on Oct 26th

 

[VR Man]

Where can we buy this DVD in Singapore?

 

[gooseberry]

Where can we buy this DVD in Singapore?

Think the DVD won't be released until Nov 21.

 

[gooseberry]

This movie is out at cinemas here today. Do catch it if you get the chance to.

 

[toasty]

I just saw this movie last night. To those who don't know about it, it is kind of like a documentary on global warming. This movie was made to try to get people to change the way they live, and have a less adverse effect on the environment.

It's great that such movies are made and I hope that many people watch it and start to reduce the amount of CO2 that we as humanity produce. I am pessimistic, however, that we can actually overcome this problem of global warming, even if we all make changes in our lives. We can reduce the impact we have on the planet, but only up to a point.

Humanity needs to burn the fossil fuels just to get even the most basic of necessities, like the food we eat, or to move around. We can burn less of it, but we still need to burn it every day, and global warming tends to have a kind of snow-ball effect. The problem is that there are simply too many of us. Nonetheless, watching this movie and reducing the pollution each individual causes and amount of fossil fuel each individual burns, is still a good thing.

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

I just saw this movie last night. To those who don't know about it, it is kind of like a documentary on global warming. This movie was made to try to get people to change the way they live, and have a less adverse effect on the environment.

It's great that such movies are made and I hope that many people watch it and start to reduce the amount of CO2 that we as humanity produce. I am pessimistic, however, that we can actually overcome this problem of global warming, even if we all make changes in our lives. We can reduce the impact we have on the planet, but only up to a point.

Humanity needs to burn the fossil fuels just to get even the most basic of necessities, like the food we eat, or to move around. We can burn less of it, but we still need to burn it every day, and global warming tends to have a kind of snow-ball effect. The problem is that there are simply too many of us. Nonetheless, watching this movie and reducing the pollution each individual causes and amount of fossil fuel each individual burns, is still a good thing.

This message have been posted at the expense of a dinosaur (converted to fossil fuel)

joking! ;p

 

[Paul_Yeo]

bcos of recent haze?

 

[microcosm]

bcos of recent haze?

When I was back recently during those 100+ PSI days in Singapore, my comment to my friend who picked me up at the airport was "wow... fresh air"... and my friend looked at me with a stupefied look... "siao ah!" he said... and I replied... try Hong Kong/Beijing. The latter is severe...

While it is great to bring awareness about global warming and whatever yadda yadda... countries like China will not do anything about it until people drop like flies... but even then, to them it is good (population control). Money makes the world go round, even at the expense of stopping the world spinning eventually...

The hard truth mate.

 

[toasty]

When I was back recently during those 100+ PSI days in Singapore, my comment to my friend who picked me up at the airport was "wow... fresh air"... and my friend looked at me with a stupefied look... "siao ah!" he said... and I replied... try Hong Kong/Beijing. The latter is severe...

While it is great to bring awareness about global warming and whatever yadda yadda... countries like China will not do anything about it until people drop like flies... but even then, to them it is good (population control). Money makes the world go round, even at the expense of stopping the world spinning eventually...

The hard truth mate.

While it is true that there are others out there (like the govt of China you mentioned) who are not doing enough (anything?) to alleviate the problem, this does not mean that those of good conscience should not do anything either. Watching the video and making a change in the individual will benefit the world in a small way. Multiply by the number of people who watch and change, and you multiply the benefit.

In the movie, you see footage of Al Gore going to China to give his presentation and the Chinese are asking questions and are concerned about it. So he's doing his part to change the world, person by person.

It is benefiting the world. So it is good. My pessimistic view is, though, that it will not be good enough. But those who care about earth's welfare, should still make effort, IMO. My view does not lead to the conclusion that we shouldn't try. I still believe humanity should try to protect the world, even if I think the chance of a success is not very great, because the effort itself brings benefit, which is better than no effort. And also, my view may be wrong maybe we can succeed. So I commend Al Gore for his effort, and all those who make the effort to improve the world. Too bad Bush got elected instead of him.

 

[microcosm]

I live in China and I give you the harsh reality.

1,000 eco friendly people's effort does nothing to change the damage from 1 factory in China who pumps waste into the rivers. Most of the time, they nod and look interested when people from the west comes and make these presentations. Do you know where are the hardcore Chinese Greenpeace folks? In labour camps.

That is the sad truth.

That said, I myself do my part to save the planet by recycling and the usual stuff... but during factory visits, I am saddened by what I see happening. To be environment friendly in China means the factory has to pay more to get rid of their industrial wastes and do you think Chinese bosses will even bother? 1 out of 500 maybe.

This is probably why I am so cynical. My apologies.

 

[hongsien]

I live in China and I give you the harsh reality.

1,000 eco friendly people's effort does nothing to change the damage from 1 factory in China who pumps waste into the rivers. Most of the time, they nod and look interested when people from the west comes and make these presentations. Do you know where are the hardcore Chinese Greenpeace folks? In labour camps.

That is the sad truth.

That said, I myself do my part to save the planet by recycling and the usual stuff... but during factory visits, I am saddened by what I see happening. To be environment friendly in China means the factory has to pay more to get rid of their industrial wastes and do you think Chinese bosses will even bother? 1 out of 500 maybe.

This is probably why I am so cynical. My apologies.

Maybe it is time we as a consumer pay more for our products coming from China? And not let them work for peanuts, leading them to not care about these environmental things that cost money for the factory?

Hong Sien

 

[swampthing]

When I was back recently during those 100+ PSI days in Singapore, my comment to my friend who picked me up at the airport was "wow... fresh air"... and my friend looked at me with a stupefied look... "siao ah!" he said... and I replied... try Hong Kong/Beijing. The latter is severe...

While it is great to bring awareness about global warming and whatever yadda yadda... countries like China will not do anything about it until people drop like flies... but even then, to them it is good (population control). Money makes the world go round, even at the expense of stopping the world spinning eventually...

The hard truth mate.

Don't just look at China. US is one of the biggest culprits in terms of energy use. With an estimated 5% of the world's population the US uses 25% of the world's energy. If you've been to LA and seen the number of cars, you'll understand. The place has no reliable public transport system, unlike the Bay Area or New York.

One of the factors leading to global warming has been attributed to the air travel boom, with greenhouse gases released in high atmospheres.

 

[VR Man]

This is a good website on energy issues that I want to share http://www.energybulletin.net/

 

[centuryegg]

It is just pure economics.

Chinese provide cheap labour, cheap land, everything cheap. What is made for 1 dollar in China is sold for 500 dollars here. Company earns profit of 499 dollars (of course you must still deduct taxes, and other costs), who will care about what happens in China? Pollution? Pollute all you care... not my country. In Shanghai, the smog is so thick that I can't even see beyond 100 metres. In Beijing, a govt official told me massive jams of cars are a good thing, a sign of posperity.

And what someone said is right, the hardcore greenies in China are in labour camps for subversive activities.

To change it all? The west must first clean up their own backyard instead of coming and preaching and end of the day everything starts from the party that needs and wants cheap production.

 

[gooseberry]

I think with a problem this big, it's natural for people to feel that the problem is too big for them to do anything about it; it's also easy for people to say "there's no point in me doing anything, there are so many others who don't seem to be doing anything about it" - but of course if everyone thinks like that, nothing will ever be done.

As the documentary says, we as individuals can make a difference. We already have the knowledge and technologies to help us reduce our greenhouse emissions, we just need to choose to do something about it - we have the choice to change the things we use and the way we do things. We as individuals and as communities can make a difference, we just need to have a change in attitude.