Wired: What it means to be green

[arsenal]

http://www.wired.com/science/planete...heresies_intro

Winning the war on global warming requires slaughtering some of environmentalism's sacred cows. We can afford to ignore neither the carbon-free electricity supplied by nuclear energy nor the transformational potential of genetic engineering. We need to take advantage of the energy efficiencies offered by urban density. We must accept that the world's fastest-growing economies won't forgo a higher standard of living in the name of climate science — and that, on the way up, countries like India and China might actually help devise the solutions the planet so desperately needs.

All in all, it's a pretty good read. It breaks down the 10 recommendations further (just have to click the links on the right hand side).

A lot of suggestions would be out right refuted by a lot of environmentalists, but if you look at the whole picture, and not just the one part you are changing, I think they make a lot of sense.

Edit: Title is supposed to be Wired, not Wire. Could mod change it please and thanks.

[RougeUnderoos]

The edge-city upshot is a national cadre of 3.5 million "extreme commuters," who spend more than three hours a day in transit, many of them spewing carbon dioxide between exurb home and city office.

How can anyone live like that? That's like driving to Edmonton every single day. You have to go to work to pay for the gas you use to get to work.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

The edge-city upshot is a national cadre of 3.5 million "extreme commuters," who spend more than three hours a day in transit, many of them spewing carbon dioxide between exurb home and city office.

How can anyone live like that? That's like driving to Edmonton every single day. You have to go to work to pay for the gas you use to get to work.

I knew someone who lived in Canmore and worked in Calgary for a couple years. I think that must have totalled at least 3 hours a day. Winter must have been loads of fun...

[gottabekd]

I love it, some great points in the article. I especially liked the information about old-growth forests. I know from a biological diversity standpoint, they are valuable. But never thought of the fact that whatever carbon they absorb is released sooner or later.

[onetwo_threefour]

For a few years in my teens (late 80's very early 90's) my dad worked in North Toronto and we lived in Brantford. He had to commute more than 3h a day back then, because even then it was just too damned expensive to live much closer to the Big Smoke. That problem has only gotten worse. Once you factor in property values and property taxes, people se it as a savings rather than a financial hit to live so far out.

[photon]

One of the people in my office lives in Canmore and commutes.. I thought Airdrie was bad

Good link thanks. I agree with most of it, too often solutions are taken as isolated and the big picture isn't considered, and nuclear is discounted too quickly.