Monday, September 28, 2009

Conclusion To This Section

This is not the end of my blog I intend to post current event articles in the future, however, it is the conclusion of this last couple of months series of posts.

In this blog I have tried to show you the reader that many of the things that you would have seen or heard about Climate Change and Global Warming in the media are not always as they first appear.

All seem to have quiet reasonable and feasible explanations that are of natural causation and have very little to do with rising levels of CO2. Especially those caused specifically by mankind.


I have shown you a disconnect between rising levels of CO2 and temperatures that stopped rising in 1998, and have been falling at various rates since about 2002. I have shown you evidence of where CO2 levels were much higher than today's levels both in the distant past and not so distant. I have shown you that temperatures have been both higher and lower that today’s and how there was seemingly no connection to CO2 levels during those times.

We have seen how politicised the IPCC has become in delivering its reports and recommendations and how claims of the worlds 2500 or 4000 leading climate scientists are in full consensus about Climate Change are not accurate. We have seen how many scientists challenge the very notion of consensus. We have seen how evidence that was previously accepted (such as the medieval warm period) was computer modelled out of existence by Dr.’s Mann, Bradley and Hughes by the infamous “Hockey Stick Graph” and how this was debunked by Steve McIntyre and Ross McKitrick and has since been removed from publication.

We have seen how scientists, politicians and the media constantly use alarmist language to promote the perception of Climate Change and Global Warming. We have seen how they and green activist groups or individuals have constantly tried to shut down any debate on the issue and how they have constantly tried to label and denigrate any scientific opinion that does not fit with their computer modelling and/or hidden agenda’s.

We have seen a undeniable pattern of behaviour from the Pro AGW scientists when talking about man made Climate Change and their more sceptical peers. They make statements like:

"But the science shows we are to a large part responsible for the climate changing." and "There's no uncertainty that it's happening nor that humans are responsible for the vast majority of it.”

Then they never offer any definitive proof to back those comments up. Also, when referring to the sceptical scientist instead of dismissing their argument with fact, they instead resort to tactics that try to make the person seem loopy or simply ignorant by making statements like:

"People are used to academics with all sorts of fancy-sounding titles coming out with views on whether we should have the MMR vaccine, or take Ecstasy, or go horse-riding. They are used to being sceptical and interrogating the facts.” or “..those who refuse to believe in human-induced climate change are like people who refuse to believe in the theory of evolution.” or "It has been massively damaging on a public and political level that the views of a small minority of ill-informed sceptics have been given virtually equal weight to the consensus of the scientific community by the majority of the mainstream media."

They try to denigrate the sceptic’s professionalism as a scientist with comments like:

"He has a scientific qualification. That's different from being a practising climate scientist."

When the person saying this might be a Biologist, or a Palaeontologist or some other climate unrelated field themselves. Often they are not a qualified climate scientist either. Yet they try and reinforce the message that only the pro climate scientists have any consensus with comments like:

it is "absolute nonsense" that the majority of professional scientists agree with (insert sceptical scientist name).

They actively use guilt as an emotional tool to reinforce their message, such as:

"We don't like to feel that it's our fault because we drive a car, or take a foreign holiday, or heat the house,"

And reinforce the message that sceptics and non-believers are merely taking the easy option with comments like:

“those who are sceptical are taking the easy option.” and "It would be nice to not have to feel that it was a personal responsibility and I'm sure that for someone who has worked in the oil and gas industry all his life, these sort of psychological pressures are greater."

Making sure to establish a link to “Big Oil.” Finally as some sort of “evidence” they will offer up no facts but a series of unsubstantiated scares with comments like:

...temperatures will rise by up to 6 deg during the 21st century, that sea levels will rise by up to 59cm and that there will be more frequent warm spells, heatwaves and heavy rainfall….there will be an increase in droughts, tropical cyclones and extreme high tides.

Time and again you will see that format repeated from the pro AGW scientists and their supporters in politics or the media. But as we have discovered it is often not what they tell you that is most interesting, but what they either leave out or ignore. Adjusting data to suit or in some cases just plain exaggerating to make their case. All the whilst trying to get you to not listen to the sceptics by the tactics I have just demonstrated.

As we have seen though many sceptics are nothing like how they are portrayed by the promoters of Climate Change and some elements of the media. We have seen how their opinions and scientific conclusion often dispel many of the mythologies promoted about global warming and Climate Change.

We have seen how the money and influence have favoured those that promote Global Warming and Climate Change. That donations and expectations from “Big Environment” and “government grants” are well in excess of the claims made by the promoters of Climate Change as the influence of “Big Oil” on the sceptics. We have also seen by comparison how low the levels of funding are towards the Sceptics. After repeated campaigns by activist environmental groups and the scientist that support them, have intimidated companies away from donating to their side of the debate.

We have also seen how some people and organisations who actively promote Climate Change are benefiting handsomely in financial and prestige terms by doing so, and how governments are now following suit with their emission trading schemes. Australia’s alone is estimated to reap the government an extra $11.8b in it’s first 12 months and a minimum of $12b every year after that. Money, which will prove very handy and very tempting for governments that are very cash strapped after the global financial meltdown and recouping the billions spent on stimulus packages.

In order to get the people to agree to be taxed without complaint a government must make its case. Therefore, they only quote scientists that promote their message, and either ignore or run down those that don’t comply either verbally or financially by removing their funding. They ignore any inconvenient reality, they exaggerate and hype any weather event as “proof” of their cause. They use weasel words to promote an ever more alarmist future if we don’t all submit to this new taxation. A taxation that will not lower the temperature by a single degree. It is only designed to make people more aware and to put a cost on the natural compound CO2. -
They have finally found a way to tax the very air we breath (out).

We have seen how many of the claims made in Al Gore’s 2006 movie “An Inconvenient Truth” do not hold up once they are scrutinised at the fundamental scientific level. Also we have seen much of the same results when other aspects of the Climate Change debate are examined against what is actually happening in the ‘real world’ instead of the world of ‘the computer model’. How much the scares and alarmism is based on ‘pure speculation’ and ‘junk science.’

We have seen how data is manipulated to fit to these computer models and how media reports are edited to portray the worst by either internal staff or by pressure exerted from external influence.

We have also looked at several proposed “cures” for the ailments of Anthropogenic Global Warming or Climate Change and how many of them are in fact are “cane toad” solutions. Where the cure may well end up being much more environmentally damaging to the ecology than the perceived problem.

All in all I have tried to be as comprehensive as space would allow. I have tried to reference every quote or finding and have deferred to the experts findings and explanations.

I have no doubt that this blog will be attacked by not only supporters of the environmental movement and any supporters of the Anthropogenic Global Warming faith as being biased. It is in as much as it has delivered the side of the story that is often not being heard through the mainstream media.

They may also claim it contains false and misleading information. They will do this primarily to try to distract from its contents. But as I stated in the introduction these are not my opinions they are those of the experts, I am but presenting them seeking to explain in a logical easy to read way what we might be witnessing in both our weather and our climate.

Whilst some will claim I am trying to influence peoples minds on this, it is not true I am simply presenting an alternate point of view.

I believe each individual once they have seen 'both sides' of the argument is capable of doing that for themselves.

I am, however, trying to encourage all who choose to read this to not just believe everything they are told by activists, government or “big environment” or “government grant” funded scientists looking for secure funding and a compliant media looking for a story.

I want you to look for yourself. Do your own research.To challenge what you are told and see if actually stacks up to the scare or hype you are being told.

To
“Get the facts, before they get the Tax”
, as it were.

As I believe that you, like I, will find in so many cases it does not and that we are so often simply being misled.

Thank you for your time and patience in reading this blog.

Please pass this URL on, so others may see what you have seen and learn what you have learned.


Together we might just uncover the real truth about Climate Change.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

A complete list of all things caused by global warming

This is just a fantastic list created by the number watch site in the U.K. of all things blamed on either causing or being caused by global warming, just to show how ridiculous the whole thing is:

A complete list of things caused by global warming:

Acne, agricultural land increase, Afghan poppies destroyed, poppies more potent, Africa devastated, Africa in conflict, African aid threatened, African summer frost, aggressive weeds, Air France crash, air pressure changes, airport malaria, Agulhas current, Alaska reshaped, moves, allergy season longer, alligators in the Thames, Alps melting, Amazon a desert, American dream end, amphibians breeding earlier (or not), anaphylactic reactions to bee stings, ancient forests dramatically changed, animals head for the hills, animals shrink, Antarctic grass flourishes, Antarctic ice grows, Antarctic ice shrinks, Antarctic sea life at risk, anxiety treatment, algal blooms, archaeological sites threatened, Arctic bogs melt, Arctic in bloom, Arctic ice free, Arctic ice melt faster, Arctic lakes disappear, Arctic tundra to burn, Arctic warming (not), Atlantic less salty, Atlantic more salty, atmospheric circulation modified, attack of the killer jellyfish, avalanches reduced, avalanches increased, Baghdad snow, Bahrain under water, bananas grow, barbarisation, beer better, beer shortage, beer worse, beetle infestation, bet for $10,000, big melt faster, billion dollar research projects, billion homeless, billions face risk, billions of deaths, bird distributions change, bird loss accelerating, bird strikes, bird visitors drop, birds confused, birds decline (Wales), birds driven north, birds face longer migrations, birds return early, birds shrink, bittern boom ends, blackbirds stop singing, blackbirds threatened, Black Hawk down, blood contaminated, blue mussels return, bluetongue, brain eating amoebae, brains shrink, bridge collapse (Minneapolis), Britain one big city, Britain Siberian, brothels struggle, brown Ireland, bubonic plague, budget increases, Buddhist temple threatened, building collapse, building season extension, bushfires, business opportunities, business risks, butterflies move north, carbon crimes, camel deaths, cancer deaths in England, cannibalism, caterpillar biomass shift, cave paintings threatened, childhood insomnia, Cholera, circumcision in decline, cirrus disappearance, civil unrest, cloud increase, coast beauty spots lost, cockroach migration, coffee threatened, coffee berry borer, cold climate creatures survive, cold spells (Australia), cold wave (India), computer models, conferences, conflict, conflict with Russia, consumers foot the bill, coral bleaching, coral fish suffer, coral reefs dying, coral reefs grow, coral reefs shrink , coral reefs twilight, cost of trillions, cougar attacks, crabgrass menace, cradle of civilisation threatened, creatures move uphill, crime increase, crocodile sex, crops devastated, crumbling roads, buildings and sewage systems, curriculum change, cyclones (Australia), danger to kid's health, Darfur, Dartford Warbler plague, deadly virus outbreaks, death rate increase (US), deaths to reach 6 million, Dengue hemorrhagic fever, depression, desert advance, desert retreat, destruction of the environment, dig sites threatened, disappearance of coastal cities, disasters, diseases move north, dog disease, Dolomites collapse, dozen deadly diseases - or not, drought, ducks and geese decline, dust bowl in the corn belt, early marriages, early spring, earlier pollen season, Earth axis tilt, Earth biodiversity crisis, Earth dying, Earth even hotter, Earth light dimming, Earth lopsided, Earth melting, Earth morbid fever, Earth on fast track, Earth past point of no return, Earth slowing down, Earth spins faster, Earth to explode, earth upside down, earthquakes, earthquakes redux, El Niño intensification, end of the world as we know it, erosion, emerging infections, encephalitis, English villages lost, equality threatened, Europe simultaneously baking and freezing, eutrophication, evolution accelerating, expansion of university climate groups, extinctions (human, civilisation, logic, Inuit, smallest butterfly, cod, ladybirds, pikas, polar bears, possums, walrus, toads, plants, salmon, trout, wild flowers, woodlice, a million species, half of all animal and plant species, mountain species, not polar bears, barrier reef, leaches, salamanders, tropical insects) experts muzzled, extreme changes to California, fading fall foliage, fainting, famine, farmers benefit, farmers go under, farm output boost, fashion disaster, fever, figurehead sacked, fir cone bonanza, fires fanned in Nepal, fish bigger, fish catches drop, fish downsize, fish catches rise, fish deaf, fish get lost, fish head north, fish shrinking, fish stocks at risk, fish stocks decline, five million illnesses, flames stoked, flesh eating disease, flood patterns change, floods, floods of beaches and cities, flood of migrants, flood preparation for crisis, flora dispersed, Florida economic decline, flowers in peril, food poisoning, food prices rise, food prices soar, food security threat (SA), football team migration, footpath erosion, forest decline, forest expansion, frog with extra heads, frostbite, frost damage increased, frosts, fungi fruitful, fungi invasion, games change, Garden of Eden wilts, geese decline in Hampshire, genetic diversity decline, gene pools slashed, giant oysters invade, giant pythons invade, giant squid migrate, gingerbread houses collapse, glacial earthquakes, glacial retreat, glacial growth, glacier grows (California), glacier wrapped, global cooling, global dimming, glowing clouds, golf course to drown, golf Masters wrecked, grandstanding, grasslands wetter, gravity shift, Great Barrier Reef 95% dead, Great Lakes drop, great tits cope, greening of the North, Grey whales lose weight, Gulf Stream failure, habitat loss, haggis threatened, Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, harmful algae, harvest increase, harvest shrinkage, hay fever epidemic, health affected, health of children harmed, health risks, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes (Australia), heat waves, hibernation affected, hibernation ends too soon, hibernation ends too late, HIV epidemic, homeless 50 million, hornets, high court debates, human development faces unprecedented reversal, human fertility reduced, human health risk, human race oblivion, hurricanes, hurricane reduction, hurricanes fewer, hurricanes not, hydropower problems, hyperthermia deaths, ice age, ice sheet growth, ice sheet shrinkage, icebergs, illness and death, inclement weather, India drowning, infrastructure failure (Canada), industry threatened, infectious diseases, inflation in China, insect explosion, insect invasion, insurance premium rises, Inuit displacement, Inuit poisoned, Inuit suing, invasion of cats, invasion of crabgrass, invasion of herons, invasion of jellyfish, invasion of king crabs, invasion of midges, island disappears, islands sinking, itchier poison ivy, jellyfish explosion, jets fall from sky, jet stream drifts north, Kew Gardens taxed, kidney stones, killer cornflakes, killing us, kitten boom, koalas under threat, krill decline, lake and stream productivity decline, lake empties, lake shrinking and growing, landslides, landslides of ice at 140 mph, large trees decline, lawsuits increase, lawsuit successful, lawyers' income increased (surprise surprise!), lawyers want more, legionnaires' surge, lives saved, Loch Ness monster dead, locust plagues suppressed, lush growth in rain forests, Malaria, mammoth dung melt, mango harvest fails, Maple production advanced, Maple syrup shortage, marine diseases, marine food chain decimated, Meaching (end of the world), Mediterranean rises, megacryometeors, Melanoma, Melanoma decline, methane emissions from plants, methane burps, methane runaway, melting permafrost, Middle Kingdom convulses, migration, migration difficult (birds), migratory birds huge losses, microbes to decompose soil carbon more rapidly, minorities hit, monkeys on the move, Mont Blanc grows, monuments imperiled, moose dying, more bad air days, more research needed, mortality increased, mountain (Everest) shrinking, mountaineers fears, mountains break up, mountains green and flowering, mountains taller, mortality lower, Myanmar cyclone, narwhals at risk, National Parks damaged, National security implications, native wildlife overwhelmed, natural disasters quadruple, new islands, next ice age, NFL threatened, Nile delta damaged, noctilucent clouds, no effect in India, Northwest Passage opened, nuclear plants bloom, oaks dying, oaks move north, ocean acidification, ocean acidification faster, ocean dead zones unleashed, ocean deserts expand, ocean waves speed up, oceans noisier, opera house to be destroyed, outdoor hockey threatened, ozone repair slowed, ozone rise, Pacific dead zone, penguin chicks frozen, penguin chicks smaller, personal carbon rationing, pest outbreaks, pests increase, phenology shifts, pines decline, plankton blooms, plankton destabilised, plants lose protein, plants march north, plants move uphill, polar bears aggressive, polar bears cannibalistic, polar bears deaf, polar bears drowning, polar tours scrapped, popcorn rise, porpoise astray, profits collapse, psychiatric illness, puffin decline, rabid bats, radars taken out, railroad tracks deformed, rainfall increase, rape wave, refugees, reindeer endangered, release of ancient frozen viruses, resorts disappear, rice threatened, rice yields crash, rift on Capitol Hill, rioting and nuclear war, river flow impacted, rivers raised, roads wear out, robins rampant, rocky peaks crack apart, roof of the world a desert, rooftop bars, Ross river disease, ruins ruined, Russia under pressure, salinity reduction, salinity increase, Salmonella, satellites accelerate, school closures, sea level rise, sea level rise faster, seals mating more, seismic activity, sewer bills rise, severe thunderstorms, sex change, sexual promiscuity, shark attacks, sharks booming, sharks moving north, sheep shrink, shop closures, short-nosed dogs endangered, shrinking ponds, shrinking sheep, shrinking shrine, Sidney Opera House wiped out, ski resorts threatened, skin cancer, slow death, smaller brains, smog, snowfall decrease, snowfall increase, snowfall heavy, snow thicker, soaring food prices, societal collapse, soil change, songbirds change eating habits, sour grapes, space problem, spectacular orchids, spiders getting bigger, spiders invade Scotland, squid aggressive giants, squid larger, squid population explosion, squid tamed, squirrels reproduce earlier, stick insects, stingray invasion, storms wetter, stormwater drains stressed, street crime to increase, subsidence, suicide, swordfish in the Baltic, Tabasco tragedy, taxes, tectonic plate movement, teenage drinking, terrorism, terrorists (India), threat to peace, ticks move northward (Sweden), tides rise, tigers eat people, tomatoes rot, tornado outbreak, tourism increase, toxic seaweed, trade barriers, trade winds weakened, traffic jams, transportation threatened, tree foliage increase (UK), tree growth slowed, trees in trouble, trees less colourful, trees more colourful, trees lush, tropics expansion, tropopause raised, truffle shortage, truffles down, tundra plant life boost, turtles crash, turtle feminised, turtles lay earlier, UFO sightings, UK coastal impact, UK Katrina, uprooted - 6 million, Vampire moths, Venice flooded, violin decline, volcanic eruptions, walrus pups orphaned, walrus stampede, war, war between US and Canada, wars over water, wars sparked, wars threaten billions, wasps, water bills double, water scarcity (20% of increase), water stress, weather out of its mind, weather patterns awry, Western aid cancelled out, West Nile fever, whale beachings, whales lose weight, whales move north, whales wiped out, wheat yields crushed in Australia, wildfires, wind shift, wind reduced, winds stronger, winds weaker, wine - Australian baked, wine - harm to Australian industry, wine industry damage (California), wine industry disaster (US), wine - more English, wine - England too hot, wine -German boon, wine - no more French , wine passé (Napa), wine - Scotland best, wine stronger, winters in Britain colder, winter in Britain dead, witchcraft executions, wolves eat more moose, wolves eat less, workers laid off, World at war, World War 4, World bankruptcy, World in crisis, World in flames, Yellow fever.

and all on 0.006 deg C per year!

The dead link collection

Africa hit hardest, allergies increase, anxiety, asthma, atmospheric defiance, bananas destroyed, blizzards, boredom, British gardens change, cardiac arrest, cataracts, challenges and opportunities, cloud stripping, cod go south, cold spells, cremation to end, damages equivalent to $200 billion, dermatitis, desert life threatened, diarrhoea, drowning people, Earth spinning out of control, Earth wobbling, extinctions (bats, pandas, pigmy possums, koalas, turtles, orang-utan, elephants, tigers, gorillas, whales, frogs, penguins,) god melts, Gore omnipresence, hazardous waste sites breached, human health improvement, ice shelf collapse, lightning related insurance claims, little response in the atmosphere, Lyme disease, malnutrition, marine dead zone, mental illness (Alberta), mountains melting, mudslides, oblivion, oyster diseases, ozone loss, plankton loss, plant viruses, polar bears starve, psychosocial disturbances, rainfall reduction, reindeer larger, riches, rivers dry up, rockfalls, salmon stronger, shrimp sex problems, snowfall reduction, tree beetle attacks, trees could return to Antarctic, tree growth increased, tsunamis, walrus displaced, water supply unreliability, weeds, white Christmas dream ends.

Total (dead and alive) 598 16th July 2008

Other “Green” Initiatives – Compact Florescent Light Globes - Part 4

In parts two and three on this section we have looked at the mercury issue with regard to CFL bulbs and the techniques for cleanup and disposal. In this next section we will examine the other issues that are caused by CFL bulbs.

FIRE RISK:

CFL’s installed in a dimmer are a risk because they don't work in dimmers, and can eventually catch fire. CFL’s could not be used in track, recessed or dimmer fixtures either as they are not designed for these fittings.

Now, even in ordinary light fittings, increasing numbers of people have discovered their CFL energy-saver bulbs smouldering or on fire.

But according to the experts, get used to it. That's exactly what CFLs are supposed to do when they reach the end of their tether, burn out in a pall of acrid plastic smoke and carcinogenic fumes.

The problem seems to be that 90% of the world's CFLs, including big name brands, are ultimately manufactured in China, where quality control has been somewhat of an issue across the board in recent years.

Ideally, CFLs should have some kind of sensor that detects overheating and blows an internal fuse before the lamp starts to melt or smoulder. Many, however, do not. Burnouts have been reported to the Energy Safety Service in Wellington already, along with reports of acrid smoke.

REDUCED LIFESPANS:

One of the biggest selling points for energy-saver bulbs has been the claim that they last far longer than incandescent bulbs. The average incandescent will last about a year (1,100 hours, being 365 days @ 3 hours a night). On the other hand, CFLs are claimed to last at least 6,000 hours, and some are claimed to last up to 12,000 hours (11 years).

This, claim manufacturers …, well and truly offsets higher cost of buying the bulbs. But a briefing paper prepared for the Australian government (New Zealand and Australia are implementing the switch to CFLs simultaneously with the same standards), reveals the Aussies are pitching a lifespan standard of only 2,000 hours. That's because most if not all the CFL bulbs are manufactured in China, where production standards vary considerably and what‘s
on the box doesn't necessarily equate to real performance.

Part of the problem, it turns out, is that the "lifespan" of a CFL bulb has been artificially measured. International standards currently require a manufacturer to run the bulb in three hour cycles in the lab, only switching it on at the beginning and off at the end. In other words, the bulb burns for three hours straight with no interference.

In the real world, things are very different. Many householders, particularly in these energy-conscious times, switch on and off lights frequently as they enter and leave rooms. Many modern CFLs are not built to withstand short switching cycles (although Ecobulb [Ecospiral in the USA] claims theirs are). One recent study shows the lifespan of a CFL can be shortened
by a massive 85% under normal domestic household use conditions. In other words, if the lab lifespan was 2,000 hours, you might get only 300 hours (four months) out of that CFL if you were unlucky.
A 6,000 hour bulb (five years) would give you only 12 months or so of light before dying unceremoniously.

The Australian Government, which is jointly introducing CFLs with NZ, acknowledges the problem.

"Frequent switching on and off will shorten the life of most CFLs. However, as an adjunct to the incandescent phase-out initiative, the Australian Government will introduce MEPS for CFLs that will include a basic standard for switching. This standard requires over 1000 switching cycles per 6000 hours of lamp life."

Before you get excited, however, that's a standard that only allows one switching cycle (on/off) during a six hour stretch.


Another key to the short life spans of many CFLs is that, despite what they promise on the box, they are not ideal for all light fittings, including some overhead lights.

Unlike a normal bulb, which screws into the ceiling and hangs down, CFL lights actually work best (and are lab tested this way) pointing up, not down. That's because the "ballast", the unit at the base of the light, contains complex electronic components that normal light bulbs don't have. When CFLs hang down, particularly the 100 watt equivalents or greater, the heat generated in the bulb travels back up to the base and slowly fries the electronics, bringing on early failure and/or physical burnout.


Another problem is that they get dimmer with time:

CFL technology, … shows the fluorescents start to lose power. Under the new standards being proposed for New Zealand lights next year, CFL bulbs will be required to still burn at 80% of their original brilliance once they reach 40% of their claimed lifespan. Overseas tests have revealed however that the CFLs can quite quickly slide after that, dropping to just 66% of their original brightness once they're past the halfway mark.

Then there's the cost associated with a short lifespan.

Figures from a Dutch study in 2001 suggest a CFL light bulb requires 1.7kW of energy to manufacture, compared with only 0.3kW to make an ordinary incandescent bulb. So a CFL is already nearly six times more expensive in turns of energy consumption to make. Nor did the study take account of the energy and carbon footprint generated by mining to obtain the
rare earth phosphors necessary for fluorescent tubes. And what about the cost of recycling the CFL lights?

Like New Zealand and Australia, the Labour Government in Britain is also pushing to ban ordinary light bulbs in favour of CFLs. Recognising the toxic waste problem, Britain is examining recycling schemes. The cost, however, is prohibitive. One environmental agency report suggests it could cost US$1,300 to recycle one wheelie-bin full of CFL light bulbs.


POWER DISRUPTIONS :

The problem centres around what is known as "harmonic distortion". Because of the way fluorescent lights operate – igniting a gas (rather than heating up a wire as electricity passes through as conventional bulbs do) – the new lamps place an uneven load on the electricity grid, setting up harmonic distortions in the power lines and power stations.

the widespread introduction of CFL lights could collapse the grid, causing power cuts and equipment failures.

The cheapest CFLs on the NZ market have what is called a "nominal power factor" (NPF) rating. They certainly deliver energy savings to consumers, and they can even outperform more expensive bulbs in other areas. But they're a power company's nightmare.

"The high harmonic currents inherent in nominal power factor bulbs pose a major primary risk to power distribution companies and system users in terms of a negative effect on power quality," PB Associates have advised the Electricity Commission.

"A New Zealand study," they continue, "aimed to estimate how many CFLs per household would cause the THD limit of 5% to be reached. The study results indicated that the THD…reached 5% at a load of…14 lamps per household."

In other words, making CFLs the mainstay in every house could certainly push the national grid to its limits.


So once again we have a “cane toad” solution to a problem that may no longer even exist.

Government’s are again ignoring the safety of their constituents to silence or placate a vocal “green” sector, who has used good propaganda to get these policies introduced. In turn potentially creating a major ticking environmental and health time bomb in the community. Not to mention the strain on already poorly maintained and aging electrical infrastructure.

Other “Green” Initiatives – Compact Florescent Light Globes - Part 3

In part two of this series we looked at the Mercury Hazard in CFL's. In this part we will examine the procedures for cleaning up a breakage and the procedures for disposal of CFL's when they have ended their life.

The US EPA has issued a series of instructions to do with the requirements of a cleanup should a Compact Florescent Bulb get broken. Here are their recommendations:

If a mercury bulb breaks in your house, it is now recommend opening windows immediately and evacuating the room behind closed doors for 15 minutes before attempting to clean up (if you leave it too long after that, however, the mercury can penetrate more of the surrounding area).

"In addition, data from this study suggest that venting should continue for several hours after a lamp cleanup to be conservative."

"Never wash clothing or other items that have come in direct contact with mercury in a washing machine, because mercury may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage. Clothing that has come into direct contact with mercury should be discarded"

If ‘direct contact’ happens, your clothes must be thrown out, in a sealed plastic bag, immediately.

"Never walk around if your shoes might be contaminated with mercury. Contaminated clothing can also spread mercury around"

"Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury." "The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure.”

It is recommended carpets exposed to a broken CFL bulb be ripped out , in order to protect the health of pregnant women, infants, children and the elderly or infirm:

"If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away"

Doesn't sound too "eco friendly" or "green" to me. More like Toxic waste.

Energy Mad, suppliers of Ecobulbs, recommend the following disposal options:

"If the bulb breaks – Air the house for about 10-15 minutes. Broken bulbs fragments should then be swept into a bag (don't vacuum) and taken to your local refuse station for recycling. Be sure to wear gloves to avoid being cut."

It is recommended that CFL bulbs are NOT used over carpeted areas, or where children play. Formally, the guidelines are that "homeowners consider not utilizing fluorescent lamps in situations where they could easily be broken, in bedrooms used by infants, small children or pregnant women, or over carpets in rooms frequented by infants, small children or
pregnant women.


"Repeated exposures would presumably increase the probability of untoward consequences. In addition, the relative risk of various exposure metrics is unknown: whether the greatest risk is posed by short-term higher level peak exposures or by the total area under the curve including higher and lower exposures."

To further muddy the waters, the scientists note that the mercury contamination was considerably worse – nearly double in fact – at summertime temperatures (32C) than winter (23C).

When it comes to disposal of the waste there is another problem:

…the most up to date safety study available says plastic bags are next to useless for containing a broken CFL bulb.

"Double re-sealable polyethylene bags…did not appear to retard the migration of mercury adequately to maintain room air concentrations below the MAAG

The best method of containing bulb waste is inside a glass jar with a hermetically sealed lid. Surprisingly, plastic jars, like large peanut butter containers with screw top lids were little better than plastic bags, also failing to prevent mercury vapour from leaking into the house. The scientific experiments proved that debris "sealed inside two polyethylene plastic bags and then placed in a clean room", sent atmospheric mercury levels up to more than three times the maximum allowable limit, for more than eight hours – the mercury vapour simply leached out of the bags into the air.

…The US scientists say it is possible that one single "spike" dose of mercury could be enough to damage a baby or a child's brain, even if there is no further ongoing exposure. With the experiments showing a 20 watt CFL (equivalent to 100 watts ordinary) bulb can produce a spike of 100,000 ng/m3 of air, 300 times the recommended allowable maximum, this could
be a major safety problem with making CFLs the light of choice when ordinary bulbs are banned.

Recognising the toxic waste problem, Britain is examining recycling schemes. The cost, however, is prohibitive. One environmental agency report suggests it could cost US$1,300 to recycle one wheelie-bin full of CFL light bulbs. It's a cost that will ultimately fall on ratepayers.

One of the arguments often cited in favour of energy-saver bulbs is that although they contain mercury, they cut the amount of mercury being emitted by power stations because of the electricity they save. This is certainly true of coal-fired stations, which do expel mercury into the air as part of the coal-burning process. It is not true of hydro, however, because
hydro-stations don't generate mercury.

Regardless, it is one thing to have mercury vapour spewing out of a funnel into the ventilated open air. It is entirely different, and somewhat personal, to bring mercury back into an enclosed household in circumstances where the risks of breakage are very high. The chances of your child suffering serious mercury contamination from a coal-fired power station 200 kilometres away is almost nil. The chance of a child breaking a light bulb during a pillow fight, or knocking a lamp over during other shenanigans is quite high. And the chances of mercury hanging around in the bedroom carpet to cause chronic exposure is extremely high.

Yet how widely is this being advertised by our authorities who introduced these bulbs to our homes and lives compulsorily? Very little it would seem.

The question must be asked, in the attempt to be seen to be green, are we in fact introducing the asbestos of the 21st century to our homes and lives? Remember it too was once marketed as harmless and with positive benefits.