What is it with America and global warming?

Question

In Ireland we are really starting to think about global warming and turning to renewable forms of energy e.g rape seed oil

But i've heard that most Americans don't even separate their rubbish.

Is this true???

Whats with that?

Answer 1

Some areas do and don't have that option without doing it themselves.I live in a small town and have are recyclables picked up curbside. My in-laws live in a 100,000+ city and don't have this service available. (sure makes sense to me) renewals are expensive but if you can afford it you should. I don't have 30,000+ for a solar system, But i did find this. I'll be renting my panels for what my average electric bill is. I should get my panels next year. It's only in the US now. here is the site in the source box. Sorry for getting off track, It seems that most people don't give the little things that they could do with no real inconvenience the proper attention. And that's everywhere to much that won't hurt or help. That's true but everything has to start somewhere. Not trying to preach.

Answer 2

Many Americans, even if they did separate their garbage, wouldn't be able to recycle it without driving long distances to a recycling center.    It's not on the top of the list in ways for our local governments to spend their money in rural regions, which is most of the country.    Take into acct. the sheer size of America and our 7% (if we actually do that amount) would be much more than your reducing CO2 emissions by 100%.    Again, the size of our country is a problem for renewables.   We could power the country with wind if a few of the mid western states put up enough windmills, but there is no reasonable way to get all that power throughout the country.   Too much would be lost in transmission over such long distances to make it practical.   Not to say we couldn't do much better making power for those central states, but...

Answer 3

Worse than that, there are many blocks of flats (apartment buildings) and office buildings in the USA and Canada that are centrally heated. In order to ensure that all flats meet the minimum legal temperatures, landlords have to overcompensate meaning many units are so hot that the occupants keep the windows open even when it is sub-zero outside... terrible waste.

But why, you ask?

Despite most other countries doing their part as you rightly point out, the USA has always taken an isolationist, unilateral approach to international issues, whether this be for military intervention, banning torture, international courts, trade agreements, the environment, etc.

They always over-emphasise their own national interests to the point of not fully understanding the impact of global issues until it is almost too late.

This is a selfish approach that isn't appreciated by others who are trying to do their part. Look at some of the answers already posted:

"America isn't going to commit economic suicide" - translation: "we're going to take advantage of the fact that others might take a hit to their economies in order to bolster our own wealth".

"alternative energy schemes are not cost-effective" - translation: "we only care about money, not quality of life. Anyway, if we make all the money, while others spend it on the solutions, we win both ways!"

"China, India, and the rest of the world are not included" - translation: "there is no way we are going to allow other people to enjoy the same standards of living as us, until we can use these agreements to maintain the staus quo of us at the top and them down below, we ain't signing!"

"America is not going to go it alone" - translation: "America IS going to go it alone and be one of the only major polluters NOT to do anything about our filth"

"our trash collectors [separate our recyclables] for us" - translation: "we get illegal immigrants to do our dirty work for us on the cheap"

"We don't have to sepperate our garbage" - translation: "it's in our nature to first find ways not to accept personal responsibility"

"even if they did", "wouldn't be able to", "not on the top of the list", "size of our country is a problem", "there is no reasonable way" - translation: "it's just too much bother, it's far easier not to do anything".

Nevermind: "A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step" [Chinese proverb]

Used to be, when the USA was a great country to be admired, that they rose to these challenges, took the moral high ground and led the way in resolving problems:

"We choose to.. do.. things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." - John F Kennedy

But that was then and this is now - it's too hard, let someone else do it, even though I have more money than anyone else, get the others to pay...

Sigh - I didn't mean this to be an anti-US rant but the other respondents put those words there first. This is a more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger response. To see a once-great country throw away their morals, their leadership and settle into accepting last place... it's sad.

And, yes, I know there are many, many Americans who are trying to do their bit, who do reuse, recycle, reduce. Who do vote for environmental friendly politicians and policies. But they are facing an uphill battle - good luck to you!

Answer 4

The wealth-redistributing social policies in America have created a population of lazy, self-absorbed individuals who are no longer concerned about personal responsibility and the good of the country, but only about self-contentment.  Many Americans choose to no longer think for themselves, but gladly submit when their favorite newscaster, blogger, or idiot friend tells them how to think.

BTW, global warming and renewable energy are separate issues.  The first is beyond human control, the second will be taken care of by the free market.

Answer 5

Americans recycle their rubbish.  Glass, plastic, aluminum cans, and paper.  Everything else to the landfill.  (A lot of stuff, like pizza boxes, can't be recycled.)  That is on top of all the stuff that has always been economical to recycle like iron, copper, precious metals, etc.

However, America isn't going to commit economic suicide, and the cold hard facts are that alternative energy schemes are not cost-effective compared to coal and oil.  

Solar and wind are unreliable, and EXTREMELY expensive per watt.  Without tax credits, no one would even think about using them in America.  Nuclear is the only option available today that is economic, reliable, and CO2 free.

And you can see where America's getting into corn ethanol in a big way has had a lot of "unintended consequences".

If you want to know America's climate change policy, just read the Byrd-Hagel senate resolution from 1997.  If China, India, and the rest of the world are not included, America is not going to go it alone on climate change and destroy our economy.

This policy hasn't changed in 12 years (Al Gore explains it on YouTube when he was the VP), and since China and India are not going to do anything, as they have publicly announced, business continues as usual.

Answer 6

We separate our rubbish (garbage).

America isn't doing too badly (of course, it could be better), but it doesn't get good world press. It's major problem is with cars. We rely on cars for transportation, which are major polluters. But because they are personally owned, the government, fearing voters, is reluctant to curb (pun) them.

Hey, this year China overtakes America in pollution. Already, China has had to abandon some industrial areas because the water is too polluted.

But America isn't doing nothing.

Clean air act 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1990 (1990 started "carbon trading")

Clean water act 1977

Noise control act 1972

There is less pollution in America now than in 1970.

Answer 7

We don't have to sepperate our garbage.  Thanks to Capitalism, our trash collectors do that for us.  I hire my own service rather than depend on the local government to collect the trash.  Because I hire and pay out of my pocket, I hire a service that seperates the trash and resells what it can.  The added money from recycling lowers their costs, lowers my costs, and increases their profits!

What's wrong with that?