What do you think the government could do to stop pollution and the warming of the earth?

Question

Please answers this with your own thoughts. I'm not doing homework.

Answer 1

Well, governments could develop a hydro infrastructure like Iceland and somewhat Norway. However, it would probably take long time before a real change happens

but self initiative would be a great start ;)

"Well done is better than well said."
- Benjamin Franklin

Answer 2

you could do a few easy things:

- forbid the sale of any car / SUV that does not get at least 20 miles per gallon. I'm talking of course about the real figure, not the faked figure, typically adjusted up by 25-30 percent, currently used across the whole US (so manufacturers meet targets w/o making any efforts and while selling more and more trucks). You could be tougher and ask for 25. You'd need to organise the phasing out of the gas guzzlers. Ford would be in even a worse financial shape because any money the make, they make on the trucks.

- make it compulsory for each home / apartment building to have, say, at least 50 percent of its domestic hot water coming from the sun. This is easy to do, and cheap - and even cheaper if you plan it at the time of construction. Where suitable (sunnier climate like California, bigger projects, more money around) you could either raise this to, say, 75-100 percent, and/or ask that part of the heating be also solar

- impose a minimum renewable energy quota in the consumption of any building, residential or not. Where heavy air cond is needed this could be met by exchanging calories with the ground, etc. Also such a measure would probably make people think twice before having 60 degrees air cond in their office when its 100 outside and 75 degrees would be a perfectly good temperature to work in.

- start with "reasonable" electricity consumption figures (typically twice as low in Europe or Japan, per unit of GDP, than they are in the US), and set a pricing schedule whereby any energy consumed, per capita, for a home, above the set standard, would lead to rates tripling or quadrupling (US electricity rates today are typically 3x lower than in Europe or Japan)

For a start ;-)

Answer 3

They could put in to effect stricter limits on the amount of emissions factories are allowed to put out, legislate conservation into big business offices like lights on timers, no AC unless in cases of consistently elevated temperatures, solar or wind generated energy where it is reasonable (places where there is plenty of sun light or wind), these can be implemented easily on a building to building level untill they are all converted. The biggest effect I think would be to limit the size of cars people are allowed to drive without valid reasons, like living on a farm, working construction, or living in the mountains where 4x4 and big engines are necessary. Impose a tax on garbage collection but make recycling free. This will motivate people to seperate their garbage from recycling. Government run vehicles like city buses and service cars or trucks should run on biodiesel or natural gas. Legislate conservation technology requirements in new buildingslike toilets that have two different flush settings or buildings that are heated by hot water pipes through the floor (if you have to heat the water anyway, might as well heat the building with it too).
There are more solutions out there and they are all reasonable. We just need to speak up when we get the chance.

Answer 4

Encourage free enterprise to come up with a solution through incentives and/or penalties.

Warming and cooling of the earth is a natural phenomena. Get used to it.

Answer 5

There is only one way to do it. No method so far presented gives a way to keepimg ahead of the increasing population and the resultant increasing pollution.

The answer is to supress human overbreeding.

Answer 6

I think that the government would never think about this matter. The key of making our planet beautiful and balanced will remain in our hands only. I am talking about our Government.

Answer 7

Keep all politicians form talking, That would mean no more hot air and carbon monoxide,