Saving energy in the UK - will it have any effect if the Americans and Chinese don't bother?

Question

I keep seeing ads telling me to save energy. But Americans consume lots of energy (and increasingly the Chinese too). So will it make any difference to global warming etc if the UK becomes energy efficient?

bob - no it isn't. And if you're right, well I'll turn on all my appliances and sit back !

wave - learn to read the question. Will cutting pollution, wastage and energy use in the UK have an effect on global (that's global) warming if other countries don't bother? Essentially you have answered the question "will saving energy save energy?" in your mind - that's not what I'm asking.

Andrew - the inhabitants are the most important part of the planet.

Andrew- which 'inhabitants' do you mean? human or animal? Humans are the most important thing on the planet, shrugging the shoulders at loss of human life due to human created environmental disasters is slightly monstrous.

Fair enough you want to compare the worth of insects to humans. Ever read Starship troopers?

Answer 1

saving energy here isn't about saving the planet.
the global warming thing is yet unproven.
it is about cutting consumption and therefore our reliance on foreign suppliers.

Answer 2

If the UK cut back to 2% of its current CO2 emissions, the difference would be consumed by China in two years at its current rate of industrial growth.

Bob's not far off, the actual science behind global warming & climate change is based on an extremly small timeline in planatery terms.

Whilst we can predict that the impact would not be too good for a lot of humans & other current inhabitants of the planet, in terms of the planet itself this could be an entirley natural cyclical process that is initiated by any number of events (asteriod impact, massive volcanic activity, activities of planatary inhabitants).

Very few people seem to be questioning the premise that we are actually damaging the planet, as apposed to the inhabitants.


BlueRat - that depends upon your point of view, some inhabitants would thrive & prosper, some would become extinct & some would be marginalised.

BlueRat - probably not all humans would become extinct, global warming could stave off another ice age, which would totally decimate significant parts of the northern hemisphere.

In UK terms we see about 20,000 people a year die every winter due to hypothermia, this would be significantly reduced if we have warmer winters, this of course may be offset by deaths due to heatwaves in summer.

We should not be so arrogant as to assume we are the most important creatures on the planet, we are at the top of the food chain only by our own standards - art, technology, medicine, philosophy, etc.. if a different stand was used - say population then we are a long way down the list behind the insects.

Answer 3

From the USA: The price we all pay for energy will guide the usage of it. Alternatives will be developed. Few Americans ride bicycles. But as the cost of fuel goes up, more will. $2.50-$3.00 a gallon has not made a lot of difference. But $5.00 might. The Chinese are building there economy on higher fuel prices than the US was able to. The UK ruled the world on wind power. Best to get energy efficient against the coming shortages of oil to benefit yourselves. It seems to me that the oceans waves never stop and have a huge amount of power that for some reason has not been well addressed or tapped.
As for global warming, if CO2 is the culprit, it can not be from fuels being burned on the surface of the earth. CO2 is heavier than air and plants take it up instantly as its primary plant food. It is however another matter when burned above 30,000 ft. Jet engines burn 2-5 tons of kerosene per hour. There are thousands of hours of flights over the US per day. Not to mention the world.
I have, at considerable expense, installed a 10 KW solar power system on one of my barns. It is connected to the grid. I have had the pleasure of seeing the electric meter turn backwards. My power bills have gone down by a large amount. In two years that energy produced will be no further cost to me!! However, I would rather have a wind or water generated system. The sun produces only about 6 hours per day(California). We should all keep thinking and doing as much as we can save ourselves and the future. Lots of luck to you all.

Answer 4

The short answer is no.

Even if you believe that global warming in caused by human activity (which I'm not sure I do) there is no getting away from the fact that the UK only produces 2% (and falling) of the world's human based CO2 production. And, as has been mentioned above, China will, at its current rate of growth, match that in less than 2 years.

And I've read that, if the UK did stop all CO2 production today, by 2035 it would result in a reduction in temperature (using the IPCC's figures) of 0.006°C.

Thus, if the UK were to stop all CO2 production right now, our *huge* sacrifice would have almost no affect whatsoever.

Answer 5

I believe it will make a difference to global warming based on the simple fact that whether other countries cut down or not, less is less. If we continue to use more and more energy then global warming will certainly increase. Sure, we need everyone to play a part to make a BIG difference but if we all say well hey, they won't so we won't GW will just speed up. I know it's not a great argument but it's true that even the smallest action helps and if we do it then maybe people will eventually listen and follow suit. Gotta turn this computer off cos now I feel guilty...

Answer 6

Probably not but it would be a wasted opportunity for us to show the rest of the world that we can develop the technology to save the planet from global warming and to give them the incentive to do the same - or else they might have to buy the tech from the UK!

Answer 7

The basic answer is NO, but I think its more of a slow gradual progress towards an attitude of saving the planet, but i guess this will be overtaken by the population growth, so I guess were all doomed in a few million years from now anyway.

Answer 8

yes of course it'll make a difference what a silly question. It will cut pollution, decrease wastage and save energy. Plus this is about moral choice and showing disregard for the usa and chinas disgusting disregard for the ecology and people of this world. Americans care not as long as they can drive around in cars getting fat.

Answer 9

Wow, I had a concern answering your query--I thoroughly settle for as actual with you and thank you for sharing this! it form of sounds like we are the guinea pigs and we are suffering as a result! beneficial, I easily have eaten nutrition that has made me particularly drained and nutrition that felt like it grew to become into tearing my abdomen up. i'm not the only one. and that i don't consume cheese anymore--or drink milk (nonetheless I do consume some dairy products). My grandma's not allergic to wheat or fruit--yet her face has gotten swollen from an "allergic reactions." and various organic and organic and organic and organic flora on the prompt are being contaminated via utilising GM flora via utilising bypass-pollination.

Answer 10

It will help the UK in the long run
I think USA & China are starting to come around to the benefits of saving energy
I think we should be more concerned about the way developing countries are becoming industrialised

Answer 11

I read once (think it was in The Guardian)... that if every American household fitted just one energy saving bulb in their homes, it would be the equivilent in energy saved per year of 1 million US cars not being on the road.