Global Warming: a reasonable solution everyone can support.?

Question

GLOBAL WARMING---it's the 100-foot-tall gorilla that will eat your children and the sack lunches you prepared for them with such care and love. You hear a lot about it these days. Setting aside the question is it real or not, we Americans and as well as people in other industrialized nations are being asked to contribute ideas for "going green" and I think we can all feel some degree of social pressure being exerted for each one of us to make some personal sacrifices. Some of these ideas are sensible and will save people money as well as conserving energy. But what you never hear about as a solution to wasteful consumption can be summed up in just one word: *** QUALITY ***

I always have to laugh when I see some economics expert talking about "durable goods." What durable goods? American consumers are forced to buy cheap junk designed to fall apart 5 minutes after the warranty period ends.

I say it's time we brought respect back to the "Made In USA" label.

A $30,000 car should last a lifetime. We shouldn't have to keep replacing our household appliances, electronic devices, and clothing every few years. Planned obsolescence is now the new American way and we must plan the obsolescence of that anti-consumer attitude.

Foreign goods are fine and they should be welcome to compete with American products here at home and around the world. But . . . our quality standards must be raised to the highest in the world. This will have a dramatic impact on conserving energy and boost our economy at the same time. No one profits from junk except the junk dealers of this world.

There would be much less need to recycle, much less energy wasted on "disposable goods," if products were built to last.

Your comments please?

Answer 1

Manufacturing processes do produce a lot og greenhouse gas emissions as does transportation to ship the goods and the large scale raw material extraction needed in the first place to produce the goods.

If products were more durable then a contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions would be made. However, China and other countries are able to mass produce goods which can be sold cheaply and this is driving demand. The goods may only last a few years and unlike in the past when things were often mended, nowadays we're more inclined to simply buy a replacement.

Further, people frequently dispose of products simply because they want a newer model. Computers, cell-phones and televisions are good examples and I think it's fair to say that a large number of these items are replaced not because they're broken but because the user wants a better model.

If only for economic reasons it would make more sense to have pride in nationally produced goods, even if they are a bit more expensive than imports. Better for the US to keep $100 within the US economy than to send $80 overseas.

Answer 2

I don't think it is the quality of made in USA goods that is at question in the Global Warming debate. Quality is nothing more than subjective value we give to an object, i.e. "If it does what I expect ... it is quality; if it doesn't live up to my expectations ... it isn't.".

It is our attitude toward consumerism that is on trial. No matter what the quality of the article; if we buy it, use it, then throw it in the garbage we are wasteful. It doesn't matter if it is a food wrapper or a car. Avoid anything that is "single use".

At least parts of cars are recycled. And, if you put the money into it, a car WILL last your lifetime. No machine with moving parts lasts forever ... friction wears things out. There are cars around that are older than me, so it must be possible. No machine will last forever without excellent maintenance. With the abuse they are put through I am amazed cars last as long as they do.

There is only one solution: Either consumption goes down, or population does (... preferably both, by choice if it's not too late).

Answer 3

Oh, wow, Al Gore and several other thousand democrats would cheer for this question right about now. "Global warming is ruining us, coastlines will be flooded and we will all die! Let's start driving hybrids and using solar panels and we will all be safe!"

SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Global warming is one of the dumbest, stupidest, and ridiculous theories out there. Oh no, the temperature is raising. I'm sure our climate has never gone through changes in temperature before, this must be the first time..........NOT!

It's stupid to assume that just because the temperatures have gone up a bit that the Earth is going into a "global warming." Our climate has gone through changes before, it's stupid and ignorant to assume that it is the issue now. And the do you know how much the temperature has raised (According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)? .6 degrees Celsius OVER THE LAST CENTURY. That is so significant, isn't it? I don't think so either.

And this slight SLIGHT raise in temp isn't our fault at all. Half of the global warming of the last century has happened between 1900 and 1945. If it was our fault, it would have happened more recently, seeing as we have been burning more fuel more recently.

So don't buy into the crap about how global warming will wreck us, it's all a bunch of stupid political garbage.

*And don't listen to Jesse M, he's just a Paris-Hilton crushing/defending whiny teen loser.

Answer 4

based what time scale you employ, the planet does look cooling. all of it began warming approximately eleven,000 years in the past on the tip of the Holocene and hit a optimum approximately 8,000 years in the past, on the grounds that whilst that is been cooling. that's to assert, there's a functional hazard that we are headed for yet another glacial era and so 2,000 years from now the temperature would be markedly cooler. although the previous few hundred years recommend a warming type so there is likewise a gamble that it will get warmer first earlier a persistent cool era, or probably basically get warmer - we are inspite of each little thing in an ice age.

Answer 5

Well you see if global warming is really happening we can atleast slow it down, if global warming is not happening we atleast got together and did something to help our nature. But 78.6% of geologist predict global warming is happening because the world is becoming more industrialize. Also made in USA labels are not sufficient. Did you know american cars consume more gas, other than foreign cars. You see people are getting together and actually start taking actions on global warming, which is a good thing.

global warming can be stopped, if we humans really try, that is why we are being asked to buy poor quality stuff to help the world. I think it is a good thing.

Answer 6

I agree with you pretty much, I mean, cars should last a lifetime and we should make quality products. Americans have the technology to let cars run on other fuels, but the oil companies don't want it to happen. I am willing to do whatever it takes to help the world, I want my kids and everyone else's to live a good life like I have. I want them to experience an opening day of buck season in the mountains with the snow falling.

Answer 7

The USA makes something? Wow. OK, we won't go there. We all want clean air and even if GW is real or not, all should want clean air to breath. Besides, even if we stopped all Greenhouse gases today, nothing would happen. So, lets us all clean our air, that we all can do. I'm not Irish so I don't care much about green Peace:)

Answer 8

A real solution would be just to offset CO2 Emissions. Legitimate non-profits like CO2Debt.com are great for the job. I urge everyone to do their homework and find a good non-profit and donate something. Make sure to stay away from big budget for profit companies trying to make a buck off the panic though!

Answer 9

Completely misses the point. It is not the manufacture of goods, as such, that winds up using lots of energy -- it is the energy used in everyday life, to get to work, get goods to stores, and get services rendered (which is a far larger part of the overall economy than is manufacturing). As well, of course, as the energy required to heat your house, get the dishes and laundry done, and run your wide-screen plasma TV after the chores are done. As for durable goods, we used a refrigerator for sixty years, a washer and dryer for forty, and my car is fourteen years old and going strong. I have no complaints.

Answer 10

Even if you don't believe global warming exists it would be nice to treat the planet well, after all we share it, we don't own it.