Shoutbox

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Originally posted by GiantSpider
It's ok, we can just live on boats, big bastard ones, and then eat lots of fish.

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Not that boats would help against the sun.




Edit: Sorry, did you mean magical boats? Of course you did!

quote:

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Originally posted by GiantSpider
Shit loads, more if your in America obviously.

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Running a computer in America is the same as any other country.

That's what I would have presumed.

Bloody technology/materialistic/consumerism...

...our planet is paying the price.

Hmm, everyone can use their fridge and freezers as air conditioning while the sun is burning everyone.

Or if the polar ice caps melt, everyone gather at the highest point in the world, Mount Everest.

Looks like im not doing nothing wrong here. <3 Solar power <3

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Running a computer in America is the same as any other country.

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But only in America it seems to be frying brains.


* Fanta runs

Let's see if we can follow this one through logically.  The original question:

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How much damage are we doing to Global warming just by sitting here (or standing, if that's your thing) on the computer now?

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Response and faulty justification:

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Shit loads, more if your in America obviously. The USA is largest single emitter or GHGs. It's GHG emissions have also risen +16% between 1990 & 2004. Comparable to the UKs, which dropped by 14%

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The question is about the environmental impact of operating a computer.  The response suggests the impact is greater if you do it in the USA.  Is that really true, though?

The total greenhouse gas emissions by country has nothing to do with anything;  all things being equal, a single computer operated in any country would contribute the same to the global GHG emissions.  However, things are not equal: electricty can be generated in a number of ways, of which only fossil fuel contributes to greenhouse effect.  Nuclear, hydro and other methods of generating electricity do not result in GHG emissions.

So, the relevant statistic here is the percentage of electricity generated from burning fossil fuels.  As usual, Google helps us out and here is a nice chart.  You will want to scroll down past all the 100% countries, to the 70s, where you will find both UK and USA, at 73.8% and 71.4% respectively. 

Yes, although close, a greater percentage of electricty in UK comes from burning fossil fuels than it does in USA.  Consequently, it can be said that operating the same computer for the same amount of time in the UK does more damage to the environment than doing the same in the US.  Oops!

All PCs do the same amount of damage.

Whether it be in the States, England, Wales, Alaska (I know, I'm labouring), Pakistan or Ghana.

Here endeth the lesson

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Originally posted by Adeptus

The total greenhouse gas emissions by country has nothing to do with anything;  all things being equal, a single computer operated in any country would contribute the same to the global GHG emissions.  However, things are not equal: electricty can be generated in a number of ways, of which only fossil fuel contributes to greenhouse effect.  Nuclear, hydro and other methods of generating electricity do not result in GHG emissions.

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lies to cool nuclear power plants we normally use water... because of the insane high temperatures 1 in a billion water particles (or less) turns into 03 which is ozone (which is the strongest GHG off all...) and while making thinks like solar panels and windmills   
a lot off GHG are emitted...
So it just isn't that black and white...
Nuclear energy is the best option we have,  to compensate for the energy problem we are facing though...

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Originally posted by GiantSpider

It's ok, we can just live on boats, big bastard ones, and then eat lots of fish.

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The fish are all dead by then?

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Originally posted by lutonsteve2

All PCs do the same amount of damage.

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but it depends on how long you keep it on, how fast your fan speed, etc.