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Chanuka: Do we need Global Warming and Environmental Destruction in our future?

Dear all

It's Chanuka tonight.  The Jewish festival of lights.  Let's find a way to light up our world.

We have all been reading about Global Warming recently, especially with "Copenhagen" happening at the moment.

Ask questions at : http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=7310&edition=2&ttl=20091210075846

Mine is: "Depending on who one listens to climate change may or may not be happening, but environmental destruction is happening at an alarming rate. It is easy to see. It effects our lives, our health, our water, our living environment, our planet. What are our world leaders doing to address this problem?"

Some people I talk to say Global Warming is happening, and some people say it isn't happening.  Some say that it is a natural thing and others say that humans are contributing to it.  Some call it Global Weirding because although they say the earth will warm by 2% on average; some places will get hotter (perhaps much hotter in Paarl and Worcester) and some more rainy and some much colder.

So I choose to change my argument.

The following is irrefutable:
  • large portions of rainforests have been destroyed in the past 100 years;
  • mankind is using scarce resources such as fossil fuels which are getting scarcer and more expensive and it has been shown that on windless days cause a horrible smog over our bigger cities;
  • our sea fisheries are being depleted;
  • something called "acid mine drainage" is happening in mines and most of South Africa's new coal mines are in the sources of the Orange River system and if they are mined, there might not be any drinking water available in Gauteng in a few years time.  Acid mine drainage also causes horrible chemicals to enter the food chain.
Can anyone refute any of these statements?

Can anyone deny that mankind is having a devastating effect on our natural environment?

We need to take responsibility for our actions.

We still have time.  Maybe 2 to 5 years to really start making a very big difference - and it doesn't need to cost the earth!  Not much time when you consider that the earth is billions of years old and that mankind could go extinct just like many other species on the earth.  The earth will survive.

If we want to survive with it, we must change our habits and we must change our paradigm: successful people must be measured by how "off grid" they are and not by the size of their wallet.

Take charge of your lives.  Don't leave it up to the government to do it for you.  They will take your money to do it for you and they might not do it as well as you can.

I am working on a project to create electricity and sell it across the grid to the general public.  It might cost R3.50 per kwh in the first phase but there is already technology that might help us bring the cost down to R1.50 per kwh.  If you want to buy some of this clean, green, electricity, then email me and let me know what you'd be prepared to pay per kwh for your electricity.  Also let me know if you'd like this price to be constant forever?  Also let me know if you'll be happy if this price decreases from time to time?

I look forward to creating a better future with all of you.

Love and respect,
David

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