Mass breeding failures among northern seabirds

["Dave Torr" <>]

http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_solar_new.html indicates an energy 
payback period of around 2-3 years. 
http://www.ecotopia.com/apollo2/pvpayback.htm is also interesting.
I lived in Ireland around 3 years ago when the levy (I recall 25 Euro cents) 
on plastic bags was introduced - immediate reduction in rubbish in the 
environment (and there was a LOT of litter in Ireland) and the sky did not 
fall in - the Irish Supermarket chains coped very well - perhaps the Aussie 
ones are not as clever as the Irish. And for a country that is the target of 
many jokes (and I am not Irish!) they also seemed to  give us a good example 
in banning smoking in pubs AND a total ban on mobile phones in cars - if you 
had one about your person, whether switched on or not, it was illegal 
(difficult to enforce!) And they got a lot more rain than us as well :-)

> From: "Ricki Coughlan" <>
> To: "Dave Torr" <>
> CC: <>
> Subject: Re: [BIRDING-AUS] Mass breeding failures among northern seabirds
> Date: Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:39:43 +1000
>
> Hi David
>
> Don't be fooled by that stuff. It's not true that it takes more energy to
> produce a solar panel than it can ever return, especially when economies of
> scale are factored in. These kind of specious arguments are always put out
> there by foolish naysayers, anti greens and other neo-cons who wish the
> temporary bucks to keep flowing into their lives at all costs. We hear the
> same nonsense arguments from the plastic shopping bag brigade, like; "where
> will I put my garbage." or, "Growing all that cotton for making callico 
> bags
> costs water.", or, "where will I put my disposable nappies if I don't have
> an old plastic shopping bag?".....Really!
>
> Yes, our society has become structured around the use of motor vehicles and
> everyone is extolled of the virtues of endless consumerism based on
> uncontrolled greed and superficial, falsely generated "needs". So, we are
> going to have to make voluntary change immediately or we will be forced to
> and it will be painful.
>
> The whole global warming disaster surely must be the greatest concern 
> before
> all life on earth and yet our so-called leaders care not a jot for the 
> issue
> and instead pick petty fights with one another and urge us all on to 
> greater
> greed as if there's no tomorrow. Grrrrrr.
>
> Regards - Ricki