interestingly when bio diesel was first 'pushed' by vw in the late 70's and early 80's their main concern was 'sustainability, in that, at the time the world was worried abotu running out of fossil fuels. Odly after that most coal mines were closed as it was 'not economicaly viable' to remove the coal' not because there was none to be removed!
The idea of re absorption of Co2 is a nice theroetical spin off of this that infrtunateky never happens, as for real co2 reduction, and alternative use of fuel and power, what we relly nedd is a radical re think in th philosophy behind western capitalistic development and the creation and exploitation of commodity value.
without this all the neclear fuels and veg oils etc will have little effect!
for example, i live in a smoke free zone, so cant burn firewood! leaving it to rot damages the environment 26 time more as the methane produced is more dangerous, so the local authority ban me from burning it and subsidise my buying a compost bin, made from crude oil based plasticthus further contributing to the green house effect.
In the mean time! all waste wood is taked to local tips and from there transported too- guess where? the new wood chippings fired power station! Transported over land using fossil diesel trucks! where 80% of its potential energy is wasted as heat straight into the atmosphere! when the electricity eventualy reaches peoples plug sockets, what do they do? plug in an electric heating device, toaster or kettle. All functions that a wood fire in the home could do and save all the ploution and waste. And with a simple lime stone based filter on the chimney most of the particular emissions could be reduced as source and the by products of the filter system used for local building projects.
what we need is a re think of our whole western capitalist ife style, and to help others to see it is not all it is cracked up to be, getting on the housing ladder, flying round the world etc etc all the things we hold dear in our 'social climbing' society are the things that are killing the planet!
so we try and find a scape goat, in this case a few of the cars on the road, and it makes no sense! a reps turbo diesel vectra £170 per annu8m tax covering 60k plus miles carrying one passenger, a rural families compact 4x4 £430 carrying all the kisds to school provifig holdays and covering 8k per year, so effectively poluting a lot less!
but! the rep sells the things we cant do without! maybe stockings, or souveneir models of holiday resorts etc. and heis wages and tax fuel the capitalist machine so we have to keep stoking that fire. and that is what this tax is all about!
I will keep driving our cars and pay the tax, do the same miles and cause the same polution, so nothing has changed exept the chancelor had more revenue the environment remains un improved. Though i will continue to make other practical changes in my lifestlye where possible and listen too and offer where i can sound advice. And that my friends id=s the best all of us can do!
now time for me to climb off my soap box :wink: :lol:
but if anyone wants to discuss further by PM i am allways open to usefull ideas to help our planet and each other!
