LCDs blamed for accelerating global warming

[jd13]

What else are the environmentalist nuts going to try to take from us?!? I am all for conservation and the proper use of our resources and all, but COME ON!

Plasma, LCDs blamed for accelerating global warming

Posted Thu Jul 3, 2008 12:41pm AEST
Updated Thu Jul 3, 2008 1:52pm AEST

A gas used in the making of flat screen televisions, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), is being blamed for damaging the atmosphere and accelerating global warming.

Almost half of the televisions sold around the globe so far this year have been plasma or LCD TVs.

But this boom could be coming at a huge environmental cost.

The gas, widely used in the manufacture of flat screen TVs, is estimated to be 17,000 times as powerful as carbon dioxide.

Ironically, NF3 is not covered by the Kyoto protocol as it was only produced in tiny amounts when the treaty was signed in 1997.

Levels of this gas in the atmosphere have not been measured, but scientists say it is a concern and are calling for it to be included in any future emissions cutting agreement.

Professor Michael Prather from the University of California has highlighted the issue in an article for the magazine New Scientist.

He has told ABC's The World Today program that output of the gas needs to be measured.

"One of my titles for this paper was Going Below Kyoto's Radar. It's the kind of gas that's made in huge amounts," he said.

"Not only is it not in the Kyoto Treaty but you don't even have to report it. That's the part that worries me."

He estimates 4,000 tons of NF3 will be produced in 2008 and that number is likely to double next year.

"We don't know what's emitted, but what they're producing every year dwarfs these giant coal-fired power plants that are like the biggest in the world," he said.

"And it dwarfs two of the Kyoto gases. So the real question we don't know is how much is escaping and getting out."

Dr Paul Fraser is the chief research scientist at the CSIRO's marine and atmospheric research centre, and an IPCC author.

He says without measuring the quantity of NF3 in the atmosphere it is unclear what impact it will have on the climate.

"We haven't observed it in the atmosphere. It's probably there in very low concentrations," he said.

"The key to whether it's a problem or not is how much is released to the atmosphere."

[Gremal]

I heard this yesterday because a local news channel picked up the story. Then each of the reporters and scientists got in their cars and drove home, emitting real greenhouse gases--not just gases they "think" might be escaping.

I love this line:

"We haven't observed it in the atmosphere. It's probably there in very low concentrations," he said.

So......you know nothing and it's pure conjecture?

[arush5268d]

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[Rob71]

I wonder what the effect of all the hot air these "environmentalists" are spewing is on global warming.

[GaS]

How can they have an affect on something that only exists in the mind of al gore?

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

I know I'm sort of an animal lover (although I still eat meat though), but I just find this ridiculous. first we hear that LCD's help conserve electricity, now we hear that burn holes in the ozone layer. God, is there anything that doesn't cause global warming?

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by GaS

How can they have an affect on something that only exists in the mind of al gore?

Touche.

[Sling]

Originally Posted by Nerdkiller likes BD

I know I'm sort of an animal lover (although I still eat meat though), but I just find this ridiculous. first we hear that LCD's help conserve electricity, now we hear that burn holes in the ozone layer. God, is there anything that doesn't cause global warming?

Global warming is a joke.
Those that preach it have a clue.

[dialog_gvf]

I'm sure China will be absolutely aghast they are at the center of the problem, and will immediately take steps to clean things up.

[X400]

they should blame hybrids or prius' they cause more environmental damage than they're apparently "saving"

[MATTYBLU2]

Originally Posted by X400

they should blame hybrids or prius' they cause more environmental damage than they're apparently "saving"

not sure where this is going, but i think you should read a bit more on hybrid cars.

[dobyblue]

It's not used in plasma's, it's used in LCD's.

It's used in chemical vapor deposition, which makes liquid crystal displays, semiconductors, and synthetic diamond.

The gases used in a plasma are Xenon and Neon, not Nitrogen trifluoride.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

The gases used in a plasma are Xenon and Neon, not Nitrogen trifluoride.

Those would be the UV source gases, but how are the phosphors deposited?

Gary

[actionhank]

Ah screw it. I'll just make sure my grand children know how to swim.

[jd13]

Originally Posted by actionhank

Ah screw it. I'll just make sure my grand children know how to swim.

Or they could take part in these:

Pictured: The floating cities that could one day house climate change refugees

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:13 AM on 04th July 2008

At first glance, they look like a couple of giant inflatable garden chairs that have washed out to sea

But they are, apparently, the ultimate solution to rapidly rising sea levels.

This computer-generated image shows two floating cities, each with enough room for 50,000 inhabitants.



The 'Lilypad' cities would be powered by renewable energy sources

Based on the design of a lilypad, they could be used as a permanent refuge for those whose homes have been covered in water. Major cities including London, New York and Tokyo are seen as being at huge risk from oceans which could rise by as much as 3ft by the end of this century.

This solution, by the award-winning Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut, is designed to be a new place to live for those whose homelands have been wiped out.

The 'Lilypad City' would float around the world as an independent and fully self-sustainable home. With a lake at its centre to collect and purify rainwater, it would be accessed by three separate marinas and feature artificial mountains to offer the inhabitants a change of scenery from the seascape.

Power for the central accommodation hub is provided through a series of renewable energy sources including solar panels on the mountain sides, wind turbines and a power station to harness the energy of the waves.

Mr Callebaut said: 'The design of the city is inspired by the shape of the great Amazonia Victoria Regia lilypad. Some countries spend billions of pounds working on making their beaches and dams bigger and stronger.

'But the lilypad project is actually a long-term solution to the problem of the water rising.'

The architect, who has yet to estimate a cost for his design, added: 'It's an amphibious city without any roads or any cars. The whole city is covered by plants housed in suspended gardens.

'The goal is to create a harmonious coexistence of humans and nature.'

'Some countries spend billions of pounds working on making their beaches and dams bigger and stronger.

'But the Lilypad project is actually a long term solution to the problem of the water rising.

'And it has the other objective of providing housing for refugees from islands that have been submerged.'


The Lilypad city would house climate change refugees

Centred around a lake which collects and then purifies rain water, the Lilypad will drift around the world following the ocean currents and streams.

It will be accessed by three marinas and will also feature three 'mountains' to offer the inhabitants a change of scenery.

Power will be provided through a series of renewable energy sources including solar, thermal, wind energy, hydraulic and a tidal power station.

The city will actually produce much more energy than it consumes and be entirely 'zero-emission' as all the carbon-dioxide and the waste will be recycled.

Mr Callebaut added: 'It's an amphibious city without any roads or any cars.


'The whole city is covered by plants housed in suspended gardens. The goal is to create a harmonious coexistence of humans and nature.

'I think trying to accomodate the millions of people left homeless by environmental changes will prove to be one of the great challenges of the 21st century.'

Neither the cost of building the city or the cost of living there have been revealed.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global sea level is expected to rise between nine and 88 centimetres by 2100, with a 'best estimate' of 50 centimetres.

This is due to global warming which is causing the ice caps to melt.

In many places, 50 centimetres would see entire beaches being washed away, together with a significant chunk of the coastline.

On low-lying Pacific islands such as Tuvalu, Kiribati or the Maldives, the highest point is only two or three metres above current sea levels.

If the sea level was to rise by 50cm, significant portions of these islands would be washed away by erosion or covered by water.

Even if they remain above the sea, many island nations will have their supplies of drinking water reduced because sea water will invade their freshwater stocks.

There are also tens of millions of people living in low-level coastal areas of southern Asia, such as the coastlines of Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Burma, who would be in danger.

LINK

[Mr. Hanky]

...don't forget the in-situ velociraptors to "naturally" keep the refugee herds properly thinned.

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by jd13

Or they could take part in these:

Pictured: The floating cities that could one day house climate change refugees

How long before these guys show up?

[jsteinhauer]

Earth was here long before us and will be here long after us. She will hear herself. Have no fear. Humankind will not destroy Earth. Whether you believe in evolution or God, the fact is that we will not be here forever.

[Sean4000]

I cannot believe this, are the GW fanatics getting desperate or what?

[Daredevil666]

So I guess gas for cars isn't a problem anymore then ?