The uninhabitable earth

[Nearly Sane]

Cheering little article for a Monday, 

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html

[Humph Warden Bennett]

Interesting little piece of useless info. Apparently there are now two civilian towns in Antarctica, one is Chilean, the other Argentinian. So if the world gets too hot, we can always go there.

[torridon]

Cheering little article for a Monday, 

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html

My, what a depressing read. I don't think we are psychologically prepared to contemplate apocalypse; we'll probably worry about it for a while and then go back to arguing about gods again 

[Nearly Sane]

My, what a depressing read. I don't think we are psychologically prepared to contemplate apocalypse; we'll probably worry about it for a while and then go back to arguing about gods again 

I think most of the complex problems we have in politics are not within our capabilities to solve by rational deliberateness. The variables, which include the behaviour of over 7 billion individuals, are way beyond us and our ability to model. Notionally, at least, I this k we need to move away from consistency and be prepared for a tactical approach that tries different approaches and chooses what works, but I suspect that the timescales on that are broken. We might do something that works but it will be by luck.

[floo]

Very depressing indeed. 

[Sriram]

Well...on the somewhat funnier side...I just saw an ad for a bidet. I am even surprised that they need to advertise. I wonder why and how westerners ever got into the toilet paper habit. I am sure you people always had plenty of water. 

So help reverse climate change folks...and install a bidet TODAY! 

[floo]

I don't think there is a funny side to climate change!

[Harrowby Hall]

Well...on the somewhat funnier side...I just saw an ad for a bidet. I am even surprised that they need to advertise. I wonder why and how westerners ever got into the toilet paper habit. I am sure you people always had plenty of water. 

So help reverse climate change folks...and install a bidet TODAY! 

Interesting idea, Sriram. Would I be right in thinking that what you call a "bidet" is a toilet seat which squirts water and hot air? I first came across them in Japan and have seripously thought of getting one.

To most people in Britain, I suspect, the word bidet suggests a strange piece of earthenware associated with French hotels - in fact there were two in my little French house. The belief (on these shores) is that they were invented for use in ... err .... houses of ill repute so that the ... err ... ladies could ensure that their clients would not be contaminated with terrible diseases.

[floo]

Interesting idea, Sriram. Would I be right in thinking that what you call a "bidet" is a toilet seat which squirts water and hot air? I first came across them in Japan and have seripously thought of getting one.

To most people in Britain, I suspect, the word bidet suggests a strange piece of earthenware associated with French hotels - in fact there were two in my little French house. The belief (on these shores) is that they were invented for use in ... err .... houses of ill repute so that the ... err ... ladies could ensure that their clients would not be contaminated with terrible diseases.

We have had a bidet in several of our homes, but they were rarely used for the purpose intended. My mother thought they were there for washing one's feet, for which they were very useful.

[Nearly Sane]

Don't think there is any clear evidence of bidets being an aid against climate change.

[Rhiannon]

Don't think there is any clear evidence of bidets being an aid against climate change.

I think Sriram sees them as the first line of defence against deforestation.

[floo]

Don't think there is any clear evidence of bidets being an aid against climate change.

Funny that, especially as they have to have a heat source for the hot water.

[Rhiannon]

Perhaps the earth needs a shield made from bidets.

Or we could go to Mars in a fleet of space bidets.

[Sriram]

Interesting idea, Sriram. Would I be right in thinking that what you call a "bidet" is a toilet seat which squirts water and hot air? I first came across them in Japan and have seripously thought of getting one.

To most people in Britain, I suspect, the word bidet suggests a strange piece of earthenware associated with French hotels - in fact there were two in my little French house. The belief (on these shores) is that they were invented for use in ... err .... houses of ill repute so that the ... err ... ladies could ensure that their clients would not be contaminated with terrible diseases.

But wouldn't washing with water be the natural way?! How did the paper habit start, I wonder. In India and in most eastern countries toilet paper is almost unknown. Its always been water.   Shower bidets are now in every home.

Bidets help by reducing paper.

[Sriram]

I am sorry I just saw an ad for a bidet and started off. Please continue your discussion on more serious aspects of climate change...

[floo]

But wouldn't washing with water be the natural way?! How did the paper habit start, I wonder. In India and in most eastern countries toilet paper is almost unknown. Its always been water.   Shower bidets are now in every home.

Bidets help by reducing paper.

But unless you use cold water, it has to be heated somehow. Besides which, if you have a drought, using water for that purpose is wasteful.

[Rhiannon]

But wouldn't washing with water be the natural way?! How did the paper habit start, I wonder. In India and in most eastern countries toilet paper is almost unknown. Its always been water.   Shower bidets are now in every home.

Bidets help by reducing paper.

But clean water takes energy to produce, as does heating it and any air used for drying. Towels requore laundering which also uses up resources.

It's possible to buy toilet paper from recycled sources, such as Ecoleaf, made by the Suma co-operative here in the U.K., that also give a percentage of their profits to a tree planting organisation.

[Sriram]

But unless you use cold water, it has to be heated somehow. Besides which, if you have a drought, using water for that purpose is wasteful.

Ah...maybe that's why paper started. Hot water in cold countries!  In India we don't need hot water for such purposes,  though in parts of the north it can get really cold in winter.   

I guess its never so bad during droughts that you don't have water for washing up.  But using paper for this purpose is unknown. We always found it funny that westerners use paper.

[floo]

We don't use as much paper as heretofore thanks to modern technology.

[Nearly Sane]

We don't use as much paper as heretofore thanks to modern technology.

yep, heretofore just use ridiculous amounts!

[floo]

yep, heretofore just use ridiculous amounts!

If tree planting is encouraged, not only will it help provide the paper will still use, but be a boost to the environment too.

[Rhiannon]

If tree planting is encouraged, not only will it help provide the paper will still use, but be a boost to the environment too.

Or just use recycled.

'Posh' paper has horrendous chemicals added to it to 'improve' its quality. Aside from perfumes and colours and the like, formaldehyde is used to make the paper thicker.

[ekim]

Or just use recycled.

'Posh' paper has horrendous chemicals added to it to 'improve' its quality. Aside from perfumes and colours and the like, formaldehyde is used to make the paper thicker.

In the good old days we used to have to use newspaper and suffer the print coming off.

[Rhiannon]

In the good old days we used to have to use newspaper and suffer the print coming off.

Formaldehyde's in newsprint ink too.

[ekim]

Formaldehyde's in newsprint ink too.

Now she tells me!