Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2007 8:43:08 GMT
I've been thinking a little lately, and it's occurred to me that the most outspoke people are often the biggest hypocrites.
Look, for example at Greenpeace's lobbying against 'dangerous' chemicals being used in consumer electronics. This included lead, which as a result is now banned from solder by the RoHS in Europe. Lead-free solder melts at a lower temperature and is far less durable. As a result of this, modern electronic appliances are starting to have a much shorter lifespan as heat expands and contracts the PCBs and components and eventually the solder connections crack and no longer make proper contact. A wonderful example of this is the XBox 360 and its 'Red Ring of Death'.
Surely if this is the case, far more appliances which would still be in use are going to end up in landfills? And we all know how much Greenpeace love landfills. Way to score an own goal.
And they want manufacturers to take the flame retardant chemicals out of appliances, again 'because they're dangerous to the environment.' Hello! Flame retardant. What do you think that's for?!
Then we get on to the kind of middle class morons who buy hybrid cars because they think they're helping reduce global carbon emissions. Well, let me tell you something for a fact; hybrids only reduce emissions in urban driving situations. Should we really be encouraging people to drive their cars in cities anyway? Surely the bus is still better for the environment. And then there's the additional environmental burden of disposing of the huge NiMH or LiION battery packs these cars use once they're worn out.
I think what I'm saying is that these people tend to be very short sighted and rarely think of the long term consequences of their lobbying. It also annoys me that it tends to be small groups of people who end up with a lot of control just because they're louder than everybody else...
Look, for example at Greenpeace's lobbying against 'dangerous' chemicals being used in consumer electronics. This included lead, which as a result is now banned from solder by the RoHS in Europe. Lead-free solder melts at a lower temperature and is far less durable. As a result of this, modern electronic appliances are starting to have a much shorter lifespan as heat expands and contracts the PCBs and components and eventually the solder connections crack and no longer make proper contact. A wonderful example of this is the XBox 360 and its 'Red Ring of Death'.
Surely if this is the case, far more appliances which would still be in use are going to end up in landfills? And we all know how much Greenpeace love landfills. Way to score an own goal.
And they want manufacturers to take the flame retardant chemicals out of appliances, again 'because they're dangerous to the environment.' Hello! Flame retardant. What do you think that's for?!
Then we get on to the kind of middle class morons who buy hybrid cars because they think they're helping reduce global carbon emissions. Well, let me tell you something for a fact; hybrids only reduce emissions in urban driving situations. Should we really be encouraging people to drive their cars in cities anyway? Surely the bus is still better for the environment. And then there's the additional environmental burden of disposing of the huge NiMH or LiION battery packs these cars use once they're worn out.
I think what I'm saying is that these people tend to be very short sighted and rarely think of the long term consequences of their lobbying. It also annoys me that it tends to be small groups of people who end up with a lot of control just because they're louder than everybody else...