Is poverty or affluence worse for the environment?

We’re doing an ecology project trying to determine which lifestyle is worse for the environment. I’ve thought about it and can give reasons why BOTH are worse for the environment. For example:

Poor people can’t afford newer more efficient appliances BUT poor people don’t have huge lavish homes that require more electricity and heating.

Poor people might have solar panels to heat water (at least in our country) instead of using other fuel BUT they might burn cheap plastic waste in wood furnaces to heat their homes in the winter (releasing toxins into the air) whereas rich people use a cleaner heating system.

Anyone have any ideas on the subject? Know of any resources that are relevant?

Nonrenewable and renewable energy questions?

Well if Nonrenewable energy is so bad to the environment, and is also running out, how come we don’t just start using renewable energy even if it costs alot? It helps us save the environment, trees, living things and the air! How come we can’t just use some stupid solar panels or stuff like that for a change? Even if it costs alot? Why do people care if this whole thing is for our future. What if we really will run out of fossil fuels in a few decades time? Then it’ll be too late to make all those fossil fuels back into solar pannels and wind farms.
Hope you can help. =) I was wondering.

Would you consider this sufficient EVIDENCE to STOP Cap&Trade legislation in the Senate?

I’ll present exhibits A, B, C, and D:

The bill is called The American Clean Energy and Security Act. (aka HR 2454)

A) The administration has chosen to ignore over 31,000 U.S. scientists who disagree with the “global warming” hypothesis

http://www.petitionproject.org/signers_by_last_name.php

As well as all the scientists that have dissented from United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and former Vice President Al Gore.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech-mainmenu-30/environment/607

B) The EPA suppressed contradicting evidence that concluded CO2 IS NOT the leading cause of planetary warming. (The REDACTED version of the report is the primary basis of current climate change legislation)

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/06/023915.php

The Competitive Enterprise Institute has obtained an EPA study of the “endangerment” to human well-being ostensibly caused by carbon dioxide emissions, together with a set of EPA emails indicating that the study, which concludes that carbon dioxide is not a significant cause of climate change, was suppressed by the EPA for political reasons.

You can read the comments that the CEI submitted to the EPA on EPA’s proposed endangerment finding here, along with the emails. The censored report, by Alan Carlin and John Davidson, is here.

In their report, Carlin and Davidson point out that the EPA has not done its own evaluation of the global warming theory. Rather, it has relied on analyses by others, mostly the U.N.’s IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report. That report, however, was a political document, not a scientific one. Knowing that current scientific research disproves the anthropogenic global warming theory, the U.N. ordered that no recent research be considered in the IPCC report. This is a scandal of which too few people are aware. As science, the U.N. report is a bad joke.

http://cei.org/cei_files/fm/active/0/Endangerment%20Comments%206-23-09.pdf

http://cei.org/cei_files/fm/active/0/DOC062509-004.pdf

C) NASA has concluded that ALL the planets in our solar system are currently warming.

http://www.livescience.com/environment/070312_solarsys_warming.html

D) Growing number of skeptics = hasty passage of “climate change” bill

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124597505076157449.html

Steve Fielding recently asked the Obama administration to reassure him on the science of man-made global warming. When the administration proved unhelpful, Mr. Fielding decided to vote against climate-change legislation.

If you haven’t heard of this politician, it’s because he’s a member of the Australian Senate. As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to pass a climate-change bill, the Australian Parliament is preparing to kill its own country’s carbon-emissions scheme. Why? A growing number of Australian politicians, scientists and citizens once again doubt the science of human-caused global warming.

Among the many reasons President Barack Obama and the Democratic majority are so intent on quickly jamming a cap-and-trade system through Congress is because the global warming tide is again shifting. It turns out Al Gore and the United Nations (with an assist from the media), did a little too vociferous a job smearing anyone who disagreed with them as “deniers.” The backlash has brought the scientific debate roaring back to life in Australia, Europe, Japan and even, if less reported, the U.S.

why do people still pay for electric?

I watch this show invention nation on the science channel. Its 3 guys in a bus going across the u.s.a. to see how far they can get in a veggie bus without any gas stations, only using the vegetable oil from restaurants to fill it for gas. along the way they meet inventors for a cost free- healthy environment and the inventions are so awesome on there. They come up with awesome ways to be money / debt free of power like solar panels to power the entire house- no bad emissions/ price free, much more effective. I seen people putting grass and vegetables on their roofs for wicked insulation and fresh food. SO WHY ARENT WE DOING THIS to EVERYONE’s houses? I cant because I am in government housing and I cant change government property but other people can so why dont they? Do they just not know of this stuff?
so how do we get around obstacles like the one i have? How do we get the regular joe shmo to start putting up solar panels? I know people want the no/low cost so how do we get something like that going?
everybody seems just so pessimistic about this. I do understand now that money is the issue with solar panelling but if you watch the show maybe you will see what i see.
http://science.discovery.com/fansites/invention-nation/invention-nation.html

why do people still pay for electric?

I watch this show invention nation on the science channel. Its 3 guys in a bus going across the u.s.a. to see how far they can get in a veggie bus without any gas stations, only using the vegetable oil from restaurants to fill it for gas. along the way they meet inventors for a cost free- healthy environment and the inventions are so awesome on there. They come up with awesome ways to be money / debt free of power like solar panels to power the entire house- no bad emissions/ price free, much more effective. I seen people putting grass and vegetables on their roofs for wicked insulation and fresh food. SO WHY ARENT WE DOING THIS to EVERYONE’s houses? I cant because I am in government housing and I cant change government property but other people can so why dont they? Do they just not know of this stuff?
these answers are funny to say the least. thanks for the answers they made me laugh
everybody seems just so pessimistic about this though for real. I do understand now that money is the issue with solar paneling but if you watch the show maybe you will see what i see.
wow to alec swan
http://science.discovery.com/fansites/invention-nation/invention-nation.html