Why can't disable people use biodegradable straws? Serious question, I don't get it.Honestly I'm not that big of a fan of going after single use plastics and especially straws.
For one thing it's been noted many times by advocate groups for disabled persons that straws are a very important tool for people with various mobility challenges, and there's no real good alternative to the sort of single use plastic straws that the government is seeking to ban.
Yeah, this is clearly treating symptoms rather than the root cause of any problems. Ban all carbon emitting road vehicles in the next 5 years? Now that would at least be an ambitious goal even if it doesn't address other core issues like urban sprawl and the design of cities.Banning straws is like a feel good distraction from talking about the actual core problems and actual difficult and expensive changes that are required.
Plastic waste causes its own unique set of problems. It's not something that will go away if we dramatically lower carbon emissions, which we obviously have to do.Yeah, this is clearly treating symptoms rather than the root cause of any problems. Ban all carbon emitting road vehicles in the next 5 years? Now that would at least be an ambitious goal even if it doesn't address other core issues like urban sprawl and the design of cities.
The biggest reason is that they tend to break down before the person can finish their drink.Why can't disable people use biodegradable straws? Serious question, I don't get it.
The problem is that replacing plastic with other materials is that there is still a cost to use plastic-alternatives, as that video Caz posted indicates. Logging and processing more paper products requires more carbon-expensive infrastructure.Plastic waste causes its own unique set of problems. It's not something that will go away if we dramatically lower carbon emissions, which we obviously have to do.
We have to do both, as well as many other things.
lol wat... I'm a slow-ass drinker and while the straw softens a bit, it doesn't "break down"... :SThe biggest reason is that they tend to break down before the person can finish their drink.
I mean, depending on the type of disability, you could be trying to drink the same drink for a very long period of time. I suppose an option, if you don't want to burden people with disabilities with the need to carry their own straws, is to offer several straws at once. But then you're just creating a different waste problem aren't you?lol wat... I'm a slow-ass drinker and while the straw softens a bit, it doesn't "break down"... :S
I didn't say use paper straws. Paper straws are the worst of the currently available alternatives.The problem is that replacing plastic with other materials is that there is still a cost to use plastic-alternatives, as that video Caz posted indicates. Logging and processing more paper products requires more carbon-expensive infrastructure.
I know we can do two things at once, but I don't think anyone is really interested in addressing the big problems is the issue.I didn't say use paper straws. Paper straws are the worst of the currently available alternatives.
We can't look at a dire problem and refuse to address is because it presents other challenges.
The wax lined cups are the worse because they are literally just garbage.Why is there no push to ban the plastic lids? Or Tim Hortons wax lined cups that can't be recycled?
Okay, but we have to. If the people in charge aren't going to do what needs to be done, then we get different people. Which is why voting is so important. (As I'm sure everyone in this thread realizes. And why doing everything we have to in order to keep Cons from forming government is more important than ever.)I know we can do two things at once, but I don't think anyone is really interested in addressing the big problems is the issue.
We can't even figure out how to do a fucking carbon tax, which is the most weak-sauce solution to the carbon emission problem that we've come up with as a society.
Why can't disable people use biodegradable straws? Serious question, I don't get it.
Yeah, this is clearly treating symptoms rather than the root cause of any problems. Ban all carbon emitting road vehicles in the next 5 years? Now that would at least be an ambitious goal even if it doesn't address other core issues like urban sprawl and the design of cities.
Why can't disable people use biodegradable straws? Serious question, I don't get it.
This is particularly rich considering Trudeau is often criticized for not being "BOLD" enough on his climate policies. This is something that needs to be done just as much as regulating carbon emissions.
The nonsense that we should put a hold on a ban of single use plastics/products for the disabled makes no sense. New solutions will be created. Either exceptions to rules will be in place for disabled people or new products will be created due to a change in market conditions. It makes no sense to not take action on environmental pollution over the concerns of a small segment of the population that could easily be mitigated with their own solutions.
That's the whole argument really. Is action on plastics in equal importance to regulating carbon emissions? I'd say no, at least, not at the moment.
This IS focused on the industry, telling them they're not allowed to produce or use single-use plastics. This isn't aimed at us, what are you even saying right now?This is how the conversation gets distracted. Even within discussions of plastic pollution why are focusing on the consumer instead of industry?
There's considerable disagreement among the polls now, which isn't all that unusual. That's why people tend to focus on averages.
Whether it's a good idea politically depends on how much being seen to take action on the environment is a good political strategy. I'd assume they're betting it is.I think the Liberals' timing on the Plastic Ban to be stupid during an election year
STFU and ban plastic AFTER the election
suburbanites suburbanites!
I thought LPC and CPC were closer than that Angus poll...
Also, lmao, some guy is trying to drum up controversy with the straw ban, because it includes other items. Such as....
Women's Q-tips.
Have fun in your Q-tip-less dystopia, liberal women! Real men don't use Q-tips.
It's basically a dare to conservatives: "try and come out against this when you can't vilify it as a tax and show your anti-environmental stripes, I fucking dare you."I think the Liberals' timing on the Plastic Ban to be stupid during an election year
STFU and ban plastic AFTER the election
suburbanites suburbanites!
I thought LPC and CPC were closer than that Angus poll...
Also, lmao, some guy is trying to drum up controversy with the straw ban, because it includes other items. Such as....
Women's Q-tips.
Have fun in your Q-tip-less dystopia, liberal women! Real men don't use Q-tips.
There's considerable disagreement among the polls now, which isn't all that unusual. That's why people tend to focus on averages.
The funniest part is women calling him out on his obvious bullshit, because the actual Q-Tip brand doesn't use plastic currently, only the store-brand knockoffs do. They weren't having ANY of his nonsense.
Oh man, I missed that! LOL, I could almost believe that's true, too.Yep haha. The comments are great. "Are you sure you weren't trying to say tampons and just couldn't bring yourself to??"
This is funny when his show, which is basically just House of Cards at this point, is about his character being the first elected Independent POTUS in history. lol
Good on Kiefer to clap back at Ford and Lisa MacLeod.
Incidentally she just hired Faith Goldy's brother in law and former Rebel employee as director of policy.
lol I saw that. why would you try to hot take keifer?
Looks like this big boss just got...snake eaten.
Oh man, I missed that! LOL, I could almost believe that's true, too.
CPC mother fuckers bought ad buys on ABC's Vermont affiliate WVNY 22 and aired anti-Trudeau ad "Never Ready" on American TV
*edit hahaha the Anti-Sheer ad just came up on WVNY 22
CPC mother fuckers bought ad buys on ABC's Vermont affiliate WVNY 22 and aired anti-Trudeau ad "Never Ready" on American TV
*edit hahaha the Anti-Sheer ad just came up on WVNY 22
I think the Liberals' timing on the Plastic Ban to be stupid during an election year
STFU and ban plastic AFTER the election
suburbanites suburbanites!
The plastic life cycle will make up 17% of the world's total carbon budget (the amount of carbon emissions we are allowed without causing temperature increases) by 2050, which includes production, recycling initiatives, waste incineration, etc. 1.8 billion metric tons of CO2 were caused by the plastic lifecycle in 2015. 50% of all plastic production is for single-use items and on top of that, demand for plastics is rising, projected to increase by 22% in the next 5 years, or an increase to 2.2 billion metric tons or more of CO2 per year. We'd need to reduce our global carbon footprint by 18% just to break even on plastics production. That increase in plastic demand is likely driven primarily by single-use plastics, making single-use plastic the likely majority of plastic production worldwide within the next 5 years. Even with a 100% worldwide switch to renewable energy sources, our projected plastic production increases would still result in producing more CO2 emissions than we do now.
Data source for all the above information: ScienceDaily, citing a UC Santa Barbara study from the scientific journal Nature Climate Change
Wide-scope plastic bans ARE regulating carbon emissions, pretending otherwise is dangerous.
Ultimately, Suh and Zheng found that replacing fossil-based energy with renewable sources had the greatest impact on plastic's greenhouse gas emissions overall. Transitioning to 100% renewable energy -- a purely theoretical scenario, Suh concedes -- would reduce emissions by 51%.
Unfortunately, the growing demand for plastic means this situation still ends up producing more carbon in the future than we currently produce right now. In fact, Suh was surprised by just how difficult it was to reduce emissions given this trend.