Next time you see a sleeping Japanese, do not wake him . . . he is saving the planet. The Japanese government has launched a campaign asking people to go to bed and get up extra early in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Of course, it is not clear what carbon footprint will be left by the likely increase in births associated with forcing couples into their beds for longer periods.
Putting the ribbing aside, the fact is that the Japanese government (unlike our own) is trying to move aggressively to deal with carbon emissions and global warming as scientists warn that we may be approaching a point of no return.
The article below notes “[t]he amount of carbon dioxide emissions potentially saved from going to bed an hour early was the equivalent of 20 per cent of annual emissions from household lights.” One culprit identified by the government is late night television, which consumes a great deal of energy.
The Japanese environment ministry is seeking to meet a goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent from 1990 levels within the next decade.
Source: Telegraph
real good video on cutting carbon by 10%, it isnt funny and is probably a “tell” of what these nuts would do if they ever came to power.
buckeye
rush is just pissed because they made him turn off the lights at the back of his house for sea turtle hatchlings.
‘How dare you say that the Far, Far Right is not doing their part to save the planet. The Times states that 73% of the US Corporations are holing onto some where in the neighborhood of 1 trillion dollars, waiting for the economy to pick up before they spend money saved. ‘
It’s called building a Dam…for purposes of energy. It’s simply a different landscape and the stuff that was meant to be flowing to keep the land green and growing is been diverted into corporate pockets so the ‘Olde Crooked Guard’ can hold on to the power it continues to abuse.
“… When, after a conflict, the best balanced leaders who have a stake in the future of all persons, are bypassed, and instead power is seized by the angriest and most grudge-holding, whose greatest stake is in the past… without new consciousness, and without strong reconciling actions, thus erupts a horrible recycling of living out the least of what is human in this world.” from “Letter To The Prince on the Anniversary of Kristallnacht” Pinkola-Estes
Whoops, isn’t for couples to be in bed for longer periods.
The idea is for couples to be in bed for longer periods, but to shift the time spent in bed so that it is more in tune with when the sun is up. (Also, Japan might not mind a few more babies as they have a negative population growth rate.)
Can you imagine the amount of baseless hate and protesting that would occur if our government recommended something simple like this? “THE GUVMENT AIN’T MY MOMMA AND AIN’T GONNA TELL ME WHEN TO GO TO BED!”
Smom,
For many parts of the state of MI, the only way is up…But then again if you are Kwame Kilpatrick, the only way out is escape…
Kwame Kilpatrick indicted on 19 counts
Paul Egan and Mike Wilkinson / The Detroit News
Detroit –Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was indicted this afternoon on allegations of taking at least $640,000 from his nonprofit foundation for his mayoral campaign and travel, car leases college tuition, anti-bugging equipment and yoga lessons.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Kilpatrick, currently serving time in a northern Michigan prison, with 19 fraud-related charges. They include 10 counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, five counts of filing false tax returns and one count of tax evasion.
Kilpatrick is to be arraigned on the charges July 13. The most serious charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100623/METRO/6230417/Kwame-Kilpatrick-indicted-on-19-counts#ixzz0rsKvKgm8
Rush Limbaugh, in his usual empathetic, conservationist style, gives his take on Earth Day’s turniing off the lights last March.
“This is what makes me, me. I’ve never been a conventional wisdom guy, nor a conformist. And you’re going to have a bunch of these people doing this for two reasons: Fear if they don’t do it they’ll be ridiculed, if they’re a city, a town, a building, a corporation; and the second reason is because they actually think they’re making a difference here, with a show of symbolism. “What can it possibly hurt to turn the lights off? It can’t hurt anything to turn the lights off other than promote crime.” What are the homeless going to do? I mean, it’s already dark for them anyway, their life prospects are dark, live under bridges, street lights. What’s going to happen when you turn those off? People driving black cars at night can’t be seen they’re going to come in there and create mayhem and crime.
It is just ridiculous. This level, folks, of emotional chaos, this level of emotional derangement, has been present in this country for a long time. But look — with the election of an extremist, tyrannical president, look — at all of it that he’s brought to the surface, and you watch this stuff, and you say, “This is not the country I know. This is not America. This is not the country I was raised in. This was not the country I grew up in.” We’re being run by a bunch of idiots, a bunch of children — spoiled brat children, who actually think they’re “making a difference” by turning out the lights for an hour. So I urge all of you — especially those of you who are stealing your electricity by short-changing the meter — to fire ’em up! On Saturday night at 8:30. They chose 8:30 ’cause daylight time, of course, it gets dark by 8:30, fire ’em up. I mean fire up every light you got! Go out and drive your car turn the headlights on after you’ve turned every light on the house, in the house on outside.”
There’s more.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_032609/content/01125111.guest.html
Rush is also concerned about a possible baby boom.
“You know what generally happens in a power failure in the dark? I mean, nine months later you have a Baby Boom. Will we get to see videos of that?”
http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amufMiNGlrO8&pos=3 Michigan survey shows consumer confidence is up. People are more positive than they have been in two years. I would have predicted otherwise.
ShireNomad,
Well, China has this problem solved. It called a tax on the second child. It is like 2,500.00, But then again that may not sound like much until you realize that wages are about .40 cents an hour.
So then they get into selective reproduction or spontaneous abortions, yadda, yadda…. The male child.
Rethinking this, I can think of areas of the country that need selective reproduction as well. They selectively breed dog, cattle, horse and sheep… why can’t they do that with there kin folk. Oh yeah, the family tree don’t fork. So the women aren’t safe either…..
“Of course, it is not clear what carbon footprint will be left by the likely increase in births associated with forcing couples into their beds for longer periods.”
There’s also a lot more exhaling of CO2 involved in the process.
Yes Swarthmore mom,
I fergot about that issue. I did mention U/E.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2010/06/stymied_by_gop_democrats_at_loss_on_jobs_agenda.php?ref=fpb The GOP does not want to extend jobless benefits. I guess this saves energy too.
Hell, Rafflaw, they are too doing it, but in the most backward way. Its called Unemployment. Then you can’t pay bills, you don’t own a house or live in an apartment, the car gets repo’d. Problem solved. No Home, No Electricity, No Car, No Gas.
How dare you say that the Far, Far Right is not doing their part to save the planet. The Times states that 73% of the US Corporations are holing onto some where in the neighborhood of 1 trillion dollars, waiting for the economy to pick up before they spend money saved.
Henry Ford had it right. Create the “G-ddamn” demand and they will buy. That’s why I am paying the workers 5 dollars a day.
Ok, now that this one is solved. What are they going to do about the pollutants in the water from making the circuit boards that go into all of these electronics that the world uses? Oh yeah, move it to Taiwan. That takes care of the problem and if they complain. Well people there like in certain states are dispensable.
Since the efficacy of this program is in substantial doubt, I move we amend the old saw to read: “Let sleeping Japanese lie.”
The far Right wouldn’t dream of actually taking measures to reduce our carbon footprint individually or as a country. To take steps to reduce our damage to globe might actually mean that corporations and other “people” would have to believe in science! The Right can’t have anyone believing in science. That might actually lead them to think for themselves!