Unthreaded
Chapter and verse references on VW's misdemeanours:
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/discussion/post/2542738
not banned yet
jamesp on Sep 22, 2015 at 1:06 PM
"VW is only guilty of ‘optimising’ its cars in a more sophisticated manner than everyone else."
They apparently inject urea. From my first link:
"The software works by sensing when a car is being tested and injecting urea into the exhaust system to clean up fumes. It allows cars to appear ultra-clean when in fact they emit up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide than the legal limit."
Sounds like a bit more than 'optimising'. And from where do they get the urea? Has someone been taking the p**s?
As this does sound serious, any problem within the EU can be countered with the quote from Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president:
"When it becomes serious, you have to lie."
If that isn't enough, he said this on the introduction of the Euro:
"We decide on something, leave it lying around, and wait and see what happens. If no one kicks up a fuss, because most people don't understand what has been decided, we continue step by step until there is no turning back."
Robert Christopher
I wish my VW was a diesel. Able to meet emissions standards, but immediately capable of performing better. A triumph of German engineering over green bankruptcy and bureaucracy.
Let us all hope Merkel stands up for German interests against the rest of Europe, starting in Paris. As an Englishman, it shows how attitudes can change.
golf charlie
VW is only guilty of ‘optimising’ its cars in a more sophisticated manner than everyone else. Manufacturers all make strenuous efforts to get their vehicles into the most favourable emission bands, reducing the rolling resistance by increasing tyre pressures, removing brake pads, thinning the oil, decoupling the air-con and so on.
Perhaps we might now get a level playing field and some proper scrutiny of the whole CO2 nonsense!
jamesp
Volkswagen emissions scandal: millions of Britons could be driving illegal cars
Millions of diesel cars could be recalled if manufacturers are found to have rigged emissions tests like Volkswagen
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/11880790/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-illegal-cars.html
'Made in Germany' lies in the 'gutter' after Volkswagen caught cheating
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11880921/Made-in-Germany-lies-in-the-gutter-after-Volkswagen-caught-cheating.html
Apart from the obvious ramifications of cars having to be recalled and the drop in Volkswagen's share price, there will be many cars going not quite so fast as before. It would be expected that this would affect sales of diesels and make the petrol engine the smarter choice.
I remember when diesel was the engine of environmental choice, according to Green Government and Green organisations, and bio-diesel fuel even better.
How times change!
Robert Christopher
michael hart
re:OCO2
Given that final OCO-2 data has purportedly been released - the dearth of either snapshots or recipes using the standard tools is - to what's left of my mind very suspicious indeed.
As to the timing - well that stinks - that really stinks to high heaven.
If earthschool.net can grid the data from other earth resource mappers like this then why not OCO-2? NASA has files in place on their servers - but afaics nobody has managed to grid the data and release resultant imagery - which given the obvious interest in this seems - let's say, curious..... since there does not appear to be any release caveats on the dataset that I've seen anyway (and I have looked)
SandyS
Norway has a small , quite sparse population - what struck me was China - colleagues who don't smoke have come back from visits with respiratory difficulties.... oh and the volcano plumes ...
tomo
Messenger: I loved the way Stern described imposing the Climate Change Levy on renewables as "potty". I have never yet heard him describing the Climate Change Levy imposed on the lowest "carbon emitting" technology, namely nuclear power, as "potty". Biased BBC - heaven forfend.
And don't you just love the way Hazzbin always talks about "emitting carbon". He obviously failed chemistry at school, which is why he is an English graduate.
Phillip Bratby
Just as you suspected, Philip, a completely unbalanced report from Roger Harrabin, with not one single opposing view. Renewable energy doesn't emit any carbon, thus saving the climate, 20,000 people will lose their jobs( couple of sob stories....boo-hoo), renewables are much more efficient than expected, but on the other hand subsidies have been cut before the sector is ready, carbon this, carbon that, carbon the other. Gummer thinks (more or less) that the government should stick more nearly to the price originally proposed....and so on and so on, Absolutely disgraceful display of bias.
[and by the way we have 40 days (or was it 2 months?) to save the planet or we are all doomed to have a changing climate for ever and ever....and isn't there another daft conference in Paris coming up.....?]
Messenger
tomo
Norway stands out quite dramatically as being SO2 "free".
SandyS
not banned yet on Sep 22, 2015 at 2:46 PM
Thanks!
It could have been worse: at least both documents were printed on recycled paper, with one using vegetable oil based inks!