Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => The Environment => Topic started by: lyner on 08/10/2007 17:31:02

Title: Carbon Neutral: what is it supposed to mean?
Post by: lyner on 08/10/2007 17:31:02
If every new home is intended to be called carbon neutral, how can the politicians  seriously have a meaningful definition of the term and have any hope of achieving that aim?
As far as I can see, you would need a 2kW wind generator on the roof of every new home.
Sounds like the wind turbine would not be the only thing to be spinning.
Title: Carbon Neutral: what is it supposed to mean?
Post by: another_someone on 08/10/2007 17:39:27
If every new home is intended to be called carbon neutral, how can the politicians  seriously have a meaningful definition of the term and have any hope of achieving that aim?
As far as I can see, you would need a 2kW wind generator on the roof of every new home.
Sounds like the wind turbine would not be the only thing to be spinning.

Carbon neutral is not the same thing as energy neutral (which is why politicians say all their overseas flight are carbon neutral because they have paid someone somewhere to plant a few trees to offset their fuel use - has absolutely nothing to do with energy neutrality, and its notion of carbon neutrality is merely by the terms laid down in the Kyoto treaty rather than anybody actually doing a strict case by case study of the impact on the carbon cycle).