http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-06/installing-plastic-trees-help-environment
When we run out of trees at least they have come up with an alternative.
Tim
smiley_headscratch
90,000 tons? How much carbon is going to be created in the manufacture and installation of said trees? How much diesel will be burned bulldozing all of the carbon away from the fake tree? :D
Long on theory but short on practicality.
And to think this is what the brilliant minds are cooking up. Dumbest idea ever. No offense to the original poster. I liked reading the article.
I enjoyed the article too, as well as the comments that followed. The author of the article obviously didn't know much about it, but he managed to sell his work, which was probably his only goal anyway. ::) :D
The comments revealed more about human nature than the science of carbon sequestration. The laymen who responded were asking for some science that might validate the claims, and those who claimed to be scientists seemed to be saying, "It is so because I am a scientist and I say it is so." They left me with the frequently felt feeling that they know their theories are wrong, but it would mess up their Government grant if they admitted it.
I liked the look of that site, overall, so I signed up just in case I want to comment on something in the future. Does anyone else here post over there?
These grants are like a river of money going no where. They, as grant recipients are not likely to shoot themselves in the foot. DanG, quite a well stated explanation.
I noticed that the posting date was June but I wonder if it should have been 1 April.
None of these guys has figured out anything. I've got the answer. Did you know that plastic is a petroleum based product? One of the biggest gripes environmental types have is what to do with plastic.
I think that all plastic that can't be recycled and used for containers, etc., should be melted into big blobs and buried forever, never to be used for anything again.
Course, you might be able to make building blocks out of it, or Dams, or bulkheads for some of these artificial islands the Arabs are building and get a little use, but ultimatly, bury it. That would take more carbon off of the surface of the planet, for a longer time, than any convaluted plan I've heard of to date.
We'de probably soon hear cries from the environmentalist to "Make More Plastic!"
I think it would be best used for some sort of building material. Why waste it. I've heard lots of greenies complaining that the stuff never breaks down in landfills. So, I say it can't harm anything that way. ;) :)
i agree use it for building they use old tires to make asphalt why not plastic building products heck the china company's would jump all over it.