Making the world a better place

S

Solar Flare

Banned
Being somewhat inspired by the recent meaningful discussions on this site (which I observed, although not participated in), I decided to create this thread. I’m not sure if this thread will get much attention but even the fact that such a thread exists is nice, I guess. I know there are threads here which are quite similar to this one, but there are none that are exactly like this, to my knowledge. If I am incorrect, sorry.

But anyway! This is a place to discuss anything that could in your opinion make the world better for us and for the future generations. You can share any of your ideas, from the global ones of how we should organize our governments etc. to some small but very useful inventions which can potentially make our lives better. Really, share any interesting ideas on your mind. If you want to mention some good project that already exists or some idea which is being developed by some people, please, post your links and DO NOT just post random pictures with no sources or credits (because I know that some forum members tend to do that and spoil threads with nonsensical garbage). Also any valid criticism is welcome because it may be great to dream big but it’s always useful to think realistically as well.

Well, I guess I have to propose my ideas first (although they’re not that new). I think that the world could become a better place if we started switching to the renewable energy resources globally instead of sticking to the fossil fuels which damage the ecology and exhaust the Earth’s resources that could be used more productively or not be used at all. It’s good to see the tendency of many developed and even some developing countries who are putting more and more money into making renewable energy cheaper and more accessible. If things go that way, hopefully over time renewable energy will become so much cheaper than using fossil fuels that companies and people will switch to it completely. I really hope it won’t be too late for us all then.

So... Do you agree with me that renewable energy can make the world better or not? What other ideas do you have that you can and want to share?
 
AppLeo

AppLeo

Well-known member
Renewable energy is great and all, it's just too expensive right now.

As for my opinion on making the world a better place, all I want it to maintain individual rights and liberties for all humans in the United States of America.
 
Cap

Cap

Well-known member
Solar Flare said:
Well, I guess I have to propose my ideas first (although they’re not that new). I think that the world could become a better place if we started switching to the renewable energy resources globally instead of sticking to the fossil fuels which damage the ecology and exhaust the Earth’s resources that could be used more productively or not be used at all. It’s good to see the tendency of many developed and even some developing countries who are putting more and more money into making renewable energy cheaper and more accessible. If things go that way, hopefully over time renewable energy will become so much cheaper than using fossil fuels that companies and people will switch to it completely. I really hope it won’t be too late for us all then.

So... Do you agree with me that renewable energy can make the world better or not? What other ideas do you have that you can and want to share?
Click to expand...

Absolutely! A step in the right direction. The sooner, the better!

One example that everyone should follow:

Scotland Has a Plan to Become a World Leader in Renewable Energy

The author of Renewables Scotland 2030 suggests that the nation’s new National Energy Company focus on five key objectives:

- Reduce, and one day eliminate, fuel poverty
- Meet at least 75 percent of fuel demand with renewable energy
- Decentralize the energy supply
- Invest in and advance research and development in environmentally conscious technologies
- Use a not-for-profit approach to ensure that these green efforts yield social results

---

Scotland is already making some progress in revamping its energy sector. In September 2017, the Scottish government pledged to phase out gas and diesel passenger vehicles by 2032. In 2016, it set a goal to generate 100 percent of its electricity through renewables by 2020.

https://futurism.com/scotland-world-leader-renewable-energy/
 
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S

Solar Flare

Banned
Oddity said:
Be careful with that. Or be smarter than Canada. I think I posted this in the other thread, but it's costing people billions here due to all the green subsidy **** and poor planning. As in heating is often costing as much as your mortgage. People can't afford it, and up here that can have dire consequences.

http://business.financialpost.com/o...energy-broke-the-provinces-electricity-system

How would you go about doing it?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the article. I skimmed through it because it's a bit too late where I live to read it thoroughly, but it seems that Ontario is a good example of how you should not turn to the renewable energy. From what I understood, the main problem was that the politicians who actively endorsed the transition to the renewables overestimated the positive effects of it, largely because they thought it would save them a lot of money on dealing with health problems and other things caused by pollution. It's a bit strange though, the coal plants only accounted for 20% of all energy production in Ontario and they thought that getting rid of it would improve the quality of people's lives in a couple of years? I mean, it doesn't take a genius to know that the positive effects of such a transition would take many, many years to pay off. It also seems like the people in charge who advocated for it hired a lot of politically motivated people instead of hiring serious economists who could've planned everything better. Obviously, the whole transition to the new type of energy and getting rid of old coal plants costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. Yeah, I can see why it didn't work out. Definitely not an example any other city or country should follow.

I think other cities and countries shouldn't be as radical about turning to the renewables as Ontario was. Such kind of process doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't mean it should happen at all though. There are plenty of ways the governments can encourage the use of renewables, like investing money into the research and development of these types of energy, providing the companies who try to incorporate the renewable energy sources into their production with some tax cuts etc. Overall I think over time the old fossil fuel type of energy will become more and more expensive because there will be less natural resources and it will be harder and more expensive to extract them, so the humanity will start looking up to the renewables more and more. It's a gradual process for sure and it probably won't happen in 10 or 20 years, but 50 years is more probable.
 
S

Solar Flare

Banned
AppLeo said:
Renewable energy is great and all, it's just too expensive right now.

As for my opinion on making the world a better place, all I want it to maintain individual rights and liberties for all humans in the United States of America.
Click to expand...

Only in the United States, eh? I'm with you on maintaing individual rights and liberties but will the world be a betted place if these rights and liberties are maintained only in the US?
 
AppLeo

AppLeo

Well-known member
Solar Flare said:
Only in the United States, eh? I'm with you on maintaing individual rights and liberties but will the world be a betted place if these rights and liberties are maintained only in the US?
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The United States is closest to individual rights and liberties. The United States is where I live. The United States isn't responsible for other countries.

The United States would do better by leading by example. When good things happen when our society is free, other people will adopt our views. Trying to change other countries will only create conflict and waste time and resources.
 
S

Solar Flare

Banned
Oddity said:
Here's a good study on another reason why not to rush. Wind turbines do cause non-trivial health damage. I know a lot of science these days is propaganda, but I know Carl, and he's one of the few scientists I trust, even though politically we're pretty much at opposite ends of the spectrum. Have a read:

http://www.epaw.org/documents.php?lang=en&article=ns23
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Thanks for linking this study. I've actually taken my time and read it from start to finish. And I have to admit: how poorly it's written! The language the author uses is frequently very unprofessional and it makes it hard to take him seriously sometimes. The author seems very angry and he sometimes makes claims which he doesn't support by any relevant sources. For example: This is a variation on the theme that was popular a year ago (though it can still be found) where it was claimed, based on one study that found a correlation between people's attitudes toward the turbines and their reported health effects, that attitudes were causing the problems. What study? Where was it found? Is it really that hard to mention it to give yourself more credibility? Overall I have to say that this study made me feel disappointed with how scientifically inappropriately it was worded and how very little actual relevant information regarding the effects of wind turbines was given. The author sites some other studies, particularly the ones on the pages 12-13, but he says that some studies have various limitations and the results of another study are unpublished at the time of this writing. This study is from 2011, so these results may already be published by now but I haven't looked them up yet. The appendix is also rather interesting, with 3 reports of 3 different people who describe their negative experiences which they link to residing closely to the wind turbines. One of them even claims to have done a survey of other members of his community, the results of which unequivocally show that other people are also very dissatisfied with the closeness of wind turbines to their houses. These claims may be true but I find it ridiculous how the author spends so much time to explain why his evidence should be taken seriously and that there's a bias in the scientific community ultimately to present a couple of questionable researches and a couple of anecdotes while not even trying to analyze them or explain them properly. Very disappointing.

It's not even that I disagree with the author's premise that wind turbines can have a negative impact on the people's lives, I think it's very possible and it should be investigated further but this study has little to no scientific merit, unfortunately. I imagine that scientists have to measure the level of noise caused by wind turbines at different distances, probably with some adjustments made for the landscape, weather conditions etc. and find out whether the level of noise produced by these turbines actually exceeds the recommended level of noise suitable for humans and animals. I may be wrong but it seems that the noise is the primary problem here. Obviously, the complaints of nearby residents should be taken seriously and by no means ignored. Then, more research has to be done on how the negative impact of wind turbines can be mitigated and how much money it will cost. If it is cheaper to use other forms of renewable energy resources, it's better to stick to them. Ultimately, this research doesn't mean that there's no point in switching to the renewables. Instead, all problems have to be identified, the costs and possible risks have to be compared to each other and after that the government has to determine when, how and in what amount it's possible to start switching to the renewables.
 
S

Solar Flare

Banned
AppLeo said:
The United States is closest to individual rights and liberties. The United States is where I live. The United States isn't responsible for other countries.

The United States would do better by leading by example. When good things happen when our society is free, other people will adopt our views. Trying to change other countries will only create conflict and waste time and resources.
Click to expand...

It's good to see that you're patriotic and care for your country but the name of this thread is Making the world a better place. If you said something like I want to maintain individual rights and liberties for all people and I think that it could be done if the USA sets a good example to all other countries because my country is the closest to having them, I would have no problems with your position. Originally it seemed like you only care only for the US and its citizens and nobody else which isn't good.

Also I agree that trying to change other countries is expensive and useless. I'm definitely not advocating for that.
 
Oddity

Oddity

Well-known member
That's because it was a draft. The paper was paywalled, but found a non-paywalled copy here. If you're interested. I didn't know there was one that was free to the public now, ergo I didn't search for it. My bad. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3FU0iObJqKKRk82QjFoNXNPX3c/edit

Solar Flare said:
Thanks for linking this study. I've actually taken my time and read it from start to finish. And I have to admit: how poorly it's written! The language the author uses is frequently very unprofessional and it makes it hard to take him seriously sometimes. The author seems very angry and he sometimes makes claims which he doesn't support by any relevant sources. For example: This is a variation on the theme that was popular a year ago (though it can still be found) where it was claimed, based on one study that found a correlation between people's attitudes toward the turbines and their reported health effects, that attitudes were causing the problems. What study? Where was it found? Is it really that hard to mention it to give yourself more credibility? Overall I have to say that this study made me feel disappointed with how scientifically inappropriately it was worded and how very little actual relevant information regarding the effects of wind turbines was given. The author sites some other studies, particularly the ones on the pages 12-13, but he says that some studies have various limitations and the results of another study are unpublished at the time of this writing. This study is from 2011, so these results may already be published by now but I haven't looked them up yet. The appendix is also rather interesting, with 3 reports of 3 different people who describe their negative experiences which they link to residing closely to the wind turbines. One of them even claims to have done a survey of other members of his community, the results of which unequivocally show that other people are also very dissatisfied with the closeness of wind turbines to their houses. These claims may be true but I find it ridiculous how the author spends so much time to explain why his evidence should be taken seriously and that there's a bias in the scientific community ultimately to present a couple of questionable researches and a couple of anecdotes while not even trying to analyze them or explain them properly. Very disappointing.

It's not even that I disagree with the author's premise that wind turbines can have a negative impact on the people's lives, I think it's very possible and it should be investigated further but this study has little to no scientific merit, unfortunately. I imagine that scientists have to measure the level of noise caused by wind turbines at different distances, probably with some adjustments made for the landscape, weather conditions etc. and find out whether the level of noise produced by these turbines actually exceeds the recommended level of noise suitable for humans and animals. I may be wrong but it seems that the noise is the primary problem here. Obviously, the complaints of nearby residents should be taken seriously and by no means ignored. Then, more research has to be done on how the negative impact of wind turbines can be mitigated and how much money it will cost. If it is cheaper to use other forms of renewable energy resources, it's better to stick to them. Ultimately, this research doesn't mean that there's no point in switching to the renewables. Instead, all problems have to be identified, the costs and possible risks have to be compared to each other and after that the government has to determine when, how and in what amount it's possible to start switching to the renewables.
Click to expand...
 
AppLeo

AppLeo

Well-known member
Solar Flare said:
It's good to see that you're patriotic and care for your country but the name of this thread is Making the world a better place. If you said something like I want to maintain individual rights and liberties for all people and I think that it could be done if the USA sets a good example to all other countries because my country is the closest to having them, I would have no problems with your position. Originally it seemed like you only care only for the US and its citizens and nobody else which isn't good.

Also I agree that trying to change other countries is expensive and useless. I'm definitely not advocating for that.
Click to expand...

Yesssss

I also think that the best way to make the world a better place is to make yourself a better person. You have control over yourself. Other people you can’t control.

Too many people are too focused on fixing and controlling other people rather than fixing and controlling themselves.

If you want to change the world for the better, start small. First, fix the small details of your life. And then the bigger details. And then achieve some big goals for yourself. Become a savior of yourself.

Then, start to fix your family. Become a savior of your family.

Then, start to fix your friends. Become a savior of your friends.

Then, start to fix everyone you come in contact with. Become a savior locally.

Then.. you get the picture.. become a savior of the world like Gandhi or become the president.
 
S

Solar Flare

Banned
Oddity said:
That's because it was a draft. The paper was paywalled, but found a non-paywalled copy here. If you're interested. I didn't know there was one that was free to the public now, ergo I didn't search for it. My bad. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3FU0iObJqKKRk82QjFoNXNPX3c/edit
Click to expand...

Thanks for linking the actual published study now. I read the first half of the study carefully and skimmed through the other one. I have to say that this isn't much of an improvement, unfortunately, and the points I made in the previous post on that matter still stand. I'm glad the author made the final text shorter and left out some superfluous chunks of text but the text is more or less the same. He devotes too much time speaking about epidemiology and its methods in general and too little time talking about what his study should be about: wind turbines. The whole study can be summarised as: Wind turbines? Yeah, they're bad. People hate 'em. Why does it happen? Oh, it's noise and stuff, idk, it's too complicated. What should we do with that? Nothing, I guess, the government is too dumb anyways. What? Yeah, I have TONS of evidence, trust me. I just don't think I should show it. And my proof is 1000% legit. If you disagree, you're an idiot lolz.

Maybe there are better researches regarding this issue, I don't know. But this one is disappointingly bad and uninformative. Also, as I said, I don't even disagree with the fact that wind turbines can be the cause of some disorders. But this question has be to be treated much more gently and much more professionally.
 
S

Solar Flare

Banned
AppLeo said:
Yesssss

I also think that the best way to make the world a better place is to make yourself a better person. You have control over yourself. Other people you can’t control.

Too many people are too focused on fixing and controlling other people rather than fixing and controlling themselves.

If you want to change the world for the better, start small. First, fix the small details of your life. And then the bigger details. And then achieve some big goals for yourself. Become a savior of yourself.

Then, start to fix your family. Become a savior of your family.

Then, start to fix your friends. Become a savior of your friends.

Then, start to fix everyone you come in contact with. Become a savior locally.

Then.. you get the picture.. become a savior of the world like Gandhi or become the president.
Click to expand...

It's a good post. I agree. If you want the world to be better, begin with yourself. A lot of people tend to be lazy and disorganized and blame everybody else for their own faults instead of accepting their own mistakes. Accepting reality and your own responsibilities is the first step to make yourself and the world around you better. It seems that a lot of people struggle with that and blame the government, other people etc. It was pretty evident from the anti-capitalism thread here.

I think everybody is interested in making the world better but sometimes the world doesn't need to change, you do. And that's what this thread is about actually. What needs to change and why does it? Will the world realistically become better or are you just deluding yourself? What good can you bring to the world and how?
 
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Oddity

Oddity

Well-known member
Back in the day, you could have quite vehement arguments with your friends about politics, religion, and putting the world to rights generally.

And of course, you'd still be friends.

I think losing that is one of the worst things that's happened in recent years. Now people shun each other because if you take *that* side (whichever side it may be), you're evil, or stupid, or both.

Be nice if we could learn to talk to each other again.
 
AppLeo

AppLeo

Well-known member
Solar Flare said:
It's a good post. I agree. If you want the world to be better, begin with yourself. A lot of people tend to be lazy and disorganized and blame everybody else for their own faults instead of accepting their own mistakes. Accepting reality and your own responsibilities is the first step to make yourself and the world around you better. It seems that a lot of people struggle with that and blame the government, other people etc. It was pretty evident from the anti-capitalism thread here.

I think everybody is interested in making the world better but sometimes the world doesn't need to change, you do. And that's what this thread is about actually. What needs to change and why does it? Will the world realistically become better or are you just deluding yourself? What good can you bring to the world and how?
Click to expand...

The world does whatever it pleases. But you can do whatever you want to do. Personal responsibility is the best thing you can do for yourself. And because you a part of the world, you will be making it just a little bit better when you are responsible.

That's it pretty much. If everyone decided to be responsible, the world would be perfect, I think.
 
AppLeo

AppLeo

Well-known member
Oddity said:
Back in the day, you could have quite vehement arguments with your friends about politics, religion, and putting the world to rights generally.

And of course, you'd still be friends.

I think losing that is one of the worst things that's happened in recent years. Now people shun each other because if you take *that* side (whichever side it may be), you're evil, or stupid, or both.

Be nice if we could learn to talk to each other again.
Click to expand...

Who wants to be friends with someone who fundamentally disagrees with everything you whole-heartedly believe??

I don't wanna be friends with a liberal.
 
AppLeo

AppLeo

Well-known member
Or socialist who believes that I should give up half of my income to pay for free health care.

Like no. You shun people for believing in things that are incorrect. You don't smile and pretend to be friends with them, while secretly resenting them.
 
S

Solar Flare

Banned
Oddity said:
Back in the day, you could have quite vehement arguments with your friends about politics, religion, and putting the world to rights generally.

And of course, you'd still be friends.

I think losing that is one of the worst things that's happened in recent years. Now people shun each other because if you take *that* side (whichever side it may be), you're evil, or stupid, or both.

Be nice if we could learn to talk to each other again.
Click to expand...

It seems like the situation is more polarized than it has been in a long time in the US, Canada and many European countries. Thankfully, it's rather peaceful where I live. What do you think caused this? Is there anything that could be done?

I feel like social media, for example Facebook and Twitter, greatly amplify all this polarization. You can make a short post criticizing the other side, choosing any sort of terrible words, get a lot of support from random people and it can make you and other people who support your views feel like they're right. And the angrier and more blunt your post is, the more support you get because people generally don't like to think much or analyze although frankly speaking, in today's world they don't have much time for that... And if someone says something you don't want to hear, you can block this person in one click. Most people don't say nearly as much bad stuff in real life as they do online.
 
Blaze

Blaze

Account Closed
Oddity said:
Back in the day, you could have quite vehement arguments with your friends about politics, religion, and putting the world to rights generally.

And of course, you'd still be friends.

I think losing that is one of the worst things that's happened in recent years. Now people shun each other because if you take *that* side (whichever side it may be), you're evil, or stupid, or both.

Be nice if we could learn to talk to each other again.
Click to expand...

That's rare nowadays, with people putting their identities in whichever groups they want. "Up top," there are still a good few who can handle not agreeing on something, rather it be political or religious by nature, and still get along. Compromise is a hard art to follow for a great many.

Speaking from personal experience here. Not all is lost, yet anyway.
 
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