User:Dustfreeworld

On air pollution, climate change, carbon dioxide and bad practice of recycling (originally posted here)


As for carbon dioxide, I would like to share some of my views here. While it's obvious that we are producing too much carbon dioxide, how some people are dealing with the problem makes me worried. Many innovative ideas have emerged in recent years. For example, to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete production, all kinds of stuff are being added to replace Portland cement in the concrete mix. Those materials include toxic industrial wastes such as EAF slag and EAF dust, sharp, edgy glass powder, aluminium dross, rice hull ash, waste incineration slag, silica fume, fly ash, etc. When classified as "encapsulated use" (contained in concrete), it is assumed by most governments that there's almost no or little leaching of toxic substances (e.g. heavy metals, VOCs, etc.) from the concrete and regulations (or execution of them) are not needed. But the truth is, with the modern mechinaries and power tools, concrete, the second most used material after water in the world, is being turned into huge amount of fine dust everyday, posing immediate and serious health threats to the public. From large-scale projects like bridges and tunnels, to home/shop/office renovation or DIY projects, not to mention demolitions, roadworks, housing estate construction or the many concrete batching plants around. Everyone is affected with no exception. What is more, the variation in concrete composition may make source apportionment of pollution difficult or even erroneous (e.g., if you found heavy metals in an air sample you may attribute them to steel-making but not construction, while the heavy metals may actually originated from the dust of slag cement). Do the construction industry or power tool industry know about that? Well I can't speak for them, but it's quite likely that they know it, just like the energy industry since the 1960s. Besides substituting cement with hazardous materials, some also suggested using steel or plastic in place of concrete to build bridges. I had watched a documentary long long time ago, saying that the toxic metallic wastes produced during the production of a metal coin (mining, smelting, etc.) is a few times the weight of it. The metallic dust produced during bridge construction is a problem too. Using metal to build bridges isn't environmental friendly at all IMHO. Other innovative ways to reduce CO2 don't sound very attractive to me either. Storing CO2 underground would risk future leakage, sooner or later, and when that happens it can really kill. It seems that currently most efforts in reducing carbon dioxide emissions focus in power plants, and not much attention is paid to the many huge construction projects (fewer projects, less cement needed and less carbon dioxide released of course). I'm not against construction. Without buildings we can't hide away from dust (dust and fumes may still be able to come out through the ventilation system though). Without roads and bridges we can't escape from polluted place. (Oh yes everything is inter-related..) Just that they should be built responsiblely and only when they are truly needed. To solve a problem, one needs to find the root cause. If part of the problem is caused by the fast population growth in developing countries, then maybe more efforts in birth control are needed there (well, after all, we are all producing carbon dioxide every second just by breathing). As to other methods, I'd prefer more traditional, well-proved and direct ways like forestation (or simply less deforestation). Adopting new ideas globally with drastic changes without thorough and in depth consideration (esp. from experience) can be dangerous. Everything in our environment is inter-related, just like what happened in the food chain. For example, even conservative methods like forestation may risk contaminating the environment with the overuse of cheap fertilizers containing toxic substances. And the choice of species is important so that the ecological balance is not altered. Using less plastics may mean we need to use more metal, wood, etc. (which is likely to cause even more problems to our health and the environment) , using hydropower may mean we have to build more dams (which takes years and use tons of concrete), use of electric cars may mean the use of a lot more toxic batteries...etc. It is just about choosing the lesser evil. The problem with human is that sometimes we are too arrogant. We believe we know everything. We believe that we can change or revert anything, in a short time, and in our own way, without respecting the development of history and the self-healing ability of the earth, which may then doing even more harm to it. What we believe to be the most advance knowledge/technologies are mostly wrong in the eyes of someone who lives 500 years later in the future. With a pandemic outbreak like Covid-19, I believe something must have gone wrong. My opinion is, keep the "dirty projects" as few as possible and keep them far away from where people live and commuting (e.g., we really don't need a concrete plant a few blocks from homes, I know it can't be too far for immediate use, but we are really having too many in the cities), avoid "large-scale" things, no matter it is the world's the longest railway, the world's largest bridge, dam, building, artificial island or carbon storage facility. Those "record-breaking" projects are usually dangerous. Reduce unnecessary renovation, remodeling or building rehabilitation projects and regulate the inevitable ones. Putting human lives at first priority when implementing any policies, remedies or projects, and avoid bringing bad results with good intentions (sorry for the long post:).

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:7-9 King James Version

"If you want to learn about the health of a population, look at the air they breath, the water they drink, and the places where they live."

– Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, in the Fifth Century B.C.

“There may be new or clear answers in the remaining 20% of knowledge that may be thrown away. I think it’s important to have an ‘open mind’ to leave possibilities and believe in them. In addition to this, you also need things like obsession and persistence.” [1] (machine translation)

– Seung Chan Kim, Korean scientist and inventor [2]

Barnstars

	The Citation Barnstar
	Thanks for adding information and sources to Industrial Fasteners Institute. I originally wasn't confident that we could find many sources for, but I'm so glad that we were able to improve the article. I love the fun detail you added about the Titanic disaster. WhatamIdoing (talk) 05:23, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

	The Editor's Barnstar
	I noticed that you made your 5,000th edit to the English Wikipedia today. Congratulations on reaching that rare milestone. Out of every 500 new people who make their first edit, only about one achieves your volume. WhatamIdoing (talk) 04:09, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

Greetings

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2024!

Hello Dustfreeworld, may you be surrounded by peace, success and happiness on this seasonal occasion. Spread the WikiLove by wishing another user a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, whether it be someone you have had disagreements with in the past, a good friend, or just some random person. Sending you heartfelt and warm greetings for Christmas and New Year 2024.
Happy editing,
–Davey2010^Talk 15:32, 25 December 2023 (UTC)

Spread the love by adding {{subst:Seasonal Greetings}} to other user talk pages.

—Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) is wishing you a Merry Christmas!

This greeting (and season) promotes WikiLove and hopefully this note has made your day a little better. Spread the WikiLove by wishing another user a Merry Christmas, whether it be someone you have had disagreements with in the past, a good friend, or just some random person. Happy New Year!

Spread the Christmas cheer by adding {{subst:Xmas3}} to their talk page with a friendly message.

—Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 16:16, 25 December 2023 (UTC)

Hello Dustfreeworld: Enjoy the holiday season and winter solstice if it's occurring in your area of the world, and thanks for your work to maintain, improve and expand Wikipedia. Cheers, Ser Amantio di Nicolao^{Che dicono a Signa?}_{Lo dicono a Signa.} 04:40, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

Spread the WikiLove; use {{subst:Season's Greetings}} to send this message

--Ser Amantio di Nicolao^{Che dicono a Signa?}_{Lo dicono a Signa.} 04:40, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

many thanks for your xmas wishes, all the same to you Boynamedsue (talk) 07:02, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

~ ~ ~ Merry Christmas! ~ ~ ~

Hello Dustfreeworld: Enjoy the holiday season and winter solstice if it's occurring in your area of the world, and thanks for your work to maintain, improve and expand Wikipedia. Cheers, CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 20:21, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

Yes - many thanks for the greetings and very best wishes to you for the New Year --Iztwoz (talk) 11:18, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

	Happy New Year!
	Hello Dustfreeworld: Did you know ... that back in 1885, Wikipedia editors wrote Good Articles with axes, hammers and chisels? Thank you for your contributions to this encyclopedia using 21st century technology. I hope you don't get any unnecessary blisters. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 22:18, 31 December 2023 (UTC)

Spread the WikiLove; use {{subst:Happy New Year elves}} to send this message

CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 22:18, 31 December 2023 (UTC)

This user is going to be on Wikipedia in off-and-on doses and may not respond swiftly to queries.