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Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

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Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#141

Post by janj »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #100
unprepare wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

theres also religious folks who believe the earth was created specifically for humans, and so everything here is for us and us alone. I find it a rather disgustingly self centered ideology. To presume that one (or ones species) is the most important thing in the world (or universe) is basically the definition of narcissism

Consider: earth may well be the only habitable planet in our galaxy. In that case its nearer the truth to consider it a gift just for us.

A closer truth might be that life can only happen on a habitable planet so it's not really a coincidence or 'gift', just the way it must be if life is to exist.

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#142

Post by eggy »

Costa Rica also sits on the Ring of Fire like I do here in East Java, so geothermal is accessible there.

Costa Rica did not have to maintain a standing army to protect its borders thanks in large part to relying on treaties and understandings with the US. This frees up some of their GDP for R&D into sustainable energy.

I wonder what the demand for electricity is in Costa Rica today compared to when I was last there in 1993. I was going to buy land then, but I was a bit wary of new laws on foreign-owned properties. It would have cost me a lot to bribe/pay my way to getting power distributed to my land. I was going to use a generator and solar panels anyway. Many people kept guns to defend their property from bandits in my travels there back then. I'm sure it has changed a lot. Selva Verde was my first 'eco-tourist' experience, and I remember talking to some of the worker's there, and the owner's daughter. I am glad to see the business model took off. It's a beautiful country.

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#143

Post by kbenson »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #133
kbenson wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, for the most part, that's the accepted interpretation. We just don't value non-human well-being as much as human well-being (which I think given the current species involved is acceptable). The problem is the difference in how we value non-human well-being between different subsets of the population causes strife between those subsets. I believe very few think it's alright to torture an animal for no reason, bu…

And when it comes to non-fuzzy animals, the gloves come off. We have massive industries to exterminate insects, fungi, bacteria and so on. Even fish are hardly protected. If we could perform genocide on some of them, we would.

Sure. Generally because they have their actions have a negative effect on our happiness, and we value their happiness so lowly that our loss in happiness overwhelms any concerns we have about theirs. We allow the raising of animals for slaughter because it affects our happiness so positively that we ignore that we are actually killing them at the end, and placate ourselves with platitudes about them having a relatively easy life up to that point (which historically was true).

I feel this keenly, being a meat-eater myself. Affordable (and hopefully palatable) lab-grown meet can't come soon enough.

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#144

Post by knz »

jfaucett wrote: post #19

Notice this is because 80% of the energy obtained was from Hydroelectric power, which is a great energy source because it is reliable - unlike wind and solar which in this case provided 7% and 0.01% respectively and are not reliable. It frustrates me that so many environmentalists are still against hydro because it alters ecosystems when nature itself is inherently violent, dangerous and in a constant state of flux.…

> .. energy obtained was from Hydroelectric power, which is a great energy source because it is reliable.

Is that assumption always true in the age of climate change? New Zealand gets about 50 to 60% of its energy from hydro and there have been concerns about the viability of it during periods of drought.

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#145

Post by adamb_ »

jfaucett wrote: post #19

Notice this is because 80% of the energy obtained was from Hydroelectric power, which is a great energy source because it is reliable - unlike wind and solar which in this case provided 7% and 0.01% respectively and are not reliable. It frustrates me that so many environmentalists are still against hydro because it alters ecosystems when nature itself is inherently violent, dangerous and in a constant state of flux.…

My understanding is that even if we were dam up all the rivers in the world, the power generated wouldn't come close to covering the current global demand

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#146

Post by hguant »

metaphorm wrote: post #105
hguant wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's actually a really old idea. Sadly, not one that gets a lot of press, as it's not very sexy to talk about dead Greeks (except to reject them). https://orwell1627.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/aristotles-purpo...

Eudaimonia is more like "ethics for virtuous and stable society" rather than saying very much about human relationship with the ecosystem. in the ancient world the human relationship with the ecosystem was extremely different than it is now.

Right, but the core principle underlying all that is that human happiness is a good in and of itself, and a virtuous and stable society is good only in that it allows for the greatest potential growth of human happiness.

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#147

Post by melling »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #100
unprepare wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

theres also religious folks who believe the earth was created specifically for humans, and so everything here is for us and us alone. I find it a rather disgustingly self centered ideology. To presume that one (or ones species) is the most important thing in the world (or universe) is basically the definition of narcissism

Consider: earth may well be the only habitable planet in our galaxy. In that case its nearer the truth to consider it a gift just for us.

Consider that the galaxy is 100,000 light years across so even if there are a couple of other habitable planets out there, we aren't likely to get there for millennia.

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#148

Post by hkjgkjy »

eggy wrote: post #142

Costa Rica also sits on the Ring of Fire like I do here in East Java, so geothermal is accessible there. Costa Rica did not have to maintain a standing army to protect its borders thanks in large part to relying on treaties and understandings with the US. This frees up some of their GDP for R&D into sustainable energy. I wonder what the demand for electricity is in Costa Rica today compared to when I was last there i…

>Costa Rica did not have to maintain a standing army to protect its borders thanks in large part to relying on treaties and understandings with the US.

As a non-american, I never understood what's up with this. Is it voluntary? Are they an independent nation?

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#149

Post by Xylakant »

mschuster91 wrote: post #80
jefurii wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> roofs of warehouses And parking lots.

Parking lots are dangerous to build over, for two reasons: 1) people cannot drive. The amount of dents or other damage from incompetent drivers done to a concrete-built park house is crazy, I don't want to imagine the damage they'll do to tiny aluminium/steel constructions holding the panels 2) people cannot drive. They underestimate their vehicle height all the time - just google for "can opener bridge". Just a coup…

> They underestimate their vehicle height all the time

There's a simple way to fix that: Have a solid steel bar slightly lower than the max clearance at the entrance. People that can't drive will notice there without causing further damage.

Re: Costa Rica has gone 76 days using 100% renewable electricity

#150

Post by BinaryIdiot »

unprepare wrote: post #94
dec0dedab0de wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I sometimes think they reject the idea that the whole point of existence is human flourishing and happiness. Yes, many people reject this idea. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I've ever heard anyone express this idea.

theres also religious folks who believe the earth was created specifically for humans, and so everything here is for us and us alone. I find it a rather disgustingly self centered ideology. To presume that one (or ones species) is the most important thing in the world (or universe) is basically the definition of narcissism

> To presume that one (or ones species) is the most important thing in the world (or universe) is basically the definition of narcissism

Humans are the most important things in the world. Why? Because I am a human. My family are humans. To me, and likely most people, humans are most important.

If I were an Otter and capable of self reflection I would likely think Otters were the most important things in the world.

Now this absolutely does not mean I don't value Otters. In fact I do. Otters are awesome! Just because I feel humans are the most important thing doesn't preclude me from having compassion to help other creatures. It's simply an order in which you find things important.

You've essentially manufactured a belief here (parent believes humans are most important therefore all others are in the way), projected it onto the parent and then became outraged by it.

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