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The crash of the global flower trade

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Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#11

Post by kinkrtyavimoodh »

bostik wrote: post #7
Mengkudulangsat wrote: post #3

Cut flower export sounds like climate travesty; they are not essential, they are fragile (requiring energy-intensive cold chain logistics and air-freight) and after all that effort... they have a shelf-life of a week. If there is an industry that should be strictly localized, it's this one.

I don't even understand the whole cut flower thing. It's morbid. You cultivate something that is living and beautiful. Then you kill it, and bring the corpse inside, to essentially observe the once-living thing's decay. (And don't get me started on giving cut flowers as gifts. If your host is an animal lover, you don't pick up roadkill on your way over, either.)

Merely using words with shock value isn't going to help your case. Yes when you sneeze often in spring it's because of plant bukkake in your nose and when you eat saffron you are munching on plant dicks. What's your point?

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#12

Post by empath75 »

The repercussions of the global economic depression we are entering are going to be long lasting and it’s not going to in any way bounce back in a few months or even a few years. A lot of industries are going to completely collapse.

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#13

Post by lifeisstillgood »

kinkrtyavimoodh wrote: post #11
bostik wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even understand the whole cut flower thing. It's morbid. You cultivate something that is living and beautiful. Then you kill it, and bring the corpse inside, to essentially observe the once-living thing's decay. (And don't get me started on giving cut flowers as gifts. If your host is an animal lover, you don't pick up roadkill on your way over, either.)

Merely using words with shock value isn't going to help your case. Yes when you sneeze often in spring it's because of plant bukkake in your nose and when you eat saffron you are munching on plant dicks. What's your point?

Great, that saffron scented curry I was looking forward to after the lockdown just got scratched off my list.

:-)

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#14

Post by throwaway_pdp09 »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #4
Mengkudulangsat wrote: post #3

Cut flower export sounds like climate travesty; they are not essential, they are fragile (requiring energy-intensive cold chain logistics and air-freight) and after all that effort... they have a shelf-life of a week. If there is an industry that should be strictly localized, it's this one.

The argument I regularly hear is that there would be more energy spent heating local greenhouses than flying the flowers.

I am not an expert but I doubt it. Double poly tunnels are can keep in a decent amount of heat during the day, and at night most plants can take a decent dose of cold provided it's not frost. However I'm not an expert.

But is spending irreplaceable fossil fuel energy on what are basically short-lived ornaments rational? I'd say no.

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#15

Post by op03 »

Mengkudulangsat wrote: post #3

Cut flower export sounds like climate travesty; they are not essential, they are fragile (requiring energy-intensive cold chain logistics and air-freight) and after all that effort... they have a shelf-life of a week. If there is an industry that should be strictly localized, it's this one.

I don't agree about not essential. If we go there, sooner or later, someone will show up and say Music is not essential, and why can't everyone dress like Zuck etc.

But I do agree about local. I mean who doesn't want to walk by something like this everyday - https://scontent-yyz1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t50.2886-16/93565...

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#16

Post by staz »

bostik wrote: post #7
Mengkudulangsat wrote: post #3

Cut flower export sounds like climate travesty; they are not essential, they are fragile (requiring energy-intensive cold chain logistics and air-freight) and after all that effort... they have a shelf-life of a week. If there is an industry that should be strictly localized, it's this one.

I don't even understand the whole cut flower thing. It's morbid. You cultivate something that is living and beautiful. Then you kill it, and bring the corpse inside, to essentially observe the once-living thing's decay. (And don't get me started on giving cut flowers as gifts. If your host is an animal lover, you don't pick up roadkill on your way over, either.)

Relevant SMBC https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2012-04-28

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#17

Post by kuu »

Arctic_ wrote: post #10
kuu wrote: post #8

I'm really sorry for the Dutch but their response to the crisis to Italy and Spain has been: "you should have saved some money!". I hope now they realize this crisis affects all in one way or another, either with direct deaths or with indirect sales crash, which can translate also into deaths. It's really hard for me now to feel pity for flowers when they didn't care about people dying...

Not really. The response from the Dutch government was that they did want to help, but did not want to hold the responsibility for paying back the loan from the countries. Which would have been the case with Eurobonds. Instead, they wanted to help but had some financial reform obligations tied to it, which Italy and Spain were not happy with.

Not really.

"Mr Hoekstra also infuriated some of his finance minister colleagues this week when he suggested that Brussels “investigate” why some economies did not have the fiscal headway to fight a downturn — a veiled dig at Italy and others for failing to reform in benign times. An EU diplomat quoted by Volkskrant described the slight as a “middle finger to the south”."

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#18

Post by chewz »

Arctic_ wrote: post #10
kuu wrote: post #8

I'm really sorry for the Dutch but their response to the crisis to Italy and Spain has been: "you should have saved some money!". I hope now they realize this crisis affects all in one way or another, either with direct deaths or with indirect sales crash, which can translate also into deaths. It's really hard for me now to feel pity for flowers when they didn't care about people dying...

Not really. The response from the Dutch government was that they did want to help, but did not want to hold the responsibility for paying back the loan from the countries. Which would have been the case with Eurobonds. Instead, they wanted to help but had some financial reform obligations tied to it, which Italy and Spain were not happy with.

The idea of solidarity in crisis is that you circle the wagons and protect the vulnerable. Every man for himself is usualy a net loss for everyone.

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#19

Post by tdons »

kuu wrote: post #8

I'm really sorry for the Dutch but their response to the crisis to Italy and Spain has been: "you should have saved some money!". I hope now they realize this crisis affects all in one way or another, either with direct deaths or with indirect sales crash, which can translate also into deaths. It's really hard for me now to feel pity for flowers when they didn't care about people dying...

You should take back the part where you accuse an entire nation of not caring about people dying. It's unbecoming.

The Dutch just don't want mutualisation of debt. That's not strange at all.

Re: The crash of the global flower trade

#20

Post by chewz »

empath75 wrote: post #12

The repercussions of the global economic depression we are entering are going to be long lasting and it’s not going to in any way bounce back in a few months or even a few years. A lot of industries are going to completely collapse.

And a lot of new industries will arise. They already do.
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