How to Make CO2 Quickly: Buy a Jetpack

[EdEarl]

 

A jetpack produced by New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft is about go into production.

This 'Segway of the sky' can fly for 30 minutes on five gallons of gas.

Initially, the company expects to manufacture about 800 jetpacks a year.

A personal aircraft that requires minimal training and no pilot's license is about ready for production.

I hope sales of the Elio account for more fuel saved than used by this jet-pack.

 

Years ago, kids built cars for the Soap Box Derby, which were cars without an engine that ran a downhill race. The race encouraged entrants to engineer a fast car, learn to use tools and quality workmanship. In those days people liked a quiet walk down a friendly lane in the evening, watching the sun set and day become night. They also watched the weather and stars, and some kept a garden. My mother had a cow she liked to milk. She made butter and sold some of it to the neighbors. Mom mixed that milk with sugar, vanilla, and fruit, and I turned a crank on an ice cream maker---it was the best ice cream I ever had.

 

Now, fun often involves noise loud enough to shake your whole body or someone risking life or injury in a violent sport. Oddly, the law is evolving to protect people from harm while infringing on our freedom and privacy. Emergency room medicine has evolved to save people who are taken to the hospital quickly, and helicopter ambulances make trips quickly, yet terrorism makes us feel unsafe. The 3D printing revolution may make it possible for use to recycle plastic within our homes and revolutionize manufacturing into local-made and, thereby, reduce transportation costs. On the other hand, people are already buying tickets to be blasted into space.

 

Those kids who built cars for the Soap Box Derby have engineered and built many wonderful things. Unfortunately, friendly lanes have become gang filled streets, skyscrapers block a view of the weather, city lights obscure the stars, asphalt prevents gardening, and city ordinances disallow keeping a cow. We escape to a virtual world, whether a game, TV show, or opera. I miss that ice cream, I'd like to be able to have some again.

[CaptainPanic]

I also want that ice cream... but for the rest I don't share your world view. I am about to go cycling down a picturesque road while the sun sets tonight. Where I live (Netherlands) there are hardly any gangs at all. And apart from sea gulls (noisy bastards) my city is rather peaceful and quiet, even through it is part of a densely populated area. But yeah, I agree that city lights make it hard to see the stars. (Then again, where I live, it's damp and often foggy or cloudy, so you don't see much anyway).

 

My advice: move to a better part of the planet!

[EdEarl]

I also want that ice cream... but for the rest I don't share your world view. I am about to go cycling down a picturesque road while the sun sets tonight. Where I live (Netherlands) there are hardly any gangs at all. And apart from sea gulls (noisy bastards) my city is rather peaceful and quiet, even through it is part of a densely populated area. But yeah, I agree that city lights make it hard to see the stars. (Then again, where I live, it's damp and often foggy or cloudy, so you don't see much anyway).

 

My advice: move to a better part of the planet!

The Netherlands has always seemed idyllic to me.

 

A few years ago, I thought the Chinese, who at that time mostly rode bicycles, would avoid the foibles of modern civilization. However, they began economic reform and now drive cars and pollute their cities with smog as bad as anywhere on Earth. Unfortunately, more an more people are moving to big cities, and skyscrapers are getting taller. The trend seems against your suggestion; although, it is a good one.

[Moontanman]

I grew up like the OP suggests in the mountains of West Virginia, it was idyllic in many ways if you could get past the pollution, coal smoke, getting shot at by your neighbors if you stumbled across their still. I go back and it's better now, far less pollution, little or no coal smoke, the rivers are coming back as something besides open sewers and the idyllic life is still around, meth has replaced moonshine but the long country dirt roads winding through the mountains are still there away from the cities...

[CaptainPanic]

The Netherlands has always seemed idyllic to me.

 

A few years ago, I thought the Chinese, who at that time mostly rode bicycles, would avoid the foibles of modern civilization. However, they began economic reform and now drive cars and pollute their cities with smog as bad as anywhere on Earth. Unfortunately, more an more people are moving to big cities, and skyscrapers are getting taller. The trend seems against your suggestion; although, it is a good one.

 

I recently visited China, and a lot of people zoom around on electric scooters. In fact, there are practically NO gasoline powered scooters/mopeds left! (Note that this is true not for 1 region, or 1 city, but for a large part of the country!). I was very surprised actually.

 

Sure, the Chinese have a lot of work to do still. Many cars don't have a catalyst, and some factories don't clean their smoke yet. But they seem to make a move in the right direction.

[EdEarl]

 

I recently visited China, and a lot of people zoom around on electric scooters. In fact, there are practically NO gasoline powered scooters/mopeds left! (Note that this is true not for 1 region, or 1 city, but for a large part of the country!). I was very surprised actually.

 

Sure, the Chinese have a lot of work to do still. Many cars don't have a catalyst, and some factories don't clean their smoke yet. But they seem to make a move in the right direction.

China, with its huge population, is very diverse. As you saw and according to reports, many are working to clean up the environment. The Three Gorges Dam is one of the largest hydroelectric ventures in the world, they are working on green buildings in existing cities, and planning additional green cities. On the other hand, they are building coal fired power plants faster than anywhere in the world, using concrete (big producer of CO2) faster than anywhere, and iron for skyscrapers (also big producer of CO2) faster than anywhere. Their automobile fleet is growing fast, too.

 

Hopefully, they green up faster than otherwise, and thereby save some of the glaciers that feed their major river systems. Otherwise, much of Asia may face lean times without enough fresh water.