Air pollution

[strongmouse]

Diesel cars were not meant to be polluting. Now we know wood burners are too.

The air we breathe is so important yet goverment and businesses seem to be dragging their feet. What does it take to bring about effective change? And soon...

theguardian.com/environment...

[Gareth57]

Change is happening but slowly because of a reluctance to stop driving cars. Older diesels (more than 10years) are not as common as they were and newer diesels are actually cleaner than petrol cars in terms of CO2, nitrous oxides and particulates, I also heard that Fiat will be going all electric, i.e. no internal combustion engines from some point next year, but there is unfortunately an environmental cost to scrapping and replacing all these millions of vehicles in this country alone, also it will not address fully the particulate problem as all cars however they are powered will all have brakes and tyres which will create air pollution. As for heating pollution (which includes gas boilers as well as wood burners, house builders have to be persuaded to build much better houses which can be done for a similar outlay as the ones they currently build but it requires new plans and working practices which they are reluctant to implement because that is the cost.

(I spent 30 years in the building trade and the last 10 in the motor trade)

[johnmu in reply to Gareth57]

I Have never believed that there could be such a thing as a clean diesel. It was the fraudulent data from the motor companies which pulled the wool over everyones eyes. My eyes and my nose have detected foul fumes from even new diesels. Also It is false to say there is any such thing as a wood burning stove which I believe contributes about 35% to particulate pollution in London for example

[Gareth57 in reply to johnmu]

I didn't say diesels were clean, I said new diesels were cleaner than petrol engines (not all manufacturers have been involved in rigging the figures for emissions) and unfortunately any poorly maintained vehicle will emit "foul selling odours". I find your last sentence both incomprehensible and contradictory

[runcyclexcski in reply to Gareth57]

>>>I said new diesels were cleaner than petrol engines

When they do not deliberately disconnect the urea tank After the VW disaster I have lost all trust in diesel. I can't afford an e-car yet, so I just keep driving the smallest possible gasoline one for now.

[Gareth57 in reply to runcyclexcski]

That is not the fault of most of the engines but the fault of the user and VW, VW have rectified their issue with a recall of all affected vehicles. I'm not sure why you would disconnect the urea tank I can see no benefit but also the vehicles ecu would notice (by exhaust sensors) possibly thinking the tank was empty and immobilising the vehicle.

[runcyclexcski in reply to Gareth57]

VW used to disconnect the urea tank during normal driving conditions and would connect it back during emissions testing. I realize they have been fined billions etc. for doing that. I do not blame the engineers, but rather the top managers. I tend do choose "safer by design" solutions.

[runcyclexcski]

I have long given up seeing any change (and with forest fires etc due to climate change it is likely to get worse before it gets better). Been following this field for almost 20 years. All I can do is to stock up on face masks, respirators and filters (on which I post here from time to time).

Wood fires and camp fires puzzle me. It's understandable when one needs to burn wood if it's the only fuel source available. But when does it just for fun (to feel cozy next to a fireplace in the winter etc), one merely pollutes the environment and makes it harder for everyone else to breathe. When I camp, I use gas stoves (faster cooking, less hassle), and it's quite disappointing when someone nearby burns wood (need to put my respirator on).