Not Non-Polluting

Thursday, June 18, 2009

More discussion on - in this case - Diesel vs. Electric.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/651943

And buried right there in the comments this little gem: “Electric trains are used throughout the world for a reason- they are safe, fast and non-polluting!”

It’s not really a gem. Gems are rare and valuable. This regurgitated morsel is common, frequent, and harmful.

Why?

Because practically nothing is “non-polluting”.

I am reminded of the definition of a weed: A plant that is growing where it is not wanted. Dandelions aren’t weeds to me; I love seeing a field of them as I sit on my fourth-floor balcony.

It’s not about trains. An electric ANYTHING pollutes, because the electricity is generated by a coal-fired, oil-powered, nuclear-powered, hydro-electric-powered, wind-powered, solar-powered etc etc.

Smoke from the coal-fired generator is a long way away, out of sight, but it is still polluting - just not in my back yard.

Stand on any street-corner for five minutes and you’ll find someone who can tell you that wind-power is polluting (”It kills birds”), solar power is polluting (“It ruins the pretty desert view”), hydro-electric power is polluting (“It stops the salmon from spawning”).

I suspect the commentator meant “Whereas diesel locomotives spew fumes as they pass the schoolyards, electric locomotives do not”, which is true. Electric locomotives spew fumes out near Nanticoke, and at about 60 other places around Ontario, if you count all the generating stations from this link .

Search