How Is My Life Connected To My Topic?

Since I was a little boy I was in love with cars. When I was around 2 or 3 years old, I called BMWs "Dad-car", because my father drove one. Even when I was that young I was able to distinguish between cars. I started "reading" car magazines and learn everything about cars. When I was in 1st grade, my mother walked me to school and I lectured about cars.
I haven't changed since then. By now I actually know how to read and not just look at the pictures, so I know even more about cars. I went about 3 times to the IAA 2007, the International Automobile Fair in Frankfurt. I'm going there since 1997, I think. There passes no day without me looking at the different websites about cars to read about every news.

In Germany there are no speed restricitions on half of the motorways and my father likes to go fast, so I got addicted to high speeds really quickly. I sat in the middle seat in the back of our BMW 540i Touring (E39) with 286 bhp and observed the happenings. It was like I was driving the car myself. Then we changed the car to a 530d Touring (E39), which was still going fast, but not as fast as the old one. My father drives Z3 too and sometimes we just go for a ride on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
I am especially addicted to fast sportscars. I like motorsports and it is my dream to participate in the 24h race on the famous Nürburgring.

When the CO2 discussion came up my favourite things, cars, were threatened. Everything would change and I possibly would never hear the sound of a nice V8 again. I couldn't believe that, so I started to inform myself and found out that there are not just the scientists who say that CO2 is causing Global Warming, but there are some who say, there is not connection between CO2 and rising temperatures. Of course, I believe the latter.

I have nothing against new developments on the way to make us independant of oil, that will run out in the next century(ies), but not with the backround of Global Warming. The situation at the moment is hysteric. Everyone searches for a solution for all our probems as soon as possible to "save the earth." I think that's ridiculous. Much money is spent, probably for nothing. Some industries are just glad, because they earn much money with "earth saving" technologies.
I think everbody should calm down and be objective and I won't believe in man made Global Warming untill somebody gives me a legitimate explanation.

German Car Companies Retighten

The German car companies like Mercedes, BMW and VW retighten soon with their program of Hybrids.
Mercedes will release the Mercedes ML 450 Blue Hybrid till the end of 2009. It has 340 bhp, which are composed of a 6-cylinder gasoline engine with 279 bhp and two electro engines wich produce together 61 bhp. They can run the car till 55kph, their range is up to 3 kilometres but at 20 kph. The car consumpts 7,7 litres per 100km.
Mercedes has already introduced their hybrid version of the S-Class.
BMW wants to release their hybrid versions of the X5 and X6 in 2009 too, but exact informations are missing yet, but they are testing the cars.
Volkswagen tests a hybrid version of the Touareg with 347 bhp. The fuel engine is a three litre V6 with 333bhp and one electro engine with 41 bhp. The fuel consumption reduces to 9 litres per 100km. The car releases in 2010.
Now they have a program to fight the market leaders like Toyota and Honda.

Lights turn off in the EU

The European Union decided today to stop selling normal 100Watt bulbs by 1 September 2009.
They are starting to replace the usual bulbs by the new energy-saving ones.
They plan to complete the replacing progress by 1 September 2012.

The problem with the energy-saving bulbs is, that they are more expensive than our normal ones. But they have adavantages in the energy consum and endurance.

The EU-parliament thinks that an average household can save 50€ or about 80 CAN $ per year by using the new bulbs.

The old bulbs lost much energy in producing light that is invisible for the human eye. Only 3 % of the applied energy are transferred into our "light". The energy saving bulbs save up to 80% energy.

Other countries who decided or plan to prohibit normal bulbs are Australia, New-Zealand, Cuba and Switzerland.

Bias

The German newspaper "Bild", famous for its lurid articles and known as the newspaper of the stupids, published an article talking about seal dying in the Baltic Sea caused by Global Warming.
The article communicates the message, that many sweet seals have to die because we pollute to much CO2. So, buy an economical car, turn the lights of etc.
It is kind of funny how the newspaper tries to manipulate the population and I don't think that even the stupidst guy in Germany does not get the manipulation. But if it works with some, it would be very embarrassing for all Germans.

The link:
http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/vermischtes/2008/03/10/robben-babies/sterben-in-der-ostsee.html

Blogs about my topic

I searched for blogs that concern about my topic and first found a blog form germany that is talking about the emission of particulate matter of the industry and cars. There have been introduced so-called environmental zones for cars in 13 cities in germany. So are cars that can't filter pollutants good enough to keep the air clean and makes the life in cities healthier.
There are laws for the emissions in germany. So there can be only 50ug /m3 for a period of 24 hours.
But there is still no method to clean the emissions of factories.
The second blog I found deals with the importance of saving the environment now.
It is an appeal to protect the environment.

The third one is interesting because it burdens about the way politics horns in our lives.
Saving earth got so "important" that the government tells us more and more how we should live oder lives.


http://www.umweltschoner.de/umweltschutz/das-comeback-der-debatte-um-den-feinstaub.html

http://www.seoutahblog.com/?p=6

http://www.economistblog.com/2008/05/31/the-ultimate-salvation-environmentalism-and-the-ultimate-commandment-carbon-chastity/

First Post

Hi,
I'm Frederik Schmitz and I am writing this blog because I'm interested in the developments
concerning global warming and environmentalism. This topic has importance all over the world so in Germany, where I'm from, and in Canada, where I am, and most of the world's other countries. And especially big companies are developing new technologies to "save" earth and have a "green" reputation.
As I'm writing this blog, I want to inform about the strategical moves of the industry.