Coping with the 'fallout' of the volcano

[binley100]

Best we get planting

..and planning

[organic]

I hadn't really given the whole thing any thought as I work on a very "local" basis... of course the effects will be pretty far reaching when you think about it. I suppose road and rail freight companies will be doing OK out of it though.

On the other hand... there goes every scrap of carbon saved with fancy lightbulbs, cycling and all the rest.
I wonder - has anyone figured out the volcano's carbon footprint yet? Someone's bound to... but already? I might ask the mighty Google later.

[Jeanied]

Did the googling for you Organic - on balance the grounding of aircraft has saved more than the volcano put out
Taking the best figures available, with flight grounded until at least this evening (April 19), a potential 1,750,000 tonnes of carbon has been saved in the past five days including today.

The volcano is estimated to have admitted around 40,000 tonnes of carbon during the same time.

[PAULW]

Did the googling for you Organic - on balance the grounding of aircraft has saved more than the volcano put out
Taking the best figures available, with flight grounded until at least this evening (April 19), a potential 1,750,000 tonnes of carbon has been saved in the past five days including today.

The volcano is estimated to have admitted around 40,000 tonnes of carbon during the same time.

Mount Etna produces more carbon dioxide in one day than all the cars in the UK do in a year, looks like someone is fiddling the figures Jeanied

[smallfrog]

Jeanied i bet its lovely and quiet down there at the mo.

Everyone say ARHHHHHH BA are meant to be loosing 20 million £ a day.

I've a friend whose meant to be flying to cyprus today and Mum and Dad are a little worried as there off to the Swedish Botanical Gardens at the end of May.

One Girl was on Jeremy Vine saying she is stuck in China (might have been Japan) She was on a university exchange and can't get home. So she and others are living in the uni and just waiting to get home. Got the impression that Jeremy thought it would be a great adventure but i'd hate not knowing when or how i'd get back and how i'd afford to pay the increasing debt.

[piskieinboots]

The volcano is estimated to have admitted around 40,000 tonnes of carbon during the same time.

Good to hear that it admits to what it has done!!

[Nicos]

I was just wondering when there will start to be some food shortages. So much fresh food is imported into the UK

Kenyan beans and flowers for a start ... bananas , exotic fruit, cane sugar, anyone noticing gaps on shelves???

...maybe peeps will start realising about where their food actually comes from and airmiles involved.
(I know a lot does come in containers by ship but there's an awful lot which doesn't!)

[Bigmallly]

I was just wondering when there will start to be some food shortages. So much fresh food is imported into the UK

Kenyan beans and flowers for a start ... bananas , exotic fruit, cane sugar, anyone noticing gaps on shelves???

Fresh goods for supermarkets rot in Kenya as volcano grounds flights - Telegraph

[organic]

I think most of the non-perishables are shipped by sea anyway, Nicos. The fresher stuff from further afield though - that could well start to become thin on the ground.
If it makes people think more about local produce and food security it will be an incredibly good thing though.


Jeanied
Thanks for that. I think my initial reaction to those number is similar to PaulW's - that number seems really very low for such a big event. That said, maybe it's correct.
If it is, maybe we'll see a new branch of green-science where they'll try to figure out how to make volcanoes erupt and ground aircraft to reduce emissions. Haha.


Smallfrog
I've got a pretty adventurous outlook on things like that, there's a chance I'd have weighed up the costs, bought a car or train ticket and come home over land... but I do feel for people who are stuck abroad and can't get home for whatever reason (or people who are stuck here). I just hope they have travel insurance!

[organic]

From the article Mally posted:

"Unusable flowers would be composted and vegetables given for free to livestock farmers for fodder"
At least it's not going to waste, but I bet the people who sell fodder for livestock aren't too happy at the news.


The article briefly touched on the "just in time" approach of supermarkets.

Another blow to PGS - though not one I expect many people will act upon.

[Bigmallly]

I just hope they have travel insurance!

Does anybody know if this event is covered on insurance policies?.........I'm not so sure.

[mrswadders]

Might affect us all more directly when we can't get any lemons in the shops
_______________My first drink of the day is hot water and a chunk of fresh un-waxed lemon
__________________
___
and theres me thinking you were talking about G & T!!!!

[bobleponge]

My company's flight tickets are not being covered by insurance. To date there are over 15 people who have lost their flights, and will have to buy new tickets. Thats a few quid.

[organic]

Bob, Mally...
That's a point actually... "act of God"?

Some people could well be disappointed when faced with the small-print.

[OverWyreGrower]

AFAIK, lots of insurance companies are citing the 'Act of God' thing.... not sure if it means they won't pay at all, or only have to pay a small amount etc...