Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [environment]

Referring to the surrounding ecosystem of the planet Earth, its natural mechanisms and balances, and study of the effects of human interaction with it.

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Do black cars consume more fuel?

Some time in 2009, California passed new regulations, banning black cars (here's one source) on the grounds that black cars have higher emissions than other colors of cars. The theory is that black cars absorb more heat from the sun, so their A/C…
Flimzy
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Kindle vs Books and ecofriendliness

I was in a conversation with a friend trying to convince her to switch to kindle, so she said that the cost and plastic material and eco footprint of kindle is higher then all the EBooks she could possibly read. While others have made the case that…
mireille raad
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Does glass decompose in one million years?

Is there any authoritative reference to the claim that glass decomposes in one million years? I came across that figure multiple times (for example, 1, 2, 3). They often cite The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services which, in turn,…
Sergey Zolotarev
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Has a meat substitute from human feces been developed in Japan?

A video and some news are spreading like wildfire on the internet about some artificial meat made from human feces. The summary from slashdot, for example, says Hold on to your hamburgers — Japanese scientist Mitsyuki Ikeda at the Environmental…
Juan A. Navarro
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Is there a huge gas bubble below the Gulf of Mexico floor ready to wreak havok?

I was sent the video HERE a bit back, which gave me pause. It was sent by a family member who at least grants plausibility to 9/11 conspiracies and some other, shall we say, "fringe" theories about various topics. Some of the claims about such a…
Hendy
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Do trees shed their leaves in autumn?

Growing up, we were regularly taught in geography about the different seasons and how most trees would shed their leaves in autumn, while evergreen trees do not shed their leaves. However, I live in India (at about 28° N), and I saw that many trees…
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Are CFLs always more ecologic than incandescent light bulbs?

Incandescent light bulbs are now being phased out in many countries. In practice, the replacements are mostly compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). In many cases, the energy savings created by CFLs justify this change. The used energy in incandescent…
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Will increased speed limits on motorways (or highways) cause significant harm?

The UK government has recently started a consultation on increasing the speed limits on motorways (roughly the equivalent of highways in the USA) in England. So it seems appropriate to pose the question about whether this is a good idea. The early…
matt_black
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Have 500 million mammals, birds and reptiles died in the 2019 Australian bushfires?

Several news sites have reported that almost 500 million animals* have died in the 2019 Australian bushfires. Example: article in news.com.au (Jan 1st 2020) Ecologists from the University of Sydney now estimate 480 million mammals, birds and…
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Is the Amazon being cleared at the rate of X football fields a minute?

I've heard it mentioned in the media in different forms, the Amazon is being cleared at a phenomenal rate. Is there any factual evidence to support this claim? Here is an article from Greenpeace's website from 2005 which claims the rate is 6…
going
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Do Jet Skis produce in an hour equivalent pollution to 100,000km of a new/small car?

I recall this claim being published in a newspaper a while back but time has buried it in the Interwebs, though it does come up from time to time as e.g. Driving a jet ski for one hour will produce the equivalent amount of pollution as driving a…
Brian M. Hunt
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Is paying your bill online more environmentally friendly than post?

My monthly Comcast statement says that I should go paperless and pay my bill online via "Ecobill, the environmentally friendly way to pay your bill each month". All jokes about Comcast aside, has anyone done studies about the environmental impact…
Tim Reddy
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Is helium being "wasted" on party balloons?

From Tim O'Reilly: Good Q?, the kind politicians are loathe to answer RT @jamesoreilly: "Is it right to waste helium on party balloons?" http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24903034 … and from the linked article: Some scientists believe a…
Andrew Grimm
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Is wood smoke that bad?

Recently I've read that blog post by Sam Harris and I was quite shocked. I don't have a fireplace or any habit related to a systematic wood-burning. But is wood smoke really that bad as it is described in the text? Is there a general…
Kostya
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How much are United Airlines reducing their carbon emissions by giving pilots iPads?

Source article Here: Article Briefly: United Airlines are giving their 11,000 pilots iPads in an effort to increase efficiency, etc. They're making manuals and other documents electronic. As a side-benefit, they claim, there will be a big reduction…
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