Global Warming? I don't know what to believe.

[oldno7]

Didn’t read the specific article but disposable plastic drinking straws are among some of the worst offenders for plastic pollutants, representing a huge portion of waste floating in our oceans.

Eric
I guess I can't figure out how all these plastic straws end up in the ocean.

Do people use them in Kansas, then on their next vacation to Cal. bring a collection from past years and toss them in?

Guess I could use some data

Now I'm wondering if landfills are sorting out plastic straws and shipping them to the oceans.

[oldno7]

On the other hand--what if fish learn to use these straws and the oceans begin to recede?

Will the climate change and melting of all the sea ice compensate for this type of drawdown?

[rockgremlin]

Eric
I guess I can't figure out how all these plastic straws end up in the ocean.

Do people use them in Kansas, then on their next vacation to Cal. bring a collection from past years and toss them in?

Guess I could use some data

Now I'm wondering if landfills are sorting out plastic straws and shipping them to the oceans.

The way I understood it, cities on the coast (ie New York, Los Angeles, etc) used to send a lot of their trash out to sea on a barge and dump it in the ocean. Not sure if this practice is still common anymore.

But all landlocked cities send their trash to approved landfills, far from the ocean. So it's here that the argument that straws are polluting our oceans falls apart.

Of course, the issue of straws being a threat to the environment was never an issue until Starbucks made it so. It's called marketing.

Follow the money.

[oldno7]

[twotimer]

No kidding! We have tons of "homeless" addicts living in tents along Cherry Creek and the Platte River and when I ride the bike paths, you see these damn things all over the place. They have special trash cans for them, but they seem to be ignored.

It's the stupid Dem politicians here in Denver that give the needles out for free and set up the "shooting galleries" for them.

They do it because they're "Concerned for the addicts safety"...which makes it easier for them to keep shooting up, so they can keep shooting up.

Like telling someone you care about that they really should stop smoking...but then you buy them a carton of cigarettes? Liberal logic.

[oldno7]

Liberal logic.

These same "scientist" did a study and found there are just as many unicorns as liberals with logic.

[Sombeech]

This is an outright lie.

https://www.strawlessocean.org/faq

To the point made by @oldno7 above, how do the straws used in Kansas end up in the ocean.

This article, which will be quoted by so many "scientists" and political activists, claims that of the 500 million DAILY straws used in the U.S., most of them end up in the ocean. It is very disappointing how lies like this are being spread and used to fuel political activism.


Plastic straws are really bad for the ocean. It’s estimated that we use over 500 million every day in America, and most of those end up in our oceans, polluting the water and killing marine life. We want to encourage people to stop using plastic straws for good. If we don’t act now, by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

[uintafly]

This is an outright lie.

https://www.strawlessocean.org/faq

To the point made by @oldno7 above, how do the straws used in Kansas end up in the ocean.

This article, which will be quoted by so many "scientists" and political activists, claims that of the 500 million DAILY straws used in the U.S., most of them end up in the ocean. It is very disappointing how lies like this are being spread and used to fuel political activism.


Plastic straws are really bad for the ocean. It’s estimated that we use over 500 million every day in America, and most of those end up in our oceans, polluting the water and killing marine life. We want to encourage people to stop using plastic straws for good. If we don’t act now, by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

This is the typical m.o. of the modern day social justice warrior. Focus on one tiny little thing and demonize it to make yourself feel better, while not actually doing anything. It reminds me of when everyone was putting up those Kony 2012 signs. I am pretty sure if someone is kidnapping kids in Africa, they aren't going to give 2 shits if a homemaker in Draper puts a sign in their yard. It probably made a lot of people feel good about themselves though. These straws are the same thing. Sure we all use way too much plastic for everything, but what % of that is straws? .0000000001% or so I am guessing. The same people giving me side eye for using a straw in a restaurant probably used 5 lbs. of plastic in the last month between all of the water bottles and product packaging they bought.

[Sombeech]

Yeah I read somewhere that most of the plastic pollution in the ocean came from 3rd world countries anyways, like the whale in one of the articles above that had a lot of plastic waste in it's stomach, it was off the coast of the Philippines.

The U.S. does have the best intentions in the world, literally, and we can keep improving and solving our problems, but it's not going to change the pollution problem in the world.

With time, we can hope our good example shines around the world and inspires others, but that's about all we can do. Straws in Utah aren't going to do a damned thing though. They don't even end up in the Great Salt Lake.

[rockgremlin]

This is the typical m.o. of the modern day social justice warrior. Focus on one tiny little thing and demonize it to make yourself feel better, while not actually doing anything. It reminds me of when everyone was putting up those Kony 2012 signs. I am pretty sure if someone is kidnapping kids in Africa, they aren't going to give 2 shits if a homemaker in Draper puts a sign in their yard. It probably made a lot of people feel good about themselves though. These straws are the same thing. Sure we all use way too much plastic for everything, but what % of that is straws? .0000000001% or so I am guessing. The same people giving me side eye for using a straw in a restaurant probably used 5 lbs. of plastic in the last month between all of the water bottles and product packaging they bought.

YES!!

Exactly my point. Most social justice warriors are so blinded by statistics and nonsense that they are unable to recognize fact from fiction. Even when facts and sources are placed right in front of their eyes they will refuse to see and/or accept it.

I like to call that "self-inflicted myopia", and it is a trait that is rampant among liberals.

[uintafly]

YES!!

Exactly my point. Most social justice warriors are so blinded by statistics and nonsense that they are unable to recognize fact from fiction. Even when facts and sources are placed right in front of their eyes they will refuse to see and/or accept it.

I like to call that "self-inflicted myopia", and it is a trait that is rampant among humans.

Fixed it a little bit for ya.

[oldno7]

[oldno7]

[oldno7]

anyone we know?

[oldno7]

[oldno7]

[rockgremlin]

^^^ That's what's so frustrating -- in the face of overwhelmingly good news, the catastrophizers get the most attention because they scream the loudest.

[oldno7]

cycles anyone?

[twotimer]

^^^ That's what's so frustrating -- in the face of overwhelmingly good news, the catastrophizers get the most attention because they scream the loudest.

I think it's just that there are lots of people that just aren't happy unless they go to bed miserable every night.

[Iceaxe]

Why I don't fall for progressive scare tactics on the climate anymore....