Originally Posted by
bahula03
Opinions being opinions, we aren't talking about something like plastic grocery bags here. Cyclists use a relatively tiny number of cartridges, which are typically filled with byproduct gas from power generation that is going to exist for the foreseeable future with or without demand for CO2 cartridges, and the resulting "waste" is one of the most widely, easily, and effectively recycled materials around. In the larger scheme of things and moving towards a healthier planet, the biggest benefit of not using CO2 to fix flats for environmental reasons is probably...being able to say that you don't use CO2 cartridges for environmental reasons. If you want that postage stamp of moral high ground, then by all means
Well, sure thing, steel will rust eventually and disappear, it's not the kind of pollutant that's going to stay there for millennia. But to produce each tonne of steel causes emissions of nearly 2 tonnes of CO2 and it corresponds to 5% of emissions globally. We won't stop producing raw materials, but we can work towards reducing the carbon footprint of the industry and it starts with recycling raw materials. What I'm saying is that many people simply don't care. I'd say it's not necessarily a high moral ground, but at this point it's more about the survival of civilisation. Our civilisation is extremely wasteful as it is. So in my opinion everyone should consider whether they really need to use CO2 cartridges or if they could make do with a small pump instead. I guess I started on a wrong foot by saying CO2 cartridges should be banned. But what I mean is that we should be encouraging people to reuse the resources whenever they can. Then again, not that big of a deal, the world will keep on spinning, whether shape humanity gets itself into. Sucks to be a kid right now, because boy, they are going to get hit real hard.
Anyhow, now I feel like the thread got another dimension the OP probably didn't expect to come up
So I'm terribly sorry if I highjacked it.