We see this all the time: there’s a legitimate, real world issue, big or small, doesn’t matter, and the Believers in the Cult of Climastrology show up and subsume it into their cultish dogma
Climate change: ‘Right to repair’ gathers force
It is frustrating: you buy a new appliance then just after the warranty runs out, it gives up the ghost.
You can’t repair it and can’t find anyone else to at a decent price, so it joins the global mountain of junk.
You’re forced to buy a replacement, which fuels climate change from the greenhouse gases released in the manufacturing process.
But help is at hand, because citizens in the EU and parts of the USA will soon get a “right to repair” – of sorts.
This consists of a series of proposals from European environment ministers to force manufacturers to make goods that last longer and are easier to mend.
The European proposals refer to lighting, televisions and large home appliances.
At least 18 US states are considering similar laws in a growing backlash against products which can’t be prised apart because they’re glued together, or which don’t have a supply of spare parts, or repair instructions.
Can’t the Cult just leave things alone? Mind their own business? Stop trying to ruin everything? Because you know a lot of people will simply dismiss this out of hand due to the Warmists injecting themselves, despite being a somewhat good idea.
It is a shame, and a waste of a device, and they build up in landfills and such when it is too costly to repair. Sadly, this applies to a lot of products. I thought my fridge had gone on the fritz when I came home the other day and the freezer was melting. Could have been due to an ice cube that got stuck in the outflow, which causes a defrost cycle, or a couple bad things. An error code was flashing. So, I unplugged it for a few minutes, seems OK, but, I’ll have to watch it. Now, if I had to call the repairman, if it was above $400 it would be better to get a new one.
If your TV dies, the cost to repair is usually not worth it. Since many have appliances for years and years, when they die parts are often not available because it is such an “old model.” Things change too quickly. If either my washer or dryer die, or dishwasher, there’s almost no way I’m getting parts for them, as they are both old….heck, the washer and dryer are over 20 years old (which is why buying stuff from Sears was great).
Unfortunately, things are not made to last like they used to be. It’s a disposable system. Everyone is always looking for something newer, so, why make things that last? When I started in wireless way back in 1994 manufacturers talked about their phones lasting 10-15 years. Now you’re lucky if they last 2. Costs are a lot less. In 2008 I bought a 37 inch 1080p TV for $1100 (which had awesome speakers, which today’s tvs do not). Go to Amazon or Best Buy to see what you can get for that now. The 50 and 55 inch TVs I’m looking at to replace the 42 inch I purchased two years ago to replace the 37 (getting vertical lines in screen, guess what, not worth repairing) are both under $800, are highly rated and reviewed, and have everything I want.
The policies have been driven by some arresting statistics.
- One study showed that between 2004 and 2012, the proportion of major household appliances that died within five years rose from 3.5% to 8.3%.
- An analysis of junked washing machines at a recycling centre showed that more than 10% were less than five years old.
- Another study estimates that because of the CO2 emitted in the manufacturing process, a long-lasting washing machine will generate over two decades 1.1 tonnes less CO2 than a short-lived model.
- Many lamps sold in Europe come with individual light bulbs that can’t be replaced. So when one bulb packs in, the whole lamp has to be jettisoned.
On one hand, it is sometimes better to get a new machine that will be more efficient. But, really, there isn’t that much change in 5 years. I’m not getting the lamps thing. Is that some sort of European thing? Why would you buy a light with a bulb that can’t be a replaced? Unless it is something minor like one of those solar powered lights for your walkway outside that cost $5-$10.
Regardless, Warmists just need to go away.
