“Flat-screen Televisions Are Killing the Planet.” Oh, dear. There’s another one of those headlines that bloggers sometimes write to attract attention. Too bad they unintentionally subvert their own message with their hysteria.
This one was on a Green Daily article about a gas I’d never heard of called nitrogen triflouride. Apparently it’s used in the manufacture of flat screens, and it’s a harmful greenhouse gas, very harmful. In fact, the article quotes an Australian report that claims its 17,000 times more “powerful” than CO2 even though in this context, I’m not sure I understand what “powerful” means.
Whatever this gas is, there’s more of it being produced than ever. Experts count 4,000 tons in Television fabrication this year and a potential of 8,000 tons next year. Once again, however, important facts are unclear, such as what percentage of the stuff is actually leaking into the atmosphere.
My biggest fear of flat screens has always been that they might lead to excessive energy consumption in regular daily use. Inch for inch the technology isn’t more power-hungry than old-fashioned TV technology, but the sets we’re buying-42-inch, 50-inch, 60-inch-are far bigger than the Televisions we’ve watched all our lives, so it’s important to use conservation tricks, such as lowering the level of the backlighting, when you can. And if it’s a toss-up, purchase an LCD instead of a plasma. It will consume less power.
Don Willmott’s blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.
For more visit Source:[green.yahoo]
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