Cross post 196
Why wait for climate change when you can just pick off chunks and bring them to a desert -__-
this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2024
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If you look at their current sourcing it's fine. They're not cutting apart glaciers, they're gathering it from parts that have calved and will just melt apart regardless.
Greenland has a right to sell their natural resources as much as anyone else, and the sad thing is this admittedly ludicrous enterprise is more profitable for less environmental damage than most things.
The problem is all the carbon that is emitted to transport the ice from Greenland halfway around the world for no other reason than bullshit marketing.
Yeah but have you considered that this ice is icier than other ice?
Okay now I'm convinced
Ice XIV: lol
Since Greenland Imports a lot and doesn't really have a lot of export, a big part of the trip would be sailed anyway, just with empty containers
People forget it's not just the shipping itself. First of all, ships just like every other vehicle need more energy to move the heavier they are. Secondly the ice needs to be cooled for most of the trip and portable coolers are real energy guzzlers. So without doing the maths transporting ice from Greenland to Dubai is much more harmful than ships with empty containers on the same way.
The first point doesn't hold though. it is always better to have a ship run with cargo than without, in terms of efficiency. Afterall the point of the ship moving is to transport cargo.
For the cooling i am also sceptical. It was common all over Europe to trade with ice cut out of glaciers and frozen lakes until the invention of the cooling pump made electrical fridges a thing. If you store the ice in somewhat well insulated containers, it will cool itself quite decently for long travels. Icecellars were common to hold Ice that was collected in winter and lasted for cooling all throughout the year even in the mediteranian areas.
I also find this business obscene, but i do not see, that it would be more harmful, than sending empty ships around the world.
It is more efficient to have a ship moving with cargo than without, but that doesn't mean there aren't additional emissions. The ratio of profit to effort is just higher because there is some profit as opposed to none. You wouldn't load a ship up with useless mass you can't sell just so you're shipping something.
Your argument is like always running the heater in your car because that way the engine heat is at least used for something. Yes, technically the efficiency goes up because more of the energy in the fuel is harnessed. But that doesn't mean the fuel usage or emissions are any lower, and in the summer the heater doesn't do you any good either.
I thought it was only possible because they are using ships that would otherwise be empty on their return trips otherwise they couldn't afford it
They'll only do it once though and serve regular ice after that. Or do you think the ice gourmets will notice?
International overseas shipping is actually pretty carbon efficient as transport goes.
Hell they're actually pretty down for efficiency improvements in shipping, to the point where people are just straight up talking about bringing back sails because... Well, why not? It's free energy.
It's not necessary but you compare this to crypto or deliberately inefficient vehicle design and it's just not something to get upset about.
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...ice which has never been polluted by any human being.
shows picture of human being polluting said ice
Rich people sicken me.
Literally and on purpose, because it's profitable
Guess I'll post this again:
I put this in the cross post, bit figure it belongs here, too:
While ridiculous, there's interesting context here.
- Greenland has little to no economy
- The ice is mined from ice that has already broken away from the glacier, thus not reducing any more than nature has already
- Cargo ships bringing frozen food used to leave empty, now that same fuel is used to transport ice back instead of going to waste
- The founder has always dreamed of a sustainable economy for Greenland
- He is conflicted about how his work to do this in a sustainable way is being taken
Lots of gray here.
The whole conversation, including how the ships are already there, details on economy, etc, are in this thread: https://lemmy.world/comment/6556590
Thanks, that's an interesting balance.
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This is going to be how the zombie virus comes about. Someone ingests a million year old virus that becomes infectious and boom, we got new COVID.
COVIID
COVID 2: Synaptic Boogaloo
We already had a novel one, so is the next one going to be neo COVID or cyber COVID or what? Or just new COVID, like new Coke?
Vanilla Cov.
I for one welcome our new puzzle solving robot overlords.
Mmmm it's like playing the lottery but if you win you get to be patient zero for the ancient virus that ends up wiping out humanity.
That's why I only drink 151 on the rocks.
Gimme that ✨prehistoric bacteria✨
So while the rest of us are worrying about shrinking glaciers, Dubai is actively ice mining glaciers and shipping them to the middle of the desert so rich people can have fancy cocktails. Out-fucking-standing.
No, this is exported by Greenland.
They're using only chunks that have already separated, transporting it on outgoing cargo ships that are already empty and it becomes one of the few export products for Greenland.
Weird idea, but there are a few redeeming points if you look at the full story.
Okay, that's a lot less troubling than I expected. Thanks for the clarification.
I'm cool with it in that state. But my concern here is that while it starts out innocent, if demand increases, it's only a matter of time until they start mining it and chartering more ships to transport it. Especially in an economy like Greenland's.
This same pattern has been followed a thousand times in the past. Lots of instances of abusing our natural resources start out innocently.
It's okay, I can only imagine the 10,000 year old bacteria those guys are gonna be drinking with that ice when it thaws, it all balances out.
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It's environmentally friendly because they don't waste energy to freeze the water. It's already frozen! /s
"Yeah our ice is mined in... uh... Greenland. That will be $200"
"Dumbass"
- Had to ask myself what kind of bars they even had on Dubai. Apparently they don't take the alcohol thing as seriously as I thought.
It's Dubai bro..
“Yeah, I’m still drinking what used to be piss, but at least it wasn’t human piss. Because ewwies. Right, barkeep?”
Barkeep: (two thumbs up) (how the fuck should I know)
Also barkeep: Looks behind and realises they can't remember which box is the expensive ice.
Also also barkeep: Remembers they froze some of their piss earlier and lost track of it.
They must keep really hydrated!
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My bar serves water wayyy older than that.
So this is how the Arctic plague begins
Is this the most ridiculous bullshit I will read all day?
I sure hope so, but I doubt it...
It is not, but only because I read quite a bit of ridiculous bullshit. I'm looking at you, Congressional Republicans.
Look at that punchable face, just waiting to become 3x its current size
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