@bold. Even if they weren't, he could wash his bags and let them dry. He won't, because he doesn't realize that plastic is not biodegradable (for all suits and purposes). It all comes back down to the effects, and his denial of them.

@mould. You could cause mold to appear if you've transported veggies or some produce and the bag was moist. It happens to me sometimes.

It's one thing to do something knowing you're doing something wrong, it's another to be in denial.

@Kynes, didn't you read what bouzane wrote about sulfur in the atmosphere?

I voted I don't know. I do think that the climate is changing, but the climate is always changing and we are still coming out of an ice age.

I think humans are having a minor effect on the climate, but it has been blown way out of proportion. Nature is affecting the climate far more than we are and it will adapt.

I hate how it's shoved down our throats by governments and stated as fact when I haven't seen a single shred of proof that global warming is a serious threat and that it's entirely our fault.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/asia/11coal.html?_r=1

I only have this image in spanish, the text says more or less "Total SO2 produced in the Chinese thermal electricity plants"

I am not a scientist.  My opinion on the subject doesn't matter.  As one person, what I do has a statistically irrelevant impact on things, if human beings do.  I personally am not sure about it, based on the amount of info I waded through trying to understand this.  On a personal level, I have far more pressing matter.  Since I don't have any kids, I don't have a strong concern about the future for anyone close to me.

And with this, I give a reply that really deflates the discussion, but so be it.

well with all the stuff you put into groccery bags, there are germs that spread. using them over and over seems rather unsanitary.

also, reusable bags cost me money. plastic is free.

and truth be told, i do "recycle my plastic bags, i hardly ever just throw them away after shopping. i use them to pick up dog crap in my back yard, i use them to pack lunches, i uses them as an over night bag for clothes, swim suite, etc. i like my plastic bags, and nobody should tell me what i should use.

@Reusable bags costing you money. You can't be serious Mr. I want to have my truck and do what I want.

@kynes. Is that per factory? Also, what kind of mindset do you think helped them make those reductions?

@Reusing plastic bags. That's a good thing. I encourage you with that at least.

Not the same ones, I hope.

Efficiency. If you produce more energy per kilogram of coal, you produce less carbon micro particles (which are the main pollutant, and the cause of all the diseases) and SO2. Incomplete combustion is the main problem here.

It's Teragrams of SO2 per year in all China, a country that makes one new coal thermal plant each week.

There are a variety of ways that the climate can be affected but it is mostly tied to the content of our atmosphere.

Things like Sulfur reflect the sun's light and can contribute to colder periods, like theorized the cause of the "little ice age" that killed a great amount of people in Europe. Could very well have been cause by volcanic eruptions across the planet that emitted vast quantities of sulfur in the air. We've seen first hand the impact of sulfur in the atmosphere, whether changes have been recorded due to the volcanic clouds that circle the Earth after eruptions. Sulfur has a period of about 5 years in which it will stay in our atmosphere until it comes down in the form of acid rain. We have seen acid rain as a result of volcanic activity but we have also caused it ourselves from the burning of coal that contains high levels of sulfur.

Carbon dioxide, the gas that human's produce a substantial amount of, takes 50 years to exit our atmosphere. Our influence on the atmosphere can be measured by taking our output over the last 50 years. The greenhouse effect can also be measured and we know how much carbon dioxide has an effect on global temperature.

Methane is multiple times more potent as a greenhouse gas but it's atmospheric life is only 20 years(?). Our influence on introducing carbon dioxide and methane gas is having a direct impact on the global temperature. This could lead to a shift in our air and ocean currents dramatically altering our planets climates. Areas that were once tropical could find themselves receiving much less precipitation, and the opposite for arid regions. The polar caps are the portion of our planet that will not shift due to the temperature increase and will continue to shrink because of it. Some areas may very well be colder than normal, but that all depends on the shifting of the currents. Europe for example, relies on the warmth of the gulf stream. Without it, it would be as cold as Canada.

Though climate shifting might not necessarily be that threatening, if it effects our method of growing food or access of water, dramatic steps will need to be taken to let ourselves adjust. We could reverse the changes if we feel we would be better off at our current climate, but to do so would take many years after the effects occur. Outside forces such as solar ray activity could affect climate change as well, but human introduction of greenhouse gasses are edging our planet closer to the point in which climate will change. So while our climate might not change from a sudden shift in solar activity, if we are on the edge, it could certainly tip the scale.