Motor sports?

[Costacoffeeplease]

As we’re all urged to fly less, drive less etc, how are motor sports still allowed and not openly criticised?

It’s not even just the actual races, but the flying of vehicles and people around the world?

Why is it ok for them but we ‘little people’ are made to feel guilty for one foreign holiday per year?

(I’m disabled and not able to travel at all, and barely use a car once a week)

Great, well done

OK...but thinking critically about your question surely involves considering the benefits as well as the negatives of motorsports, such as income generated by tourism, number of people directly and indirectly employed in the field, and the enjoyment it brings to people's lives, as well as how the pros and cons compare with the pros and cons of other things?
Were motorsport the sole cause of environmental issues, or indeed a large component you'd probably have a point. But you haven't offered any objective evidence of that and if you give a bit of thought to the impact of other things, even other leisure pursuits,it seems unlikely that it is. If you go down the line of "we should ban motorsport because of its environmental impact" the next logical step is that all other non essential activities such as other sports which have a similar or larger impact should go too and that would have a huge effect, both economic and on the well being of society. That is why people have brought other sports etc into the discussion. It's hardly critical thinking to discuss any topic without considering the broader context and the potential longer term consequences.
Your posts actually suggest that your biggest gripe with motorsport is that it is exclusive to the wealthy and you resent that they are allowed to get away with it whilst the "little people" have to turn their thermostats down. There's a couple of flaws in that argument. For a start, lots of "little people" participate in motor sport in some way, either competing, watching or, perhaps most importantly, because they are employed either directly or indirectly by it. Not everyone who benefits is rich. Motorsport is a broad church and doesn't only include multimillionaire F1 team owners. A motorsport ban would impact on lots of ordinary people. Secondly, whilst it might not be "fair" that the little people have to change their habits to protect the planet it's inevitable by virtue of the fact that there are so many of us. Huge numbers of people making relatively small changes will have an impact, and probably a bigger one than a small number of millionaires* *getting rid of their private jets or closing their motorsport teams.
That's not to say that wealthy people don't have an obligation to make changes or that motorsport shouldn't be looking at what it can do to reduce its environmental impact. We should all do what we can and, as several people have mentioned there are already lots of initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of sport. In the great scheme of things though, I think you'd be hard pressed to demonstrate that the environmental benefit of banning motorsport would be sufficient to outweigh the downsides or that it would be fair to single out motorsport to be treated differently to other leisure pursuits. But if there's data to prove otherwise then I'm happy to be proved wrong.
And for avoidance of doubt, I'm neither particularly wealthy or interested in motorsport, so no vested interest.

@Costacoffeeplease You are really being a bit annoying with this. As I could have anticipated, you’ve pulled out the “rich” card! It’s stooping low. You might need to understand that Motorsport at the top levels are sponsored. Possibly by companies your pension is invested in. The fact the team owners are rich doesn’t detract from the enjoyment they bring to millions. Ditto football. It takes money because innovation is expensive but since when do we stop rich people providing us with fun and employees with jobs? It’s a ludicrous accusation that will just diminish enjoyment of life.

We have spent a lot on Solar panels, batteries, air source heat pumps, an electric car, high insulation in the house - have you? Or are you just here to preach? Put your money where your mouth is.

You’re making me laugh now. It’s not about wealth AT ALL, (except for the hypocrisy of private jet owners who preach about carbon emissions), or I wouldn’t have included uncle tom cobley in his shed. I haven’t mentioned F1 owners or drivers, I doubt I could name any.

I don’t live in the U.K. and things like solar panels are very normal here and have been for years.

A short while ago I was ‘miserable’ now I’m annoying - you do know it’s not obligatory to read or reply to anything I post? But it is interesting that a thread about motor sports elicits such reactions - nice

Why is it ok for them but we ‘little people’ are made to feel guilty for one foreign holiday per year?

You are not a 'little person' and if you are being 'made to feel guilty' then you should maybe get some therapy.

@Costacoffeeplease It’s official then. You admit you don’t know what you are talking about. Again you mention wealth. Are you jeolous? Why mention private jets? What have they got to do with Motorsport? If you don’t line in the uk I suggest you back off a very successful industry here. You know nothing - as you say.

When I say it’s not about wealth AT ALL that means I’m jealous. Ok 🤣

Given you know very little about me you have zero awareness of my circumstances IRL. You may be surprised

Not living in the uk has nothing to do with concerns for climate change. Unless you haven’t realised, it’s a worldwide problem, and there are places where the changes are real and happening as we speak.

I suggest you tone down your attitude. One of your comments to me has already been deleted.

I was talking on behalf of the general population. If you read my op you will see that I don’t travel abroad, I don’t need to as I live somewhere that is very popular for tourists and holidaymakers. They’re the ones I see feeling guilty for flying here once a year.

My last flight was in 2008.

Critical thought, you say?

I asked you how much in carbon emissions we’d save if we banned motorsports hours ago…

Sorry it must have got lost in the motor home traffic jam

In 2022 over 220,000 tonnes I believe just for F1, not including spectator travel but I’m sure anyone could google it and find their own figures

The top end of motorsports, so yes Formula 1 basically but you can include Formula 2/3/E, the main job of the teams is to build a hyper efficient car.

The car companies who either own or supply their engines are continuously developing more efficient engines which are reliable, fast and light.

The developments of these engines trickle down into the hundreds of millions of cars on the roads today.

Human beings have always strived to invent, progress, explore, part of the process OP you are able to have an online debate live, with others across the nations (I am taking about internet development now not cars just to clarify). Making cars which win, go fast, and being able to drive them, it's incredibly difficult to drive an F1 car, is one of the activities that brings excitement, competition and a display of vehicle engineering at it's finest to the masses.

The servers that are pinging your posts are emitting huge amounts of heat right now, whatever you do, internet, lighting, heating, refrigeration, travel, food especially if you eat red meat, are all energy consuming.

Nobody wants their or their children's living standards to go down, the developing world has an increasing middle-class, raising living standards for many to what has already been reached in developed nations. Energy efficiency in all parts of our lives is going to a major contribution to slowing and adapting to climate change.

Industries, competitions, events that bring in money to companies whom are developing technology is essential and F1 is the showcase of this within the automobile industry, because people are not going to give up private transport without a fight.

We as a species keep moving forward, from the dawning of the human race, it's not going to stop now, even if we do wipe ourselves out in the process.

And how many tonnes have been saved by the engine development from the motor companies that gets adapted into the millions of cars they sell to customers?

And it's not just engine efficiency, aerodynamics are a huge part of racing car development, in case you weren't aware.

I’m sure you’re capable of googling the answers to any question you so desire. As we are reminded of the great strides made in internet connections and AI content.

And google searches use 3500 tonnes a day so 220,000 tonnes is about 62 days of google searches, so do you want google turned off OP? Or mumsnet or whatsapp? Or whatever else you enjoy online.

This is the issue with energy consumption, where do you draw the line? Because if lines get drawn it will be drawn on something everyone thinks "isn't fair"

Lovely to see so many, so sanguine, at the prospect of us wiping ourselves out. All so we don’t have to give up any of our ‘pleasures’

Really warms the cockles

I’m just glad to be the age I am, and without any children/grandchildren because I wouldn’t be able to rely on my fellow humans looking after their futures

Well if you don’t ask for information you can save at least one google search 👏👏👏

You initial question was how are motorsports still allowed?
So I attempted to give you an answer to your initial enquiry, with some reference to the carbon emission aspect you asked in your initial post.

That's all.

In summary, aerodynamic and engine development that transfers into much needed efficiency in all private vehicles.

Ok I’m probably not gonna worry about that too much then.

I don’t use ChatGP thanks

Honestly your debating skills…are not very conducive to conversation.

Now you’re just glad you’re gonna die so you don’t have to suffer under the yoke of motorsports emissions 🤣

No, so I don’t have to live through whats coming if we don’t have difficult conversations about what is going to have to change

Motor sports is one I picked because of something I read this morning. There are many others

People aren't sanguine, especially if they have children, of course they're not, you might not fully understand that feeling. But what needs to happen is calm, reasoned discussions, about many issues, with people willing to change their minds, accept they don't know as much about things and industry experts, dealing with the problems in front of them and the tools available, or that can be invented to move forward.

Were you willing OP to change your mind when you posted your initial post?
Or had you already made your unmoveable opinion and phrased it as a question?

Or it could just be the worldwide threat that brings mankind together in ways that are not yet clear.

Who knows?

That is why life is interesting and should carry onwards.

Read what this morning? Written by whom? Who pays them to write what you read?

It's good to be discerning in your information OP. I am sure you are. And I am sure you know what is being presented in mainstream media can bear little resemblance to what is actually happening on the ground in real life.

Go around your neighbourhood, talk to your friends, people you know, there is much more hope, kindness and positivity in the world than the press/online media wants you to know.

It's not all doom and gloom.

If you count an article about a film about F1 as a reliable source, then yes it was. I’m not interested in the film, but it did just make me think, why is that still a thing?

I would appreciate it if posters would not make assumptions about me, my life, my intellect and ability to make decisions and form opinions. It’s quite insulting and I don’t need advice on what to do or who to talk to.

Going by the responses on this thread most people appear to be more than sanguine. In fact, actively resistant to change.

There are necessities, nice to haves, and luxuries/extravagences. At some point some changes and sacrifices will need to be made. Motor sports, to me, would seem to be something that could easily be done without. Hence the question.

I am genuinely amazed at the attitudes displayed here, including those directed at me personally. As I said before, v disappointing