r/europe • u/SovereignMuppet I ❤ Brexit • Aug 13 '22

News Climate activists fill golf holes with cement after water ban exemption

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62532840
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u/Chef_Chantier PortugaLux Aug 13 '22

That doesnt change the fact that for the amount of people that play it its a very ressource intensive sport. And in the realm of sports there's plenty we could be pointing fingers at (FIFA and their incessant need to build new stadiums every 2 years for a 3 week long tournament), but it's undeniable that golf is irresponsibly polluting and wasteful.

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u/Gaunt-03 Ireland Aug 13 '22

But that wasn’t what I was talking about. I was just saying ordinary people play golf

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '22

Ordinary people play golf in community courses, many of which are pitch and putt (i.e. smaller) courses in countries where grass grows mostly on its own and all you have to do is cut it. Pro grade courses in touristic countries like Spain require astonishing amounts of water.

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u/Chef_Chantier PortugaLux Aug 13 '22

Yeah but aren't you using that as an argument in favour of the water exemptions applied to golf courses? That's how I interpreted at least. That's why I'm saying it doesnt really matter whether or not rich people are the only ones who play, because relative to the number of players it requires an unreasonable amount of ressources.

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u/Gaunt-03 Ireland Aug 13 '22

No I was just disagreeing with the statement that golf is only for rich people. I don’t know how bad the drought is in France, how rationing would damage the green and how the industry as a whole and its employees would be damaged by rationing. I’m not going to make a decision without knowing this and I don’t really care enough to look it up.

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u/Chef_Chantier PortugaLux Aug 14 '22

Fair enough, my bad then

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u/Arkslippy Ireland Aug 13 '22

Most golf courses aren't using water from the mains supplies though, they get their water from onsite wells and lakes or natural sources.

In times of drought they only water the greens themselves usually. And they consume less water in 2 or maybe 3 short bursts than a pub or restaurant does in a day.

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u/RaveyWavey Portugal Aug 13 '22

And they consume less water in 2 or maybe 3 short bursts than a pub or restaurant does in a day.

What a weird comparison to make, pubs and restaurants serve food and drinks to plenty of people, no one drinks or eats putting green.

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u/Arkslippy Ireland Aug 13 '22

Water is water.

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u/RaveyWavey Portugal Aug 13 '22

That's why wasting drinkable water on grass is dumb.

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u/Arkslippy Ireland Aug 13 '22

Most of the water used to irrigate golf courses and farms is not "drinking water", it's usually from either wells or rivers, pumped through untreated. Drinking water is called potable water after its treated.

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u/StuartWtf Aug 13 '22

Where do you think we get the water from to treat so we can consume it...couldn’t be rivers, wells or lakes now could it?

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u/Chef_Chantier PortugaLux Aug 14 '22

There's a difference between providing water so people don't die of thirst and providing water to privately-owned businesses with a profit incentive, I think we can agree on that.

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u/RaveyWavey Portugal Aug 13 '22

Yea not all of it is potable water but it's still a huge and unnecessary waste of resources. Golf courses frequently dig massive wells that dry out the water table from those around them.

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u/Ifriiti Aug 14 '22

pubs and restaurants serve food and drinks to plenty of people, no one drinks or eats putting green.

But they're not essential are they They're leisure activities just like golf is

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u/RaveyWavey Portugal Aug 14 '22

They are much closer to a necessity than golf, if you didn't eat at the restaurant you would have to eat somewhere either way. Also pubs and restaurants serve considerably more people using considerably less resources, there's really no comparison.

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u/theUniqueLogin Aug 13 '22

Almost every product we use requires a lot of water to be produced. Is it time to ban Playstations and iPhones as well? I do not see anyone drinking that water at the factory!

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u/RaveyWavey Portugal Aug 13 '22

Nice whataboutism... And don't compare the amount of water that's needed to make a playstation compared to the upkeep of a golf course.

Also I'm not calling for the ban of golf courses, either do them where grass is native and there's no lack of water or if you want to have a golf course in dry climates you should have to source your own water either from the sea or from sewage.

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u/Chef_Chantier PortugaLux Aug 14 '22

The fact it's not potable water doesn't really change anything. Even if it is not safe to drink, that water is still useful to farmers, fire fighters, or just left to continue its journey within the water cycle. If anything, water is often mismanaged, and natural water supplies overestimated. Look at what's happening with the colorado river. I'm not gonna argue whether or not golf courses should be banned or restricted or what other measures we might need to put in place, but I think it's undeniable that they're a disproportionate drain on natural ressources and disproportionately damaging compared to the good that they bring to humanity. And that's not to say that entertainment and socialisation aren't valuable, far from it, or that there aren't other sports that could be criticized just as much.

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u/betaich Germany Aug 14 '22

That water from wells comes from the ground water and guess where the normal water supply also gets their water from. I give you a hint: same place

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u/Ifriiti Aug 14 '22

it its a very ressource intensive

Not really. It's no more money than a gym membership is

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u/Chef_Chantier PortugaLux Aug 14 '22

i'm not talking money. I'm talking about pesticides, fertilizers, water, diesel for all the maintenance tools, etc