I don't want to hurt the planet.  You don't want to hurt the planet.  But it seems that we can't do anything that will not hurt the planet.  Example this time:  high definition televisions. 

According to a new study, those new plasma and LCD TVs that many of you have bought are being blamed for accelerating global warming.  A gas used in the making of the TVs is the culprit.  The gas, nitrogen trifluoride, is estimated to be 17,000 times as powerful as carbon dixoide.  And almost half of the televisions sold around the world last year were either plasmas or LCD televisions.

Now the gas is not covered by the Kyoto protocol from 1997 that was designed to stop so called "greenhouse gases."  Back then, there were so few amounts of the gas that it wasn't considered a problem.

Now here's my problem.  If this gas is a problem, what do we do?  More and more of these TVs are going to be made and sold, and most of the TVs that are made....are made in China.  China is considered a bigger threat to the planet than the United States, even though we get blamed more.  And the country, as a whole, care less about the environment than we do.

The other issue is that the gas in the atmosphere has not been measured for nitrogen trifluoride; again because it wasn't a part of the Kyoto protocol.  Without measuring the quantity of  nitrogen trifluoride in the atmosphere,it is unclear what impact there will be on the environment.  Scientists are calling for it to be included in any future emissions agreements.

I have no clue what the answer for this possible problem is, but I know I'm not giving up my HDTV and I also know I want more of them.  So what should we do if this gas turns out to be a problem?  Will you pay more for a "green" television?  Should the TVs be banned?