Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
Will make it worse, but if you look into the harms of natural gas (AKA Methane) the USA is already doing more damage than ever with much more coming online and even more planned. Climate Town video on the subject: https://youtu.be/K2oL4SFwkkw?si=r9YNB_9FPAroQCG8.
Trump will just make an already dire situation worse which might actually bring it all to a head sooner. Not an endorsement but more acknowledgment of the sad reality we are actually in.
Those fugitive emissions from crude gas ('natural' gas) are crazy! It blows my mind that it could make the greenhouse impact even worse than coal. Those methane sensing satellites are really important so what we can actually check the emissions to see how bad they are.
Right. I really think the USA and Canada need to pull their heads out of the oil and gas executives assea and do the right thing for the entire planet. They can be the cause or a major win for the decline of civilization. We are hitting do or die inflections here.
The thing about methane is that it breaks down within a few years, so the impact is largely about rate of release, unlike CO2 where concentration remains elevated pretty much forever in human terms.
This means that if we stop extraction of gas, it ends up having only a modest impact on how hot it is after that
it does break down... into CO2 and water vapor (also a very powerful GHG).
All levers need to be pulled, even the methane one, as they have "eq" forcing effects which are accelerating warming, which risks accelerating more tipping points. This isn't a situation where we can pick and choose what not to do, and ending methane emissions from fossil fuels and animal farming sector is a low hanging fruit.
My understanding is different https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-methane-is-short-lived-in-the-atmosphere-but-leaves-long-term-damage-145040
Also, we cant afford any of it. As soon as we end up in a dustbowl situation a world war will likely be the result.
Once nations are in wartime survival mode, carbon resuction will be out the window and I sincerely think we'll turn the earth into an uninhabitable hellscape where everyone dies.
Everyone. It may take a while for the last people to go, but I do mean everyone. People will construct elaborate bunker systems and try to make self contained farming centers, but the reality is that stuff is way harder than it looks and all it takes is one disease, one fire or power disaster, or one psycho to destroy the crops, whoch is likely after a hundred or so years and woop, everyone dies.
I don't mean to downplay the environment, but I think we'll have a long list of worries... 🫨
This is a c/climate, so we're talking climate. Lots of other reasons to prefer Biden over Trump (and to avoid third-party candidates)
And none of those other worries will matter when you starve to death because we fucked our ecosysten which we get our food from.
A lot of those worries are worries exactly because they divide and distract people.
Abortion was resolved in the 1970s... Until politicians found they could win votes and divide people by putting the right for a woman to have control over her body into the discourse; demonizing people and lying about abortion being baby killing is a great way to control people.
Migration, economy, even healthcare will all be fucked if we dont address the climate.
Google climate refugee, dengue fever climate change and climate disaster costs if you dont believe me.
would*
At risk of by chance being somehow miraculously reached? The climate goals will soon be as dead as the polar bears.
"Could"?
Way to hedge, Gruaniad. Thanks for nothing but horse race junk.
No shit. A lot more than just the climate goals will be at risk.
Honestly I think electing him in 2016 was the final nail in the coffin of our chances to fully prevent major climate change. Now we're 10 years too late.
Now we need a diverse array of strategies, including but not limited to, reduction in our emissions, mitigation of effects and seeing Russia defeated in physical warfare and made to reduce their hydrocarbon reliance. Failure in any facet of the multi-modal approach now necessary will see corresponding consequences.
Naturally, electing him again in 2024 would probably make everything much worse. Again.
If he gets reelected I'm withdrawing my retirement savings (all 10k of it!) and going on a small last binge. I don't necessarily want to stick around for the consequences of other people's choices to torture & kill me.
But he might bring about the complete collapse of the US... which would result in less emissions.
Try to be more optimistic!
Funny joke, but fer serious...
A complete collapse of the US wouldn't mean a carbon free utopia, it would mean corporations would be the defacto government (they already pretty much are, but we still have weekends and pollution control. Megacorps will turn everything into the mining towns of old where everyone is completely owned by the mining companies and pollution controls, labor laws and healthcare are non-existant.
In a world where US is the only country maybe yes. In real life though this would never happen.
Are you saying Europe would sweep in and save us? China and Russia? Our NAFTA 2.0 partners would say, "woah there, companies, we had a deal with your now-collapsed country."
The way people cancel corporations for way less is a sign that they would also probably cancel companies who enslaved previously free people. It wouldn't surprise me is Europe and other allies came to the rescue with rescue plans that although helpful would bind the US into some sort of lock for many years to come. But I don't expect that distopian schenario to unfold just yet even though it does look bad over there
If it's the EU the binding could mean following the same rules than EU members. I don't see much of a problem there.
Thanks for your optimism :)
I really dont think the US will collapse as in this hypothetical scenario, and I sincerely hope you're right.
Yeah I was just being fatuous.
Don't threaten me with a good time
What climate goals? I see a lot of talk about deadlines and dreams. I don't see much to indicate that there are any goals.
In sports, a goal is something that everyone puts coordinated and concerted effort into achieving.
In business, a goal is something that everyone puts coordinated and concerted effort into achieving.
If the climate "goals" that were set in the 1990s, weak as they were, had been actual goals, we'd now be planning the closure of the last pipelines, not celebrating the opening of new ones and planning for the next. We'd be planning the closure of the last oil and gas fields, not looking for new drilling and fracking opportunities.
Sure, Trump and his ilk are going to make a show of getting in the way, but it's not like there is any coordinated, concerted effort for them to block.
Biden approved oil drilling so IDK why we even include Biden as a choice
Beats me. We've got our own lip-service politicians to deal with in Canada. And absolute disasters... 😠
continued existence of capitalism does that already
For once I feel like climate goals are the least I'd be worried about should the world's most influential nation elect a wannabe dictator...
The climate is how we get food. The dictator will just determine if your kids are starving in a bread line, or the front line of a war.
Either way the climate goals need to be your number one priority
Trumpsters don’t need further convincing.
Goals are already busted. Without Trump's help. This is just some political faction trying to push blame. It's a propaganda piece.
If Trump wins they can continue to pollute as they see fit. But they can shuffle the blame.
Think about the stock holders.
Trump is an accelerationist. If he wins, it's not simply the usual BAU, it's more.
Tell everyone you know in Michigan to vote. The rest of us barely matter
Let's all move to Michigan, then we can matter too 😐
Remember kids. A vote for the right in any country is a vote for Putin and Xi.
TIL there are goals. Seems like nobody is doing anything meaningful.
No shit.
Could?
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=mcrfpus2&f=m let's petroleum production as at a near all time high. Let's not pretend Biden is doing a bang up job on climate. We need more seats in Congress on top of the Presidency to make meaningful change.
He's not perfect, but petroleum is only part of it. What he's done has been to put in place the policies which will enable future decarbonization
It's better than Republican policy, but it's not where it could be with a representative further left on the spectrum.
That would only work if there was a majority for left-wing policy. Simply having a president who's further on the left would not actually change that much of they have to find compromises with people who don't care about the physical reality.
Not a fan of voting along party lines up and down the ballot. That just promotes our current state of platformless policitians. Try your best to learn about candidates including third party candidates and vote for the best possible representative. Obviously vote for Biden to keep Trump out, but if you are trying to get. Someone right leaning to think about helping keep this dumbass out of office, you are just going to turn them away by telling them to vote democrat across the ballet. Stay laser focused on keeping Trump out of office.
Any talk of third party in an election in which the outcome is life threatening for many, is dillusional
And so could the election of any other politician.
Wow you're so enlightened with your centricity here.
I mean really, whats the difference between eating a turd and eating 100 turds?