[Discussion] Climate Change

This thread is just to post interesting news, thoughts, opinions about climate change.

Robear wrote:

In the last election, 64.5% of the citizens of Ft Lauderdale voted Blue. Coincidence? I think not!

Go woke, get soaked.

The Great Electrician Shortage

Going green will depend on blue-collar workers. Can we train enough of them before time runs out?

IMO it's less about training vs. pay and the physical nature of the job. My understanding is that the pay is bad and the work is hardest during the first 10 or so years, then it gets better once you get towards the top of the union food chain.

Personally I would much rather have my kids in a cushy office job not destroying their backs vs. sweating it out in the trades if the pay is comparable.

Not to mention the danger of being electrocuted...

It's a gig I would enjoy I expect were it doable at a better wage and at a pace I felt safe with. Alas from what I hear that's not really the case. Instead the pay is like, okay-ish? and the pace is as high as anything else in the construction field. With even less support than some of the others get so there's just more demand to get it done quickly

LOL at how many issues appear to boil down to "maybe if it was paid better and less exploitative"

Climate change is making us dumber

Like I always say, the single occupancy motor vehicle is the biggest mistake in human history.

The Biden admin has released it's new EPA power plant regulations.

Summary is all power plants must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2035 or close. It will likely survive legal challenges until Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo is decided by SCOTUS. Then who knows how that's gonna go.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/0...

Manchin is having a big boy peepee fit over it and pledging to oppose all EPA nominees until the admin rescinds the rule.

That Politico article wrote:

“Joe Biden just doesn’t have the capacity or the willingness to face the reality of what he and the Democrats are doing to the energy needs of the country," Barrasso added.

And the GOP doesn't have the capacity or the willingness to face the reality of what they are doing to the climate of the entire world.

Plus, they don't care.

And it goes without saying that what Biden is doing is a net positive, not a negative.

Not that it's surprising, but Barrasso and others are posturing because this is the exact same thing most major power companies are planning to do anyway, but 10-15 years later than the rule would force them to.

IIRC the supreme court told the admin the EPA couldn't regulate the states to make them change power mix, only the plants directly, so they just did that.

When are they going to make a similar rule for oil and gas companies?

A few years after the US suffers its first mass casualty event from unsurvivable wet-bulb temps in a major metropolitan areas.

Robear wrote:

A few years after the US suffers its first mass casualty event from unsurvivable wet-bulb temps in a major metropolitan areas.

Someone's read Ministry For The Future!

Jonman wrote:
Robear wrote:

A few years after the US suffers its first mass casualty event from unsurvivable wet-bulb temps in a major metropolitan areas.

Someone's read Ministry For The Future!

iirc the actual motivating factor in that novel that spurred the people in power to start taking things seriously in western nations was a widespread, decentralized campaign of violence that included targeted assassinations of industry leaders and the downing of private jets of the wealthy by flying off-the-shelf drones into their engines during takeoffs and landings.

Robear wrote:

A few years after the US suffers its first mass casualty event from unsurvivable wet-bulb temps in a major metropolitan areas.

You are optimistic. After seeing how millions acted when face with the pandemic I have no faith in people's intelligence.

I believe fear is a strong motivator even today, although it would provide useful results far too late.

Dear Air Force drone pilots: How would you like to actually serve your country?

Robear wrote:

A few years after the US suffers its first mass casualty event from unsurvivable wet-bulb temps in a major metropolitan areas.

As long as the Republicans have any kind of power to stop it nothing will happen, because the people that live in cities are the kind of people the mainstream of the Republican party would gladly line up and kill en masse if they were given the opportunity.

Dallas? Houston? Miami? Tucson? Jackson? New Orleans? St. Pete? Ft. Bragg? Las Vegas? Charleston? Nashville? Little Rock? Orange County, California?

I get that there are a lot of cities that Republicans don't like the politics of, but once people in those Red or Purple states start dying in large numbers, they will pay attention. Too little to late, but it will goose them into some kind of grotesque action.

Freyja wrote:
Robear wrote:

A few years after the US suffers its first mass casualty event from unsurvivable wet-bulb temps in a major metropolitan areas.

As long as the Republicans have any kind of power to stop it nothing will happen, because the people that live in cities are the kind of people the mainstream of the Republican party would gladly line up and kill en masse if they were given the opportunity.

I don't want to "like" this, but yeah.

Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time

Our overheating world is likely to break a key temperature limit for the first time over the next few years, scientists predict.

Researchers say there's now a 66% chance we will pass the 1.5C global warming threshold between now and 2027.

The chances are rising due to emissions from human activities and a likely El Niño weather pattern later this year.

If the world passes the limit, scientists stress the breach, while worrying, will likely be temporary.

Hitting the threshold would mean the world is 1.5C warmer than it was during the second half of the 19th Century, before fossil fuel emissions from industrialisation really began to ramp up.

And breaking the limit even for just one year is a worrying sign that warming is accelerating and not slowing down.

well we did try nothing. Kind of surprising that didn't' work.

Arizona's farms are running out of water, forcing farmers to confront climate change

Cassy England is a fifth-generation farmer in Pinal County, Arizona. For decades, her family has been a part of the vibrant agricultural community in the southern part of the state, growing cotton, alfalfa and grains.

But this year, she's facing an unexpected challenge: She has to manage her crops with half of the usual water supply.

Agriculture in this area relies on the Colorado River, and a historic drought is causing severe shortages. Just as she was beginning to plan her planting season, England was notified that her farms would not get any water from the river and would have to make do with available groundwater instead.

"We had to cut back about 50% of our planting, which cuts back on income," England explained. "It'll cut us down at least 30%, probably, of our normal revenue at least. And so that's really going to be an impact."

Farmers across southern Arizona are among those in the West facing the brunt of climate change. The drought, worsening fire seasons, temperature swings and monsoons all impact their businesses, food production, utility costs and livelihoods.

And why are they growing alfalfa? To export to other countries that don't want to waste all their water growing alfalfa. What a mess

I feel so conflicted about this. On one hand I feel bad for them, on the other hand "duh you knew this was coming and didn't do squat because it was easier to ignore it"

Alfalfa is one of the highest water use crops out there. It should no longer be grown in drought stricken areas. Grow it elsewhere, import it to feed to your dairy and meat cattle, and let the price of meat go up (and, yes, naturally see demand drop). That's how the effing market should handle this kind of thing.

Cotton is very water intensive too. I don't really have much sympathy for people choosing to grow cotton and alfalfa in the desert.

I am going to sound like an echo chamber, but farms in a desert having water issues? Who knew?

Time to start building relationships with those murdering, rapist immigrants to ramp up desalinization efforts.