4 ms·

Even if we had a comparable pandemic every 2 years, it seems unlikely the associated CO₂ reductions would be cumulative and persistent, which is what we really

by jfk13 7y ago

Even if we had a comparable pandemic every 2 years, it seems unlikely the associated CO₂ reductions would be cumulative and persistent, which is what we really need.

m12k 7y ago
Dunno, making a bunch of airlines go bankrupt and teaching people to do meetings online might have lasting effects on how much people fly in the future too. One way or another, the world after the corona crisis is going to look rather different than the world before it.
- jfk13 7y ago
  Yes - so maybe a noticeable part of the current 8% dip will "stick". But if it does, do you suppose the next pandemic will cause an equivalent additional dip? No, because whatever lasting changes have already been made are changes that aren't available to make when the next virus sweeps through. To make real progress, we need to do far more than stay home, because staying home wins us 8% but we need 75%.
- beervirus 7y ago
  An airline going bankrupt doesn’t mean that its planes will never fly again. It just means they’ll be flown by by the airline’s creditors once people start flying again.
  - m12k 7y ago
    Fewer airlines means lower supply, making air travel more expensive, which will make fewer people choose to buy it.
    - derg 7y ago
      Which hopefully would be paired with more inter-urban high-speed rail regionally* where it would make sense in terms of mirroring or even beating your standard drive/flight time. Hell, even if a more widespread high-speed rail system were still slower than air travel I would still take it because air travel is absolutely miserable and I detest it with every fiber of my being. *I specify regionally because I know someone is going to "WELL AKSHUALLY " me on the fact that the US is a large spread out country and intercontinental high speed rail wouldn't work (though I would love to take a train from NYC to LA because why not?).
sitkack 7y ago
What folks should have said is, "we need the comparable pandemics to double every 2 years". Some industries need to turn off. We are doing too much across the board.
- derg 7y ago
  >Some industries need to turn off. We are doing too much across the board I've been thinking about this for a while, and with the pandemic, it's been on my mind regularly. We really need to re-think, well, almost every aspect of how we live and consume. Far less car use, more sustainable living, including increasing densities, which does not mean everyone needs to live in Manhattan or Tokyo level densities, just better land use and more pedestrian/bike-friendly infrastructure. Make it easier to get fresh food locally. More green space. One of the biggest changes in my life was moving to a city where I can walk anywhere and everywhere (most things are within a mile or two). It may take a little longer (and mass transit is there to pick up the slack) but the impact of regular, constant exercise cannnot be overstated by this kind of lifestyle change (and something most Americans desperately need, honestly. We are incredibly unhealthy, I was one of them).

by jfk13 7y ago

Even if we had a comparable pandemic every 2 years, it seems unlikely the associated CO₂ reductions would be cumulative and persistent, which is what we really need.

m12k 7y ago

Dunno, making a bunch of airlines go bankrupt and teaching people to do meetings online might have lasting effects on how much people fly in the future too. One way or another, the world after the corona crisis is going to look rather different than the world before it.

jfk13 7y ago
Yes - so maybe a noticeable part of the current 8% dip will "stick". But if it does, do you suppose the next pandemic will cause an equivalent additional dip? No, because whatever lasting changes have already been made are changes that aren't available to make when the next virus sweeps through. To make real progress, we need to do far more than stay home, because staying home wins us 8% but we need 75%.
beervirus 7y ago
An airline going bankrupt doesn’t mean that its planes will never fly again. It just means they’ll be flown by by the airline’s creditors once people start flying again.
- m12k 7y ago
  Fewer airlines means lower supply, making air travel more expensive, which will make fewer people choose to buy it.
  - derg 7y ago
    Which hopefully would be paired with more inter-urban high-speed rail regionally* where it would make sense in terms of mirroring or even beating your standard drive/flight time. Hell, even if a more widespread high-speed rail system were still slower than air travel I would still take it because air travel is absolutely miserable and I detest it with every fiber of my being. *I specify regionally because I know someone is going to "WELL AKSHUALLY " me on the fact that the US is a large spread out country and intercontinental high speed rail wouldn't work (though I would love to take a train from NYC to LA because why not?).

sitkack 7y ago

What folks should have said is, "we need the comparable pandemics to double every 2 years". Some industries need to turn off. We are doing too much across the board.

derg 7y ago
>Some industries need to turn off. We are doing too much across the board I've been thinking about this for a while, and with the pandemic, it's been on my mind regularly. We really need to re-think, well, almost every aspect of how we live and consume. Far less car use, more sustainable living, including increasing densities, which does not mean everyone needs to live in Manhattan or Tokyo level densities, just better land use and more pedestrian/bike-friendly infrastructure. Make it easier to get fresh food locally. More green space. One of the biggest changes in my life was moving to a city where I can walk anywhere and everywhere (most things are within a mile or two). It may take a little longer (and mass transit is there to pick up the slack) but the impact of regular, constant exercise cannnot be overstated by this kind of lifestyle change (and something most Americans desperately need, honestly. We are incredibly unhealthy, I was one of them).