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I can see why it is cause for alarm, and subsequently depression, but having been involved in the Environmentalist movement for nearly 15 years now its really a

I can see why it is cause for alarm, and subsequently depression, but having been involved in the Environmentalist movement for nearly 15 years now its really about how this is addressed. Looking at this in just a pragmatic perspective, the damage done is irreversible, what isn't is how we assess this moving forward. If you had leaks in your pipes its best to know before it causes rot or mold to your home, but not knowing it until it all happened at once isn't any better, either. We have a choice on how we address this, and to be honest we should build our Global Economies on that, especially since its so dire, but also because we've exceeded the benefit of perpetual and endless growth of consumer driven business models. We have a large segment of people who will no longer have jobs moving forward all over the World and if we use this as an opportunity and see we have the Human Capital as well as the Financial incentive to try and create sustainable models to ensure we try and slow down and ultimately reverse this. The truth is we have ways to recapture greenhouse gasses and have proven models to utilize waste products from manufacturing processes [1], its just that in our pursuit to makes things as cheaply as possible the externalties to get there were always hidden in order to be able to compete in the Market. It has always shocked me how an endless amount of money exists to prop up a broken financial system (specifically banks and fiat currencies) that eventually lead to environmental destruction, at least now we have an ability to usher in a new value system and paradigm that re-connects us with our Environment and our Communities, something that I think has led to wide spread depression as we've seen with this COVID lockdown/social distancing. 1: https://www.thermaltech.com/codeless_portfolio/biogas-reclamation/ https://www.thermaltech.com/codeless_portfolio/biogas-reclam...

perfunctory 6y ago
> now its really about how this is addressed > at least now we have an ability to usher in a new value system I am not sure I follow the point you are trying to make. What is this newly found ability you are talking about? What is so special about now and how we address it? What has changed in the last 15 years? I don't see any progress at all. Emissions just keep rising year after year.
- Melting_Harps 6y ago
  Methane leaks are a byproduct of short sighted designs, and not having the incentives to ensure it doesn't occur, here is another example: in Bitcoin, Mining is seen as a horrible environmental disaster and why POW systems are impractical by those who do not understand the issue its trying to address. This is negating many things, not least of which that most of the network is not just utilizing renewable energy, but its spurring on its growth into areas outside of what exists (see: Peter Thiel's Bitcoin farm running off of Wind in Texas), but the heat generated from the process is thought to be a waste byproduct any many miners prefer to go to Iceland where Geo-thermal can be utilized as well as the cold weather to cool down the miners. While this is good enough for some, this can be further improved to create other ancillary goods/services, too. Check this Bitcoin farm that sought to utilize the 'wasted byproduct' [1] and there are others who did something similar to try and offset the obvious massive use of energy (they create starter plants without a greenhouse etc...). This level of recapturing 'waste' solutions should be mandated, and not optional for all Fossil Fuel based energy. This will at least ensure we stop needlessly over producing the stuff, as we've seen with OPEC trying to do to keep the price of oil from crashing its clear we don't need that much if we introduce WFH solutions permanently to as much as we can, and force the Market to find what is and isn't deemed vital to keep operational using Fossil Fuel while we transition to more renewable based EV models. > What has changed in the last 15 years? A lot, Hemp went from being a schedule 1 drug to a 50 state legal crop something that most homes should utilize as it not only is an amazing insulator, which reduces the need for Heating/AC, but also sequestrates carbon as it cures and when its grown. I also saw the advent of EV re-emerge stronger than ever and has become a now fashion statement and status symbol where it was seen as fringe and impractical. I've spent most of my time in having been involved in the Organic and sustainable movement we've seen a significant amount of people shift towards choosing to eat that way and the idea of farm to table is now catching up with the environmental European standards after the exposure from foodies and shows like Chef's Table and Anthony Bourdain's. This has also led to business models that rely entirely on re-capturing food loss and reselling them as value added products--my former co-worker was also a farmer and got sent to hang out with Dan Barber in NY and he now has an ice cream and sorbet business that uses fruit/food from vendors that are not being utilized at a significant discount. > I don't see any progress at all. Emissions just keep rising year after year. Then you're not paying attention to the progress and are succumbing to the pessimism you've built around the issue; I grew up in SoCal where airplanes had trouble landing because of the amount of smog. In less than a decade of enacting the clean air mandate that went entirely away, it wasn't perfect because of population density, but then when COVID lockdowns were issued it happened again and we saw just quickly things turn around. What I'm saying is that things are not all doomed, and we live in a remarkable period in Human History where we can collectively actually solve meaningful problems if the will exists. I'm personally a big proponent of colonizing Mars, mainly because it was in my mind the most effective challenge that could alter Human consciousness to try and see how inhospitable this Universe really is to Life and that we should take care of the Earth. It could also lessen the burden we have on extracting and expending this planet's resources. Honestly, I think you should try and reach out to your community and volunteer in a community garden to see how you can transform that anxiety and depression you feel (that I often felt, too) into meaningful change you want see in the World. I see these things as improvements because some of us paid for this to occur with physical/emotional pain, blood, sweat and tears and we've grown from the experience. And to be honest, I think this is a vital part of the Human condition that most lack these days because Life has become some insulating that it gives you one the illusion that they can do an otherwise feckless thing in Society and think they have it all figured out and succumb to depression and anxiety--I felt this way in my early 20s. When the truth is if most of those people were suddenly placed in a rural area without the comforts that Civilization affords us they'd probably be the first die of thirst or starvation. 1: https://bitcoinist.com/canadas-sustainable-bitcoin-mining-used-to-farm-fish-and-crops/ https://bitcoinist.com/canadas-sustainable-bitcoin-mining-us...

perfunctory 6y ago

> now its really about how this is addressed > at least now we have an ability to usher in a new value system I am not sure I follow the point you are trying to make. What is this newly found ability you are talking about? What is so special about now and how we address it? What has changed in the last 15 years? I don't see any progress at all. Emissions just keep rising year after year.

Melting_Harps 6y ago
Methane leaks are a byproduct of short sighted designs, and not having the incentives to ensure it doesn't occur, here is another example: in Bitcoin, Mining is seen as a horrible environmental disaster and why POW systems are impractical by those who do not understand the issue its trying to address. This is negating many things, not least of which that most of the network is not just utilizing renewable energy, but its spurring on its growth into areas outside of what exists (see: Peter Thiel's Bitcoin farm running off of Wind in Texas), but the heat generated from the process is thought to be a waste byproduct any many miners prefer to go to Iceland where Geo-thermal can be utilized as well as the cold weather to cool down the miners. While this is good enough for some, this can be further improved to create other ancillary goods/services, too. Check this Bitcoin farm that sought to utilize the 'wasted byproduct' [1] and there are others who did something similar to try and offset the obvious massive use of energy (they create starter plants without a greenhouse etc...). This level of recapturing 'waste' solutions should be mandated, and not optional for all Fossil Fuel based energy. This will at least ensure we stop needlessly over producing the stuff, as we've seen with OPEC trying to do to keep the price of oil from crashing its clear we don't need that much if we introduce WFH solutions permanently to as much as we can, and force the Market to find what is and isn't deemed vital to keep operational using Fossil Fuel while we transition to more renewable based EV models. > What has changed in the last 15 years? A lot, Hemp went from being a schedule 1 drug to a 50 state legal crop something that most homes should utilize as it not only is an amazing insulator, which reduces the need for Heating/AC, but also sequestrates carbon as it cures and when its grown. I also saw the advent of EV re-emerge stronger than ever and has become a now fashion statement and status symbol where it was seen as fringe and impractical. I've spent most of my time in having been involved in the Organic and sustainable movement we've seen a significant amount of people shift towards choosing to eat that way and the idea of farm to table is now catching up with the environmental European standards after the exposure from foodies and shows like Chef's Table and Anthony Bourdain's. This has also led to business models that rely entirely on re-capturing food loss and reselling them as value added products--my former co-worker was also a farmer and got sent to hang out with Dan Barber in NY and he now has an ice cream and sorbet business that uses fruit/food from vendors that are not being utilized at a significant discount. > I don't see any progress at all. Emissions just keep rising year after year. Then you're not paying attention to the progress and are succumbing to the pessimism you've built around the issue; I grew up in SoCal where airplanes had trouble landing because of the amount of smog. In less than a decade of enacting the clean air mandate that went entirely away, it wasn't perfect because of population density, but then when COVID lockdowns were issued it happened again and we saw just quickly things turn around. What I'm saying is that things are not all doomed, and we live in a remarkable period in Human History where we can collectively actually solve meaningful problems if the will exists. I'm personally a big proponent of colonizing Mars, mainly because it was in my mind the most effective challenge that could alter Human consciousness to try and see how inhospitable this Universe really is to Life and that we should take care of the Earth. It could also lessen the burden we have on extracting and expending this planet's resources. Honestly, I think you should try and reach out to your community and volunteer in a community garden to see how you can transform that anxiety and depression you feel (that I often felt, too) into meaningful change you want see in the World. I see these things as improvements because some of us paid for this to occur with physical/emotional pain, blood, sweat and tears and we've grown from the experience. And to be honest, I think this is a vital part of the Human condition that most lack these days because Life has become some insulating that it gives you one the illusion that they can do an otherwise feckless thing in Society and think they have it all figured out and succumb to depression and anxiety--I felt this way in my early 20s. When the truth is if most of those people were suddenly placed in a rural area without the comforts that Civilization affords us they'd probably be the first die of thirst or starvation. 1: https://bitcoinist.com/canadas-sustainable-bitcoin-mining-used-to-farm-fish-and-crops/ https://bitcoinist.com/canadas-sustainable-bitcoin-mining-us...