11 ms·
When thinking and planning for the future, it is important not to think of this summer as one of the hottest within recorded history, but as one of the coolest
by truculent 4y ago
When thinking and planning for the future, it is important not to think of this summer as one of the hottest within recorded history, but as one of the coolest for the next 100 years.
Consequently, an appropriate response to this summer should far exceed what is required to cope with the droughts and heatwaves that we have just seen.
- monkeynotes 4y agoMeanwhile the west's governments are prioritizing short-term inflation curbing rather than addressing climate change in their campaigns. We are all screwed.
- junofan 4y agoNot sure my government can do much about coal plant construction in Africa. Would rather they focus on things in control like inflation, to be honest.
- midasuni 4y agoIf europe had built enough renewable energy over the last 10 years to provide its energy production it would have tackled both problems at once. - International energy prices wouldn’t be a major problem.
- blfr 4y agoYeah, but that wasn't in line with German plans of controlling the EU with Russian gas so had to be rejected on policy grounds.
- morsch 4y agoControlling the EU with Russian gas? Is that the conspiracy theory de jour, then?
- blfr 4y agoHardly a conspiracy when the German chancellor openly signs an agreement with Russia and then joins Nord Stream and Gazprom to implement it and bypass other EU countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Schr%C3%B6der#Relationship_with_Russian_companies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Schr%C3%B6der#Relation...
- nosianu 4y agoI still don't see any evidence for your claim "controlling the EU". The Nord Stream II stuff is well-known, but how does Germany getting gas from Russia let them "control the EU"? They are also far from the only EU country with big bets on energy from Russia (for example, Austria, Hungary - the latter not wanting to change a thing even now). Dependence of European countries on Russian gas, oil (data until 2020): Gas: https://www.statista.com/chart/26768/dependence-on-russian-gas-by-european-country/ https://www.statista.com/chart/26768/dependence-on-russian-g... Oil: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1298031/dependence-on-russian-oil-in-the-eu-and-uk/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1298031/dependence-on-ru...
- blfr 4y agohow does Germany getting gas from Russia let them "control the EU"? It's not getting gas that's indicative. It's getting gas intentionally bypassing the other EU countries and Ukraine with Nordstream 1&2. Thus enabling Russia and Germany to squeeze eastern EU. Honest question: do you generally follow world events and not know this? I always wonder what the political and historical consciousness is in the west.
- morsch 4y agoYou're still not saying how this lets Germany "control the EU". If anything it sounds like you want Eastern Europe to control the access to gas in order to have an inordinate amount of influence over Germany. So basically what Russia is doing now. Being independent of Russian energy resources would also "bypass" Poland and Ukraine. Germany should and could have been there ten years ago, hopefully we will be ten years from now.
- lkrubner 4y agoThe current burst of inflation is global and is caused by a global pandemic that unleashed global shocks to global supply chains. There isn't much any one government can do, other than continue to push the Covid-19 vaccine out to as many people as possible.
- ChuckNorris89 4y agoFalse. The current inflation is the result of over a decade of growth fueled purely by money printing which has been accelerated since the pandemic when they shifted the money printer into afterburner. Like what did you expect would happen when the fed doubles the amount of money in circulation over the span of just two years? Russia invading Ukraine and China pursuing a zero COVID policy, threw a spanner in this monetary house of cards the west economy was based. Maybe we in the west should focus more on being more energy independent from hidrocarbures and more manufacturing independent from China instead of just focusing on increasing the price of stonks and housing.
- andrepd 4y agoYou're being downvoted but you're absolutely right. QE was a policy of very very dubious merit already in 2008, and by the time the pandemic ended it was still going (and after Mar/2020 it went into turbo mode). The economy has NEVER went back to normal after 2008; in many regards we're still in the aftermath of the 2008 catastrophe. The inflation was perhaps "triggered" by covid and the Ukraine invasion, but it was not "caused" by it. It was caused by monetary policy designed to keep asset prices inflated (and shaft the working class as a side-effect).
- sofixa 4y agoDon't forget a war, sanctions, impacts on trade and many important resources (foodstuffs, energy).
- JJMcJ 4y agoSimilar to 1973/1982 when the price of crude oil went up 5X. I don't like the idea that monetary policy is the only determiner of prices.
- andrepd 4y agoSure they can: via large-scale economic mobilisation (New Deal-like), build renewables to generate enough electricity to avoid the need to import dirty energy from elsewhere. With limited grid storage, ~2-3x what we have today, >90% of Europe's energy could come from renewables.
- nickserv 4y agoImpose severe sanctions on any state or business providing funding for fossil fuel electricity generation. Subsidize carbon free electricity generation in developing countries. Help women in developing countries access education and family planning => reduces population growth and so energy requirements. Simple enough, but there is absolutely no will to do it.
- political12345 4y agolol simple, says xe/xi do it then
- Tsukiortu 4y agoI don't think that's the best way to put it. Just because a solution can be simple doesn't mean the procedures in the way to enact it inherently are. Not that I agree with either side here, just dislike that way of thinking of “do it then.” In most governments, even if someone wants a change, it doesn't mean it's easy to enact even if that change is simple itself. Due to democracy requiring you to get people into agreement, you can't just waltz in and go yeah I want this changed and have it done.
- ZeroGravitas 4y agoThose are all happening, so it's not all doom and gloom. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-u-s-is-preparing-for-europes-carbon-tariffs/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-u-s-is-pr...
- ZeroGravitas 4y agoYour government was likely funding construction of them till a few months ago, and probably is still funding other fossil fuel projects: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/g7-countries-agree-stop-funding-coal-fired-power-2021-05-21/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/g7-countries-agree-s...
- colordrops 4y agoAre you suggesting that coal plants in Africa ate the main issue driving climate change? Aren't US and China still the biggest emitters, and not doing much about it?
- monkeynotes 4y agoThis outlook of apathy is why we are screwed. Let's focus on inflation because the world falling apart is inevitable? Inflation is going to be the least of your worries when you are too hot, too cold, hungry, etc. The impact of climate change is waaay bigger than inflation.
- sofixa 4y agoDon't lump "West" like that. Germany has a green party in the ruling coalition, in France that stuff is taken somewhat seriously and the second biggest coalition in parliament (that the government has to rely on to pass laws) has an explicit green component. During the election cycle (president and lower chamber of parliament) this spring green and social issues were the main topics of discussion and main component of most campaigns.
- Workaccount2 4y agoYou mean the "green" party that relentlessly fear-mongered nuclear and got Germany addicted to russian fossil fuels? The one that is going to be forced to start burning coal again?
- _ph_ 4y agoNo, you are mistaking them for the CDU and SPD which got us addicted to russian fuels and at the same time curbed the deployment of renewal sources. The Greens is the party whose minister Harbeck has now to clean up the mess left to him and on short notice, Germany has a reasonable amount of coal power plants which can be reactivated to prevent blackouts. But this is only necessary due to Russia not delivering the agreed amound of gas. (And ironically on the French nuclear power plants failing due to wear and heat, so that Germany had to produce an additional 20TWh of electricity to keep the grid alive)
- Workaccount2 4y agoGermany isn't a barren desert with copious wind and sun. Demonizing nuclear will be looked back upon as cataclysmic fuck-up fueled by pure ignorance.
- _ph_ 4y agoGermany has enough wind and sun to cover all electricy needs. And the fact that the nuclear-friendly France is not able to replace their aging fleet of power plants shows, that nuclear isn't such a simple or cheap solution. If Germany would push renewables, electricity would be carbon neutral before the first new nuclear power plant could come online.
- themitigating 4y agoThe Democrats just passed a major climate change bill https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/07/politics/senate-democrats-climate-health-care-bill-vote/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/07/politics/senate-democrats-cli...
- monkeynotes 4y agoTo be rolled back when the people elect based on short-term economic change. The US is so corrupt, so in the pockets of industry I honestly have little confidence in this bill being in good faith toward climate action. * https://www.xrebellion.nyc/news/statement-on-inflation-reduction-bill https://www.xrebellion.nyc/news/statement-on-inflation-reduc... * https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/manchin-poison-pills-buried-in-inflation-reduction-act-will-destroy-a-livable-climate-2022-07-28/ https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/manchi...
- gedy 4y agoVirtually all of the CO2 output growth in my lifetime has not been "the West": https://ourworldindata.org/uploads/2017/04/Global-CO2-emissions-by-region-since-1751.png https://ourworldindata.org/uploads/2017/04/Global-CO2-emissi... and no party seems to push for shutting down imports from Asia, etc.
- ZeroGravitas 4y agoWhen you very oddly specify "growth" you're suggesting that the "West" that has had high emissions throughout your entire life, and almost certainly cumulatively more in that period, are not to blame because other nations slowly increased to output roughly the same amount but still less per capita? That's harsh.
- gedy 4y agoNo, I'm commenting on OP implying the west is not doing enough now on the climate. This is not some commentary on fairness or other political topics.
- ZeroGravitas 4y agoOk, but the west isn't doing enough and could very easily have done more, and in doing so would have made it easier for everyone else to do more.
- jimbokun 4y agoThe latest spending bill in US Congress is at least paying lip service to climate change. Surely not enough, but it's a start.
- throwaway_4ever 4y agoUS Democrats have just passed a huge bill involving climate change mitigation. Republicans are using it as a whipping stick to tell Americans that Democrats don't care about them, climate change is hogwash, and we should instead be focusing on cost of living involving inflation (which Democrats are already doing in tandem).
- Tsukiortu 4y agoI think a big problem in the US is the terrible separation. Nothing will ever get done with everyone so far to sides and refusing to compromise with each other, always trying to get ahead. Both sides are guilty of it, and It's what made me grow tired of even taking part in the politics here.
- cinntaile 4y agoThis is mostly about lack of rainfall and not temperature. Climate change causes more extreme weather, that doesn't imply this summer will be one of the coolest for the next 100 years?
- ragebol 4y ago> This is mostly about lack of rainfall and not temperature. Higher temperature air has less capacity to carry water, 7% less for every degree Celcius IIRC. So there could very well be a link. EDIT: Nope, I had it completely backwards, which makes much more sense too. Colder = less capacity for water. I need a drink. Can't delete my misinformed comment unfortunately.
- pfdietz 4y agoWhat? Absolute humidity at saturation increases with temperature (at fixed pressure). At 100 C (and 1 bar), the air becomes entirely water vapor.
- ragebol 4y agoOops, I had it the wrong way around.
- Loudergood 4y agoThat is incredibly backwards. Which is why when the temperature drops the water literally comes out of the sky.
- ragebol 4y agoYep, you're are right, my bad.
- trashtester 4y agoGenerally, though, hotter weather means more water evaporates, and regardless of whether the air can hold more or less water, over time the same amount that goes up will come down, meaning total precipitation will increase as the earth gets warmer. That doesn't mean that this increase will be uniform. The rain may very well come in Sahara, Arabia or Central Asia.
- porker 4y agoMeanwhile the boomer generation in the UK is shouting how the drought of 1976 was worse and they survived without making a fuss (ergo anyone who makes a fuss is "soft", a "snowflake" or has been fooled that climate change is real) There is no reasoning with them; they see this as a one-off and it'll be 50 years before the next summer like this.
- DharmaPolice 4y agoGeneralising about generations (one of the most absurd ways of dividing people up) is not helpful. Some of the people making/distributing those dumb 1976 memes on TikTok (and elsewhere) look like they were barely alive in 1976. Conversely, look at the various climate change protests and there's plenty of "boomers" there.
- bamboozled 4y agoBut it is frustrating because boomers are basically the law makers and voting majority in 2022. I have the same experience with so many boomers as the parent. "Hottest summer on record? Aw, I love hot weather". "When I was a kid, it was so hot the tar on the road would stick to me feet?!" etc.
- bambataa 4y agoIt is however true that the boomer generation has held the electoral power during the years that mattered most and refused to do enough. I don’t think it’s chance that their most popular papers were all the most strident climate deniers. Younger people should vote more but tbh by the time I was old enough to vote it was already too late to avert what’s happening. I don’t see any sentiment of “whoops we got it wrong, let’s do what we can now!”. (Or any gratitude for the sacrifices younger people made during lockdowns, but I digress…)
- Proven 4y ago
- haunter 4y ago>but as one of the coolest for the next 100 years I'd not predict the future like that. No one knows certainly what will happen if the Gulf stream collapse
- digdugdirk 4y agoYour response took a terrifying turn at the end there. Are there any examples on the climatic record of the Gulf Stream collapsing to help shed some light on the potential outcomes?
- bamboozled 4y agoRumors are and ice age, which seems ironic.
- Workaccount2 4y ago"Wow and those stupid libs were saying global warming! Idiots!" I can already hear them screeching.
- ta988 4y agoYeah some people lack brains to understand that a global change doesn't imply local changes going the other direction. The example I give them is usually: Your neighborhood can get richer and you can loose your job.
- 29athrowaway 4y agoShit that is environmentally unsustainable at scale: - Air travel: The carbon footprint per person is similar to burning your trash for a full year. Did you recycle bottles for a year, planted a tree, donated to WWF, rescued a bird from an oil spill then traveled to an environment conference on another continent? Congratulations, you now pollute more than someone drives monster trucks to work and on burns all of their trash. - Pollution holidays: Wow, it's that non-descript holiday again. I need to buy lots of single-use decorations made out of plastic and then throw them away days later. For this, I will go to a party store that sells only those items. Most of them are made out of toxic stuff like phthalates, PVC, vinyl, and stuff that will poison me, but hey... It's the non-descript holiday again! If I do this, people will encourage me to do the same every year because I am contributing to the creation of trash that will not degrade for thousands of years, and I will do the same for Halloween, my birthday, Christmas, and every minor holiday in the calendar including my dog's birthday! - Technology: Oh, look, this hardware runs 5% faster than my current one. I need to dispose the one I have and buy the new one for an absurd amount of money, then discard it again when the next one comes out. It's all sealed and glued inside so that you can't repair it, and no replacement parts are sold. That's a really good idea. I am going to support the companies that do this so that they can continue to sell things that cannot be repaired and will become trash in less than 5 years! Look how fashionable I am with my soon-to-be piece of trash! Surely software companies will make the most out of my new hardware by rewriting everything in BloatedScript to save development costs and adding useless eyecandy that requires a supercomputer. - Burning man. Need to deal with your emotional problems in a pyromaniac way? just watch a video of a previous burning man burning instead of burning shit every goddamn year, or get into a Minecraft game in VR (preferably your own server) and set all shit on fire, or, even better, work for the fire department and see shit burning all the time, how about that? Fuck... Edit: corrected wrong info about leaded fuel in aviation. Thanks for the correction
- pfdietz 4y agoJet fuel (including that burned in turboprop planes) is not leaded.
- themitigating 4y ago
- trashtester 4y agoCertainly, the upcoming nuclear winters will be a lot cooler.