It's a bit warm/ wet/ cold outside

[shaolin_monkey]

The latest drawdown review is out:

https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Drawdown_Review_2020_march10.pdf

[shaolin_monkey]

Meanwhile, a stark reminder/warning from Sir David Attenborough:

https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/david-attenborough-life-planet-new-documentary-bbc-climate-crisis-coronavirus-a9472946.html


There is a massive amount I could be posting in this thread at the moment (Atmospheric CO2 reaches 417ppm which is highest in millions of years, Arctic temps above freezing, polar vortex doing weird things, jet stream all over the place, mega drought in West US, locust swarms in Somalia, warmest global winter/spring on record etc etc etc), but I'm worried about constantly bringing bad news to the forum. I'm like the Harbinger of Doom or something. 

[TordelBack]

Even agsinst all that, he worst news for me in all this is that you can't persuade or even legislate for the many of the world's worst per capita polluters, Americans, to change their lifestyles for a few months when they run the real immediate observable risk of the horrible deaths of their relatives and themselves, so what hope is there for the long game of responding to climate change.

Conversely, I'm amazed by the changes people have been capable of in this neck of the woods. If some fraction of this short-term adaptability can be converted to the long-term there's real potential.

[IndigoPrime]

The US is rapidly headed towards failed state territory — at a far greater speed than the UK. I get the feeling only its constitution will keep the USA together now — the fact that it's almost impossible for a state (or group of states) to break away. But the country feels the furthest from 'united' that it's been in my lifetime.

[shaolin_monkey]

Game recommendation!!

'Save the Earth: Climate Strike' - new in App Store. Superb, but chilling!

This is a fantastic game in its own right - manage eco-projects around the world, renewable energy, protect different environments, and so on.

Educational - learn of probs facing countries - overfishing, threat of wildfires, CO2 polluters, etc.

£1.99 - a must have for you, family, friends, work colleagues etc. Challenge them to save the planet.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/save-the-earth-climate-strike/id1504760106

[shaolin_monkey]

The U.K. has just beaten its record for generating electricity without leaning on coal!



We still have a way to go though. Belgium, Sweden, and Austria are now completely coal free when generating their electricity.

[IndigoPrime]

This is good, but I'd be happier if we weren't so heavily reliant on gas. There's really no excuse for the UK's current situation. But ideology trumps everything. (Perhaps I'm being naive, but I'd suggest we should mandate all new builds have solar by _law_, and strongly encourage power companies to fit old builds with solar as well. In tandem, dramatically ramp up tidal and wind. Beyond that, back with modern nuclear as a stop-gap until storage from renewables becomes viable. Natch, this doesn't work out because Tories want fossil, or nuclear at a pinch, and progressives/Greens are vehemently anti-nuclear and argue we should just change our habits to accept regular brownouts and possibly also blackouts. That'll be fun when everyone's food goes off.)

[shaolin_monkey]

Yeah, maintaining existing nuclear as stopgap is essential, but at the moment it is far cheaper per Gwh to build solar farms and windfarms than it is to build nuclear, plus they can be built in a fraction of the time it tales to build nuclear. 

So regardless of any complaints around nuclear waste and accidents, it just isn't economically feasible to build any more nuclear reactors. 

I can't see us getting off gas any time soon because a) North Sea gas and all that entails and b) deals with Russia re imported gas which will stay flowing for as long as the Tories (and particularly Johnson) are in power.

That said, Scotland is trying a push to get gas boilers up and down the country replaced with electric ones within a couple of decades, which is an impressive target.

[shaolin_monkey]

Sea level rise may consign the planned UK site for two large nuclear reactors to vanish beneath the waves.

- Paul Brown, Climate News Network, Apr 28, 2020

https://climatenewsnetwork.net/sea-level-rise-threatens-uk-nuclear-reactor-plans/

[shaolin_monkey]

Wales is planning to recreate natural woodland that stretches the entire length of the country.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/wales-is-building-national-forest-to-span-the-length-of-the-country/#.XrB-omwFv6r.whatsapp

[shaolin_monkey]

If only there was a way to figure out if personal changes could slash emissions fast. Like, what if we all stayed home for a couple months or something... Would that help?

Turns out the answer is, largely, no. Climate change is an institutional problem.

https://grist.org/climate/the-world-is-on-lockdown-so-where-are-all-the-carbon-emissions-coming-from/

[shaolin_monkey]

A coal mine in South Tyneside that has been abandoned since 1932 will be transformed into a green energy heating system as part of a new £7 million renewable energy plan.

https://electrek.co/2020/05/08/coal-mine-south-tyneside-england-geothermal-heating-system/

[shaolin_monkey]

This is a brilliant graphic about disinformation, and how to recognise it!

[JayzusB.Christ]

That's excellent, SM. I have a feeling we'll have to refer back to this a few times in the future.

[shaolin_monkey]

That's excellent, SM. I have a feeling we'll have to refer back to this a few times in the future.

Aye - it's methodology used to pick apart climate denial on social media, but also very useful for the disinformation re COVID19 that's flying about.


Two things from me today:

Bad news

The cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is breaking all sorts of records. This is very bad news for Bangladesh and a large chunk of India:

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/19/asia/super-cyclone-amphan-india-banglash-intl-hnk/index.html


Good news

The U.K. rewilding project is pushing ahead. Have a read here, and sign up for updates. There are also jobs going, such as a Network Development Lead :

https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/jobs/network-development-lead