It's a bit warm/ wet/ cold outside

[shaolin_monkey]

What is even more bizarre is this:

"The researchers say production of coal, oil and gas must fall by 6% a year until 2030 to keep global heating under the 1.5C target agreed in the Paris accord and avoid "severe climate disruption". But nations are planning production increases of 2% a year and G20 countries are giving 50% more coronavirus recovery funding to fossil fuels than to clean energy."

I mean... just... Why?!  It is mad! Every G20 country is pumping billions into fossil fuels to keep it going, leaving debts for future generations to pick up both financially and in environmental costs!


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/02/world-is-doubling-down-on-fossil-fuels-despite-climate-crisis-un-report

[shaolin_monkey]

This is a hugely positive step forward!!

US banks are refusing to fund fossil fuel extraction in the Arctic!!

https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/11/bank-america-announcement-every-major-us-bank-has-ruled-out-funding-for

[IndigoPrime]

The notion we should even be considering fossil fuel extraction in the Arctic is just... GAH.

[shaolin_monkey]

Genuine desire to lead U.K. on climate change and zero carbon policies, or just another cynical attempt to grab headlines away from disastrous handling of COVID by amoral lying bastard?

Discuss.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55179008

[IndigoPrime]

I'm going for option 2.

[shaolin_monkey]

I'm going for option 2.

Agreed. The only consistency in Johnson's entire life are his lies.

However, I'm hoping leaders of finance, industry, and science, plus leaders of councils the country over, all say "Right, we're holding you to this. We've all got good ideas how to meet these challenges. What's your plan then?"

[shaolin_monkey]

If you have time, I thoroughly recommend this 45 minute webinar, hosted by Leeds University, from Prof. Katharine Hayhoe, world-renowned climate scientist and communicator.

It covers, amongst other things:

- climate history
- the politics that drive acceptance or denial of the science
- who has been responsible for the emissions over the years
- how communication is absolutely key to working on the #climatecrisis

Essential viewing!

There's a really interesting aspect of this about 30 mins in which covers a subject we've discussed, and it's around the nature of polarisation in society, and the tendency to double-down when your ideology or political affiliates are attacked. It discusses how to avoid this also.

I think we all tend to rage against the night on occasion, so maybe this is a worthwhile alternative approach/viewpoint!

Check it out:

https://mymedia.leeds.ac.uk/Mediasite/Play/842d41104f4549e2b04c1374b033e5a41d

[shaolin_monkey]

Have you ever wondered how we know 97% of climate scientists have arrived at a consensus over the causes of climate change (us)? Or even why that is so important?

This is a really interesting read, showing the history leading to that conclusion, and how this information is key to creating the change we need:

https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Consensus_Handbook-1.pdf

[shaolin_monkey]

Cranky Uncle is out on iPhone!!

I've been beta-testing this game, and it's a fun (and free with no ads!) quiz-type game in which you can learn how to build resilience against misinformation - and have fun while doing that! The app is now available free for iPhone & iPad.

Learning to recognise logical fallacies provides players with an educational inoculation against them.

Highly recommended!

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/cranky-uncle/id1531525625

[shaolin_monkey]

[shaolin_monkey]

Check out this superb podcast from The European Skeptics Podcast (ESP) about misinformation and debunking it. 

It features an interview with Prof. Stephan Lewandowski, a co-creator alongside Dr. John Cook, of The Debunking Handbook and The Conspiracy Theory Handbook, both recommended reads.

The podcast covers the recent work he has done, how misinformation sticks in the mind, and how to inoculate yourself against it.

The interview also covers the impact of social media on polarisation as a money-making scheme that has seriously backfired in wider society thanks to bad faith actors gaming it. Examples include climate science denial, anti-maskers, and polarisation of politics.

Such a fascination and thought-provoking listen.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-european-skeptics-podcast/id1059890360?i=1000497386320

[shaolin_monkey]

The rise of wood burners in the U.K. is causing health problems, pollution, including increasing black carbon.

Per unit of mass, black carbon has a warming impact on climate that is 460-1,500 times stronger than CO2. When suspended in the atmosphere, black carbon contributes to warming by converting incoming solar radiation to heat. It also influences cloud formation and impacts regional circulation and rainfall patterns.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/01/avoid-using-wood-burning-stoves-if-possible-warn-health-experts

[IndigoPrime]

We have a bare fireplace and nearly got one, until we realised we didn't need it. Then we nearly got an electric stove, until we released it'd be a waste of time, money and resources, because we'd rarely use it. In the end, my wife got someone in to tile the foot of the fireplace, and she bought an iron basket on which to place candles. We use that.

[shaolin_monkey]

Aye - before I read up on how bad wood burners were we'd often have friends around our fire pit of an evening, and we've had many a romantic weekend away in a West Wales cottage with indoor log burner.

Never again! The damage they do is incredible. In the recent course I did it calculated if we can reduce black carbon emissions around the world by 50% (from transport, industry, log burners, cooking in developing countries, coke kilns etc) then that could buy us an extra decade to get to carbon neutrality. That's before even considering the impact on health, which is also enormous!!

[shaolin_monkey]

If you're getting a bit confused and fed up of all the misinformation doing the rounds at the moment, I recommend you check out the 'Cranky Uncle' app/game.

Using cartoons and humour, the game takes you through the various persuasive techniques conspiracy theorists and other purveyors of misinformation use.

It essentially provides you with an inoculation against their logical fallacies, to help you be as critical as required when considering their arguments.

If you have teenagers who use the internet, I suggest you get this app installed on their devices ASAP - it teaches them how to separate fact from fiction, and how to think carefully about the content they are seeing.

It was designed by Dr. John Cook of George Mason University, who has dedicated years to the study of such things as the psychology of climate science denial.

Oh, it's also free!

Here's the iOS link, but you can find it on Android by searching for 'Cranky Uncle'.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/cranky-uncle/id1531525625