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It's a bit warm/ wet/ cold outside

Started by The Enigmatic Dr X, 24 July, 2019, 09:35:09 AM

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Funt Solo

Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads - summary: illegal bastich clears a bit of rainforest that he doesn't own, sells it on Facebook, who say there's nothing they can do about it because they're just trying to make everyone friends, y'know?
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Funt Solo

So, I'm in a heat wave that's one of the symptoms of human-induced climate change. And I thought - I could make some money here!

See, I had a spare aircon unit sitting in my basement. And those are sold out state-wide. Now, I wasn't a complete thanatos* about it - I looked up the retail price and asked for half of that (while some people were gouging the shinola out of folk), but man - the response I got off a quick craigslist ad was ridiculous.

People were offering to drive from half a state away to pick it up, offering me triple the asking price - I felt like I should really have invested in a/c units prior to this (and toilet paper). All of the weird offers were irrelevant - I gave it to the first caller. One cool customer, basement a bit tidier, felt like a good deed.

* Your expletive has been replaced with a randomized deity.
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IndigoPrime

A friend in Portland took her ducks and chickens in and put them in the basement over these days. Others didn't. Her birds were annoyed and bored. Other people's are now dead. And yet still people are hand-waving this away as just a little blip, while governments say they'll totally definitely absolutely do something by 2045 now, not 2050.

The world itself will survive. It survived a massive meteorite smacking into the Gulf of Mexico. But keen observers might note the dinosaurs were cut down a peg or two and now flit about the skies rather than mastering the land. If humanity wants to survive long-term in any meaningful way, the time to act was 20 years ago. The second best time to act is now. But every government is dithering, bar blaming consumers for everything. (You're vilified for buying a pack of six tomatoes wrapped in plastic, despite there being no alternative. Meanwhile, the UK government is merrily okaying new oil and coal mining.)

sheridan

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 30 June, 2021, 11:18:39 AM
Meanwhile, the UK government is merrily okaying new oil and coal mining.)

Not to mention the omnipresent spending on roads.  If only the anti-pollution lobby had the resources of the pro-car lobby...

Anyway, in entirely unrelated news, Met Office issues first UK extreme heat warning.  Be careful out there.

milstar

I think we all can do something by starting from small things. Use recycled materijala, drive tecnologically advanced cars, people who organize massive clean-up, don't dumb the garbage in the middle of a street etc. I am sure we are all aware of it. Climate is definitely fucked up for sure, but I don't believe in global warming. I believe in global pollution. Factories that inject toxic amounts of toxic gasses in the ether. Not good. Whittle down global pollution and you'll solve global warming.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Funt Solo

I'm a bit baffled by the idea that an individual making a change in their lives can effect great change compared to nation-wide change managed (or promoted or funded) by governments (or similarly credible structures).

Or, to put it another way - if you want to drive from London to Glasgow, you will need a road to drive on. If we imagine that there is no road there yet, is the solution for each individual to manage the problem - perhaps by laying down a pebble or two in a field - or is it for a centralized organization that has the necessary skills to design and build a road? Which road will be produced faster, and which would you wish to drive your (electric, obs) car along?

You *could* rely on people's good faith behavior for their fellow beings...









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Hawkmumbler

I'm sure that seething, festering pool of burning ocean in the gulf of Mexico is entirely because we weren't using enough paper straws.

The shifting of the narrative onto personal responsibility has always been to downplay the catastrophic role unchecked capitalism has on the environment.

IndigoPrime

Yep. Plenty of reports have found a small number of companies make up the bulk of pollution. Individuals could do better, but in some cases have little choice. Our county council's response to soft plastics is: don't buy anything in soft plastics. Gee, thanks. I'll just avoid 50% of fruit and veg then. How about the government mandate packaging changes? Nope. They'd prefer to do fuck all, keep rich companies supporting them, and then blame individuals buying cucumbers wrapped in plastic for our fucked-up climate.

milstar

That first image is disgusting.

But I'll keep if more people keep to smaller things, we'll get somewhere. Unfortunately, some issues are out of our hands. For biggest polluters on the planet, I don't see China taking a hit for it. As if they live in industrial revolution from the 19th century. And considering they eat every living animal, God only knows where those carcasses end up.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

IndigoPrime

That comment is not OK. Check your xenophobia, milstar.

In a broader sense, individuals can make a small impact, but it makes little odds if governments and corporations won't get on board. Saying you'll definitely probably maybe do something about emissions by 2050 won't cut it—we're already at a tipping point. As for China's polluting, it will follow the lead of the west, to remain competitive and to ensure it keeps its economy alive. But while the west does bugger all, China sees no reason to budge—more than the USA, Europe, etc, are a bunch of greenwashing hypocrites.

milstar

#745
Sorry, indigo, but I have nothing to apologize for when it's all true. Check by all data what country is the biggest polluter of all. And don't even get me started on Muslim death camps and treatment of black people.

At least West does something when it comes to alleviating toxic fumes, recycling materials etc
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Funt Solo

#746
Everyone recognizes that China is the largest producer of CO2 - about double what the USA produces. But the USA produces rather a lot, and so still has a large proportion of the responsibility. Another aspect to factor in is that about one fifth of China's production is driven by exports - chiefly to the USA and Europe. Therefore, their CO2 production would be smaller if they were not driven to so much production for the global economy.

The "they eat every living animal" is xenophobic (and clearly hyperbolic), unless you can name a vegetarian country I'm unaware of. I imagine you'll insist that your original position is entirely correct and that you never get anything wrong, ever, as is your modus operandi.

*Edit: it's interesting to note that (per capita) the USA actually has double the CO2 emissions of China, and then the USA is still only 16th on that list, below Canada & Australia. So, there are just a lot of people in China, which makes them look like the biggest polluter. Actually, per capita, it's Qatar.

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milstar

Quote from: Funt Solo on 20 July, 2021, 04:41:53 PM
Everyone recognizes that China is the largest producer of CO2 - about double what the USA produces. But the USA produces rather a lot, and so still has a large proportion of the responsibility. Another aspect to factor in is that about one fifth of China's production is driven by exports - chiefly to the USA and Europe. Therefore, their CO2 production would be smaller if they were not driven to so much production for the global economy.

*Edit: it's interesting to note that (per capita) the USA actually has double the CO2 emissions of China, and then the USA is still only 16th on that list, below Canada & Australia. So, there are just a lot of people in China, which makes them look like the biggest polluter. Actually, per capita, it's Qatar.

And how big is China and how big is US, or Canada? There's no excuse for polluting. Like I said, at least in the West, the factories paid some effort to reduce the carbon emission.

https://phys.org/news/2021-04-china-environmental-world-biggest-polluter.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57018837


https://www.statista.com/statistics/271748/the-largest-emitters-of-co2-in-the-world/
(however, I am not sure if I could agree with this:
Cumulative carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. reached 367 billion metric tons by 2018. Since the birth of the Industrial Revolution more than 200 years ago, cumulative global CO2 emissions have increased dramatically. However, emissions started to increase more rapidly as of the 1960's.

Quote from: Funt Solo on 20 July, 2021, 04:41:53 PM
The "they eat every living animal" is xenophobic (and clearly hyperbolic), unless you can name a vegetarian country I'm unaware of. I imagine you'll insist that your original position is entirely correct and that you never get anything wrong, ever, as is your modus operandi.

Do you even know what you can find on their menu in a restaurant? Then we can talk how wrong I am. Hyperbolic? Probably. But doesn't take away any credit.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Funt Solo

Quote from: milstar on 20 July, 2021, 04:57:05 PM
we can talk how wrong I am

Sorry - but I don't have that much time.

We should probably focus on what we agree on: lots of people eat things, and global warming is a global problem.
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The Legendary Shark

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