Climate Strike September 20

[Matthew J]

I'll join with you to reduce our collective carbon footprint: when you're heating your home this winter, don't bother sending us a thank you card. None of us know how to read anyway!

Air conditioning uses a lot more energy than home heating. Here in Chicago I only turned the heat on for two weeks in my passive energy conservation design apartment.

[King Of Dirk]

...in my passive energy conservation design apartment.

That's awesome. I think mandating much more efficient structures going forward is a fantastic idea, and aspire to live in one.

[Tamu8104]

There’s balance in everything and unfortunately most of the discussion these days seems focused on the creating greater distance between us versus bringing us together. (Ex. New medias aligned to an ineffective two party political system). There’s elements of climate change that are natural and uncontrollable. There’s also elements of climate change that we can control and mitigate. It’s not binary with a single right answer.

Personally, I don’t tend to observe strikes, diets, or other temporary acts. I prefer building and sustaining ongoing habits that make my life better for those I live around, the environment I live in, and myself.

[bigbill]

Bill, that’s not good enough. If the US has trimmed its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions lately, it’s a very minor reduction that’s imperiled by recent deregulation.

Like you say, we have shifted a bunch of our electricity generation to natural gas and this is an apparent reduction. But it may be an illusion, as the emissions factor for natural gas may be revised, and by no small margin. How about double?

Burning natural gas (methane) creates carbon dioxide, but unburned methane is a very potent greenhouse gas – it does 80 to 100 times more damage than carbon dioxide. Methane leakage is estimated at something like 2.4% (EPA, 2009) but it could be as high as 4%. Now multiply that additional percentage by 80 and boom, your GHG emissions reduction from fuel switching was actually an increase.

And what is our government doing? Rolling back regulations that limit methane leakage from pipelines and wells.

We're afraid of nuclear, it's the ultimate NIMBY but the greatest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. People point at Fukushima but that was just bad engineering and lack of emergency planning. Don't build your reactors on the coast when you're vulnerable to tsunamis and put your emergency generators off the ground. But, people blame the reactor.

[Corso]

There’s balance in everything and unfortunately most of the discussion these days seems focused on the creating greater distance between us versus bringing us together. (Ex. New medias aligned to an ineffective two party political system). There’s elements of climate change that are natural and uncontrollable. There’s also elements of climate change that we can control and mitigate. It’s not binary with a single right answer.

Personally, I don’t tend to observe strikes, diets, or other temporary acts. I prefer building and sustaining ongoing habits that make my life better for those I live around, the environment I live in, and myself.

Nailed it! Thank you!

[BBB]

According to some studies, Canada is the worlds top polluter......on a per capita basis.

Canadians produce three times more greenhouse gas emissions than G2 average - The Globe and Mail

I think Australia is up there on a per capita basis. Greta should come to Australia to lecture our stupid arse backward complete moronic not even half a wit between them polticial leadership. Bloody long trip from Sweden to Australia in a yacht though!

[Too Tall]

Cool thanks Rick.

It is important and it is not going away.

That said, the Kabal votes unanimously to support the kids.

Vsalon will go dark at Midnight and resume again after a sufficient period of insignificance has passed (ours not theirs). I realize this could be seen as weak sauce, perhaps. Still, I'll put down my social media and turn off the V lights for a while. At the very least it gives us a chance to reflect our own values in this matter.

Y'all rock. Thanks for making this happen.

[ides1056]

Caleb' post deserves a second go:

There are three constructions of the climate change problem that I don't think work.

The first is that climate change is happening, but it's inevitable so we shouldn't fight it, and there will be up-sides that we're discounting. Even if we make an assumption that the amount of productive land in the world remains the same (it just shifts toward the poles), the mass dislocation and destroyed infrastructure are extremely serious problems.

The second is the idea that climate change is purely an engineering problem, i.e. that through technology we'll create a solution that will not disrupt the status quo. Effective environmental change has historically been led by regulation, which often then incentivizes technology as a response. But the regulation leads the way.

And third is this idea that climate change can be addressed purely through voluntary action. The individual incentives against change are too great to expect everyone to make them voluntarily when their neighbors aren't. And the major issues are rooted in public infrastructure, utilities, and the composition of school districts that individuals don't control. Looking to individual voluntary actions leads to a world where people worry about packing reusable straws and silverware along in their Suburbans for the 40 mile commute.

The only way we do anything meaningful about climate change is to lead the way with regulations that change incentives for innovation, penalize harmful behavior, and incentivize behavior in the public interest. The rest is just coupon clipping.

[fa63]

It doesn't matter whether you believe in climate change or not. We are taught to leave things better than we find them. The same applies to the planet we call home. The strike should be seen as a gentle reminder to us all to take a moment to reflect and think about what you can do to leave Earth in better shape for the next generations to come.

[sbornia]

Most schools around here participated. Learning early to have a voice.

[Blue Jays]

/\/\/\

Remarkable how the artists retained to produce that sign knew how to spell "extinction" yet "abinals" was too tough.
Wherever that image was obtained, my sense is some adults were involved along the way...a little too perfectly cute.

[Matthew Strongin]

/\/\/\

Remarkable how the artists retained to produce that sign knew how to spell "extinction" yet "abinals" was too tough.
Wherever that image was obtained, my sense is some adults were involved along the way...a little too perfectly cute.

Zoom in. It says animals in sloppy writing. I know how to read it because my writing is worse.

[sbornia]

It’s my seven year-old, and she painted it herself. Good luck to any adult who tries to get in her way and interfere with a project.

[rowdyhillrambler]

There seems to be someone posting that likes to pick fights with kids-that’s just something I didn’t know existed... an adult who picks fights with kids.. hmmm

[djg714]

/\/\/\

Remarkable how the artists retained to produce that sign knew how to spell "extinction" yet "abinals" was too tough.
Wherever that image was obtained, my sense is some adults were involved along the way...a little too perfectly cute.

Scraping the bottom dude.
Not surprised.

[caleb]

Like Jorn, I'm on perpetual strike, but I usually go to my office anyway.

I normally bike to work, but Friday I walked the 2.3 miles in solidarity with the marchers. It didn't take all that long. Per my watch, I naturally seem to walk at 16-18 minutes per mile.

My commute is all down the east bank of the Mississippi, either by the MUP on top of the banks, or the hiking path down lower. Strolling along the river to and from work gave me time to reflect on how the river has changed for the better in the last 50 years. It used to be a polluted, stinking mess that nobody wanted to go anywhere near. Now, due to the efforts of lots of folks advocating for good policy over decades and the involvement of the National Park Service, it's a beautiful asset to the city. I'm sure glad people took action to leave my little chunk of the world better off.

I should do more long walks. There's nothing quite as relaxing as spending 45 minutes strolling along the river.

Friday was a very nice day. I hope you all had a good end to the week as well.

[jclay]

Caleb' post deserves a second go:

There are three constructions of the climate change problem that I don't think work.

The first is that climate change is happening, but it's inevitable so we shouldn't fight it, and there will be up-sides that we're discounting. Even if we make an assumption that the amount of productive land in the world remains the same (it just shifts toward the poles), the mass dislocation and destroyed infrastructure are extremely serious problems.

The second is the idea that climate change is purely an engineering problem, i.e. that through technology we'll create a solution that will not disrupt the status quo. Effective environmental change has historically been led by regulation, which often then incentivizes technology as a response. But the regulation leads the way.

And third is this idea that climate change can be addressed purely through voluntary action. The individual incentives against change are too great to expect everyone to make them voluntarily when their neighbors aren't. And the major issues are rooted in public infrastructure, utilities, and the composition of school districts that individuals don't control. Looking to individual voluntary actions leads to a world where people worry about packing reusable straws and silverware along in their Suburbans for the 40 mile commute.

The only way we do anything meaningful about climate change is to lead the way with regulations that change incentives for innovation, penalize harmful behavior, and incentivize behavior in the public interest. The rest is just coupon clipping.

Exactly, on all points.

1) It will be an enormous net disaster, at best, and that assumes we don't do something uber-stupid like get into a nuclear exchange/accident.
2) 25 years an engineer in the environmental biz; the notion that some technical silver bullet will save the Earth, the heat engine we live on and it's animal diversity, is laughable. It's just plain stupid.
3) I know folks who think it's up to individuals, as in government can't do anything about it. Now these are folks who believe we're in deep shit but haven't cancelled trips to Europe or Moab or wherever, never mind moving closer to where they work or go to school. History is pretty clear - individual action will not save the day.

Solving the problem will take incentives, disincentives, steady regulatory change, educating the public and getting it on-board with what needs to happen, population reduction, massive changes in our lifestyles, where/how we live and our expectations, changes in our economy and distribution of wealth, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. You/we are kidding ourselves if we think otherwise. Frankly I don't think we'll make it but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Until five or 10 years ago, when fracking started coming on-line I thought the externality of running out of oil might save us. Not any more. We're killing the planet and everything on it. I marvel at what we've been able to destroy in just, what, a hundred years? Post WWII? We're consuming, ruining or killing everything in our path. How we can't seem to universally grok that is beyond me.

[BBB]

Ah...the moronic elements of the Australian media reported the events well...

From Alan Jones to the Daily Mail: the Australian media's bizarre reactions to the climate strike | Environment | The Guardian

[guido]

Meat Is Murder. But You Know That Already. - The New York Times

[jclay]

George Monbiot: For the sake of life on Earth, we must put a limit on wealth.

I can't seem to find a flaw in the general thesis. I see it in my more affluent friends, even the earthy crunchy types. I see it in the mirror, too, though I have reduced my fuel consumption intentionally. I rarely drive to bicycle rides; maybe 1 in 10 relative to past history. I chase fewer waves; lots fewer. I've reduced other automobile trips as well and I often decide to not do things simply because they require a car.

For the sake of life on Earth, we must put a limit on wealth | George Monbiot | Opinion | The Guardian