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[thollandpe]

Guido, is it OK if I’m still stuck on the crappy piece in the New Yorker by Jonathan Franzen?

Because here’s a terrific takedown. Or takeapart. Dig it: Death on the Beach | Ed Burmila

“The crucial turning point will be the rejection of the narrative that the solution to the collective problem of climate change lies with individuals. By all means, stop wasting plastic straws and taking unnecessary car trips. Recycle everything. Be better and consume less. Like any other collective action problem, though, your choices alone will not fix it. The solution lies in meaningful and coordinated policy changes, enforceable and enforced. Over time, policy proposals like those included in the Green New Deal will affect positive change. Some of us will live to see it and some of us will not. That outcome is clearly superior to the slick, easy nihilism of declaring the problem unsolvable.”

[vertical_doug]

Guido, is it OK if I’m still stuck on the crappy piece in the New Yorker by Jonathan Franzen?

Because here’s a terrific takedown. Or takeapart. Dig it: Death on the Beach | Ed Burmila

“The crucial turning point will be the rejection of the narrative that the solution to the collective problem of climate change lies with individuals. By all means, stop wasting plastic straws and taking unnecessary car trips. Recycle everything. Be better and consume less. Like any other collective action problem, though, your choices alone will not fix it. The solution lies in meaningful and coordinated policy changes, enforceable and enforced. Over time, policy proposals like those included in the Green New Deal will affect positive change. Some of us will live to see it and some of us will not. That outcome is clearly superior to the slick, easy nihilism of declaring the problem unsolvable.”

We just need to get rid of 7 billion people.

[guido]

TH, it is more than OK. I'm quite delighted that you are still troubled by it. I'm sure Franzen would be too. I only wish there were several billion more folks similarly troubled.

Burmila's piece is while attempting to be a pleasant third way, kinda overlooking to bigger issue of getting every country to undertake massive change and start like now, because it will be a while to get the changes spun up.

"The solution lies in meaningful and coordinated policy changes, enforceable and enforced. " Oh boy does it! Getting there is the rub. Kind of like the magic asterisks in Paul Ryan's balance budget plans...

"Over time, policy proposals like those included in the Green New Deal will affect positive change." Unfortunately time is the one thing we have the least of in trying to solve this...

I'm completely down with living the low impact life (I try to do it myself), and making the changes to do that on a large scale is what the the green new deal is all about. But I completely expect the very same heartland states that worked to prevent it's citizens from getting ACA/Medicare provided health care, or who sued to block Obama's Clean Act etc., would work tirelessly to prevent any GND implementation in their states. The most pressing issue in the history of mankind and the Red state crowd will fight against it to the end.

Then there is the problem of those "other" countries... There is tremendous pressure on governments in south asia, asia and china to increase the living standards of the rapidly growing emergent middle class. That is a tremendous young population being fed a nonstop barrage of marketing messages promoting a disposable, consumerism driven lifestyle, and they are eating it up. How do we get them to transition to a low impact "less is more" way of life?

There is a lot of bitching about specific technical details referenced in the Franzen piece. But the fundamental thing he is trying to convey has not been refuted at all (perhaps confirmed?). The biggest factor in our successful resolution of the crisis is human nature, which, at this moment in time, is uniquely unsuited to the task. We need focused unity of purpose, a willingness to sacrifice and a commitment to follow through. The new shiny thing obsession that seems to be the defining characteristic of modern life is very likely to be our downfall.

[guido]

We just need to get rid of 7 billion people.

Maybe Thanos had a point...

[David Tollefson]

We just need to get rid of 7 billion people.

Are you at the top of the list of volunteers?

[Octave]

Then there is the problem of those "other" countries...

Perhaps this has been posted here already, but if not: The U.S. left a hole in leadership on climate. China is filling it. - POLITICO

Interesting to see that, despite getting a huge amount of flack for (still) being the largest contributor to manmade CO2 emissions, China has responded at a record pace to the problem.

Much like the problem with Amazon consistently waiting for "someone else" to tackle problems that they are the real champions of creating in the first place, I meet far too many Americans who respond to any suggestion of climate-change mitigation with "well, I'll start as soon as China does."

[vertical_doug]

Are you at the top of the list of volunteers?

I know it sounds stupid, but its were the rubber meets the road so to speak. If take the remaining carbon budgets from various IPCC forecasts for 1.5C rise, 2.5C rise etc and at current rates of 37giga ton CO2 per year we blow though these caps in the next few years. The funny thing about human behavior is it only changes gradually if at all. So I hate to admit it, but I may be Thollandpe 'On the Beach' participant.

[guido]

Perhaps this has been posted here already, but if not: The U.S. left a hole in leadership on climate. China is filling it. - POLITICO

Interesting to see that, despite getting a huge amount of flack for (still) being the largest contributor to manmade CO2 emissions, China has responded at a record pace to the problem.

Much like the problem with Amazon consistently waiting for "someone else" to tackle problems that they are the real champions of creating in the first place, I meet far too many Americans who respond to any suggestion of climate-change mitigation with "well, I'll start as soon as China does."

I could not agree more. But they still need to get their emissions down a huge amount to start to solve the issue...

[mjbabcock]

I'll just nominate the entire whistleblower document as the most illuminating piece of journalism I've read in my 40+ years...holy shit, we've got a conspiracy in the white house. Sadly it's the one that we could have predicted when we elected a New Jersey real estate developer/TV personality to the highest elected office in the land.

I just love the fact that Dan Coates (I'm speculating here) went ahead and burned down the house. It was full of cockroaches, bed bugs, rats, ebola...

Dates and names are provided, linkages are made...there is going to be some awesome investigating on this one. I love that the withholding of funds are at teh direction of the president for no known reason (yesterday, NPR found that Ukrane had been cleared regarding corruption concerns in May). Get your popcorn.

[Scott G.]

Mayor charged in federal indictment recalled, and re-elected

[guido]

Mayor charged in federal indictment recalled, and re-elected

A six month old story...

[davids]

I'll just nominate the entire whistleblower document as the most illuminating piece of journalism I've read in my 40+ years...holy shit, we've got a conspiracy in the white house. Sadly it's the one that we could have predicted when we elected a New Jersey real estate developer/TV personality to the highest elected office in the land.

I just love the fact that Dan Coates (I'm speculating here) went ahead and burned down the house. It was full of cockroaches, bed bugs, rats, ebola...

Dates and names are provided, linkages are made...there is going to be some awesome investigating on this one. I love that the withholding of funds are at teh direction of the president for no known reason (yesterday, NPR found that Ukrane had been cleared regarding corruption concerns in May). Get your popcorn.

Are you referring to this?

I tried printing it out, and it set my printer on fire. Is that normal?

[guido]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...t his business

[guido]

8 Takeaways From the Whistle-Blower Complaint - The New York Times

[guido]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...-it-data-show/

[guido]

Mayor charged in federal indictment recalled, and re-elected

He's actually currently under indictment for extorting large personal payments for not objecting to Pot Shops seeking licenses...

Quite a guy...

[ericpmoss]

Are you at the top of the list of volunteers?

No one is calling for suicides. All it takes is 3 generations of one kid per family. I can already hear the pissing and moaning, but the alternative is a bloodbath fighting over resources that just won't be there because we have literally eaten the biosphere to death.

[guido]

I chose not to have kids because it just wasn't looking like a place or a global environment I could recommend like that...

[Sbti]

Whether or not Hunter Bidon actually did something illegal (it doesn’t appear that he broke some laws) it still shows a kind of corruption where a family member of a prominent politician was paid handsomely to be a member of a corporation. What valuable knowledge did he bring?

Interesting post. Thanks for the context.

Whether or not Prince Jarhead and Daddy's wet dream Princess 'Vanki actually did something illegal (it doesn’t appear that they broke some laws) it still shows a kind of corruption where family members of the so called "president" are paid handsomely to be a members of the administration. What valuable knowledge do they bring?

Oh, that's right!

Kush kush the slum lord is working on mid east peace with his buddy and America's most treasured ally Mohammed Bone Saws. There have been many beautiful letters and perfect phone calls.

And fashion queen plastic tits 'Vanki sits in daddy's chair and otherwise embarrasses the United States at the past G-20 meetings.

[guido]

There Is A Lot Happening at DOI Right Now | Outside Online