*blank*
No More Climate Change
Sun, 2016-08-21 23:38
#1
No More Climate Change
Sun, 2016-08-21 23:43
#2
I think we've reached a point where all the news about climate change is counterproductive. At this point, every report that confirms record high temperatures or record low ice cover is just confirming what we already know and is completely unnecessary. We can see for ourselves that climate change is real, and anyone who refuses to believe that at this point simply isn't convinced. The other concern I have about the news is that if we talk about how quickly climate is changing and how bad it is going to be, people are just going to give up and accept that as an inevitability.
We need to talk more about how to fix it? We had similar problems with acid rain and ozone depletion, both of which have seen significant improvements after they were addressed. So, how do we fix this climate change problem? Transition to a carbon-free economy is a good start, but what do we do about other gases, like methane and nitrogen, and the feedback loops from lower surface area ice coverage? How can we get all these gases out of the air quickly?
Here's a step to take: how quickly can we restore lost wetlands in rural and urban areas that have been lost due to industrial agriculture and urban development? Wetlands serve a double benefit, as they not only buffer against short term extremes, but are also great at taking carbon out of the air over the long term. What else can we do?
No more talk about record temperatures. Let's talk solutions.
Tue, 2016-08-23 00:49
#3
So, the question is what can you do?
- I would say whever you have the opportunity, talk to the policians. Ask them to enact a carbon tax. We have to fix the unpriced externality.
- I would talk to your friends about it and fight propaganda from the carbon industry.
Wed, 2016-08-24 07:56
#4
..scroll down this link and send a message
How is it that in 2016 parts of Canada are using the same dirty energy source as 18th century manufacturing plants?
There are many compelling reasons to phase out coal power and replace it with renewables:
- Health: Coal is responsible for more than 800,000 deaths a year globally and millions more illnesses, including asthma. Ontario saw health benefits estimated at $3 billion a year after it closed coal power plants.
- Air quality: Burning coal is the leading source of mercury emissions in North America, and also releases sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and toxic particulate matter into the air, increasing the frequency and severity of smog. After Ontario closed its last coal power plant in 2014, Toronto had its first summer in 20 years with no smog advisories.
- Climate change: Phasing out coal is one of the fastest, easiest ways to fight climate change. Just one 150-megawatt coal-fired power plant can produce more than a million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. That’s about the same as 200,000 cars produce.
- Renewables: Investment in coal power is delaying the much needed transition to renewable energy, especially solar and wind, which can provide clean electricity and economic and job opportunities.
Phasing out coal is a win-win-win, for our health, the environment and the climate.
Sun, 2016-11-20 01:05
#5
[url=http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&I... governments picking up slack where national governments are failing[/url]
Sun, 2016-11-20 21:15
#6
Good idea. The fastest way to reduce carbon footprint is to install a home grid tied solar system. The fastest way to make progressives lose interest in a subject is to suggest they spend their own money to provide a solution.
Sun, 2016-11-20 21:32
#7
did you never think tax dollars are theirs too?
not just yours.
Mon, 2016-11-21 13:04
#8
did you never think tax dollars are theirs too?
not just yours.
Unfortunately, installing a personal solar system has nothing to do with "tax dollars" and everything to do with taking personal responsibility for your carbon footprint. Sharing your opinion is not enough, you actually have to do something besides chirping to save the planet for future generations.
Tue, 2016-12-06 03:23
#9
Huge Antarctica Glacier in Serious Trouble
http://counterpunch.org/2016/12/05/huge-antarctica-glacier-in-serious-tr...
"Now, Antarctica is in the spotlight with brand-new shocking research of a spine-chilling development..."
Tue, 2016-12-06 10:28
#10
Martin N., are you wilfully neglecting the fact that some people (also those who pollute the most, on average) have a lot more disposable income than others, and that many have none whatsoever, once essentials are (almost) met?
Not to mention that you are only addressing part of the problem; housing forms and urban planning are also issues, including transport, of course.
Tue, 2016-12-13 11:24
#11
Investment Funds Worth Trillions Are Dropping Fossil Fuel Stocks
Investors controlling more than $5 trillion in assets have committed to dropping some or all fossil fuel stocks from their portfolios, according to a new report tracking the trend.
The report, released Monday, said the new total was twice the amount measured 15 months ago — a remarkable rise for a movement that began on American college campuses in 2011. Since then, divestment has expanded to the business world and institutional world, and includes large pension funds, insurers, financial institutions and religious organizations. It has also spread around the world, with 688 institutions and nearly 60,000 individuals in 76 countries divesting themselves of shares in at least some kinds of oil, gas and coal companies, according to the report.
“It’s a stunning number,” said Ellen Dorsey, the executive director of the Wallace Global Fund, which has promoted fossil fuel divestment and clean energy investment as part of its philanthropy....
Tue, 2018-05-01 19:11
#12
This German village generates 500% more energy than it needs
https://inhabitat.com/german-village-produces-500-of-its-energy-from-ren...
Tue, 2018-05-01 19:20
#13
What Renewable Energy Source Has the Most Promise?
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324485004578424624254723536
Tue, 2018-05-01 19:24
#14
The NDP’s Oil Problem
Tue, 2018-05-01 19:26
#15
Most efficient renewable energy source
https://www.google.ca/search?ei=UPfoWv2LB8jc0wKH8Yv4Ag&q=most+efficient+...
Tue, 2018-05-01 19:29
#16
Underwater robots just discovered the world’s biggest dead zone
https://inhabitat.com/underwater-robots-just-discovered-the-worlds-bigge...
Tue, 2018-05-01 21:17
#17
BC Hydro to End Incentive for New Home Solar
Weaver blasts plan to stop paying for surplus power from homeowners.
Wed, 2018-05-02 11:11
#18
Wed, 2018-05-02 11:22
#19
Thu, 2018-05-03 02:13
#20
dp
Thu, 2018-05-03 02:11
#21
This is fantastic what’s the matter with us?
Fri, 2018-05-04 22:31
#22
Humans didn’t exist the last time there was this much CO2 in the air
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/05/04/analysis/humans-didnt-exist-...
Mon, 2018-05-07 20:56
#23
In 2015, a pipeline was designed to cut through a sensitive wetland in B.C. The professional biologist reviewing the project told his company that there could be significant damage to the wetland and an extensive monitoring program would have to be set up to watch for effects.
The larger consultancy the biologist’s company worked for refused to submit the report to the pipeline company.
“They took it and rewrote it, basically,” he told DeSmog Canada. “It wasn’t my document anymore.”
The biologist, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, said he engaged in a protracted battle with the consultancy, with little effect.
Eventually the B.C. provincial environmental assessment office stepped in and recommended the same monitoring system he originally suggested.
That fight to alter the environmental impacts documented in a scientific report is just one example of the ways professional biologists, engineers, geoscientists and others across the country face pressure from a system with few legislated requirements for scientific rigour....
Mon, 2018-05-07 21:00
#24
progressive17
I saw this thing on W5 of all places about how the permafrost is melting into the sea. This covers something like half of Canada...
Wed, 2018-05-09 19:58
#25
Today, a pair of declarations representing close to 500 organizations and 140 leading economists respectively were submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) calling on countries and the process to address fossil fuel production and financing as a critical way of increasing ambition and meeting our shared climate goals.
The Lofoten Declaration and the Not A Penny More Declaration are a call to stop letting fossil fuels, and the governments and money that enable them, off the hook. Despite decades of negotiations and agreements, and being the biggest driver of the climate crisis, fossil fuels aren’t even mentioned in the Paris Agreement.
It is time for this to change: if we are going to avert the worst of global climate change we must address fossil fuel demand AND supply. We know that there is more carbon in already producing reserves to take us beyond 1.5 or even 2 degrees. We cannot continue to allow governments and industry to expand and finance new fossil fuel production that only digs us deeper into the hole we are trying to get out of.
The Declarations affirm that it is the urgent responsibility and moral obligation of wealthy fossil fuel producers as well as public and private investors and development institutions to lead in “stopping exploration and expansion of fossil fuel projects and managing the decline of existing production in line with what is necessary to achieve the Paris climate goals.”
Wed, 2018-05-09 20:43
#26
progressive17
If Greenland melts, the sea goes up 7 metres all over the world. Victoria, BC is gone. So is Florida. The other big deal about this is that this where much of the oxygenation of the world's oceans occurs.
Wed, 2018-05-09 21:08
#27
..we really are in a pickle aren't we. but wait look what's that i see? is it a bird? is it a plane? no it's the municipalist movement! hurray!
Building a powerful regional network for energy sovereignty
Xse emerged when different organisations and individuals identified energy-related problems affecting local populations, including fracking, the managing of hydroelectric dams by private corporations and extremely high voltage power lines, and the building of a pipeline through Catalonia to transport gas from Algeria to Europe. It also wanted to challenge government obstruction of renewable energies, and collusion with companies that creates some of the highest electricity prices in Europe.
Resistance to Spain’s dominant energy model has existed for years, but associations, groups and individuals from all over the Catalonian territory came together for the first time at the Day of Action for a Change of Model towards Energy Sovereignty in June in 2013. A few months later the Xarxa per la sobirania energètica (Xse) de Catalunya was formed to create an energy future based on democracy and social control of energy production, sustainability and, decentralization and being rooted in Catalonia.
Xse works through four ‘hubs’ or active local committees (Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona and Mallorca) and most of its resources come from member organizations. Its ‘energy municipalisation’ working group aims to re-municipalise the power grid inspired by German models, such as those in Hamburg and Berlin. It also works with lawyers specifically to analyse the regulations of the Spanish energy sector to study the possibility of shifting to a municipal energy model. This municipalist proposal has been largely supported by civil society organizations, individuals and political parties.
The Catalonian climate change law, advocated together with the Climate Justice Movement and adopted this September, includes a ban on fracking in Catalonia, the dismantling of nuclear power plants and a proposal to create a fossil-fuel-free Mediterranean. This law is nowadays suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court.
Thu, 2018-05-10 06:32
#28
There are now over 10 million jobs in renewable energy
Asia is leading the global surge in renewable energy jobs. In 2017, the renewable energy industry broke a symbolic threshold, employing over 10 million people, according to the International Renewable Energy Association's latest research.
IRENA found that over half a million jobs were added in the last year alone.
Highlights of the research show that:
The biggest employer is China: 43 per cent of jobs
The biggest job-creating technology is solar photovoltaics: 3.4 million jobs (up nine per cent in one year)
Within the solar PV industry, China is the runaway job creator providing 65 per cent of the world's solar jobs. In fact, IRENA found that 60 per cent of all jobs in renewable energy are now in Asia.
Thu, 2018-05-10 17:59
#29
California becomes first state requiring all new homes be built with solar
As expected, the California Energy Commission (CEC) passed a first-in-the nation rule Wednesday, mandating all new homes constructed in the state be equipped with solar panels.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will be installed on every house that receives a building permit, as well as condominiums and apartments up to three stories high. Homes that are shaded by trees or taller buildings, as well as houses with roofs too small to accommodate a PV system, will be eligible for exceptions or alternatives to the mandate.
The updated building code also includes stricter efficiency standards on lighting, ventilation, windows, walls and attics for non-residential as well as residential structures....
“This is a landmark vote today,” said David Hochschild, one of CEC’s five commissioners who unanimously approved the measure that was part of a revision to California’s Building Efficiency Standards, which are updated every three years.
The rule will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020, and does not need to be approved by the Legislature or the California Public Utilities Commission.
Tue, 2018-06-12 15:40
#30
Investor LGIM seeks removal of eight company chairs over climate change inaction
Britain’s biggest asset manager wants to remove the chairmen of the board at eight companies worldwide, which it says have failed to confront the threats posed by climate change.
Legal & General Investment Management, the fund arm of insurer Legal & General (LGEN.L), has been among the most vocal asset managers on the topic, recently writing to some of the world’s top companies calling for more action.
On Monday, it said it would vote against the chairs of China Construction Bank (601939.SS), Dominion Energy (D.N) and Japan Post Holdings (6178.T), as well as Occidental Petroleum (OXY.N), Rosneft Oil (ROSN.MM) and Subaru (7270.T). The other two companies on its list were Loblaw Companies (L.TO) and Sysco Corp (SYY.N).
As well as demanding the removal of the companies’ chairmen, LGIM also said it would sell any shares of the eight companies held in its 5 billion pounds ($6.7 billion) Future World Funds index funds range.
Tue, 2018-06-12 19:24
#31
Pogo
The only serious way to reduce our consumption of energy is to reduce our consumption. Pure and simple.
Tue, 2018-06-12 19:48
#32
..true that pogo. what makes it complex is that we don't all consume equally. this complexity allows us to identify and then select targets. luckily this work has already been done and we are ready to proceed. what we need the most now is the political will. this is the tricky part. this makes it a political issue and not a technical one.
eta: an example. i posted this in the alta thread today.
What’s cheaper than a pipeline? An overhaul of the Alberta economy
quote:
According to the Alberta government, around 140,000 people were employed in mining, quarrying and oil-and-gas extraction in 2017. Suppose one wanted to retrain 25 per cent, or around 35,000 workers, over the next five years at a cost of $50,000 per worker. This seems generous, since part of the retraining costs could plausibly be shouldered by the private sector.
The pricetag of such a program would be $1.75 billion per year, and $8.75 billion in total. This is less than the sum Ottawa will have to spend to buy and expand the pipeline — $4.5 billion and an estimated at $7.4 billion respectively.
Tue, 2018-06-12 20:29
#33
..any ideas pogo on how we can achieve the political will?
Tue, 2018-06-12 20:35
#34
There seems to be a rather large assumption there: If you retrain them, jobs will follow. Similar assumptions pop up in a lot of contexts. I'm not at all convinced they're justifiable.
Tue, 2018-06-12 21:09
#35
..there are also many assumption being made about the tar sands as well as the pipeline. on markets, on jobs numbers and the necessity of the pipeline. yet it full speed ahead.
..there are no guarantees. though you might call the billions it will take to clean up the mess or the impact it will have on the ecology..guaranteed.
eta: but here we have a professor working out of the university of montreal coming up with an idea. some can use this as a starting point. firm it up. it's that there are alternatives to what now is going on.
Wed, 2018-06-27 10:51
#36
This wave of plastic installed in London is made of waste recovered from the sea!
Thu, 2018-06-28 05:20
#37
A Huge Part of the Arctic Ocean is Changing Before Our Very Eyes
https://twitter.com/SocialistVoice/status/1012233514731888640
"Huge part of Arctic Ocean is shifting to an Atlantic climate, study finds. The Northern Barents Sea has warmed 1.5 degrees in just 18 years..."
Not good.
Thu, 2018-06-28 08:30
#38
progressive17
Maybe the volcanoes will cool down the earth's temperature a bit. I seem to remember after Mt. St. Helen's it was cold for a while. The ash particles go high in the sky, preventing sunlight from falling on the planet.
However, if YOU want to do YOUR bit to stop Arctic ice melting, stop flying, and stop driving. Otherwise, you have no right to speak about it, as you are part of the problem.
Thu, 2018-06-28 13:35
#39
I do neither.
Thu, 2018-06-28 13:44
#40
However, if YOU want to do YOUR bit to stop Arctic ice melting, stop flying, and stop driving. Otherwise, you have no right to speak about it, as you are part of the problem.
..this is a judgemental statement rather than a logical approach to resolving the problem. seems to me it is meant more to try and shut people up. like that's gonna happen.
Wed, 2018-07-04 13:21
#41
Interview: Robert Hunziker (podcast)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/07/02/robert-hunziker-im-not-very-opti...
"I'm not very optimistic, unfortunately. It's just reality..."
An hour of painful realities.
Wed, 2018-07-04 18:47
#42
However, if YOU want to do YOUR bit to stop Arctic ice melting, stop flying, and stop driving. Otherwise, you have no right to speak about it, as you are part of the problem.
pffft. nonsense exaggerations.
most people concerned curtailed fossil fuel consumption as much as they can long ago.
reduce, reuse, recycle is a lifestyle for most i know.
everyone gets a say and no one has a right to tell them to shut up.
Wed, 2018-07-11 08:14
#43
Salmon are showing up in the Arctic in record numbers
Salmon used to be infrequent visitors to the Mackenzie River and communities of the Arctic, but more species have begun to show up in the North more often and in greater numbers than ever before.
“They’re indicating change,” says Karen Dunmall, a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans who is overseeing the Arctic Salmon project.
The climate change they’re indicating is affecting the Arctic more potently and quickly than anywhere else. It’s manifesting in thinner ice that forms later and breaks up earlier, warmer rivers, milder winters, longer summers and changes in wildlife and vegetation across the Arctic....
Fri, 2018-07-13 12:13
#44
Ireland becomes world's first country to divest from fossil fuels
The Republic of Ireland will become the world’s first country to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies, after a bill was passed with all-party support in the lower house of parliament.
“Governments will not meet their obligations under the Paris agreement on climate change if they continue to financially sustain the fossil fuel industry," said @gerry_liston of GLAN_Law. #Ireland #climatechange #sustainability
The state’s €8bn national investment fund will be required to sell all investments in coal, oil, gas and peat “as soon as is practicable”, which is expected to mean within five years. Norway’s huge $1tn sovereign wealth fund has only partially divested from fossil fuels, targeting some coal companies, and is still considering its oil and gas holdings.
The fossil fuel divestment movement has grown rapidly and trillions of dollars of investment funds have been divested, including large pension funds and insurers, cities such as New York, churches and universities.....
Sat, 2018-07-21 18:47
#45
Declaring that climate change is "an issue of survival" that must be confronted with urgency, young activists across the globe on Saturday kicked off three days of marches and demonstrations to pressure elected officials to "reject the corrupting monetary influence of fossil fuel executives," ban all new dirty energy developments, and safeguard the planet for both its current inhabitants and future generations.
"Climate change is our last chance to either fix colossal systems of inequality and emerge as a more efficient, better equipped society as a whole, or reach a chaotic state where your privilege ultimately decides if you live or die," said 16-year-old climate activist Ivy Jaguzny ahead of Saturday's events, which are expected to take place "in cities from Washington, D.C. to Butere, Kenya."
quote:
A year of relentless organizing and planning in the making, the three days of action beginning Saturday are bolstered by a detailed and ambitious platform (pdf) that calls on political leaders to:
- Respect the rights of Indigenous people;
- "Recognize the constitutional right of youth to a livable climate";
- Eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies "immediately"; and
- "Ban all new fossil fuel infrastructure and make massive investment in local solar and wind energy companies" in the coming years.
Sat, 2018-07-28 14:11
#46
B.C. proposes mandate for electric vehicles
Is B.C. ready for some aggressive action on climate change?
The government is asking for public input on a series of intention papers that include ideas like banning the sale of gas and diesel cars by 2040, using more electric buses or even ferries, and labelling homes for their energy efficiency.
Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and India have already either announced a ban on the sale of new gas and diesel cars or targeted 100 per cent clean vehicle sales by 2030, Scotland has done the same by 2032 and France and the UK by 2040
The ideas could become a “powerful suite of policies for reducing emissions” that will show B.C. is ready to “shift back into a position of leadership on climate change,” says Dan Woynillowicz, policy director at Clean Energy Canada.....
Sat, 2018-07-28 14:25
#47
German post office delivers electric car surprise
On German streets plied by hulking SUVs and roaring combustion engines, the small, toy-like electric vehicles driven by postmen stand out by their silence and their bright yellow livery.
But even more surprising to many in the car-loving nation is the Deutsche Post horn logo on the prows of the so-called “Streetscooters”—vans that are not much bigger than the iconic Volkswagen Golf.
To some analysts, the former state-owned logistics firm is showing up auto industry giants like Volkswagen, BMW or Daimler by shifting gears towards vehicle electrification even faster.
More than 6,000 Streetscooters number among the 49,300 vehicles Deutsche Post uses for local deliveries, and the company recently opened a second factory to up production to 40 per day.
When the traditional carmakers were slow to respond to its search for a low-carbon, low-cost van, bosses snapped up a small start-up firm to build its own....
Sat, 2018-07-28 22:31
#48
Sat, 2018-07-28 22:55
#49
..txs hobyirwin
Fri, 2018-08-03 21:42
#50
Capitalism Killed Our Climate Momentum, Not 'Human Nature' - by Naomi Klein
"Nathaniel Rich, in his massive new New York Times Magazine article, argues 'human nature' kept 'us' from fixing climate change in the 1980s. He's dead wrong..."
Fri, 2018-08-03 23:06
#51
progressive17
But what if capitalism is human nature?