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I'll never understand the whataboutisms as a reason for not doing shit. Thankfully, not everyone thinks that way.
This statement was made in one of the previous posts. It is indicative of what a lot of people think about the impact of climate change. If we don’t DO SOMETHING NOW we are doomed.
Indeed, you didn't. That's why it is not directly attributed but instead an example statement merely symbolizing how as you said "not everyone thinks that way." BTW, what was your intent?I didn't say a single thing about "being doomed"....nor was that the intent of that statement.
My intent was exactly what I said. Nothing more, nothing less. Don't try to infer anything more that isn't there. The only thing that is doomed is this thread.Indeed, you didn't. That's why it is not directly attributed but instead an example statement merely symbolizing how as you said "not everyone thinks that way." BTW, what was your intent?
West VA and Kentucky still suffer - hmmmmm!The unintended consequences argument for not trying to lower carbon emissions is in my view a bit of a canard, we know what the atmosphere was like before dumping all the carbon into the atmosphere. What if we had made the same argument (some did) about all the sulphur dioxide we had pumped into the atmosphere - perhaps some folks on here are too young to remember, or never saw the the results, but acid rain was a real thing, destroyed millions of acres of forests in Appalachia, killed rivers and streams. There were forces that resisted the clean air and water acts, using many of the arguments we hear today (too expensive, jobs will be lost, etc). Today, many of the forests, lakes and streams have recovered, especially in the north east (west Virginia, eastern Kentucky still suffer) because we made many of the changes needed, but still more needs to be done.
The harm of doing nothing is too high. What is the harm in cleaning up our backyard ("unintended consequences" doesn't cut it, could use that for any and everything).
cheers
Doing nothing is not an option and is not what concerns me. Its doing something that might have unintended consequences without a thorough and honest vetting of what those consequences might be. If there is that vetting and agreement on the consequences, then its appropriate to move forward. However, the “Cobra Effect” is real.The harm of doing nothing is too high. What is the harm in cleaning up our backyard ("unintended consequences" doesn't cut it, could use that for any and everything).
cheers
Mike: I would be interested to hear what you might consider an unintended consequence to the environment should we significantly lower carbon emissions.Doing nothing is not an option and is not what concerns me. Its doing something that might have unintended consequences without a thorough and honest vetting of what those consequences might be. If there is that vetting and agreement on the consequences, then its appropriate to move forward. However, the “Cobra Effect” is real.
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The unintended consequences argument for not trying to lower carbon emissions is in my view a bit of a canard, we know what the atmosphere was like before dumping all the carbon into the atmosphere. What if we had made the same argument (some did) about all the sulphur dioxide we had pumped into the atmosphere - perhaps some folks on here are too young to remember, or never saw the the results, but acid rain was a real thing, destroyed millions of acres of forests in Appalachia, killed rivers and streams. There were forces that resisted the clean air and water acts, using many of the arguments we hear today (too expensive, jobs will be lost, etc). Today, many of the forests, lakes and streams have recovered, especially in the north east (west Virginia, eastern Kentucky still suffer) because we made many of the changes needed, but still more needs to be done.
The harm of doing nothing is too high. What is the harm in cleaning up our backyard ("unintended consequences" doesn't cut it, could use that for any and everything).
cheers
I agree but effective solutions should be vetted. Personally I see California outlawing two stroke motors, gas mowers and weed eaters as nothing more than a feel good measure. These are items that are minimally used and low fuel consuming. It's effectively a useless measure. Spare me the "you gotta start somewhere" clause. Yes you do have to start somewhere. That somewhere should be in a place of high efficacy that mitigates impact to working class people. The government can't even fund it's schools in my state with lottery, weed money, and DNR timber let alone the host of other taxes that were promised for said purpose. Yes, climate change is real and happening. Yes, cleaning up pollution should be everyone's priority. Yes, taking stewardship of the planet is responsible and ethical. Yes, it's all of our jobs to do so in the ways we can. No, I don't see any legislation proposed or passed as having any measurable effect on whatever preferred timeline or tipping point. No, I don't see how punishing the working class or guilt tripping anyone will help at all especially when those doing the tripping are likely living further from the earth with little to no knowledge of what they speak as they are higher emitters than those they condemn.
Written by a guy who'soff grid with clean renewable power. Been here for a while before it was cool and sheikh. I've heard enough lecturing by people who don't have a clue what stewardship or living with minimal impacts is like. Also notice I don't really ever lecture others or want to force them to live in my chosen manner. We are not in this together. We never have been and that's just a reality. So forgive me for rejecting the basis that I somehow need to practice some form of austerity because Bellevue Becky and her green goof troop need validation and a villain. Bellevue Becky couldn't hack it and neither can most who cry about others and their impact.
Climate change, real. Most solutions, scams. We're all gonna die. That's how this ends.
This is not the early days before opions were set.
Today, belief is truth.
There is no fence here. It's been gone for a while.
Anybody really think a mind will be changed with "facts?"
An excellent question. First, a goal to reduce carbon emissions to some agreed upon level is a legitimate goal as there is sufficient evidence that doing so will mitigate a warming climate. And, it is measurable. There is however an unknown aspect of such a goal. If the agreed upon level of carbon emissions is too low to cause unforeseen climatic consequences, then well we don’t know.Mike: I would be interested to hear what you might consider an unintended consequence to the environment should we significantly lower carbon emissions.
The only environmental consequence I have seen you illustrate is "We already know that any scalable implementation of solar to wind energy is going to have significant long-term impacts on the environment." This point is well taken and concerning. Thanks for clarifying.An excellent question. First, a goal to reduce carbon emissions to some agreed upon level is a legitimate goal as there is sufficient evidence that doing so will mitigate a warming climate. And, it is measurable. There is however an unknown aspect of such a goal. If the agreed upon level of carbon emissions is too low to cause unforeseen climatic consequences, then well we don’t know.
What’s more potentially consequential, is not the actual reduction in carbon emissions, but the tactics used to do so. This is really an open ended question as the options (implementable to the outlandish, from the known to the unknown) used to actually reduce emissions are somewhat limitless. The real question is what consequences are acceptable to actually achieve the carbon emission goal. Is the destruction of viable industries and economies acceptable? Is a drastic change in human lifestyle acceptable? Is totalitarian government acceptable? Is actual damage to ecosystems acceptable?
An outlandish solution would be to enter a global treaty that bans all human activity that generates carbon emissions and gives governments waivers to employ civil, paramilitary and military enforcement forces exceptions from the ban to enforce the ban. Might be a few unintended consequences with that approach.
An implementable solution might be the transition to so called renewables that have no or an acceptable lifecycle carbon footprint (have to make an honest assessment about this, as hiding actual lifecycle carbon footprint impacts doesn’t help you reach the goal). Its unknown what the global consequences of this might be, but evidence in Australia suggests such a transition is not as easy as one might think. We already know that any scalable implementation of solar to wind energy is going to have significant long-term impacts on the environment.
Back to your question. I can see no foreseen consequences to actually reducing carbon emissions on a global scale. That said, the actual solutions that are and may be implemented, I suspect are a mine field of unintended consequences. As a lifelong investigator and strategy/tactics consultant, when folks with vested interests whether personal or corporate start trashing sources as unreliable and false, discounting legitimate data, unintended consequences are not far off.
So your saying we should all start learning Chinese Mandarin? I better learn to sew, maybe I can become Forman in the chi-com work camps.Our national debt is now at a place where (essentially) $92,000 dollars is owed by every man woman and child in the U.S.......That's a lot of debt to hang on a newborn baby. We could multiply that debt 10 times over and still likely not make any measurable difference in the Earth's climate. I hear people ask "What kind of world will we be leaving our children?" Well, the answer seems to be a world where our children will be crushed financially, largely due to the idiotic spending of our wealth in the guise of "changing the weather". If things like poverty and mayhem engulf our nation then "climate change" will be even lower on the list of concerns for Americans.....even if it does get really, really serious.