this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2024
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Climate - truthful information about climate, related activism and politics.

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Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.

As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades: Graph of temperature as observed with significant warming, and simulated without added greenhouse gases and other anthropogentic changes, which shows no significant warming

How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world: IPCC AR6 Figure 2 - Thee bar charts: first chart: how much each gas has warmed the world.  About 1C of total warming.  Second chart:  about 1.5C of total warming from well-mixed greenhouse gases, offset by 0.4C of cooling from aerosols and negligible influence from changes to solar output, volcanoes, and internal variability.  Third chart: about 1.25C of warming from CO2, 0.5C from methane, and a bunch more in small quantities from other gases.  About 0.5C of cooling with large error bars from SO2.

Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:

Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.

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[–] SeikoAlpinist@slrpnk.net 70 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I guess the world burning was worth sticking it to Kamala for Gaza.

[–] Damage@feddit.it 23 points 2 weeks ago

may a better species rise from the ashes of our civilization

[–] Didros@beehaw.org 5 points 2 weeks ago

I guess Gaza being 100% fucked was worth losing the presidency for Democrats.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Congratulations to climate change. You won buddy. Now get to work on Florida and Texas.

[–] Tedesche@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

They'll blame it on the Democrats’ weather control technology. You know we have weather control technology, right? We hooked up ghost shamans to quantum computers being run by AI-controlled gay frogs on the 5G network, thereby unlocking the 9th chakra of Satan.

Didn’t you know, bro?

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 15 points 2 weeks ago

the environment. everything. roe vs wade was because of the judiciary but now they control all the levers.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Ukraine is fucked Taiwan is probably fucked Europe is probably fucked Palestine is fucked The world climate is fucked

Did I miss anything?

[–] Didros@beehaw.org 8 points 2 weeks ago

Economists think his economic plan will crash the dollar and, by extension, the world markets.

But in brighter news, Flint Michigan has clean water as of a few months ago...

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If Europe falls, it'll be because of our own Nazis coming to power everywhere if we can't eradicate them, not because of the US.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

The US nazis would have shown the way, but we'd do it to ourselves, yes.

[–] MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Migrants in America are fucked as well. Mass deportation, if they are lucky, if not they kill them.

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[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

95% of the lower tax brackets (as in if you aren't in the top 5 % they are raising your taxes permanently, again) of the US are now not only fucked, we are now "the enemy within," for being "too poor."

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[–] dontgooglefinderscult@lemmings.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Well they'll try. Unfortunately for oil and coal companies, China exists.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 25 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Unfortunately, climate action is a collective effort globally. With him being in the pocket of Big Oil, expect no further investment into renewables and increased coal mining, fracking, and oil drilling.

Anyone who cared about climate and voted for him (or abstained/voted third party) basically fucked themselves and everybody else.

[–] dontgooglefinderscult@lemmings.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

That's nice, but Americans and American companies can't afford non renewable energy. Trump needs to triple subsidies over the next 4 years to keep them competitive with renewable energy.

Just a reminder, Trump is not more corrupt or well bribed than Texas, and Texas is one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the Western hemisphere. Money wins over ideology, and there's a lot more money to be had with solar and wind given the now low upfront costs and nearly non-existent maintenance costs compared to all fossil fuels.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 8 points 2 weeks ago

I hope you're right. I don't really see that in practice, as we slow walk that transition.

[–] sonori@beehaw.org 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Counterpoint, Alberta exists and low costs benefit the consumer, not the company. I am fully confident that the profit made by oil and gas is significantly more than the tight profit margins in renewables, which means far less money to throw at politicians. Oil and gas can therefore throw much more money at Trump and still be in the black on their ‘investment’, even if you ignore that Trump has deep ideological and political opposition to renewables.

[–] dontgooglefinderscult@lemmings.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Renewables don't have tight profit margins, you're think of nuclear, maybe hydro.

Solar approaches a 100% profit margin after 20 years, wind only ever gets to 90ish but still has the same timeline. Without subsidies, neither oil or coal gets profitable.

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[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

As well as changes to the EPA, NOAA, etc. Talking about climate change might become dangerous. Asking for help from FEMA may weigh heavily on how your state voted.

[–] 14th_cylon@lemm.ee 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Anyone who cared about climate and voted for him

i think that intersection is very small.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 5 points 2 weeks ago

Which is why I also included abstainers. Not large groups on their own, but enough to swing an election

[–] kozy138@lemm.ee 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

But per capita, China is pumping way less greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere than the USA. And much of China's industry only exists to sell cheap goods to Western countries.

China also built more high-speed rail in a decade than the US has in it's entirety. Not to mention how fast they're producing electric cars and solar panels.

[–] dontgooglefinderscult@lemmings.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's what I mean, oil and coal companies can try regression, but China is already able to export the means for countries and communities to create their own power cheaper than those groups could buy power from fossil fuels companies.

[–] KillerWhale@orcas.enjoying.yachts 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That's what tarrifs are for.

[–] dontgooglefinderscult@lemmings.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Tariffs issued by the US will only harm the US, and so on. The anti China block represents an extreme minority of people in the planet and an ever shrinking percentage of total industry and energy use. More and more countries are choosing brics

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[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Chinese policy doesn't give a shit about climate change. In fact, Xi is banking on a Northern passageway to Europe permanently unthawing to avoid the partly US-controlled South China Sea.

Xi cares about staying in power until he drops in the 2030s, for that he neess to keep the country stable and the people quiet. So what he really wants is industrial power and rising welfare. He's found that one of the best ways to gain an edge that is to spur useful innovation that wealthier nations will want to adopt.

What this means is that we'll see a lot of climate-friendly technology coming out of China, but the country may not care much about cleaning up its footprint.

[–] leftytighty@slrpnk.net 11 points 2 weeks ago (28 children)

Even if you are right I'll take doing the right thing for the wrong reasons over the fucking disappointment and self destruction coming from the United States.

Doesn't matter how you spin it, China is objectively better for the world right now.

You can feel morally superior all the way to societal collapse

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 7 points 2 weeks ago

Tbh, doesn't feel good pinning hopes on China, but I'll take what I can get at this point.

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

You're right in that the whole drill-baby-drill thing is utter self-destruction which may still work passably over the course of the next four years but not beyond. The IRA right now is solid industrial policy and I wish us Europeans were competing. (Wild guess though, the repeal of the IRA will go much like the repeal of the ACA last time around.)

However, my point is that China is in a phase where it's doing more with more, and its motivation is such that that will stay that way. The only reason Chinese emissions are stagnating right now is that their economy is faltering. At this point, the Jevons paradox is simply eating their renewable power/electric car/... gains. Granted, that is preferable to them continuing to buy ever more fossil-fueled cars.

The motivation for producing this technology will, to a degree, determine the outcome: Solar panels off Temu, delivered to your doorstep using a fossil-fueled plane are a thing that exists.

What happens when the importing blocs (US and EU) rethink their climate policy (because right-wing morons think that's a good idea)? Chinese products will adapt quickly.

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[–] riodoro1@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The planet will win. I can assure you of that.

It was here long before us and it will be long after we are gone.

[–] Pantless_Paladin@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Exactly, the one who loses is humanity, not the planet.

[–] Uruanna@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

In the same way it won after the 5 previous mass extinction events I guess (we started the 6th).

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

10 dollars say that trump will die in office, soon, and his extremist successor will install himself as a theocratic dictator

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[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Biden/Harris significantly strengthened the oil oligarchy. Posing an existential threat to Russia resulted in 3%+ of global diesel use for the war, and eliminates all possibility of Russia cooperating on global warming. Heating fuel high prices (same refining fraction as diesel) helped drive inflation complaints, and Biden/Harris could never suggest ending the war on Russia to fix inflation. Tariffs on solar, batteries, emobility, and EVs are pro-oil oligarchy as well. Steel tariffs are limiting any reindustrialization chances.

Any priority greater than climate sustainability, war and oil profits for example, ensures climate destruction. "Needing" the US to dominate a "slow energy transition" is placing an unnecessary priority above climate sustainability. Trusting the US as an ally ensures climate destruction. Japan and ROK abandonned their renewable energy targets during Biden administration to help US oil oligarchy.

While Trump may try to destroy US clean energy production and adoption, a war on Iran is likely to be divisive, though it is unclear Harris would have stopped it. Very high oil prices from a war on Iran will put the US on the razor's edge of collapse. Terrorism costs, war expense, inflation, will motivate leveraged dead ender energy investments throughout world, while simultaneously strengthening China/BRICs and demand destruction for FFs.

If there is no war on Iran, and peace in Ukraine, then lower oil prices will stop more US drilling. More US drilling will result in more OPEC production and accelerated price drops that discourage drilling. Like Biden, it is only war that will destroy climate. Trump will strengthen China even more than Biden did. The US is never likely to prioritize climate sustainability over clinging to desperate death throws over its hegemony.

Trump, by accelerating US collapse, will do more for climate sustainability than you think. Individual states and NATO vassals will take more responsibility for global warming.

[–] silence7@slrpnk.net 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Sorry, but accelerationism only gets us a lasting fascism. It doesn't get us the kid of stable world where people can substitute wind and solar for fossil fuels

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

My point is that the US will always prioritize global domination over climate sustainability. Trump's first term did include private/state level US mandates for sustainability as a reaction to dooming-fascism. That movement weakened under Biden. Local hope movements are an uphill battle, but still possible.

Nature of US politics, and a popular vote favouring extreme strengthening of oligarchy, can again result in a strong pendulum movement away from climate destruction, but the next zionist/neocon candidate the DNC provides us will not prioritize global cooperation/sustainability any more than Biden did. Either US collapse, or a political movement based on UBI that disempowers the US empire will lead to lower US emissions.

[–] silence7@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 weeks ago

I wouldn't say that the movement towards state action weakened under Biden; we got some great examples of it, such as the requirement for renewables in Minnesota.

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