Global Warming

[Chindie]

12 minutes ago, Xela said:

I hope so. I really want that 911 Turbo before i'm too old. 

*Has visions of Xela like Mad Max in the burnt out wasteland, caning his 911 across the scorched orange earth pursued by goons wanting his 'guzzaline'.*

[Rugeley Villa]

No chance we will be able to reverse what’s coming our way. We are basically pissing in the wind . Too much let the next generation deal with it kind of thing. 

[Xela]

6 minutes ago, Chindie said:

*Has visions of Xela like Mad Max in the burnt out wasteland, caning his 911 across the scorched orange earth pursued by goons wanting his 'guzzaline'.*

Or Erdington, as it is also known as. 

[limpid]

32 minutes ago, Chindie said:

*Has visions of Xela like Mad Max in the burnt out wasteland, pushing his 911 across the scorched orange earth

FTFY

[sne]

Quote

Rain falls on peak of Greenland ice cap for first time on record

Precipitation was so unexpected, scientists had no gauges to measure it, and is stark sign of climate crisis

Rain has fallen on the summit of Greenland’s huge ice cap for the first time on record. Temperatures are normally well below freezing on the 3,216-metre (10,551ft) peak, and the precipitation is a stark sign of the climate crisis.

Scientists at the US National Science Foundation’s summit station saw rain falling throughout 14 August but had no gauges to measure the fall because the precipitation was so unexpected. Across Greenland, an estimated 7bn tonnes of water was released from the clouds.

The rain fell during an exceptionally hot three days in Greenland when temperatures were 18C higher than average in places. As a result, melting was seen in most of Greenland, across an area about four times the size of the UK.

The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded it was “unequivocal” that carbon emissions from human activities were heating the planet and causing impacts such as melting ice and rising sea level.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/20/rain-falls-peak-greenland-ice-cap-first-time-on-record-climate-crisis

[sne]

 

 

[sne]

 

[maqroll]

 

[HanoiVillan]

This interview with an Insulate Britain activist is *so* incredibly stupid and embarrassing that you have to assume they did it deliberately in an attempt to go viral, but I'm nothing if not a compulsive over-sharer so enjoy it anyway:

 

[villakram]

A useful watch before the circus that will be COP26. Approx 30mins, updates regarding the recent IPCC report and the contents therein, not the media/political headlines.

"Code red"? 

 

[HanoiVillan]

I'm hopeful that more good than bad will come out of this summit, but by god am I already tired of hearing *only* about the 7% of global emissions that come from aviation, and of zingers like 'couldn't they have held it on Zoom'.

[chrisp65]

1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said:

I'm hopeful that more good than bad will come out of this summit, but by god am I already tired of hearing *only* about the 7% of global emissions that come from aviation, and of zingers like 'couldn't they have held it on Zoom'.

The holding it on zoom thing, yes I get that isn’t really how showcase international meetings can be done.

But there surely has to be a middle ground between the G20 and other countries all flying in to Rome for the weekend to discuss global warming, then all flying to Scotland today, to discuss global warming.

When you see the likes of the 26 car procession for Biden to meet the Pope, and it transpires those cars were flown in from the U.S. to do that cavalcade. 

When you see prince Charles fly in to Italy to lecture us on a more frugal lifestyle, when he has 4 mansions.

Well, it does feel a little bit like some people are not quite getting the optics right.

 

A bit like us berating the world that everyone has to ‘grow up’ then making it cheaper to take internal short haul flights. 

 

[Genie]

Boris who flew from London to Cornwall last Summer.

Man United flew from Manchester to play Leicester too, that should be made illegal. Either the UK government, or the FA, or UEFA or FIFA but someone should ban it.

I was absolutely shocked that there’s 25,000 support staff for this summit in Scotland. 25 THOUSAND! Unbelievable, all needing flights, coaches, taxis, hotels, food etc etc. At least have the majority of them lot observing via Zoom/Teams.

[lapal_fan]

41 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

The holding it on zoom thing, yes I get that isn’t really how showcase international meetings can be done.

But there surely has to be a middle ground between the G20 and other countries all flying in to Rome for the weekend to discuss global warming, then all flying to Scotland today, to discuss global warming.

When you see the likes of the 26 car procession for Biden to meet the Pope, and it transpires those cars were flown in from the U.S. to do that cavalcade. 

When you see prince Charles fly in to Italy to lecture us on a more frugal lifestyle, when he has 4 mansions.

Well, it does feel a little bit like some people are not quite getting the optics right.

 

A bit like us berating the world that everyone has to ‘grow up’ then making it cheaper to take internal short haul flights. 

 

That's it. 

As long as the plebs (like us) see these things, we can turn around and say "what difference does a plastic straw make?".

It's unbelievable how often I come across that viewpoint as a Energy/Sustainability professional.  

My answer is to always look after what you can control, but you know as soon as they get home, the glasses/plastics etc get chucked in the bin.

[ml1dch]

2 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

Well, it does feel a little bit like some people are not quite getting the optics right.

This sort of thing presumably?

The whole thing does seem to have been managed in a pretty cack-handed way.

[HanoiVillan]

I agree with most of the examples given above of things which on the whole should not be done. 

But the point I'm making about the way the conversation always turns to aviation is that there are 4 unfortunate facts about aviation specifically

1 - the invention of commercial flight has been a huge net positive for humanity;

2 - the amount of commercial flying is going to increase not decrease in the future;

3 - commercial flight is one of the areas of carbon use for which we do not currently have available or promising greener alternatives;

4 - aviation accounts for only 7% of total emissions. 

Given these four points, it seems completely counter-productive that every conversation turns back to flights, rather than the many areas of emissions for which there are available or promising alternatives that can actually be implemented. It's perverse, and creates the impression of a problem that is impossible to solve and therefore not worth trying. 

[OutByEaster?]

This conference will be a massive competition for global leaders to look angriest about Climate change whilst finding ways to look like they're doing something that doesn't upset their corporate managers. 

It's a pointless PR exercise.

 

[blandy]

1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said:

4 - aviation accounts for only 7% of total emissions. 

There is an issue with the emissions being more damaging, due to where they're released. It is an area where there needs to be significant focus. Not just technological, but behavioural. your other comments on it are valid - it is picked out a bit as a more key aspect compared to its impact. Shipping is the opposite - it's underplayed.

[OutByEaster?]

There's a massive systemic change in thinking that needs to take place, you can't prevent catastrophic climate change within the framework of an economic system based on perpetual growth. 

I can't see the planet winning that fight.

 

[HanoiVillan]

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

This conference will be a massive competition for global leaders to look angriest about Climate change whilst finding ways to look like they're doing something that doesn't upset their corporate managers. 

It's a pointless PR exercise.

 

This is much too cynical. There are several big advantages to events like this:

• They create opportunities for people working on projects to make connections with others in other countries;
• They lead to some sharing of ideas and best practice;
• They provide a political focal point for demands, so that groups have something to put pressure towards (easier and more effective to demand specific commitments at an event than just a general 'take it more seriously please')
• They show the gap between rhetoric and reality, which in turn creates more political pressure and sustains the issue in the public consciousness

Ask yourself instead if there is any way in which it would be better for tackling the problem if events like this weren't held. There isn't one, beyond the trivial issue of whatever carbon is produced during it. It would not help politically at all.