Climate Change / Global Warming Discussion

[mspohr]

Peak indifference has arrived: a majority of Republicans say climate change is real

Peak indifference. Most people (including old white Republicans) believe climate change is real.

 

[mspohr]

David Attenborough: collapse of civilisation is on the horizon
David Attenborough: collapse of civilisation is on the horizon

 

[mspohr]

World Bank to invest $200bn to combat climate change
World Bank to invest $200bn to combat climate change

 

[mspohr]

Good article by Krugman today
Climate Denial Was the Crucible for Trumpism Opinion | Climate Denial Was the Crucible for Trumpism

The truth is that most prominent climate deniers are basically paid to take that position, receiving large amounts of money from fossil-fuel companies. But after the release of the recent National Climate Assessment detailing the damage we can expect from global warming, a parade of Republicans went on TV to declare that scientists were only saying these things “for the money.” Projection much?

Third, we can now see climate denial as part of a broader moral rot. Donald Trump isn’t an aberration, he’s the culmination of where his party has been going for years. You could say that Trumpism is just the application of the depravity of climate denialto every aspect of politics. And there’s no end to the depravity in sight.

 

[SageBrush]

Third, we can now see climate denial as part of a broader moral rot.

More a case I think of willful ignorance but it is not limited to the Riightards. A recent poll that asked people whether they thought AGW was real and an immediate, big problem came up with around 45% of Democrats who agreed, 1/3rd of 'independents' and 12% of Repubs.

You can gamble on a card carrying Repub to be a moron but all bets are off when it comes to Democrats.

 

[nwdiver]

Peak indifference has arrived: a majority of Republicans say climate change is real

Peak indifference. Most people (including old white Republicans) believe climate change is real.

I don't know who I have more disdain for... the moron the rejects reality or the monster that accepts it but refuses act responsibly.

 

[Merrill]

It’s all about the money, they do not realize that if our planet continues the way it has been going all the money in the world will be useless.

 

[nwdiver]

It’s all about the money, they do not realize that if our planet continues the way it has been going all the money in the world will be useless.

We need a sad ranking....

 

[mspohr]

Save millions of lives by tackling climate change, says WHO
Save millions of lives by tackling climate change, says WHO

Tackling climate change would save at least a million lives a year, the World Health Organization has told the UN climate summit in Poland, making it a moral imperative.

“Morally, delaying the [clean energy] transition is being responsible for millions of deaths every year,” Neira said. “[Leaders] need to ask themselves how many deaths are [they] willing to accept. When health is taken into account, climate action is an opportunity, not a cost.”

“At the moment we pretend that polluting [fossil] fuels are cheap fuels, only because we don’t include the cost of them to our health and economy.” The IMF estimates these subsidies to the fossil fuel industry to be $5tn a year, more than all governments currently spend on healthcare

 

[ggies07]

Save millions of lives by tackling climate change, says WHO
Save millions of lives by tackling climate change, says WHO

Tackling climate change would save at least a million lives a year, the World Health Organization has told the UN climate summit in Poland, making it a moral imperative.

“Morally, delaying the [clean energy] transition is being responsible for millions of deaths every year,” Neira said. “[Leaders] need to ask themselves how many deaths are [they] willing to accept. When health is taken into account, climate action is an opportunity, not a cost.”

“At the moment we pretend that polluting [fossil] fuels are cheap fuels, only because we don’t include the cost of them to our health and economy.” The IMF estimates these subsidies to the fossil fuel industry to be $5tn a year, more than all governments currently spend on healthcare

I've been following this company since 2012 and just became an owner a few weeks ago. I watched the electrician install my garage plug and amazed all it takes is 4 simple wires. That's it. Throw some solar on your roof and you are good to go. Throw solar, wind, and storage on the grid and we are good to go.

So, as a species......WTF are we doing to ourselves!?!?!?!

 

[S'toon]

Politicians who deny reality aren't fit to lead

 

[Merrill]

Politicians who deny reality aren't fit to lead

Wow, we are in trouble.

 

[mspohr]

Politicians who deny reality aren't fit to lead

Our politicians are corrupted by fossil fuel money.
The rich control government.
At least the French have the yellow vests
“These are the people who feel endangered by the current economic model,” which doesn’t “integrate the greatest number,” he said.
How France’s ‘Yellow Vests’ Differ From Populist Movements Elsewhere How France’s ‘Yellow Vests’ Differ From Populist Movements Elsewhere

 

[ohmman]

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

 

[mspohr]

The 'great dying': rapid warming caused largest extinction event ever, report says

Looks like 250 million years ago, there was rapid warming due to volcanic activity. The result was a die off of most ocean and land animal species. It was a 10 C rise then. We already have a 1 C rise now... we're 10% there... but, of course, it's not linear and looks like when you get 3-4 C then most life is toast so we're only a few degrees away... from toast.

 

[rays427]

The 'great dying': rapid warming caused largest extinction event ever, report says

Looks like 250 million years ago, there was rapid warming due to volcanic activity. The result was a die off of most ocean and land animal species. It was a 10 C rise then. We already have a 1 C rise now... we're 10% there... but, of course, it's not linear and looks like when you get 3-4 C then most life is toast so we're only a few degrees away... from toast.

Although nobody knows what really caused the extinction, volcanic activity usually causes cooling. So what I read was that one possibility was a rapid cooling and acid rain caused by volcanic activity.

 

[nwdiver]

Although nobody knows what really caused the extinction, volcanic activity usually causes cooling. So what I read was that one possibility was a rapid cooling and acid rain caused by volcanic activity.

The SO2 that causes cooling has an extremely short atmospheric half-life of ~1 day since it reacts with moisture to form acid rain so volcanic cooling is short lived. CO2 has an atmospheric half-life of >500 years. The Siberian Flood basalts occurred around this time and emitted ~1M cubic miles of material over ~300k years. By comparison the last major eruption of Yellowstone ejected an estimated ~240 cubic miles of material.

The key point here is that the largest mass extinction in the fossil record very likely occurred not from a rock the size of a mountain striking the planet but because the radiative balance was significantly altered long-term. And we're fooling enough to do this again. It's pathetic.

Earths worst mass extinction 'inescapably' tied to Siberian traps, CO2 and climate change.

 

[rays427]

So there were eruptions for 300 thousand years. In general volcanic eruptions initially cause cooling because of all the particulates thrown into the atmosphere. One theory is as you show above that it was greenhouse gasses causing heating but there are other theories that state it was lack of sunshine due to the shading caused by the particles in the air that resulted in cooling and a great reduction of photosynthesis. This then killed off the plant life both on land and in the oceans.

 

[nwdiver]

So there were eruptions for 300 thousand years. In general volcanic eruptions initially cause cooling because of all the particulates thrown into the atmosphere. One theory is as you show above that it was greenhouse gasses causing heating but there are other theories that state it was lack of sunshine due to the shading caused by the particles in the air that resulted in cooling and a great reduction of photosynthesis. This then killed off the plant life both on land and in the oceans.

We've had volcanic winters before. They don't kill off ~95% of marine life.

The effect of SO2 would be limited because of its short half-life. The effect of CO2 would be cumulative because of its long half-life.

 

[rays427]

As stated the volcanoes occurred over 300 thousand years. Short half life is 1 to 2 years for shading effects. If you had a number of them in just a few years they would severally reduce sunlight. It would only take a few years of very low sunlight to kill off most plant life.