You say,”This means that our political leaders are finally going to have to make hard choices (or not, which is its own way of choosing).”
The problem is that politicians don’t really lead. The ‘follow from the front’ and get elected by promising what voters think they want, and then when in power trying to give voters what they think those voters actually need, but within broad acceptability in case their support drops away.
But many voters, even a majority of voters, do not want any climate change policies that affect their current lifestyle or that raise the cost of anything. It isn’t just in America; in England there were mass protests as a planned rise in fuel duties, and in France the ‘Yellow Vest’ mass protests, again against fuel duties and changes to farm subsidies. Germany too has regular protests about rising domestic fuel costs, especially since Russian gas was shut off.
I think it is noteworthy that Kamala Harris has avoided the whole Eco-policies minefield throughout this election, barely mentioning it or any policy details, because she knows it will lose her more votes than she would win. Americans simply don’t want it!
If people won’t vote for eco policies or any party that proposes them, and won’t pay for them, and won’t change their behaviour or reduce their fossil fuel consumption, then at some point we have to accept that our Western societies are going to drive themselves at full speed off that cliff.
There is no Plan B, no cavalry or superhero appearing from stage left, no rescuers, no survivability strategy worth the time of day. Whilst it may be an interesting academic exercise to imagine how we might get ourselves out of this mess, it means nothing if no-one wants to do it and no-one wants to pay for it.
This was a tough one — and so necessary. Thank you for everything you do and for modeling what it means to be a good global (and local) citizen in these times.
I agree with most of your material. The science is right. The longer a natural gas pipeline/supply chain, the more potential for leaks. The best way to handle that is stop building them. Yet people can own gas and sell it. They cannot say the same about the sun and wind.
My problem with environmental perspectives is quite simple, and it is a problem that I find in myself. The best personal response to climate change is to use less energy. Drive less, keep winters colder and summers warmer on the thermostat, don't buy CAFO meat, cut back on high carbon foods that damage the environment like palm oil and coffee, fly less (or not at all), walk or ride a bike, pay attention to the embodied carbon of the stuff you buy, and buy less of it. All these are simple, but hard to do and I will admit my own complicity. "For that which I should not do, I do; and the things I should do, I do not do." A paraphrase of Romans 7:15. We are caught in a system that we wish would end, but we don't know how because it is the only way we have lived. Our indigenous brethren, locally and globally can help us learn otherwise if we are willing to listen.
Thank you for this newsletter. In the 1970s when we read the Club of Rome report in paperback form I never thought climate change would come in my life time. Here we are....from the Kogelberg Biosphere reserve in the Southern Cape in South Africa. Sorry I can't pay, but greatly appreciate your newsletters.
Thank you, Bill, anyone with two working brain cells should be able to see for themselves the climate is worse than it was a mere ten years ago and is getting worse every year.
Of course trump and the wealthy oil magnates don't care, why should they? They'll be long dead before the unlivable climate for humans arrive, even if it only takes ten years - and they don't give two hoots in hell about their offspring either.
Once again, I am very grateful for your summary of climate related news. This time you seem to have outdone yourself as your summary is somewhat overwhelming. I suppose that is a reflection of the deteriorating conditions on our one and only planet!
For a folk that figured out how to make a fastball atom blow shit up to kill all the people we don't like, all at once, that it would be a no brainer to knuckleball the punch out of these stupid ass hurricanes with something. Maybe there's not enough revenge in the mix.
You say,”This means that our political leaders are finally going to have to make hard choices (or not, which is its own way of choosing).”
The problem is that politicians don’t really lead. The ‘follow from the front’ and get elected by promising what voters think they want, and then when in power trying to give voters what they think those voters actually need, but within broad acceptability in case their support drops away.
But many voters, even a majority of voters, do not want any climate change policies that affect their current lifestyle or that raise the cost of anything. It isn’t just in America; in England there were mass protests as a planned rise in fuel duties, and in France the ‘Yellow Vest’ mass protests, again against fuel duties and changes to farm subsidies. Germany too has regular protests about rising domestic fuel costs, especially since Russian gas was shut off.
I think it is noteworthy that Kamala Harris has avoided the whole Eco-policies minefield throughout this election, barely mentioning it or any policy details, because she knows it will lose her more votes than she would win. Americans simply don’t want it!
If people won’t vote for eco policies or any party that proposes them, and won’t pay for them, and won’t change their behaviour or reduce their fossil fuel consumption, then at some point we have to accept that our Western societies are going to drive themselves at full speed off that cliff.
There is no Plan B, no cavalry or superhero appearing from stage left, no rescuers, no survivability strategy worth the time of day. Whilst it may be an interesting academic exercise to imagine how we might get ourselves out of this mess, it means nothing if no-one wants to do it and no-one wants to pay for it.
Like the films used to say, ‘The End’.
This was a tough one — and so necessary. Thank you for everything you do and for modeling what it means to be a good global (and local) citizen in these times.
The climate crisis is no longer abstract or distant. It’s happening now, in real-time, and the choices we make today will define our future 👌
I agree with most of your material. The science is right. The longer a natural gas pipeline/supply chain, the more potential for leaks. The best way to handle that is stop building them. Yet people can own gas and sell it. They cannot say the same about the sun and wind.
My problem with environmental perspectives is quite simple, and it is a problem that I find in myself. The best personal response to climate change is to use less energy. Drive less, keep winters colder and summers warmer on the thermostat, don't buy CAFO meat, cut back on high carbon foods that damage the environment like palm oil and coffee, fly less (or not at all), walk or ride a bike, pay attention to the embodied carbon of the stuff you buy, and buy less of it. All these are simple, but hard to do and I will admit my own complicity. "For that which I should not do, I do; and the things I should do, I do not do." A paraphrase of Romans 7:15. We are caught in a system that we wish would end, but we don't know how because it is the only way we have lived. Our indigenous brethren, locally and globally can help us learn otherwise if we are willing to listen.
Thank you for this newsletter. In the 1970s when we read the Club of Rome report in paperback form I never thought climate change would come in my life time. Here we are....from the Kogelberg Biosphere reserve in the Southern Cape in South Africa. Sorry I can't pay, but greatly appreciate your newsletters.
Thank you, Bill, anyone with two working brain cells should be able to see for themselves the climate is worse than it was a mere ten years ago and is getting worse every year.
Of course trump and the wealthy oil magnates don't care, why should they? They'll be long dead before the unlivable climate for humans arrive, even if it only takes ten years - and they don't give two hoots in hell about their offspring either.
So terribly sad - and two more storms already building up. What does it take for people to act?
Once again, I am very grateful for your summary of climate related news. This time you seem to have outdone yourself as your summary is somewhat overwhelming. I suppose that is a reflection of the deteriorating conditions on our one and only planet!
You'd think
For a folk that figured out how to make a fastball atom blow shit up to kill all the people we don't like, all at once, that it would be a no brainer to knuckleball the punch out of these stupid ass hurricanes with something. Maybe there's not enough revenge in the mix.