Climate Nearing “Point of No Return”

Hawki

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Basically reiterating what I said above.

I know hopium is a thing, but from a scientific standpoint, this is significant. From a social standpoint, it's also significant when you consider the green growth vs. degrowth argument (since the latter is a no-go politically).
 

Satinavian

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I am less optimistic. Just because in some areas the currently high oil price drives renewables beyond projections doesn't mean much. That has happened before. And then, when the price fell again, renewable installation slowed accordingly. And the price will fall : Not only will the Ukrainian war be over at some point, the world slowly moving to renewables means an oversupply of oil and gas and a lot of coutries who want to make money from it as long as they still have a market.

Furthermore while wind and photovoltaics are doing well, transitioning the transport sector is still way slower than projected with a lot of open questions.
 

Ag3ma

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Basically reiterating what I said above.

I know hopium is a thing, but from a scientific standpoint, this is significant. From a social standpoint, it's also significant when you consider the green growth vs. degrowth argument (since the latter is a no-go politically).
One of the things that makes me want to bang my head against the table is people whining about the price of the oil, and then fanatically insisting they remain dependent on it when the oil supply is mostly in the hands of foreign states that are neither well-disposed to theirs nor inclined to give up the massive profits available.

I wonder whether they might finally twig that they'd be better off cutting that particular cord.
 
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Gordon_4

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I wonder whether they might finally twig that they'd be better off cutting that particular cord.
The instant that doing so doesn't instantly add at least one hour in both directions to work commute or turn a grocery shopping trip into a cross fit session.
 
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Baffle

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The instant that doing so doesn't instantly add at least one hour in both directions to work commute or turn a grocery shopping trip into a cross fit session.
Doing insane cross-fit pull up flops to save the planet.
 

Eacaraxe

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I am less optimistic. Just because in some areas the currently high oil price drives renewables beyond projections doesn't mean much. That has happened before. And then, when the price fell again, renewable installation slowed accordingly. And the price will fall : Not only will the Ukrainian war be over at some point, the world slowly moving to renewables means an oversupply of oil and gas and a lot of coutries who want to make money from it as long as they still have a market.

Furthermore while wind and photovoltaics are doing well, transitioning the transport sector is still way slower than projected with a lot of open questions.
The mass transport question is unlikely to be solved without small modular reactors. National/international smart grids are better, but that would take years even on a new deal/WWII-era scale of international mobilization which we don't have. SMR's provide walk-away safe onsite power generation sufficient for personal EV charging, and for commercial fleet fueling/charging. The former for hydrogen fuel cells, the latter for EV's.

The petroleum industry isn't going away, but it's down to whether we burn it as fuel, or process it into chemical products that can't be synthesized yet. Peak oil doesn't just affect transport, which is the other shoe waiting to drop on the public's head.
 

Hawki

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I'm usually sparing with posting here, and by itself this article isn't saying anything I haven't posted before, but there is a little titbit there that caught my attention - that the world is on track for 2.4C warming by century's end.

Now, that's bad, like, really bad, but not too long ago, the projection was 3C, and before that, the projection was 4C, so while the West Antarctic Ice Shelf is nightmare fuel, sometimes I want my pixie dust as well.
 
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Ag3ma

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Mm, and you know what else research has suggested may be unstoppable?


Potential 5 metre rise in sea levels from this alone. Enjoy, coastal cities like New York and Shanghai! Admittedly, ETA for the worst of this is probably post-2100.
 

Hawki

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Both respective points are timed stamped.
I will say in Captain Planet's defence that there's a line you can draw between the villains who outright wanted to harm the planet (e.g. Dr. Blight, Skumm, Zarm), and those who had an "eff the world, got mine" attitude (Hoggish Greedly, Sly Sludge, Looten Plunder, etc.)

But, um, yeah...
 

BrawlMan

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I will say in Captain Planet's defence that there's a line you can draw between the villains who outright wanted to harm the planet (e.g. Dr. Blight, Skumm, Zarm), and those who had an "eff the world, got mine" attitude (Hoggish Greedly, Sly Sludge, Looten Plunder, etc.)
Yep. Due note Sly Sludge was the only villain to go straight in his final appearance and decided to dispose of his waste properly.
 
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Schadrach

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transitioning the transport sector is still way slower than projected with a lot of open questions.
Mostly due to practical concerns. Once you can haul 40,000 pounds of cargo a thousand miles and not have to spend any more time or money fueling your vehicle than you would with a diesel truck the transport sector will start switching over. That's...a tall order.