Mastodawn

larrybiggs Jun 18, 2023

Bread and Circuses

Remember what Greta Thunberg has said?

"I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act."

The opinion piece below from Bloomberg/WaPo seems to agree with her...
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"Global Heat Records Are Falling. A Little Panic Might Be in Order."

The planet could easily set a record-high average temperature in 2023, especially with an El Niño weather pattern kicking in later this year. We have already suffered through the hottest early June on record, with global land temperatures briefly touching 1.5C above the pre-industrial average. Ocean temperatures this spring have been the hottest ever at this time of year, in records going back 174 years.

Many people, including myself, have warned against panicking about such stunning new highs, given the temporary nature of El Niño’s boost. Even if we temporarily hit 1.5C of warming this year, it will still be theoretically possible to avoid long-term warming beyond that level and all the catastrophic consequences that would come with it.

But first we must kick our fossil-fuel addiction and stop spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And judging by how little the world’s policymakers seem to be interested in taking such steps, perhaps just a smidgen of panic might be helpful.

Scientists agree the world must zero out its emissions by 2050 in order to keep warming to 1.5C, a target set at the Paris climate accords in 2015. And so far 95 countries have made "net-zero" pledges.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the vast majority of those pledges aren’t credible. Current policies and practices have the world on pace to hit nearly 3C of warming by the end of the century. Even the most dependable net-zero pledges would still lead to close to 2.5C of warming, a recent study found.

One big problem is that significant numbers of "net-zero" countries have zero plans to stop burning oil, gas, and coal, according to a new study from the Stockholm Environment Institute. Of the 95 pledging countries, 45 talk about "continuing or expanding fossil-fuel production" right there in their net-zero pledges, according to the study. Only 5 of the 95 countries, in contrast, discuss transitioning out of fossil-fuel production as part of their net-zero pledges.
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FULL ARTICLE -- https://archive.is/uz5Nr#selection-341.0-341.66

#Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency #ClimateAction #CO2 #Emissions #Capitalism #BusinessAsUsual

october surprise Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses scarcity mindset is internalized capitalism.

TobiWanKenobi Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses

""I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act."

I think those were her most powerful words.

She was completely correct in this regard. Problem of our time has been people not panicking enough. Especially us all who live in the wealthy, industrialized world.

At this point, change won't come from within the system. At least not at a pace as it'd be required to avoid the worst case scenarios.

And sorry to spoil the party, but anything beyond +2°C will be a devastating, terrible scenario. Maybe not for everyone in the global north, but for most of the global south, it'll probably mean death.

And then some politicians and capitalist puppets blather about the need to simply "adopt" to a world of +3°C...I mean, seriously...

Here, have a very conservative prediction of what the various temperatures could actually mean: https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/backgrounder___comparing_climate_impacts_at_1_5c__2c__3c_4c.pdf (WWF source)

And now consider that these are based on what science knows, not what shocks them like the current warming of the ocean, or other effects scientists cannot clearly explain...happening at +1.2° C

Sometimes when I catch some of what media outlets write or listen to some of our politicians, I feel like I'm surrounded by clowns. /sigh

climate voter/radical oldie Jun 17, 2023

@TobiWanKenobi @breadandcircuses But it might be inconvenient to do what needs to be done. However, things like massive forest fires every year and lperpetual fire seasons seems even more inconvenient. Yes, we can't fix it on an individual level but do we really need to buy trucks and SUVs that just get bigger and bigger?

TobiWanKenobi Jun 17, 2023

Yes, people can help climate change by adjusting their habits. But there's something else we can do on an individual level; something that is far more important.

Band together and change our current system.

We won't solve any #ClimateCrisis or #socialinequality under capitalist rule.

The first step towards getting the necessary, drastic changes started would be for the people to take back control over their lives. We cannot change anything if we don't have full control over things. And we need to change a lot. Really a lot.

The idea that #climatechange will be fixed by people eating less meat and driving less SUVs/trucks sounds nice, but is nothing but capitalist propaganda.

As long as a small group of people is allowed to own such ridiculous amounts of money (power) and assets that they can virtually influence any policymaking, they'll steadily sabotage any attempt to fix things. Out of sheer interest to keep their power.

On top of that, these people also count as the biggest CO² emitters on this planet.

@breadandcircuses

bouriquet Jun 17, 2023

@TobiWanKenobi @tmstreet @breadandcircuses So in a way, starting with the burgeoning smokestacks of the Industrial Age, rampant capitalism, it’s insistence on “growth” through advertising causing unnecessary wants vs needs, and the resultant concentration of wealth and power in a very small segment of the population is the primary cause for climate change and the major reason we will never achieve the necessary changes in order to reverse it.

TobiWanKenobi Jun 17, 2023

Capitalism needs energy and technological advancement to fuel its growth. And growth is an elementary part of capitalism. You cannot remove it.

And infinite growth on a finite planet does not work. Period

So even if you switch your entire industry to CO²-free energy, and if we ignore all the resources and nature destruction needed to avail this energy, then the economy would still grow, and we'd continuously need more energy.

Add to this the competitive nature of capitalism, where monopolies are the final form in any market section, and you know that you won't be able to act against the owners of those monopolies. Not within the ruleset, at least.

So you're basically stuck with an ever-growing economy ruled by a few mega corporations which quickly absorb all new technologies while constantly searching for new ways of exploitation in order to get ahead of the other mega corporations. 😞

@tmstreet @breadandcircuses

bouriquet Jun 17, 2023

@TobiWanKenobi @tmstreet @breadandcircuses Yup.
We’re screwed.

Ostrich Jun 18, 2023

@TobiWanKenobi @bouriquet @tmstreet @breadandcircuses Incorrect. Growth refers to growth of productivity, which refers to higher output per input. Higher carrying capacity of a resource base.

Criticism of capitalism is fine but degrowth is a democidal ideology.

bouriquet Jun 18, 2023

@ostrich @TobiWanKenobi @tmstreet @breadandcircuses noooo. Growth in sales and profits is all they cared about. Tax laws allowed write offs of input

Ostrich Jun 18, 2023

@bouriquet @TobiWanKenobi @tmstreet @breadandcircuses Dude, please, come on, you don't seriously believe tax write-offs constitute a significant enough benefit to be a motivation to waste.

Ostrich Jun 18, 2023

@bouriquet @TobiWanKenobi @tmstreet @breadandcircuses The issue is that any system, even anti-capitalist systems, that fail to fully internalize the externalities of emissions, pollution, etc. are doomed to destroy the environment efficiently. A firmly-enforced carbon tax would do this. You don't have to overthrow the whole system to accomplish it either, you just have to overthrow the right wing.

TobiWanKenobi Jun 18, 2023

The right-wing is a product of capitalism, Why? Because this system has produced a huge level of inequality while keeping significant parts of societies dumb. At the same time private-funded media and social media (both belonging to capitalists) spread lies and half truths to make an easy buck and to distract from the true issues of society.

In the first place, you cannot even call these people true right-wingers since it's not like they're acting in the interest of their country. Many of the neo-fascists all over the world are networking and supporting Russia's imperial invasion war. Something which does not make any sense for an American nationalist, now does it?

"You don't have to overthrow the whole system to accomplish it either, you just have to overthrow the right wing."

Because of how the system is set up, that demand has no chance of coming true. The right-wing is backed by powerful capitalists. The only chance for you to "only overthrow the right-wing" would be to get most of the other capitalists on your side. Good luck with that.

Of course, you could dampen the negative effects of the capitalist system by enforcing high and significant carbon taxes, death taxes, wealth taxes, etc. But, did you consider why those things haven't been in place for decades?

We actually have a carbon tax in my country. Take a guess how high it is and then look up how high the tax would need to be in order to actually reflect the damage done by CO² emission, and then consider the consequences of it. I'll spoil you: Your demand for such a tax actually aligns with my demand to destroy the capitalist system.

"Incorrect. Growth refers to growth of productivity, which refers to higher output per input."

Growth refers to total growth. It can mean growth through improved efficiency in production, but it can also mean a simple increase of the output to fulfill demand, or exploitation of new markets, for example. You're just redefining growth to efficiency. The underlying financial system of capitalism needs economical growth, but it doesn't care where it comes from.

@bouriquet @tmstreet @breadandcircuses

Ostrich Jun 18, 2023

@TobiWanKenobi @bouriquet @tmstreet @breadandcircuses I disagree, the right wing is an active movement of will. The ascription of that existing evil to "material conditions" serves to exonerate them from active destruction of humanity. You cannot contextualize that.

bouriquet Jun 18, 2023

@ostrich @TobiWanKenobi @tmstreet @breadandcircuses If you accomplish that, you don’t need a carbon tax then.

Ostrich Jun 18, 2023

@bouriquet @TobiWanKenobi @tmstreet @breadandcircuses Yes, you do, that's the point. The entire reason to overthrow the right wing is to achieve political goals that save the planet. If we could do it without overthrowing them we would have done so already

Tormod Halvorsen Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses @PamW

We're way more likely to just pour ourselves another drink, slowly covering the ice from that iceberg we allegedly hit a while back...

Cheers! 🧊🥃

Pepperbike Jun 18, 2023

@airwhale @breadandcircuses @PamW unfortunately this is what I anticipate will happen. Top few people with too little power care.

Ω 🌍 Gus Posey Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses I'm surprised groups like those haven't leaned into the fire analogy harder. Scary stuff sells.

bouriquet Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses And there’s no vaccine coming in a year to rescue us.
This problem is real and isn’t going away. Once the oceans are heated, their thermal mass will take a very long time to cool. ( they’ve absorbed more than 90% of excess heat we generate)

Amat Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses greta thunberg is not a precocious child, playing at being important in an adult world by exaggerating the nature of the crisis. She is all our children, begging us to save them, save their futures from an existential threat, caused by our wilful blindness and greed.What are we prepared to do to save our children?

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jun 17, 2023

@AmatAnand @breadandcircuses Not much, apparently.

Extinction (our fate)Jun 17, 2023

@AmatAnand @breadandcircuses Apparently some of us are willing to force our children to work long hours rather than save them. Personally, I don't have kids so my concern isn't for my species, but the panoply of species that turned this planet from a hunk of rock and ooze into a habitable place. I doubt they could do it again if we mess it up for them.

Buy nothing new Jun 18, 2023

@AmatAnand @breadandcircuses If only we could influence the 1 percent of miners, industrialists and lear jetters who are driving the problem

Epic Lemur Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jun 17, 2023

@breadandcircuses There are acouple of problems with the messaging.

One is the "It's not so bad really" narrative. 1.5° of warming was once seen as the absolute maximum that could be tolerated without dire consequences for humanity. Now it's expected this year and you say "Even if we reach 1.5° this year - there's still a chance ......" This narrative postpones disaster into the future. Politicians, non-scientific folk read this as " it's okay to postpone drastic measures."

Stick to the original narrative. The worst has happened. We are in the midst of planet-wide disaster. No-one is coming to save us.

Secondly, stop telling people about degrees of global warming by such and such a date and talk about the consequences, the impact on people's lives. Tell them meaningful stuff; the area of the planet's surface currently on fire or flooded, about crops lost, the likely maximum and minimum temperatures for their locality.

#ClimateAction #climate

Truth Or Consequences ✅ 🇺🇦Jun 18, 2023

@anne_twain Everything is going to be fine, until it isn't. Then the climate deniers will blame scientists instead of capitalists. We are on that course right now.

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jun 19, 2023

@Savvyhomestead Will they blame scientists? Why?

I think they'll blame governments because they expect the government to take the lead. This has become clear during the pandemic.

The people will blame governments for not taking the lead earlier.

However, we also learn from the pandemic that governments in a democracy don't want to ask anyone to give up their current lifestyle except in extreme circumstances. So they'll wait for climate disasters to become extreme before they act.

Truth Or Consequences ✅ 🇺🇦Jun 19, 2023

@anne_twain In most sane countries they will blame the government but in the US the loudest voices blame scientists for their message.
Either way everything is fine until it isn't.

ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘Jun 19, 2023

@Savvyhomestead I'm Australian, we tend to blame the government here. You sound very accepting of the status quo, is that right?

Sane Thinker Jun 18, 2023

@breadandcircuses The majority won't panic until food is disappearing. Then it will all just be hell.