Bread and CircusesMar 13, 2024

They yell at us: "Stop being a doomer! You have to give people hope!"

To which I respond with what Greta Thunberg says: "I don't want your hope. 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!"

Along those lines, I strongly recommend this superb new essay from author and climate campaigner Jonathon Porritt, in which he explains that mainstream climate scientists, by insisting we should always be positive and hopeful, run the risk of becoming the new climate deniers.

Here is a brief summary...
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1. The speed with which the climate is now changing is faster than (almost) all scientists thought possible.

2. There is now zero prospect of holding the average temperature increase this century to below 1.5°C; even 2°C is beginning to slip out of reach. The vast majority of climate scientists know this, but rarely if ever give voice to this critically important reality.

3. At the same time, the vast majority of people still haven’t a clue about what’s going on – and what this means for them and everything they hold dear.

4. The current backlash against existing (already wholly inadequate) climate measures is also accelerating – and will cause considerable political damage in 2024. Those driving this backlash represent the same old climate denial that has been so damaging over so many years.

5. The science-based institutions on which we depend to address this crisis have comprehensively failed us. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is incapable of telling the whole truth about accelerating climate change; the Conference of the Parties (under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) has been co-opted by the fossil fuel lobby to the point of total corruption.

6. By not calling out these incontrovertible realities, mainstream scientists are at risk of becoming the new climate deniers.
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Read the whole thing -- https://www.jonathonporritt.com/mainstream-climate-science-the-new-denialism/

#Science #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency

Mainstream Climate Science: The New Denialism? - Jonathon Porritt

This is a bit of a long one! So here’s my “Executive Summary” so you can decide whether to commit the time to the rest of it: mainstream climate scientists run the risk of becoming the new climate deniers.

Jonathon Porritt
Show threadNicole ParsonsMar 13, 2024

@breadandcircuses

1. What voters can do, stop voting for fossil fuel funded fascists.

Tories. Republicans.

What consumers can do:
1. Get solar panels.
2. Get a heat pump.
3. Get building codes for better insulated buildings.
4. Fund an engineering student group to invent housing & transportation for a future without fossil fuels

Show threadMattWhyMar 14, 2024
@Npars01 @breadandcircuses Number three is the one to get active about locally
In Australia, no one should be building single glazed windows
But they do because councils wont make it a requirement
Show threadAriaflame
@andrijson @Npars01 @breadandcircuses And because double glazing here is Not Cheap.
Mar 15, 2024 at 5:31pmWeb
Show threadNicole ParsonsMar 15, 2024

@ariaflame @andrijson @breadandcircuses

Australia is awash in high quality silica to make glazing, why are double paned windows so expensive?

The answer: silicosis

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-25/asbestos-coal-gold-silica-mining-and-deadly-dust/102968642

How deadly dust from gold, coal, asbestos and silica plagues Australia

From coal to asbestos, there's a long and deadly history of dust in Australia. And some are arguing that the lessons of the past aren't being applied today.

ABC News
Show threadMattWhyMar 16, 2024
@ariaflame @Npars01 @breadandcircuses Double glazing would add $2k to the build cost of a $300k (average) house.
Assume the build remains in place for 40 years, thats $50 a year
The energy savings from that decision will be far outweighed from the cost of extra capital and interest
Its expensive not to put it in
Show threadAriaflameMar 16, 2024
@andrijson @Npars01 @breadandcircuses Oh I agree absolutely that it should be done at the beginning. The recent building code change requiring 7 stars isn't yet fully deployed across Australia but may give some more impetus there. For those who already have homes it's harder to consider the inconvenience and expense to replace them.
Show threadMattWhyMar 16, 2024
@ariaflame @Npars01 @breadandcircuses And I guess then you'd agree that if you are doing renovations, any window thats pulled out should be replaced with double glazing?
Having recently gone through a house renovation, I know the additional expenses involved are minor in the overall budget
Show threadAriaflameMar 16, 2024
@andrijson @Npars01 @breadandcircuses Absolutely.
Show threadAriaflameMar 16, 2024
@andrijson @Npars01 @breadandcircuses I've considered it, but it's a lot of effort and expense for not a huge increase in comfort in my personal case (and to be honest it's the whole effort/inconvenience is the worst of it). I already don't have any heating or cooling costs.