Posts by Steve Rowe
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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why…, in reply to BenWilson,
But our challenge, if we see these as solutions, is not to just take the savings and spend them on more fossil fuels to give ourselves higher growth.
That is exactly what happens. Lower fuel costs equals more fuel usage. Growth is the problem and the solution is - no more growth. No one will vote for it but it will happen eventually just through resource depletion. Anyone thinking there will be a political or corporate solution is grabbing pie in the sky.
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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why…, in reply to BenWilson,
Weelll….wind power is, actually, literally, fresh air. Solar power falls on us from the sky. Tidal power is ripping around us constantly. Hydro power is fresh water falling from the sky driven by solar energy hitting the oceans. These are but a few alternate sources. They’re not enough at the moment, but they could be extended a lot. NZ has done pretty well so far with hydro, it’s not the stuff of fantasy.
My point is that the equipment needed to harness these "free" energy sources comes from a fossil fueled energy base and needs to be supported by a fossil fueled mining industry. We are not going to "technology" out of the problem. Is is fantasy.
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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why…, in reply to BenWilson,
But how can we do growth without using more energy? What actually is a sustainable level? It’s probably a lot higher than most people realize, at the moment. Well in excess of renewable energy currently set up and available. Maybe even in excess of an enormous and sustained effort dedicated to producing nothing else for decades.
Are there other ideas? I’m genuinely curious. Is the Green movement the be-all and end-all for environmentalism, or is there some lesser (and less radical) idea out there that might serve at least some improvement to our voracious need for growth?
Any form of growth is suicidal - these magical alternate energies don't come from fresh air, they have to be mined and constructed which makes heat and releases CO2. The only alternative is moving to a more pre-industrial way of life. Some of that sucks - I like my comforts as much as the next guy, I'm using a computer FFS! But it will be the only way to mitigate the worst effects - and it probably won't do that as most climate disruption is already baked in.
It takes so long to turn the ship around - one example is that it takes around 50 years to decommission a nuclear power station. Most nuclear power stations are next to coastlines and/or rivers. Do we really think that in 50 years those nuclear power stations won't be affected by rising seas and more extreme weather. Want to gamble on it? Look at Fukushima to see how nuclear disasters mix with the ocean - and now today we hear that forest fires will release radiation around the Chernobyl disaster area.
Green politics is defunct because it operates within the (never to be questioned) industrial civilisation model. There isn't any political solution because the whole political system is completely unable to see outside of itself.
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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why…, in reply to Stamper Stamp,
We've been told not to feed you but when faced with such ignorance...
First - Lindzen is not credible https://www.skepticalscience.com/skeptic_Richard_Lindzen.htm
Second - if the warming so far is around .85C "a few tenths of a degree" then even that has triggered a runaway feedback loop of melting in the Arctic. Do some proper research around that - and not just from your "business as usual" scientists who think it's a conspiracy (ie: over 95% are lying!) to ramp up tax.
Third - Let's pretend for a moment that there is no climate change at all. If you think the current "infinte growth on a finite planet while destroying every last eco-system on the panet in the pursuit of massive profit" system will not eventually end our existence anyway then you are deluded.
What pisses me off is that all the morons that ignored and contributed to the problem will be knocking on my door when the shit hits the fan - they'll be out of luck well and truly then.
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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why…, in reply to Ross Clark,
Exactly, an individual and small group response is they only way. Look to limit your dependence on industrialised society even in small steps. Start with food, grow as much as you can - live like your grandparents did.
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Envirologue: Too Big to Fail – Why…, in reply to Stamper Stamp,
"The planet has continued to accumulate heat since 1998 - global warming is still happening. Nevertheless, surface temperatures show much internal variability due to heat exchange between the ocean and atmosphere."
From Skeptical Science https://www.skepticalscience.com/global-warming-stopped-in-1998-intermediate.htm
Still have to pinch myself that we are arguing over whether Climate Change is a "thing".
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Even ten years ago I thought there may be a chance to turn things around but now I think there is no chance whatsoever. The climate/ecological-ruin monster is just so big and growing every day with most people either ignorant of it or too invested in it to care. Can you really see any Government actually doing what is needed (a huge reduction in economic activity and growth of all kinds) when even the Green Party has to operate in a consumer capitalist "growth" paradigm? Modern industrial "civilisation" (if you can call it that) is a "heat engine" but try getting anyone to vote for a reduction of industrial civilisation - good luck with that!
All that remains is to prepare on a personal level for what is going to be a very unstable and (at times) catastrophic future.