Now there’s a hole in the sky
And the ground’s not cold
And if the ground’s not cold, everything is gonna burn
We’ll all take turns, I’ll get mine too — The Pixies, This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven
In a 500-page environmental impact statement, the Trump administration said that on its current course, the planet will warm 7 degrees by the end of this century.
A rise of 7 degrees Fahrenheit compared with preindustrial levels would be catastrophic, according to scientists. Many coral reefs would dissolve in increasingly acidic oceans. Cape Charles and much of the Eastern Shore would be underwater without costly coastal defenses. Extreme heat waves would routinely smother large parts of the globe.
The draft statement, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), was written to justify President Trump’s decision to freeze federal fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks built after 2020. Assumed within the report is that it is too late to do anything–our fate is sealed.
The document projects that global temperature will rise by nearly 3.5 degrees Celsius above the average temperature between 1986 and 2005 regardless of whether Obama-era tailpipe standards take effect or are frozen for six years, as the Trump administration has proposed. The global average temperature rose more than 0.5 degrees Celsius between 1880, the start of industrialization, and 1986, so the analysis assumes a roughly 4 degree Celsius or 7 degree Fahrenheit increase from preindustrial levels.
The world would have to make deep cuts in carbon emissions to avoid this drastic warming,the analysis states. And that “would require substantial increases in technology innovation and adoption compared to today’s levels and would require the economy and the vehicle fleet to move away from the use of fossil fuels, which is not currently technologically feasible or economically feasible.”
Just like gaining weight is a sign that something is awry, a warming planet is a sign that perhaps something is off course and needs to be changed.
We need to change the way we live. Better public infrastructure, a emphasis on developing local as opposed to global economies, a fondness for frugality and thrift as opposed to waste, and investment in alternative energies might go a long way to staving off a potential crisis. A consumer culture is a culture of comfort addicts who cannot survive without their next fix.
There is a movement of people, although “movement” is a loose term, to live frugally and retire early called FIRE. Frugality isn’t always in style, but it can save you money, stress, and help you reclaim your life from the treadmill. It would also help our environment. Anyone who is interested in peace of mind should check it out.
Just like gaining weight, the real solution for our warming planet is to change our lives, and not live in denial or embrace quick fixes. Although some of the solutions listed above are collective, any individual can choose to live differently themselves.
If every single person in America destroyed their homes and wore only sackcloth and ashes and ate only grass, we’d do NOTHING to decrease pollution and any planetary impact.
NOW on the other hand, if we could return Venezuela to the state it was in PRIOR to the Chavez and Maduro Socialist clown decades, we would IMMEIDATELY cease the destruction being wrought in southern Venezuela at the coltan/diamond/mineral mines where caustic and toxic chemicals are being dumped into water tables and rivers, the deforestation of the massive, and necessary rainforests and the absolute vile pollution being spewed into the streets of Caracas etc……
And frankly, I would be surprised if long term Federal employees DIDN’T put out a report that justifies their continued existence.
Better public infrastructure? In New Orleans, the democrats urinated away the Federal dollars sent for levee maintenance on golf courses, hotels etc…….
Local as opposed to global economies? Ummmmmmmmmmmm. the Dutch East India company was involved in ‘global trade’. The whole orb is a market.
A fondness for thrift? I dress out of thrift stores and yard sales. I drink water. I drive a 13 year old car. Ya wanna see waste? Go look at any Democratic run city or area, and you’ll see plenty of garbage on the ground. It’s right in front of those buildings that are now empty.
Alternative energies? Please go look up the Sudbury, Ontario nickel mine. It is so polluted that NASA used it to test the mars rover since there was NO LIFE there. If you only knew the environmental costs associated with AltEn, you’d run right so fast your head would spin.
And FIRE is all about RETIRING with money:
“It sounds great, but it also sounds constricting. According to the Financial Independence sub-Reddit, at it’s core, FI/RE is about maximizing your savings rate (through less spending and/or higher income) to achieve financial independence and have the freedom to retire early as fast as possible.”
Laurie, I love that you care so passionately, and that you feel that something SOMETHING needs to be done but penalizing America will not stop any other nation from doing their own thing. And as for that, NOTHING that humans can do will impact the Maunder Minimum.
I am not advocating for penalizing America or converting anyone by force. Hopefully nobody feels that above things mentioned are “punishment.” My goal is to do things in a smarter, healthier, and more humane way. I am not waiting for the collective, nor am I compelling anyone to learn about FIRE, only suggesting that paths exist to make life better and that some people have taken them. There are a lot of blogs about people who have found an abundant life through saving and prioritizing their money. I found reading them very illuminating.
It may only happen at the individual level, but I believe that educating yourself and remaining open to better ways of doing things can truly be transformative. Like the X files said, “The truth is out there”.
That YOU wish to make choices and adopt lifestyle changes is the very essence of America.
Using the force of Government to make all of us conform to your(using the plural you, not specifically you, Laurie) ideas on how to change the environment is the very essence of Fascism/Totalitarianism.
Case in point: We here in NJ(Well, the Sierra club and the very very liberal Democratic legislature) just closed Oyster Point Nuclear power plant, even though it was certified for another decade. It is closed. No power being generated.
It reduced our generating capabilities by about %45. TODAY. So, how does renewables replace TODAY what we just lost? They don’t. Ergo, NJ rate payers will HAVE to pay higher prices for imported energy. That’s the way a grid rolls.
That my friend is punishment. In one town in NJ, we have twice the population in poverty that all of ESVA has. To force them to pay more for energy is a major impact on their lives. Punishment.
Here’s a fun fact though: If EVERY other country on earth was as diligent as the USA in regards to pollution control, there would be NO issue at all to address. Look up our stats. We are the superlative in regards to clean industry.
I’m not sure about the politics in New Jersey. These days I am making more of an effort to go on a low information diet to preserve what is good about my life and not worry about political events I can’t control.
Our pollution may have improved, but our farmers, our oceans, and our soil all say different things.
Sigh, that was not about politics, Laurie. That was about energy consumption and replacement.
In regards to our oceans: https://news.sky.com/story/just-10-rivers-carry-90-of-plastic-polluting-the-oceans-11167581
Not ONE river from North America.
America has more tree coverage NOW then the 17th century.
Haiti has been so deforested that mud slides kill people yearly, year after year after year.
Have you ever traveled outside of America? Not touristy stuff, really dug down into the cultures you are visiting? I have, and kid the world AIN’T pretty.
Sounded political but maybe that was the mention of the Democrats.
Yes, I have traveled outside of the U.S. I lived in Thailand, traveled through Southeast Asia, and have visited Europe as well as Mexico. There is no perfect place on the planet, but I have experienced some of the benefits of other places as well as seen their downsides.
I’m not sure why you feel they are not pretty. My experience of traveling has generally been positive and life-expanding. Of course there are sad things, such the poverty and remnants of war in places like Laos, but people in other countries are like people in the U.S, some kind and generous, others not so much.
BUT none have the culture of cleanliness that we have here. If you’ve been to SE Asia, then you have seen the genesis of much of the pollution you rail about.
The Democrats were mentioned because we live in a 2 party system and the R’s did NOT shut the plant down.
And “Pretty” does not just mean flowers and mountains and rivers and vistas. When I say a place ain’t pretty, I refer to the genital mutilations, the rape culture that ACTUALLY exists in most of the world, the poverty mixed with fabulous wealth of the leaders, the moral and ethical poverty that diminishes the spirit.
But no, Pataya is gorgeous. Just watch where you step, indoor toilets are not really used much over there. Especially during tourist season when the rest of SE Asia comes to visit.
The toilets were a little disconcerting, but I got used to them. In Cambodia, I felt they were happiest to have tourists again since it isn’t long after the Khmer Rouge. When you gave someone 5 dollars there, you had just bought someone’s dinner. It was actually a nice feeling to help those people out. I think they were just happy to make a living again after so many years of absolute brutality.
Unfortunately due to human nature and the possibility of corruption at the highest levels of power, I suppose it’s not too surprising that governments are often awful. But most people just keep on surviving the best way they know how, and if they have some type of livelihood and community, they generally seem alright.