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New Study Finds Incredibly High Carbon Pollution Costs -- Especially For the US and India (theguardian.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: A new study led by UC San Diego's Katharine Ricke published in Nature Climate Change found that not only is the global social cost of carbon dramatically higher than the federal estimate ($37 per ton) -- probably between $177 and $805 per ton, most likely $417 -- but that the cost to America is around $50 per ton. That's the second-highest in the world behind India's $90, and is also higher than the current federal estimate for the global social cost of carbon. That's a remarkable conclusion worth repeating. Ricke's team found that the cost of carbon pollution to just the United States is probably higher than its government's current estimate of costs to the entire world. And the actual global cost is more than 10 times higher than the federal estimate.

[The Guardian's Dana Nuccitelli] asked Ricke to describe her team's approach in this study: To calculate social cost of carbon, you need to answer four questions in sequence:
1. How would the economy change with no climate change (including GHG emissions)?
2. How does the Earth system respond to emissions of carbon dioxide?
3. How does the economy respond to changes in the Earth system?
4. How should we value losses today vs. in (for example) 100 years?

The team answered these questions using four "modules": a socio-economic module to answer the first question, a climate module to address the second, a damages module to investigate the third, and a discounting module to tackle the fourth.

That study detailed the relationship between a country's average temperature and its per capita GDP, finding a sweet spot around 13C (55F). That's the optimal temperature for human economic productivity. Economies in countries with lower average temperatures like Canada and Russia would benefit from additional warming, but it would slow economic growth for nations closer to the equator with hotter temperatures. The United States is currently right near the peak temperature, whereas many European countries like Germany, the UK, and France are 3-5C cooler, and a bit below the ideal economic temperature. So, continued global warming is worse for the US economy than Europe's.

190 comments

  1. Cause.. Meet effect. by thesupraman · · Score: 0, Troll

    They are making so many cause and effect assumptions here it is just mind-blowing..
    And they call it science.. Without of course a single falsifiable claim.

    This is just pure opinion politics, of a very specific type.

    The assumption that average temperature somehow controls GDP for example.. Just hilarious, and of course stupid.

    1. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

      It is 'typical' of most economic reports. The numbers are basically made up.

    2. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      They are making so many cause and effect assumptions here it is just mind-blowing..

      1. The Earth is warming.
      2. We are probably the major cause.
      3. Our actions are certainly the only knob we can control.
      4. It is reckless to change how the only life supporting planet you got works, particularly if you have no viable plan to undo the mess once it gets too far.
      5. At minimum we need to compute the cost of action vs the cost of inaction to society, which seems to be what the study does.

    3. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Ichijo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ask a farmer if temperatures affect yield.

      --
      Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
    4. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Ask a farmer if temperatures affect yield.

      Well here in Australia this so-called climate change is having absolutely no effect on farmers at all! No wait ...

    5. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      California farmer or flyover state hayseed farmer? The difference matters.

    6. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Informative

      California farmer or flyover state hayseed farmer?

      Temperature affects both.

      Higher temperatures can put a California almond farmer out of business.

      Higher temperatures will extend the growing season and increase yields for a North Dakota wheat farmer.

      Temperature matters.

    7. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps you should read their claims, and see if they are claiming crop yield or not (to asve you the bother, its not..)

      GDP is not plant growth rate (and FWIW 13 degrees C is far from an optimal growing temperature for 90% of crops).

      So, you point, other than demonstrating a lack of ability to think clearly, was what exactly?

    8. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by coofercat · · Score: 1

      Indeed - and in fact, prevailing weather has an effect on shopping habits. Apparently, we're not so keen to go shopping when it's blowing a gale outside, nor do we like it when it's too hot.

      So in fact, GDP is very much linked to temperature. Sure, maybe not all of it, but it has a noticeable effect on it.

    9. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1. The Earth is warming.

      Agreed

      2. We are probably the major cause.

      No proof. Earth has been warming since the end of the last ice age and warming and cooling models more closely match solar cycles than anything else.

      3. Our actions are certainly the only knob we can control.

      Of course we can only control our own actions,

      4. It is reckless to change how the only life supporting planet you got works, particularly if you have no viable plan to undo the mess once it gets too far.

      Every living creature, every living plant, every geological process changes the planet. Outside of earthquakes and volcanoes Man might be the only creature capable of radical change since we have nukes, but we aren't the only ones changing things. How is it not reckless to assume, that if man is changing things and we decide to stop it, that that is the correct course of action? What happens if it is proven man's actions have actually increase the warming as claimed, but that increase warming prevented an ice age that would have turned Earth back to a snowball world that has happened before, but we changed course thinking we know better and the ice age hits? Is that not just as reckless? Considering there is not a single reasonable theory out there that shows the world could become too hot to support human life, I'd rather it be warmer with extensive planet wide plant growth than a snow ball world that can't grow food.

      5. At minimum we need to compute the cost of action vs the cost of inaction to society, which seems to be what the study does.

      Not possible because you can't quantify the cost of inaction because there is no scientific proof of what the outcome would be. How do you quantify what you can't know?

    10. Re: Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same for when it's too cold ...

    11. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by blindseer · · Score: 1

      I will believe Australia is taking global warming seriously when they start building nuclear power plants.

      Nuclear power has the lowest CO2 output per energy produced than any energy source we have currently with a possible exception for hydroelectric. Nuclear power is also the safest energy source we have, as measured by deaths per energy produced. Any other problems anyone might raise are nothing compared to global warming, assuming that there is in fact man made global warming.
      cite: http://cmo-ripu.blogspot.com/2...

      Problems of cost are nothing, because as is pointed out there are costs to continued use of coal. Problems of nuclear waste are nothing, because the waste is contained and localized compared to CO2 which goes everywhere. We know how to deal with waste effectively, put it in a container and keep an eye on it. Presumably in the future we can extract many of the valuable materials from this waste for use in industry and medicine, something we do a limited amount already.

      I find it quite contradictory to both complain so vociferously of global warming while having a ban on the use of a technology that has demonstrated a very effective ability to reduce this warming. Go to hell, Australia. Your entire economy is based on the mining of coal and uranium. You burn the coal and export the uranium. You want us in the USA to reduce our CO2? You first! Be an example for the rest of the world. You built up a bunch of wind and then found out it can't work without a big fucking battery to keep the grid stable. You know what would also keep the grid stable? And actually produce energy? Nuclear power plants. Go build your windmills but also build some nuclear power. If you believe global warming will leave your nation desolate then you need to have an "all the above" energy plan, and "all the above" includes nuclear power.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    12. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Higher temperatures will extend the growing season and increase yields for a North Dakota wheat farmer.

      Extend the growing season, yes. But decrease rainfall. Will that increase yields? Nope. Also, in the middle of the growing season you'll get temperatures that actually retard growth, since plants shut down at high temps to protect themselves (largely to retain water by reducing respiration.)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by jimbolauski · · Score: 1

      They don't calculate the cost of action, that cost is going to be industry specific and the curve will be exponential to the reduction percentage. What percentage of people are you comfortable putting below the cost of living in order to reduce CO2 emissions?

      --
      Knowledge = Power
      P= W/t
      t=Money
      Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
    14. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Warmer air tends to hold moisture better, doesn't it? And what about increased CO2 increasing plant growth?

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    15. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey, I can make a computer program that'll will output dire scenarios, too.
      'Modules', what's that, the new word to add credibility to their made up results?

    16. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by e3m4n · · Score: 2

      if any of them mine bitcoins they should be slapped. If their answer is using less energy to reduce output, then wasting it on useless hash algorithms seems rather hypocritical. Something like a few percent of the entire world consumption is attributed to crytocurrency mining. In one day more KWH are wasted on mining that the entire island of Puerto Rico consumes in a year (pre hurricane levels)

    17. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Well, Obama already destroyed Appalachian economies, and the bigoted progressives jeered at the victims.

    18. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not quite. Nuclear cannot respond quickly enough to account for fluctuations in wind power. For that, you need spinning reserve, like a hydro dam or a natural gas turbine. Nuclear is a possible solution but has societal tradeoffs that other energy technologies do not have.

    19. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Increased growth does not result in increased quality. Wood that grows too quickly is poor for building, as the fibre quality is lower than slower growing wood. Similar effects have been noted for food crops.

    20. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by null+etc. · · Score: 0

      No proof. Earth has been warming since the end of the last ice age and warming and cooling models more closely match solar cycles than anything else.

      Thank you for that highly scientific analysis, AC.

    21. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by blindseer · · Score: 1

      Not quite. Nuclear cannot respond quickly enough to account for fluctuations in wind power.

      Neither can coal, and yet Australia burns a lot of coal. As does Germany, another country brought up as an example of the "success" of wind power.

      For that, you need spinning reserve, like a hydro dam or a natural gas turbine. Nuclear is a possible solution but has societal tradeoffs that other energy technologies do not have.

      Everything has trade offs. Nuclear power has the lowest CO2 produced per energy produced of any energy source we have today. Nuclear power is far safer than even wind and solar. What trade offs are there that go with this? Well, there's the easily addressed waste to be disposed of. This is a far easier problem than the waste from solar power, and perhaps even the waste from wind power.

      Nuclear power needs reserve like wind and solar but because nuclear power is so reliable the levels of reserve needed is far less. In fact a fleet of nuclear power plants can be a spinning reserve for the other nuclear power plants in the fleet. They can increase and decrease power quite quickly in small amounts, which when spread over many power plants can mean a considerable level of spinning reserve. Add this to technologies like batteries and pumped hydro storage that people bring up for reserves on wind and solar means nuclear power is just as viable as wind and solar in meeting our energy needs.

      All problems with nuclear power are far more easily solved than any problems with wind and solar. In fact the same energy storage technologies used to address the problems with wind and solar are directly applicable to nuclear power.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    22. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by greythax · · Score: 2

      Fracking destroyed those economies. Cheaper natural gas replaced cheap coal. It was the market at work, not Obama.

    23. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is correct - additionally, food crops grown in increased levels of CO2 have been found to contain less nutrients (rice, for example) which is already having an impact on nutrition in poorer countries.

    24. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And minorities have less education and are hired less often. It's not racism, it's the market.

    25. Re: Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree. Further more I would like to add that there is only cost if you clean it up.

      The cheap solution is simple don't do it! Don't clean up! Keep all the profits!

      Trump obviously know this very well.... and people think he's dumb??!??

      China wants us to waste the money cleaning up to stall our economy. They think we couldn't see thru suck cheap tricks? LOL!

    26. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      It is 'typical' of most economic reports. The numbers are basically made up.

      Yeah. Only the economic reports proving that caring about the environment will ruin the economy have the right numbers.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    27. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by GonzoPhysicist · · Score: 1

      It has the capacity to hold more moisture, meaning it can also cause more evaporation.

      --
      horror vacui
    28. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      Warmer air tends to hold moisture better, doesn't it?

      Yeah, that's why it's alway raining in deserts - it's warmer there after all.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    29. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      And minorities have less education and are hired less often. It's not racism, it's the market.

      Maybe you were just being sarcastic and this was your point, but minorities have less education because of the willful sacking of our education system... along racist lines.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    30. Re:Cause.. Meet effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nuclear power has the lowest CO2 output per energy produced than any energy source we have currently with a possible exception for hydroelectric

      No it doesn't if you actually factor in the vast quantities of cement used in the construction of nuclear plants, plus the carbon cost to mine and refine the materials used in the reactors.

      Solar and win are vastly better.

  2. We live in the age of opinion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing else matters.

    Call your opinion fact or science to make it unassailable! Epic.

  3. I don't pay those costs at the pump by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    and I still need gas to get to work. Would I like a public transportation system? You bet. Am I going to get one with the level of corruption in my country? Hell no.

    What's frustrating is the folks demanding a "free market" solution to the problem. Maybe there will be one like there was for getting lead out of gas. After decades and decades of damage done to people's health and well being (and if crime statistics are to be believed our entire nation). What I'm saying is the free market is _slow_. I'll be dead before it fixes things. Probably from Lung cancer.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      You live in a state where each and every one of the goofball things you believe in is voted into office.

      Yet they spend $100 billion to, um, not build a monorail or whatever that thing was.

      So, if every one of your goofball ideas is supported and voted on --- and it still ain't workin ...

      What have we learned today?

    2. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by Krishnoid · · Score: 0

      Would I like a public transportation system? You bet. Am I going to get one with the level of corruption in my country?

      If you can't beat 'em, join 'em -- can't you buy a few buses, grease a few palms, hire a few drivers, and start your own public transit system?

    3. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by El+Cubano · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ... with the level of corruption in my country? Hell no.

      What's frustrating is the folks demanding a "free market" solution to the problem.

      As you point out, there are times the free market can be slow. However, absent some external distortion (e.g., the tax code, monopoly, burdensome/unfair regulation, etc.) the free market is by far the most effective and efficient (from a utilization of capital perspective) way to achieve an optimal solution.

      In the same way that the scientific method is inherently unbiased, the free market is inherently free of corruption. Now, since people manage to bias the scientific method, you can bet that they also manage to corrupt the free market. But the equilibrium of the system tends away from that, unlike government which tends toward an equilibrium of corruption.

    4. Re: I don't pay those costs at the pump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People sued for damages from tobacco, from lead and so on.

      Sue for co2 damages. That is the American solution.

    5. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would I like a public transportation system? You bet. Am I going to get one with the level of corruption in my country?

      I don't have to be a "public system". Cars not emittting CO2 is another alternative. Currently, electric & hydrogen are the alternatives. And sure, electricity or hydrogen has to be made, but either can be made without coal/oil/gas.

    6. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by religionofpeas · · Score: 3, Insightful

      the free market is inherently free of corruption

      If you don't control the free market, you get concentration of power. If you do control the free market, you get corruption.

    7. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The abundance of personal automobiles sucks donkey dick anyway. Either autonomous vehicles get here or we need better public transport. If we're just going to build more and more roads we might as well just let climate change happen.

    8. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      What's frustrating is the folks demanding a "free market" solution to the problem. Maybe there will be one like there was for getting lead out of gas.

      We don't call it a "free market" solution when it's driven by legislation and not by demand. The People demanded cheap gasoline, but The Government demanded removal of lead from gasoline.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    9. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering that the drug market and the black market are the closest we have to free, unregulated market systems, is this really how you want to form the basis of your society?

    10. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Switch to an EV and we can go nuclear.
      That's zero carbon.

    11. Re:I don't pay those costs at the pump by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      If you don't control the free market, you get concentration of power. If you do control the free market, you get corruption.

      If you don't control the market, you will get corruption. If you do control the market, you may get corruption.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. Awesom by AlanObject · · Score: 0

    Those Chinese hoaxers are thorough, aren't they?

  5. Carbon is NOT a pollutant by supercell · · Score: 0

    Getting sick of hearing this repeated. ~1% of the Earth is comprised of Carbon its a natural element.

    1. Re:Carbon is NOT a pollutant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Carbon its a natural element.

      So is lead and mercury, goddammit!

    2. Re:Carbon is NOT a pollutant by lindseyp · · Score: 1

      Underrated post! May sound stupid but I got halfway through the summary confused before I realized they meant CO2, not Carbon.

      --
      j'ai découvert une démonstration vraiment admirable (de ce théorème général) que cette si
    3. Re:Carbon is NOT a pollutant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      May sound stupid but I got halfway through the summary confused before I realized they meant CO2, not Carbon.

      It doesn't sound stupid (as in intellectually disabled), but it's very clear you have not been paying attention for the past decade or two. 'Carbon' in this context, as a short hand for atmospheric carbon in the form of C02 and CH4 is by now very well established. Nor was that the point OP was attempting to make.

  6. So tax it! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Look, I know we've built our societies on CO2 belching cars and CO2 diarrhetic energy production but it's a real problem that we need to fix. We have the technology to build carbon capture systems remove CO2 from the air with 1000x the efficacy of trees (per square meter) but it needs to be built and maintained. Therefore it seems only logical that there be a tax on all the things that produce CO2 so that money can be used to capture it. Obviously, this will make lower and non-polluting products far more attractive as they will be cheaper.

    The solution is known and it's extremely frustrating that there is a total lack of will to implement it.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:So tax it! by DigiShaman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      All schemes involving cap and trade / carbon tax, etc is nothing more than a wealth redistribution scheme for the globalists to maintain a neo-feudalism form of global dominance, control, and oppression.

      If you really wanted to tackle CO2, then dump every bit of R&D into Fusion Energy. NEVER will happen though as it negates the the real purpose as I've just stated above.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    2. Re:So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you really wanted to tackle CO2, then dump every bit of R&D into Fusion Energy.

      There's this thing called a 'market.' And, almost magically, what this market will do in response to internalising the externalities of climate damage (i.e. "cap and trade / carbon tax") will be to dump R&D into those alternatives to fossil fuels the collective mass of market participants deems to have greatest potential (which may or may not lean towards Fusion Energy).

      The advantage of using a method such as cap and trade / carbon tax to signal to the market, as opposed to some draconian prohibition (i.e. treat coal like we do cocaine) should be obvious. Now I understand that some folks regard even such intervention in the market as being inimical to freedom. However, the longer their deployment is delayed, the greater the threat global warming/climate change will pose to the survival of market-based freedom-valuing polities.

      globalists (sic) to maintain a neo-feudalism (sic) form of global dominance, control, and oppression

      Just so you know: Outside your tribe, this kind of ranting carries but little persuasive clout.

    3. Re: So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do you hate Jews?

    4. Re:So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A lot of that is because of papers like this.

      It's probably between $177 and $805 per ton. Most likely $417. But for the US it's $50 per ton, which is the second highest in the world, behind India at $90 per ton.

      What the fuck is it? We're floating an entire order of magnitude here, but not just that - $805 is 454% of $177. Loop it around $417, and you have $177 at 42.4% and $805 at 193%. If I told someone that a sandwich costs between $1.77 and $8.05, I'd have a hard time selling it to someone. If I told someone that they have to get a loan for their new house between $177k and $817k (we'll figure it out a couple years after you get the loan), I'd be called crazy. Not to mention, it's likely $417, but the US it's $50. What it likely is, $417, is 834% of $50...? We're floating two entire orders of magnitude here.

      I know they're just numbers and it's how we should feel that matters. But the numbers are pretty fucking important for relating importance too. If they're all over the place, like this, then why shouldn't people be completely skeptical of the message?

    5. Re:So tax it! by religionofpeas · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's a wealth distribution scheme from polluters to non-polluters.

      If you really wanted to tackle CO2, then dump every bit of R&D into Fusion Energy.

      Yes, let's bet on a single horse that's still far behind.

    6. Re: So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hooray! Someone gets it!

    7. Re:So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      (Posting 'Anonymous' to not undo modderations - JiriW).

      It's quite simple, really, if you can read.

      The $177-$805 ($417 as the top of the probability curve) costs are the GLOBAL costs of every ton of 'carbon' spewed into the atmosphere.
      The $50 for the U.S. and $90 for India costs are the LOCAL most probable costs of those countries for every ton of 'carbon' spewed into the atmosphere.
      That means, by simple subtraction, the GLOBAL cost minus the LOCAL costs of those two countries makes the most probable costs of ALL OTHER countries involved: $277.

      I'm guessing, China has quite a high local cost as well, but not Russia, because for its size, its shores are virtually uninhabited and population density is low. I don't know enough about Brazil and Australia to make any reasonable guess for those. Other countries matter less because they are much smaller and/or have a tiny population in comparison to those six. In case of Europe as a whole? ... Warming apparently may boost the economy a bit, if that research is to believed...

    8. Re:So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      “Let’s wait for the fusion unicorn” is not a solution. That will take years, even given generous assumptions of breakthroughs in theory, and when it does get here, the flat-earth lobby will come out against it just as they have for all other large-scale technologies.

      Instead, build a new-generation fission fleet while keeeping the hammerheads out of our court system so they can’t impede progress. To accomplish this, we use their own climate hysteria against them.

    9. Re:So tax it! by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1, Insightful

      And the solution is always: exterminate capitalism immediately, implement worldwide socialism, the United States must pay the staggering cost of the whole thing by impoverishing its people, and we need global governance without any voting or input from the deplorables. The whole thing might be more believable if the "solution" wasn't always the same thing.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    10. Re:So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If a tax, fee, or tariff manages to recoup costs that polluters have externalized or discourage them from polluting, count me as a supporter.

    11. Re:So tax it! by swillden · · Score: 1

      And the solution is always: exterminate capitalism immediately, implement worldwide socialism, the United States must pay the staggering cost of the whole thing by impoverishing its people, and we need global governance without any voting or input from the deplorables. The whole thing might be more believable if the "solution" wasn't always the same thing.

      Basically nobody is proposing that "solution" beyond a few fringe wackos who think it's a good idea regardless of climate change but are happy to jump on this particular bandwagon. Certainly, market-driven approaches like carbon credit trading and carbon taxation are absolutely nothing of the sort, nor are voluntary international agreements like the Paris Accord.

      Market-based capitalism is by far the best system we have for accurately optimizing economic activity. The powerful signalling mechanism that prices provide does a better job than anything else of eliminating waste in production and redirecting resources to the most useful sectors -- where "useful" is determined by the needs and desires of the population as a whole. Not that markets are perfectly efficient, but they're far better than anything else we've found. But markets don't consider externalities, so we need some way to make carbon emission a cost of production. Capital will then flow away from carbon-emitting processes and to carbon-neutral -- and eventually even carbon-absorbing -- processes. Moreover, markets price the future as well as the present, so it's not even necessary to impose the carbon costs right away to start seeing immediate benefits. If you enact a plan to impose carbon taxes (or similar) and convince markets that the plan is not going to be rescinded or relaxed, capital reallocation will start even before the costs hit, as industries and the moneymen who back them seek to minimize the shock of the change.

      To address the climate change problem, we need to apply the power of capitalism, not exterminate it.

      --
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    12. Re:So tax it! by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

      If you really wanted to tackle CO2, then dump every bit of R&D into Fusion Energy.

      Fusion energy has been 40 years away for the past 60 years. It's a very hard problem to solve and, while it might be great eventually (assuming the reactors are not too insanely expensive to build) it is not something we can rely on for solving our carbon emissions because, while I hope not, it may still be 40 years away a century from now.

    13. Re:So tax it! by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      Are you nuts? Climate change is the issue our globalist elites have hitched their wagon to. It will be the issue that enables global governance. If we don't agree, the planet gets it! The solution is the end of capitalism and the dawn of global socialism, enforced by an inescapable worldwide governance. How do people not know this?

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    14. Re:So tax it! by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      All schemes involving cap and trade / carbon tax, etc is nothing more than a wealth redistribution scheme

      Eh, kind of. Cap and trade is that. Cap and tax without trade, on the other hand, is an effective CO2 reduction scheme. The trading is the problem, not the cap, nor the tax. The tax is the most sensible part of the entire system, because it has been proven to be effective under capitalist systems. The trading is what breaks it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    15. Re:So tax it! by swillden · · Score: 1

      Your conspiracy theories intrigue me and I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    16. Re:So tax it! by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      All schemes involving cap and trade / carbon tax, etc is nothing more than a wealth redistribution scheme for the globalists to maintain a neo-feudalism form of global dominance, control, and oppression.

      If you really wanted to tackle CO2, then dump every bit of R&D into Fusion Energy. NEVER will happen though as it negates the the real purpose as I've just stated above.

      So how is that any different to what you just said you don't want? Giving lots of tax money to the globalist big energy firms.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    17. Re:So tax it! by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      Climate change is the issue our globalist elites

      So you admit you are just an anti-semite nut-job, without any arguments.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    18. Re:So tax it! by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      Boy, that came out of left field, didn't it? Globalism is quite real. It's not a conspiracy theory by nutjobs. Please read here for a discussion of global governance. Education, it's always the answer.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    19. Re:So tax it! by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      Boy, that came out of left field, didn't it? Globalism is quite real.

      Yaeh, it is. And it has nothing to do with Global Warming. And "Global Elite" is a dog whistle. Face what you are - I don't care if its a Nazi, an idiot, or both.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    20. Re:So tax it! by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      The "Global Elite" exists. Their annual meeting is held at the World Economic Forum in Davos

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    21. Re:So tax it! by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      The "Global Elite" exists. Their annual meeting is held at the World Economic Forum in Davos

      Even if you actually believe that - it's called Capitalism. Those people meeting there aren't Communists. Get it into your Nazi/Idiot skull.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    22. Re:So tax it! by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      A man named Caroll Quigley wrote the bible of Globalism, a book called Triumph and Tragedy. You might want to give it a read before turning your brain off. Being open-minded to new ideas is how we progress. Closing our minds and petulantly calling other people nazis is what idiots do, and you're not an idiot.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    23. Re:So tax it! by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      Why would I want to read a "bible"? And if you don't want to be called a Nazi - don't talk like them.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
    24. Re: So tax it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are a Nazi. Why do you hate the Jews sooooo much?!! You are a tragedy to mankind.

  7. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 0, Troll

    I meant to include this link... slashdot does not permit editing so... here it is:
    https://www.technologyreview.c...

    --
    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  8. Offtopic Much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All your CoCs are belong to us

  9. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Silicon-Surfer · · Score: 1

    So it’s come down 11.5% over 10 years. That’s a great start but what about the other 88.5%? Given that the reduction is largely due to switching to gas for power and warmer winters, it might be hard to continue the reductions. And nuking China would cause the retaliatory nuking of the US, so probably not a good idea. The subsequent nuclear winter would cool the earth, but it’s a pretty messy way to geoengineer the climate...

  10. MODS please repair moderation. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Look this is (as I write) clearly unfair moderation! The first post was a little unhinged and may have deserved it's TROLL moderation (in the absence of a RANT moderation), but this erratum included nothing but an actual citation and to what looks a quality source to boot! Could we just bridge the tribal fence ... just occasionally?

    INFORMATIVE would have been more appropriate.

    Regards,
    Old School Leftist

    1. Re:MODS please repair moderation. by Karmashock · · Score: 0

      As you're aware, that ethic is dead. I lament its passing but it is gone.

      I don't expect ethics, integrity, or rational discourse from the cultists. All I expect is shrieking and cannibalism.

      Sadly the only thing that will restore civility is the understanding that it nets no advantage to be hostile. And that requires aggressively and systematically responding to aggressive and systematic attacks.

      There is no point in being civil when you're dealing with cannibals. They'll just throw you in their roasting pot and dance around the fire. You form ranks, keep a keen watch, and respond with maximum unflinching ferocity when they come to refill their meat pots.

      Regards,
      Old School Classical Liberal.

      --
      I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  11. Nature's P&L statement day of reckoning... by js290 · · Score: 1

    Joel Salatin: "Nature's P&L statement day of reckoning..." http://bit.ly/1frMP4H

    --
    "Tempers are wearing thin. Let's just hope some robot doesn't kill everybody." --Bender
  12. In summary by DanDD · · Score: 5, Informative

    By now we should all be familiar with the Hockey Stick Controversy

    Under the "Continuing research" section of the above link, emphasis mine:

    Marcott et al. 2013 used seafloor and lake bed sediment proxies to reconstruct global temperatures over the past 11,300 years, the last 1,000 years of which confirmed the original MBH99 hockey stick graph.

    In cartoon format:
    https://rationalwiki.org/w/ima...

    And a free-market reaction to the above, with other considerations: an alternative energy consumption and production paradigm seems to be gaining traction, which seems to be related in some way to recent discussions about melting glaciers and sea level rise.

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
    1. Re: In summary by DanDD · · Score: 1

      That cartoon would only be a false dichotomy if environmentalism were not linked with a sincere desire to stay alive.

      Activities that contribute to the continued existence of humanity are big business, the biggest, or maybe just the oldest of which is sex. Some like it kinky, some like it painful, some like it in groups, and some only like it after being ritualistically mutilated with a knife as an infant, but one way or another, the end result is more people. Some cultures are more balanced than others, while some acknowledge basic human nature only on dark and seedy street corners and in alleyways. And in boring and lengthy fiery sermons about sin and hellfire and the afterlife, where choir boys and girls daydream about being somewhere else. With each other.

      Anti-environmentalism - spewing carbon and other harmful things with reckless abandon - is more like cannibalism and human sacrifice. What kind of culture would have children and fatten them just to give them to temple priests for sacrifice and consumption? This is what we do when we pour mercury into the oceans and carbon into the air from coal power plants and elsewhere. It's just ritualistic human sacrifice made somewhat more impersonal.

      The fact that AlGore, or ManBearPig, or whoever, wants to buy and sell carbon credits for profit is no different than some nut job with delusions of grandeur trying to monopolize temple prostitutes. Fortunately throughout history and across cultures boys and girls eventually figure out that they can pair up all on their own, with or without institutional guidance, and do what comes natural. And here we are.

      So, in closing, environmentally minded people have more frequent and more enjoyable sex, and people who tend to reject environmentalism are cannibals. So it is to your advantage to be an environmentalist, and to not worry to much about trying to point out false dichotomies, like this one.

      --
      "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
    2. Re:In summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a good thing that scientists never ever, never ever ever lie! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T86IIKK9FRg

  13. Correlation != causation by bluegutang · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yes, warm countries are on average less economically successful. That doesn't imply that warming will make a country less successful.

    Singapore is right in the tropics, sweltering year round, and is extremely successful. So is Hong Kong, which has only a slightly more tolerable climate. So is Israel, which is in a desert region. In the US, ever since the invention of air conditioning it's been the warm areas, not the cool ones, which have the most economic growth. In both the US and China, the cold regions currently form a stagnating "rust belt".

    The reasons why, in other places, economic growth is inversely correlated with temperature, are probably due to history and culture, factors that won't suddenly change if a place warms up.

    1. Re:Correlation != causation by Josef+Meixner · · Score: 0

      So in other words you can't explain it, but for some reason the correlation which seems to exist can in no case be any hint, that there might be a cause. Correlation is a first step in trying to find a cause, isn't it? Or would you go looking for a cause when it contradicts the correlation. Taking your examples, both Singapore and Hong Kong are basically cities, so not really comparable to most other countries. So those examples are straw men. Israel is a contrary example, but if it is so easy in that climate, why are all the neighbouring states so much worse. Couldn't that indicate, that Israel is also an exception? The other contrary indication you give is AC. AC comes with some cost. With rising temperature and rising fuel costs, what will happen in those areas, which can only be productive because of AC? So there is at least a possibility, that the long term productivity is linked to the climate.

    2. Re:Correlation != causation by thegarbz · · Score: 0

      Singapore is right in the tropics, sweltering year round, and is extremely successful.

      In what area? This same line of thinking turned the USA into an intellectual property and legal powerhouse, which didn't play well for their long term manufacturing prospects.

      Singapore may be successful, they aren't very good in farming, but damn are they successful at something. We can't all be successful at the same thing.

    3. Re:Correlation != causation by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      So is Israel, which is in a desert region.

      Israel would be a parking lot if not for the protection of the US.

      Alternately, Israel would be Palestine if not for the interference of the US.

      Either way, holding up Israel as an example of anything other than extreme interference by foreign governments is ridiculous.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:Correlation != causation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the US, ever since the invention of air conditioning it's been the warm areas, not the cool ones, which have the most economic growth.

      Yeah, that's why the southern US states are economic powerhouses, while the northern states are wilting.

    5. Re:Correlation != causation by athmanb · · Score: 1

      The issue isn't the temperature being higher, it's that the temperature is _changing_ to a higher point.

      This way, areas that used to have an ok-ish average temperature for a certain activity will no longer have that. Every other property of that area - infrastructure, soil, population, etc - however will lag behind that change. Adjusting to that change will be what's going to be astronomically expensive.

      Imagine moving all the good 200 year old farming topsoil from California to Oregon. Retraining farmers from one crop to another while buying them all new tools. Tearing down all the coastline infrastructure in Florida and rebuilding it several miles further inland - while you aren't even sure where the final "save" coastline is going to be at. Building new tornado-safe houses in areas that didn't have a need for them before.

    6. Re:Correlation != causation by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      Three of the top four States in GDP are Southern (well, CA borders Southern and middle). So...

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    7. Re:Correlation != causation by Ryanrule · · Score: 1

      Singapore is a tax haven, money laundering stop.

    8. Re:Correlation != causation by Ryanrule · · Score: 1

      Yeah and based on resource extraction.

    9. Re:Correlation != causation by blindseer · · Score: 1

      In statistics class we were warned on correlation not meaning causation, as well as a related concept of confounding factors. A confounding factor, as I understand it, is something not considered in the data but shows up as something correlated to something as part of the data.

      There must be dozens or hundreds of factors that are major contributors to the economic output of a nation, above that of climate differences by a few degrees. I have my own theories on why warmer climates are less successful but I'm sure I'd just trigger the snowflakes into calling me a racist if I try to explain the differences. It's got to be such nonsense on calling people a racist for pointing out the obvious that it's now a meaningless insult.

      I recall reading on Slashdot not too long ago about some breast cancer research on how women of African ancestry have a genetic predisposition for a very difficult to treat form of breast cancer. Then in the next sentence they blame the deaths of so many people of African ancestry from breast cancer on the inherent racism in western culture. No, I'm pretty sure that it's not racism, only that because of a series of unfortunate events the people doing research on this have not been able to discover a means to treat this type of cancer well just yet.

      Why are temperate climates more economically prosperous than warmer climates? There's a lot of reasons and many of them correlate with race, that doesn't mean by pointing out these correlations means one is a racist. What it does mean is that people will be reluctant to come forward with useful data because they fear being called a racist.

      You want to end the so called "racism inherent in the system"? Then stop calling people racists for merely stating facts that they discovered. We can't have solutions if presenting the problems means getting ostracized.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    10. Re:Correlation != causation by blindseer · · Score: 1

      Imagine moving all the good 200 year old farming topsoil from California to Oregon. Retraining farmers from one crop to another while buying them all new tools.

      I grew up on a farm and I see no problem here. Farmers get "retraining" all the time. There's new seeds, new fertilizers, new pesticides, and even just new techniques on old stuff. Farmers buy new equipment all the time. They get bigger stuff, they get newer stuff, sometime they even trade down as they go into a semi-retirement. Equipment wears out and needs to be replaced. A single combine harvester might last 50 years but trade hands 10 times in that period, and be moved across several states. Also, that same harvester might be used for corn, soybeans, and wheat, all in the same growing season. Planters will be used for several different crops, as will things like plows and pesticide applicators. It's not like farmers need all new equipment to plant a new crop, there's a lot in common for every crop.

      Also, crop rotation has been common practice for a very long time. Farmers already know how to manage multiple crops on their land, and have the equipment for it. Someone that grows a rotation of alfalfa, corn, and soybeans now might in the future have to add wheat because of changing markets and changing climate. Such changes tend to be slow, slow enough for farmers to adapt. They might have to buy new equipment, and learn how to use it, but they do this every year as a matter of keeping their equipment in good operating condition.

      Claiming farmers cannot adapt is all a bunch of bullshit based on assumptions that farmers are idiots that know little of their own trade.

      Tearing down all the coastline infrastructure in Florida and rebuilding it several miles further inland - while you aren't even sure where the final "save" coastline is going to be at. Building new tornado-safe houses in areas that didn't have a need for them before.

      More bullshit. Houses and other structures are replaced all the time. Houses flood, get hit with tornadoes, have fires, and just plain get old. This means they need to be replaced and when they do they will be rebuilt to the standards of the time. Such changes in infrastructure is often planned out decades in advance based on a history of flooding and other weather events. The climate is not changing so quickly that we can't adapt. The claim is a rise of ocean levels by inches over centuries, I think we can manage that just fine without being driven into a panic.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
  14. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by religionofpeas · · Score: 4, Insightful

    US NUMBERS FOR CO2 HAVE BEEN FALLING FOR MANY YEARS!!!!!!

    When do you expect them to hit zero, with things going they way they are ?

    Keep in mind that natural gas replacing coal is just a one time picking of low hanging fruit.

  15. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by DanDD · · Score: 2

    If US numbers were climbing then you could maybe argue the US should do its part to cut back. But US numbers are going down. We're doing our part. And that's before you account for all the carbon sink qualities of US territory.

    By your reasoning above, a gruesome analogy would be that you would prefer murder by throwing someone off a cliff because it takes orders of magnitude longer to die than simply shooting someone in the head with a gun.

    So... Enough. Go whine to China or possibly Europe who's numbers UNLIKE US NUMBERS are not going down.

    Look it up.

    I looked, and this is what I found:
    https://www.reuters.com/articl...

    Maybe global climate change is caused by humans, maybe it's not, but regardless, it does seem to be occurring. So slowing down behavior that is known to be environmentally destructive is good, but patting oneself on the back for a reduction that seems to be a drop in the bucket may be a bit premature.

    Maybe you can talk Trump into easing economic sanctions in his little trade war with China based on adoption of environmentally friendly policies and products. Oh, wait... nevermind.

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  16. Carbon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Surely you mean carbon dioxide, right.

  17. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's actually up if you include the fact that until about 20 years ago lighting accounted for a large part of domestic energy use. Switching to LED should reduce that to about 4%. That means other sources have dramatically increased. As they are mainly electronics i doubt we will be giving them up soon as they form such a huge part of our domestic lives.

    If you look at the total energy picture though the best bet is to reduce emissions on transportation and manufacturing as that is where the majority of the worlds energy is spent. So effectively until we go fully electric and then start replacing fossil fuel sources we are only nibbling around the edges. That means a lot of wind turbines, batteries, cables, nuclear power stations, solar. At some point in the future battery sources will need to replace gas turbines for demand management. That is a hell of a lot of batteries.

  18. Meaningless. If there is a cause it has an effect. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And you want to use that as a "proof" that we have to doubt that co2 increases have the effect of changing the climate, nor that a changing climate has any effect on the weather. How is that supposed to work?

  19. Dana Nutticelli by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dana Nutticelli. That already tells you to ignore the article completely.

    1. Re: Dana Nutticelli by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's Dana *Nuccitelli*. I can't blame you from making this mistake though, as she is as nutty as they come.

  20. It's not $37. Definitely not $0. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So what the fuck are you whining about? AGW is costing you a shit ton. Yet you whinge about not knowing EXACTLY how much. And yet if they DO make it a single value ($417) you will then whinge and bitch and cry about how there are no "error bars", therefore it's "not science".

    1. Re:It's not $37. Definitely not $0. by e3m4n · · Score: 1

      Im trying to figure out how $50 and $90 falls between $177 and $805. They state a range and then say the second highest country in the world only costs 1/4 of that, and the highest country is only half the lowest value of this range.

    2. Re:It's not $37. Definitely not $0. by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 1

      Im trying to figure out how $50 and $90 falls between $177 and $805. They state a range and then say the second highest country in the world only costs 1/4 of that, and the highest country is only half the lowest value of this range.

      What's so hard to understand. The range is for the global (=total) cost, the two smaller are just for the US and India alone. How is that hard to understand - unless you admit you have no idea what you are talking about and are in no way qualified to enter a discussion about the costs of climate change.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  21. So you'll only belive unpaid activists??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nope, you'll demand that they MUST be zealots to do all this work for no pay. This complaint of yours is a patently stupid way to demand that there is nothing YOU need to do.

    If you want to prove their case wrong, do so, without any pay.

  22. #shitholecountry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't want fucking free trade with such a shithole country. No way it benefits us. FUCK USA.

  23. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So... Enough. Go whine to China or possibly Europe who's numbers UNLIKE US NUMBERS are not going down.

    Our (Easter Europe) numbers will go up. for next 50 years.
    We want to grow, not stagnate under well established market division between multinational corporations.
    Instead buying the newest solution for clean energy we will do what Western Europe and US did in last 75 years ...
    Build up using energy on hand ... that is "king coal" including "brown coal" from open pit strip mines ...
    Unless we will go very green (to piss Greens in Germany) and go nuclear ....with side benefits ...see Israel ...

    we do no want to be forever consumers of goods manufactured elsewhere ....
    see India, see China ...

    Green energy is choker on the countries not happy with their current place in world order ....
    In other words .. you peons, back to work or you will not see shiny toys made by our country ...

  24. What is "social cost?" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WTF is "social cost" and why is it measured in dollars?

    This whole thing sounds like it was made up to be political fodder for a partisan political journal (Nature Climate Change? Are you serious?)

    Nature Climate Change is owned by for-profit Holtzbrick Publishing Group, which is a radical left publisher out of Germany that prints hundreds of partisan political rags, and BC Partners, a private equity firm founded by far-leftist Otto van der Wyck, who later presided over funds like Climate Change Capital and Alpinvest, two more radical far-left hedge funds.

    If you think this is an actual scientific journal, you are seriously mistaken. It is a leftist political rag that tries to put on enough makeup to pass as science, but this study and every other study published in it is "paid research" the the funding capital firms, which have their own obvious agenda: stimulate investment in Climate Change hedge funds and make their investors rich by fraud.

  25. Re: US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why do they need to hit zero? Entropy always increases, so where exactly along this long line of production do you expect to emit a negative value to overcome nature? Unless we start photosynthesizing ourselves, we'll naturally emit.

  26. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by markdavis · · Score: 1

    >"When do you expect them to hit zero, with things going they way they are ?"

    With or without crashing the economy? That is the first question to ask, and a very important one. If it is artificially pushed too hard, then we will completely lose the ability to change at all. Solutions that work AND that make economic sense will be those implemented all on their own, without much resistance. Look at LED lighting for an example of a huge win.

    Then consider that market forces have been moving on the problem for a long time. Efficiency of energy consumption has improved tremendously and zero-carbon energy production has been ramping up year after year. Things can only happen so fast.

  27. We are doomed by captbollocks · · Score: 2

    This is a poignant quote from WIndfall which is a book about how people are preparing to make money from climate change:

    “It’s a message that says, ‘Yes, forty years from now or a hundred years from now, in 2100, things will be really bad—that’s why you shouldn’t use your energy today.’ If people won’t get that if they have unprotected sex today and it’ll kill you in a few years, why should this other message get across any better? It’s morally bankrupt for the pope to say abstinence only for people to fight HIV—it kills people to say that—and I think that’s a worse sin than fucking."

    1. Re:We are doomed by captbollocks · · Score: 1

      And another that shows that nothing has changed in the last 6 years from the date of publication:

      Perhaps the most magical assumption of the moment is that our growing belief in climate change will lead to a real effort to stop it. But as I discovered in Canada and Greenland and Sudan and Seattle and all over the globe, that is not automatically true. We are noticing that in this new world, there is new oil to find. There is new cropland to farm. There are new machines to be built. From what I have seen in six years of reporting this book, the climate is changing faster than we are.

  28. Re:Approach: Made up a lot of numbers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    6. Profit!

  29. Re: US CO2 emissions are strongly down by swillden · · Score: 1

    Why do they need to hit zero?

    Zero is not enough. The plan set out in the Paris Accord assumes that we'll go beyond zero and begin taking CO2 out of the atmosphere.

    so where exactly along this long line of production do you expect to emit a negative value to overcome nature

    It's not that we need to "overcome nature", it's that we need to overcome history. We've already put a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere and because the natural processes that remove it are very slow the only way to get the climate back into a normal [*] state and stop the warming effect (much less reverse the warming that has already occurred) is to lower the present CO2 levels faster than nature will do it for us. This assumes we don't use other geo-engineering techniques to reduce warming.

    Unless we start photosynthesizing ourselves, we'll naturally emit.

    Not unless we eat coal. Sure, when you eat an apple you end up combining a portion of the carbon in the apple with atmospheric oxygen, then emitting the result as CO2. But the carbon came from CO2 in the atmosphere, absorbed by the apple tree. Human (and other animal) CO2 emissions are part of a cyclical process that doesn't make a significant net change in atmospheric CO2. What does make a change is digging up long-sequestered hydrocarbons, burning them to release energy and dumping that carbon into the atmosphere.

    [*] "Normal" is a funny word here. There is no such thing as a "normal" Earth climate. The planet's climate changes all the time. Usually -- but not always -- over very long timeframes relative to human perception, but still, it's always changing. All of recorded human history has occurred in a brief warm period of the Quaternary Ice Age. But the point is that we know and like it the way it has been, and in fact we want it to stay this way forever (or at least for a very long time). We don't want it to get hotter and force us to move massive chunks of our population and figure out how to change our food production approaches, which is what we're currently facing. We also don't want it to get much colder. Luckily, we have now proven that we can "engineer" a warming climate, so we can ensure that we never have to deal with colder temperatures. We did it by accident, but we could do it again on purpose if needed. Now we need to figure out how to stop warming, and perhaps even cool the planet a bit. Thus, we can halt the natural fluctuations of the planetary climate forever and lock it permanently in the state that we want it; the one we call "normal".

    --
    Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  30. But the #1 polluter China is what ?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What about China? China puts out more CO2 than the US and Germany combined if you were to read an biased news paper like the Wall Street Journal. But then again, the angry, hate filled, lower-educated liberal isn't interested in being informed, just angry, hateful, as well as spiteful to all that don't agree with them.

    Or just call them the average slashdot.org reader.

  31. Nuclear Power by blindseer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If global warming from CO2 production is a problem then we need to consider all solutions to reduce CO2 production. As it is right now, today, nuclear power produced the least CO2 for the most energy. As it is right now nuclear power is by far the safest energy source we have.
    Cite: http://cmo-ripu.blogspot.com/2...

    Anyone that both desires to reduce CO2 immediately and ban the future development of nuclear power is placing us all into an impossible situation. It's possible to both reduce CO2 and not use nuclear power but that means (as shown by the source I linked to above) much more mining of ores for the production of steel, concrete, glass, copper, aluminum, and so many more raw materials. This comes with costs, in money, lives, and standard of living.

    Any problems with nuclear power is local, very local, as in limited to the borders of the power plant and the mines. Releases of material beyond these borders are rare, minute, and can be addressed. Issues of CO2 spreading will be global in nature. Any costs of nuclear power must be balanced with the reduced costs of CO2 output it would produce in replacing coal and natural gas.

    Wind and solar involve considerable material costs, far more than nuclear. They also have costs in lives from industrial accidents, far less than any from nuclear power per energy produced. Wind and solar are also unreliable and expensive, which when addressing the unreliability means increasing the costs. There may be places where wind and solar are really cheap, and where pumped hydro storage is also cheap, but these places are rare. Suitable sites for nuclear power, especially fourth generation nuclear, are not rare.

    I do not believe global warming to be a problem but I will concede that point if it means we get cheap, reliable, and safe nuclear power.

    --
    I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    1. Re:Nuclear Power by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      What you're missing is that moving entirely to these new energy sources, the "game" can be restarted, and maybe this time the economic winners will be someone other than white guys, which means it will be fair. This isn't about protecting the environment or "stopping climate change" - this is about forcing a reset economically and changing who wins and who loses, because it's "not fair" how it currently is.

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    2. Re:Nuclear Power by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      wow you seem to be ignoring the extend and harm of a few nuclear plant disasters in the past few decades. problems not local at all, cross many countries.

      while I'm not anti-nuclear let's not sugar coat the truth

      really solar and energy storage tech has become efficient enough we should go that route, we don't need nuclear any more

    3. Re:Nuclear Power by blindseer · · Score: 3, Insightful

      wow you seem to be ignoring the extend and harm of a few nuclear plant disasters in the past few decades. problems not local at all, cross many countries.

      You appear to assume new nuclear reactors would be built the same as those that created these disasters. Estimates of the deaths from Chernobyl has been reduced considerably, to the point that even if we continued to build nuclear power like we did in the 1970s we'd still see nuclear power as safer than anything else by orders of magnitude. Fukushima was built before Chernobyl, and had design problems that were left uncorrected even though they were known about for decades. No one will build a nuclear power plant like either of those again, if only because new designs are cheaper while also being safer.

      I am not ignoring the extent of the harm, only recognizing that this harm was temporary and we keep these exclusion zones only out of an abundance of caution that many measures show are unnecessary. Again, such concerns are not relevant to modern nuclear power because no one is proposing to build nuclear reactors like those at Fukushima, Chernobyl, or Three Mile Island again. Those were all second generation designs, and all had problems of needing power to put in a safe condition. Third generation designs do not need power to be rendered safe. Fourth generation designs are being tested now and will likely be in demonstration prototypes in less than 10 years, and in production in 5 years after that.

      really solar and energy storage tech has become efficient enough we should go that route, we don't need nuclear any more

      You think storage will make solar power competitive? Batteries don't care where the energy comes from. We can charge them up with nuclear power. Those batteries would serve nuclear power well for load following, backup power, maintaining grid stability, and perhaps more.

      If we can agree that CO2 is a problem then we need nuclear power. That's because nuclear power provides power with a lower CO2 footprint than solar. It also means less environmental impact from mining, land covered, and lives lost. Solar power is also quite expensive compared to nuclear, even today and nuclear power keeps getting cheaper with each generation of development. Any complaints of nuclear power being expensive now are matters of politics, not technology. We can fix policy, and at a low cost. Solar power is inherently unreliable, because the sun goes down, and inherently expensive, because of the resources required. Technology might fix the problems with solar power in the future but today nuclear power is more reliable, lower cost, safer, and lower CO2.

      while I'm not anti-nuclear let's not sugar coat the truth

      If you continue to repeat such lies, as well as claim we don't need nuclear power, then you are demonstrably anti-nuclear power. How can you both say we don't need nuclear power and claim to be not anti-nuclear? Do you not see the contradiction here?

      Let's not "sugar coat the truth", nuclear power has a lower CO2 output per energy produced. If we agree that CO2 output is a problem then we need energy from the lowest CO2 energy source, and that's nuclear power.

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    4. Re:Nuclear Power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you retarded? The people with the money already will still win. This just cements their winning even further.

    5. Re:Nuclear Power by iggymanz · · Score: 3, Interesting

      okay, let's forget about reactors, the real danger is the spent fuel ponds. those are a more massive danger than the reactors.

      I'm not lying, I speak from reason. I've worked as engineer at nuke plant, have you?

    6. Re:Nuclear Power by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      What? Next you're going to tell me that socialism means that we have a permanent "ruler class" who decides how much everyone gets to share, and how much everyone gets to pay, and we basically serve them! This is unpossible!

      --
      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    7. Re:Nuclear Power by philmarcracken · · Score: 1

      Solar power is inherently unreliable, because the sun goes down, and inherently expensive, because of the resources required.

      There are more systems than solar panels, like concentrated solar power. They are built so when the sun does set the power is still flowing.

    8. Re:Nuclear Power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Solar power is inherently unreliable, because the sun goes down, and inherently expensive, because of the resources required.

      There are more systems than solar panels, like concentrated solar power. They are built so when the sun does set the power is still flowing.

      Yes, and those concentrated solar systems still require more materials per power produced than nuclear power. They also take more land. This land and material use sets a hard limit on how cheap it can get. With nuclear power there's not a lot of materials needed for considerable amounts of energy produced.

      Much of the costs in nuclear power right now are regulatory and engineering. We can mass produce these things, spreading out those costs over many power plants. Put multiple reactors on a site and we'd see further reductions in overhead costs.

      I heard people get concerned about this creating some kind of monopoly with placing so much generating capacity on one site. Well, the USA is quite large with considerable energy demands, a few 6 GW power plants (assuming each is a site with five typical 1.21 GW reactors) aren't going to be any kind of monopoly on a market thats as large as 1000 GW and growing.

    9. Re:Nuclear Power by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      okay, let's forget about reactors, the real danger is the spent fuel ponds. those are a more massive danger than the reactors.

      There's no point in engaging the nuclear playboys because they will either give up at this point, or start blathering about reprocessing that fuel even though it's a non-starter because it is expensive and hazardous. To them, no risk is too great to justify the technology that they are in love with.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:Nuclear Power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Engineers at Nuke Plants are experts in the operation of a nuclear facility. They do not necessarily know anything about nuclear fission, waste management, or anything else that has nothing to do with setting a perpetual chicken machine next to the keyboard and going to lunch.

    11. Re:Nuclear Power by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      That link you posted contains horse shit claims, so I don't believe anything they say. For instance, they claim that wind farms take up a lot of space, which is nonsense. The space "used" by wind and solar farms can be shared with other purposes, so they effectively take up only the square footage covered by footings. It also handwaves away the problem of waste disposal.

      Meanwhile, you are handwaving away the problem of water contamination from nuclear tailings as if it didn't exist, but it does. In that regard, nuclear is like fracking. It is selling out the future for short-term profits.

      I do not believe global warming to be a problem but I will concede that point if it means we get cheap, reliable, and safe nuclear power.

      You're willing to recognize reality if you get what you want? What a child you are.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Nuclear Power by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nuclear means vast quantities of cement which is *very* CO2 intensive.

  32. Solution... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We probably need to burn more coal, that should teach the stupid [flat] planet to quit whining.

  33. NO CARBON TAX by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NO!

    We will NOT pay any sort of carbon tax. get it into your heads.

    1. Re:NO CARBON TAX by Shark · · Score: 1

      Don't worry, it's just temporary like income tax. Soon as we're done paying for WW2, we'll get rid of the tax, we swear!

      --
      Mind the frickin' laser...
  34. Humanity needs to evolve quickly by TomGreenhaw · · Score: 1

    More news from Captain Obvious. Everyone knows by now that every time we burn a gallon of gas, we damage the environment. Is the damage worth it? Sometimes yes. Can the damage be mitigated? Sometimes yes.

    We don't inherit the earth, we borrow it from our descendants. We have no have right to incur a debt that our descendants must pay. People need to understand that environmental damage is stealing from our descendants.

    Unfortunately, humanity has not evolved yet a healthy form of government that the protects everyone's right - including the rights of those yet to exist. Human nature is stubborn, but the first step is to admit we have a problem with our governments.

    --
    Greed is the root of all evil.
  35. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

    So America deserves zero credit for doing the right thing. Got it. Wanna tell me why we should continue to do so in the future, considering we'll get nothing for it?

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  36. WTF is wrong with you? by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Get off the nuclear obsession! How can there be so many unpaid trolls for nuclear power?? It is not the solution to all our problems! It is a SIDE SHOW that you debate along with all the other issues but in the USA, the moron masses are just now starting to slightly admit global warming exists and have moved on to the next phase in the P.R. playbook in saying "it's not our fault." It doesn't even make much sense in this context but they adapted it from the playbook; liability doesn't matter with physics/reality.

    The NEXT phase in the P.R. handbook is "we're powerless to change it, so why bother?" and "It's too late to do anything." The cope-with depression phase, where they get you to give up; maybe even finally take the blame, maybe even take the blame for stalling until it is too late... but you can't change the past and the way things are so just let them continue and do nothing... don't even really punish them because it's not going to fix anything.

    These are the REAL big problems. You can add nuclear into the debate when people are actually making efforts to prevent and solve the problems but instead these side shows serve to fragment, confuse their opposition, and create doubts.

    We do not need to waste investment in OLD nuclear power tech. Yes, I'm including these new uranium reactor designs that are really still just revisions of the old. If there were ACTUALLY new ideas to use, then build some prototypes already! That's not working... know why? Because nothing comes out profitable without government losing money on it! INCLUDING existing plants! Obviously, new is expensive but they can't say it'll come down in price enough to jump onboard in any meaningful way!

    Solar and Wind was always known it WOULD come down in price; it's being backed without hardly any subsidies now (at least nothing compared to the others.) Battery tech we know will come down too.... By the time you build a new plant -- which takes a decade-- grid batteries will easily work to scale at a lower price (meaning one could begin doing that; I'm not saying that we will have everything in place in a decade.) Maybe fusion is cracked in 5 years... but you'd already begun building 10 nuclear plants that are halfway built... at $1billion each... assuming you got them going on schedule... the 2 Obama started and funded should be done today. Neither made it. hello? reality. yeah if pigs could fly and popular opinion and politics were ideal... maybe they could be done in 1 year for $50 in your alternative reality...

    1. Re:WTF is wrong with you? by blindseer · · Score: 2

      Get off the nuclear obsession!

      Stop with the global warming alarmism! I'll stop giving the obvious solution when people stop bringing up the problem.

      When I'm presented with a problem then I want to offer solutions. I've investigated this problem and given the data presented to me I see one solution coming up again and again, nuclear power. I also see other solutions, such as wind and solar power, but no one seems to be opposed to those but those solutions are going to be insufficient to solve the problem.

      By the time you build a new plant -- which takes a decade-- grid batteries will easily work to scale at a lower price

      Okay then, problem solved, right? If we have solved the problem then stop bringing it up. If we haven't solved the problem then we need solutions, and those solutions will need to include nuclear power given all information presented to me so far. Leaving out nuclear power means a solution is still at least ten years out. It's possible that even with nuclear power the solution is ten years out but if we put all our eggs in the one basket that is grid scale batteries. What happens if we hit a problem on the batteries? Just delay the Apocalypse? It seems we cannot wait and so we need all solutions on the table right now. If we leave out nuclear power then we are not taking the problem seriously.

      If there were ACTUALLY new ideas to use, then build some prototypes already!

      If you were paying attention then you'd know that prototypes were being built. The problem was that the Democrats, the Obama administration primarily, killed most every plan on nuclear power development, any means to dispose of the nuclear waste we currently have, and generally set nuclear power development back at least a decade. The Trump administration is moving as quickly as they can, with Democrats tossing wrenches in the works at every opportunity, to solve our energy problems. I've seen it mentioned before over and over that the Republicans have a majority and so what's stopping them? Well, look at the news on getting a justice appointed to SCOTUS as an example on how the Democrats can and do slow things down. Every appointment by Trump that needs a Senate vote gets held up by Democrats that, as it seems to me, don't want problems solved. That includes problems on global warming.

      As the rules are now the building of any nuclear reactor prototypes needs approval from the federal government. The people that do these approvals have been put in place by Democrats. The Democrats oppose nuclear power in every form. These appointments come up in rotating 2 year terms. For things to move on this means Trump needs to make appointments, with Senate approvals, which again means the Democrats have an opportunity to throw wrenches in the works.

      All this rests on the Democrats. The high costs of nuclear power is because of Democrats. The long building time of a nuclear power plant rests on the Democrats. The money lost on failed nuclear power projects rest in large part on the Democrats. It's as if the Democrats don't want to see the global warming problem solved.

      These are the REAL big problems. You can add nuclear into the debate when people are actually making efforts to prevent and solve the problems but instead these side shows serve to fragment, confuse their opposition, and create doubts.

      Nuclear power is a good idea even if there is no global warming. That's because nuclear power is safe, cheap, and domestic. You want to keep the USA out of foreign affairs? Such as those in oil rich Middle East? Then we need domestic energy. That means not only drilling for domestic oil and gas but also developing domestic nuclear power. People want jobs, well then put them to work in building not only nuclear power but also wind and solar. We import far too much solar power collectors, it's time we build them here, which is another thing the Democr

      --
      I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    2. Re:WTF is wrong with you? by e3m4n · · Score: 1

      if your goal is to stop buring oil, gas, and coal, then why oppose nuclear? Who said the solution had to be just one? We dont have enough wind/solar to provide power for the planet. Wind power cannot work everywhere. Its geographically limited to how much you can get out of wind. Solar works well in locations that get peak sun throughout the day (like arizona) but I am fairly certain that it isnt going to be worth a shit in Anchorage, AK. So why not use nuclear, instead of coal, while we work on other sources of energy.

    3. Re:WTF is wrong with you? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get off the nuclear obsession! How can there be so many unpaid trolls for nuclear power?? It is not the solution to all our problems! It is a SIDE SHOW that you debate along with all the other issues but in the USA, the moron masses are just now starting to slightly admit global warming exists and have moved on to the next phase in the P.R. playbook in saying "it's not our fault." It doesn't even make much sense in this context but they adapted it from the playbook; liability doesn't matter with physics/reality.

      Nuclear power is only a "side show" if it's not necessary to solve the problem. Wind and solar cannot solve the problem of global warming because they are incapable of replacing abundant and reliable energy from coal.

      The NEXT phase in the P.R. handbook is "we're powerless to change it, so why bother?" and "It's too late to do anything." The cope-with depression phase, where they get you to give up; maybe even finally take the blame, maybe even take the blame for stalling until it is too late... but you can't change the past and the way things are so just let them continue and do nothing... don't even really punish them because it's not going to fix anything.

      What encourages this powerlessness is the continued failure of wind and solar to replace coal in many nations. Germany has been unable to shut down their coal and nuclear because wind and solar have failed to replace them. If you want to rid people of this feeling of powerlessness then they need to see progress towards an actual solution, and that will not happen until we embrace nuclear power or we see some as yet unforeseen leap in technology that can replace coal in a meaningful time frame. It's nuclear power or continued wishful thinking that wind and solar will solve our problems.

      These are the REAL big problems. You can add nuclear into the debate when people are actually making efforts to prevent and solve the problems but instead these side shows serve to fragment, confuse their opposition, and create doubts.

      You fail to understand the problem. The reason, IMHO, people are not taking this problem seriously is because the governments of the world aren't showing they are taking this seriously. They make promises to lower CO2 but fail to do so year after year, with one notable exception being the USA. The USA has been able to reduce CO2 through continued use of nuclear power as well as replacing coal with natural gas. Nations not acting similarly have failed to lower their CO2 output.

      We do not need to waste investment in OLD nuclear power tech. Yes, I'm including these new uranium reactor designs that are really still just revisions of the old. If there were ACTUALLY new ideas to use, then build some prototypes already! That's not working... know why? Because nothing comes out profitable without government losing money on it! INCLUDING existing plants! Obviously, new is expensive but they can't say it'll come down in price enough to jump onboard in any meaningful way!

      The US federal government has held up issuing licenses for 40 years even though people have been applying for them. As the laws are written now there's no means to even issue a license for a nuclear power plant unless it uses solid uranium as fuel and is water cooled. Only under Trump have we just seen licenses for prototypes issued. They will not come down in price unless they are allowed to build them, just like with wind and solar. Wind and solar came down in price because the government wrote laws beneficial for development. We haven't seen similar research in nuclear power because until Trump got into office there was no one in government willing to start issuing licenses again.

      Solar and Wind was always known it WOULD come down in price; it's being backed without hardly any subsidies now (at least nothing compared to the others.) Battery tech we know will come down too....

    4. Re:WTF is wrong with you? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Get off the nuclear obsession!

      Stop with the global warming alarmism! [...] When I'm presented with a problem then I want to offer solutions.

      Global warming is a real problem, and you only want to offer fake solutions.

      Concerns on terrorism, the economy, jobs, and so many other problems that shows up in national polling can be, at least in part, be solved with nuclear power.

      It's funny you bring up the economy, since there are economic reasons why wind and solar are more desirable than nuclear. Even if there weren't other valid reasons to choose them over nuclear power, that would be enough since we live in the real world, and the real world is capitalistic.

      You want me to shut up about nuclear power? Then shut up about global warming.

      Yes, and no, respectively. Nuclear power makes sense on literally no level.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  37. First thing - how accurate in the past? by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 0

    Thirty years ago we were told the Maldives were going to disappear by now, from Climate Change and sea level rise. In fact, the Maldives Cabinet met underwater to highlight their plight. However, they obviously are still there considering they just expanded their airport.

    So before we consider the claims from a given set of models projecting sometime in the future, let's look at the accuracy of their previous claims. If they weren't very accurate (as we're seeing with this and 95% of the models in the IPCC), then we should ask for further justification why we should believe their models this time.

    --
    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  38. Nobody will support public transportation by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    because it's going to be empty for about 10-20 years while people switch over. It's not an over night thing. People's lives are built around cars. It takes decades to change it. If you build it they will come, but they'll come _slowly_. You have to convince the American Taxpayer to spend billions on public transport that's going to be almost completely unused for a couple of decades. Good luck with that.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  39. Do you have any evidence to back that up? by rsilvergun · · Score: 2

    because from where I'm sitting at it's not. The free market has nothing to do with our transportation system. Our roads were built with tax payer dollars, oil is secured with our military and it's production heavily subsidized. Even the suburbs are heavily subsidized (the expensive part of prepping the land, running gas, water & electric is all done by the gov't. That's the big reason housing isn't affordable anymore, we stopped doing that in the late 90s).

    The difference is that public transport isn't nearly as big a cash cow for mega corps as our system of roads.

    --
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  40. You idiot troll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They only come down because they are so damn high. Still the 2nd highest in the world fucker.

  41. stupid troll fucker. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You aren't doing the right thing. You are 2nd highest in the world despite 'decreasing'
    I only murdered 23 babies this year, I'm getting better....

  42. Re:But the #2 polluter America is what ?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The US puts out more than the entire EU combined. Throw in Canada and Australia as well.

  43. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When do you expect them to hit zero, with things going they way they are ?

    Well, we went down .8 billion metric tons over 10 years, so extrapolating that it will take us 65 years to hit 0.

    First steps are replacing coal with less-polluting natural gas. Next step would be replacing that with something even less polluting. So on and so forth.

  44. What is wrong with you?: Thank you for showing by bussdriver · · Score: 1

    Now I know, some of the rest of us now do too.

    BTW, I am not against practical nuclear power and I'm heavily pro-research.

  45. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by e3m4n · · Score: 0

    Remember when that Al Gore idiot, with his hockeystick graph, claimed that replacing just one lightbulb in my house with a CFL would stop global warming?

    Well I replaced every single lightbulb in my house with LEDs. In just 4hours enough NEW bitmining machines are added to the equation to undermine every milliwatt-hour of energy saved over the last decade from my LED bulbs. I refuse to participate in a reasonable global-warming / energy-reducing discussion with that elephant sitting in the room. Thats like trying to stop bleeding from a severed leg with a couple band-aids and neosporin.

  46. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by e3m4n · · Score: 1

    wasn't there a way to turn coal into oil? I asked because at one time Gasoline was a possible fuel source for hydrogen powered cars. Its full of hydrogen. Instead of buring it the hydrogen was stripped out, by the car, and fed to the combustion chamber. IF they can do that with gas, then, in theory, they should be able to do that with coal.

  47. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by markdavis · · Score: 2

    >"In just 4hours enough NEW bitmining machines are added to the equation to undermine every milliwatt-hour of energy saved over the last decade from my LED bulbs. "

    Well, that is not only true, but very frustrating. At least you know you did what you could, and it will help YOUR energy bill to boot. I agree with you that the whole bitmining thing really is a huge mess.... I imagine the only thing that could help deal with it is to make it uneconomical by constantly step-raising the pricing on such users. But how to do that without penalizing those who really need the energy for USEFUL things, like cooling their building, charging their cars, or running production lines that make stuff? Life is complicated. We really need working/safe/plentiful fusion power.

  48. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by e3m4n · · Score: 1

    im waiting to see if that solid-state lithium battery that doesnt require slow charging makes it to market. Rapid charging batteries will overcome one of the largest hindrances to electric vehicles. Price being the other one. Show me a car that is less than $30,000, can go more than 300 miles on a single charge, can be fully recharged inside of 5 minutes, and still looks like a car people want to drive and take trips in(not some bicycle frame or something barely counting) and the problem will solve itself. EV acceleration is pretty good so you dont get that rice-burning, barely get out of its own way, sluggishness that tiny (1.4L) 4-cylinder engines get.

  49. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by e3m4n · · Score: 1

    all the fuel savings from switching to LEDs was offset by all the goddamn bitcoin mining

  50. $ Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You forgot the key ingredient, money.
    Who is going to pay for all this new farmland?
    Blue staters obviously. How many farmers do you know who could sell their now worthless farm, for pennies, and afford a similar sized farm in another state. That just happens to be what everyone else is trying to do.

    It's not the same situation at all.

    1. Re:$ Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot the key ingredient, money.

      You forgot to read and comprehend what was written before authoring a reply.

  51. You may want to rethink your stance. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So you are claiming socialism is the same as capitalism, and that's why you are so against socialism...
    Let me guess you're a scientist...

  52. is that you Lynnwood troller ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    is that you Lynnwood troller ?

  53. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    US numbers are down and consistently down.

    Look around the world, very few countries anywhere in the world can make the same claim.

    Bitch at them. We're not the problem.

    --
    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  54. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 0

    When everyone stops breathing. Until then CO2 emissions will continue.

    --
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  55. Just fix it already by Trogre · · Score: 1

    You crazy Americans need to get over your love affair with coal.

    Dam your rivers. Build your nuclear plants. Supplement both with solar and wind arrays. Stop listening to your NIMBY's. Use modern technology for goodness sake.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
    1. Re:Just fix it already by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Use modern technology for goodness sake.

      I prefer to use the best-fit technology, not the newest one simply for newness' sake. Wind power was invented centuries ago, and the wind's still blowing so it still works.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Just fix it already by Trogre · · Score: 1

      Yes, perhaps I should have said use modern technology where it makes sense to. Would that have made it more clear for you?

      Wind power may have been invented centuries ago, but it has only in the past few decades been used to generate electricity on a large scale. It's getting increasingly difficult for Americans to build anything like a wind farm or hydro dam, because they keep listening to the selfish NIMBY's, thus ensuring the idiotic status quo. The correct course of action is to ignore and marginalise such opinions.

      --
      "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  56. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by DanDD · · Score: 1

    Yes, the trend in US CO2 emissions is declining. The net emissions of CO2 from the US is still massively positive.

    Agreed, many other countries do not have a declining trend. Yet. They have no way to invest in battery gigafactories, or solar cell manufacturing, or high-tech clean energies. They are simply trying to thrive,or just survive, with what they have. We lead, the rest of the world follows. Or would you suggesting we abdicate technical leadership in technologies to mitigate global climate change to the Chinese?

    The last time I checked, global sea levels are shared by pretty much every nation that matters (sorry Switzerland, nothing personal :), thus climate change is a shared problem, so the bitching should probably be evenly distributed.

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  57. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    So, you're in support of nuclear power?

    Because we could do that to solve some of the problem.

    --
    I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
  58. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    So, you're in support of nuclear power?
    Because we could do that to solve some of the problem.

    So, you're in support of wind and solar? Because they work just as well to solve the problem, but they can built faster and more cheaply even when the cost of storage is accounted for. Surely if you're falling back on the "pragmatism" argument you can agree that we should go with the most pragmatic options, that is to say what we can achieve most rapidly and with the greatest cost benefit — and that is wind and solar power, not nuclear.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  59. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    First, nice to know you care more about your anti nuclear position than you do about boiling the earth with CO2.

    Second, renewables are not ready for rollout in the developing world and on that basis alone fail to solve the problem. Nuclear with some security concerns addressed could do that. It is why you see this tech happening in China and India but renewables are not economical and thus are not invested in to any great extent in these countries.

    Third, the developed world can deploy renewables at great expense. The advocates of these technologies are often create unrealistic projections which ironically retard adoption. If they were more honest about how this stuff worked there would be less anxity in its introduction. But they're cultists and can't be reached with reason.

    Fourth, whilst the developing world CAN deploy this tech nuclear still makes more sense for the developed world which doesn't have the security concerns of the developing world and can rapidly address its energy needs via this technology.

    So sure... I'm totally for renewables in moderation along with other effective technologies deployed sensibly.

    IF you're not willing to be sensible on the matter though then you've more or less outed yourself as not really caring about CO2 emissions. Nuclear can address this issue. Renewables cannot.

    Resist nuclear and you're as much to blame for the CO2 emissions as the Saudi oil fields.

    *shrugs*

    --
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  60. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So America deserves zero credit for doing the right thing. Got it. Wanna tell me why we should continue to do so in the future, considering we'll get nothing for it?

    FOAD. You don't get extra credit for showing up late to the party with just a half emptied bag of chips you found under your bed and then drinking all the beer.

  61. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by DanDD · · Score: 1

    First, nice to know you care more about your pro-nuclear position than you do about providing solutions that help people more than by just lining the pockets of big energy companies.

    Renewable energy in developing Countries.

    and specifically, in India.

    IF you're not willing to be sensible on the matter though then you've more or less outed yourself as not really caring about CO2 or overall long term environmental costs, and you are instead focusing entirely on your own little pet project and myopic view of the world.

    Solar grid parity, a growing trend.

    --
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  62. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 0

    As to your citations, what in those would you like to draw attention to specifically?

    That there is "some" renewable energy? Not in dispute. That it is a laughable portion of their total system and makes up a very small portion of what their future construction will use.

    Read your own citations and show me otherwise.

    As to attempting to mirror, a mindless defense.

    The reality is that nuclear can take the full load of what we produce from coal, gas, etc and renewables cannot. Nuclear can provide 24 hours 7 days a week, 365 days a year power.

    Renewables cannot do that and even what little they can do is at best highly uneconomical.

    Now, given that you've outed yourself as a tribal zealot that cares little for the environment and instead sees this in purely ideological terms... I'll simply leave you with this...

    Your god is a lie and I will not drink your koolaid. ;-)

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  63. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by DanDD · · Score: 1

    Renewables cannot do that and even what little they can do is at best highly uneconomical.

    The real world economics that I've hinted at in an earlier reply contradicts your statement.

    Your god is a lie and I will not drink your koolaid. ;-)

    I have no god, only theories and testable data, including economic data.

    Lots and lots of data.

    --
    "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." - H. G. Wells
  64. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    I asked you to point at what you were vaguely suggesting existed... but which you still haven't actually brought forward.

    I could as easily say you're wrong and cite: www.google.com

    Kindly point at what specifically you're referring to so it can be audited. Whilst some people feel that being vague has rhetorical value in that it is hard to know if someone is wrong and very hard to prove someone wrong when they are very vague... it also renders your argument effectively incoherent.

    I say for the second post in a row to you, what specifically are you citing? Or shall I just refute your position with my link of www.google.com?

    As to the phase out of nuclear power, it is mostly political. You can see it is not being phased out in China or Russia or other places where your cult has no particular sway.

    As to you having no god, you've a very clear ideological paradigm that is the controlling factor in your stance on these issues. Memetically, there is no distinction between a classical religion and an ideological framework of that nature.

    Thus... you do have a god... it is just a really boring one.

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  65. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    First, nice to know you care more about your anti nuclear position than you do about boiling the earth with CO2.

    I care about not harming the biosphere with CO2 or nuclear power, and I reject your false dichotomy.

    Second, renewables are not ready for rollout in the developing world and on that basis alone fail to solve the problem.

    Who told you that, and why are you repeating it? Distributed renewables make much more sense in the developing world than exorbitantly expensive capital-intensive projects like nuclear plants, not least because their lack of political instability makes them vulnerable to attack.

    Third, the developed world can deploy renewables at great expense. The advocates of these technologies are often create unrealistic projections which ironically retard adoption.

    Unrealistic projects? You mean like "too cheap to meter"? You mean like the decommissioning of literally every nuclear power plant ever?

    Fourth, whilst the developing world CAN deploy this tech nuclear still makes more sense for the developed world which doesn't have the security concerns of the developing world and can rapidly address its energy needs via this technology.

    Well no, no it doesn't. It's cheaper to put in solar or wind plus storage, and they don't leave you with nuclear waste.

    So sure... I'm totally for renewables in moderation along with other effective technologies deployed sensibly.

    No, you aren't. You're just full of shit. Everything you said about renewables was a lie. I conclude that you're lying about supporting them, too.

    --
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  66. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    The problem is that you're not going to get CO2 emissions significantly down absent nuclear power.

    And anti nuclear activism of which you've apparently completely fallen for is a good litmus test for ideological zealotry on environmental issues.

    Nuclear power is actually very safe with most of the problems being extreme outlier contexts. The Chernobyl for example was a very old reactor design that had its safeties intentionally turned off. It was a worst case scenario. It was effectively sabotage some some insane soviet engineers.

    The other incidents have had negligible environmental consequences on top of being very old reactor designs as well.

    We have much better reactor designs now. We don't need to have huge reactors. We can create fail safe designs that cannot melt down or crack their casings.

    Your renewables are hardly better environmentally if you consider other pollutants. The solar and wind options are increasingly requiring batteries... which tends to mean heavy metals... and the electronics often demand lots of rare earths. Lithium is quite a bit rarer than is petroleum.

    What is more, there are land use issues with your applications. As it typical, you will slavishly advocate large solar and wind farms because that fits into the public works fraud schemes that seem to always go along with these things. This is despite the fact that on site solar and wind is dramatically more efficient. Dumping solar and wind into the general grid is inefficient when the power is defuse, can be sourced at site of use, and there are huge inefficiencies to shifting between DC and AC to say nothing of transmission loss.

    You're basically one of those sad people that signs a petition to ban dihydrogen monoxide at an environmental rally.

    Grow up. This mindless zealotry might have cowed the baby boomer generation but that weakness wanes every day.

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  67. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    Your renewables are hardly better environmentally if you consider other pollutants.

    What? Yes they are. They are drastically better.

    The solar and wind options are increasingly requiring batteries... which tends to mean heavy metals...

    The amounts of heavy metals have been decreasing, and the metals are aggressively recycled from batteries.

    and the electronics often demand lots of rare earths.

    No, they don't. Rare earths are used in minuscule quantities.

    Lithium is quite a bit rarer than is petroleum.

    Lithium doesn't increase global warming, and can be processed from seawater.

    What is more, there are land use issues with your applications.

    Name them.

    on site solar and wind is dramatically more efficient.

    No, it isn't. It's slightly more efficient, and even that only when the point of consumption is also an ideal point of production.

    Dumping solar and wind into the general grid is inefficient when the power is defuse,

    The word you're apparently looking for is "diffuse", which means in this context "spread around". But that's precisely why you need spread-out solar or wind farms... because all the power isn't in one place. Of course, oil wells are also spread around, because all of the oil isn't in one place. Coal mines are also spread around, for the same reason. And uranium comes from the least concentrated ores we mine, so it's also spread around. That's why uranium mining produces massive strip mines, which are also spread around. And the tailings from these mines leach, which spreads the pollution around.

    can be sourced at site of use,

    No, it often really can't.

    and there are huge inefficiencies to shifting between DC and AC to say nothing of transmission loss.

    There were before MPPT. Now there aren't. And transmission loss is less than 3% in this country, right now. If we install more distributed power, then it will be closer to the points of use than it is now, not further away.

    --
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  68. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    Want a battery factory in your neighborhood or do you want to walk that bullshit back?

    There is a reason most of this stuff is manufactured in places with lax to no environmental regulation.

    Which is ironic because you guys seem so keen on the environment... and yet you rely on China and India basically not applying any of those ethics to produce your products with any kind of economy.

    And to make things funnier... they power the factories to do this with Coal and Nuclear. You'd think a solar power panel company would be swimming in their own cheap solar. But they're not. Same with wind... how many wind mill factories are powered by wind power? What is the argument here? No sun or wind in china? Anywhere? They could install some solar and wind elsewhere in china and be carbon neutral for the plant.

    They're not for some reason... Weird, huh?

    Tells all you need to know.

    I almost got baited into putting links in here... you almost got me. You haven't posted any links... so I'm not going to either.

    As one Californian to another, know that I've had more than my fill of conversations with enviro-cultists.

    I "ACTUALLY" care about the environment. I'd like for us to track emissions and environmental compliance of all imports. I'd like us to stop shutting down relatively environmentally friendly US production on environmental grounds only to have much dirtier production started in another country.

    I'd like to de-politicize environmental policy by not using it as a political bludgeon by one political faction against another. We all breath the same air, we all drink the same water, we all eat the same food. Whatever your political tribe, we all care about the environment.

    As to being a rabid AGW guy... It is obviously dramatically over hyped. As I made clear in my first post, the news is full of these stupid articles every day blaming every weather event, flu, etc on global warming. You've seen them too, don't lie.

    That being the case, the media has no credibility on the matter and neither do many of the advocacy groups that push those articles for propaganda.

    If the position hadn't been over stated, if debate had been welcomed, if contradiction and correction were accepted... then a legitimate discussion could occur on the matter. But every suggestion that such a thing occur is met with hostility.

    So there won't be a discussion. We'll just power politics at each other ON THAT ISSUE until you again appreciate that you MUST tolerate debate. If you don't, then that doesn't mean opposition submits it just means you are robbed of the opportunity to discuss the issue.

    But that is merely one environmental issue. We can talk about GMO, we can talk about deforestation. I even want to save the whales. ;-D

    Also, correcting one of my typos in an internet thread doesn't make you seem intellectually superior or myself inferior... it just reads at petty. FYI. Just so you know.

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  69. Re:US CO2 emissions are strongly down by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

    Want a battery factory in your neighborhood or do you want to walk that bullshit back?

    Of course I do. I want there to be more of them all over the place, so that we can move forward with effective technology. Fact is, though, nobody would put one in my neighborhood anyway. I live on the coast.

    There is a reason most of this stuff is manufactured in places with lax to no environmental regulation.

    Right, that's why Tesla built their battery factory in the USA. Wait, what? True, our environmental protections are being dismantled, but the factory went up before Trump.

    As one Californian to another, know that I've had more than my fill of conversations with enviro-cultists.

    So what? What does that prove, or even indicate?

    I "ACTUALLY" care about the environment.

    I'm glad you put that in quotes since you actually don't give a fuck.

    And to make things funnier... they power the factories to do this with Coal and Nuclear. You'd think a solar power panel company would be swimming in their own cheap solar. But they're not.

    You would think that if you were a total moron who has no idea of how anything works, but I'm not. They are in business to make money. They sell the panels to whoever will pay the most for them. They are getting that coal energy cheaply so they will keep using it to make panels. On the other hand, every panel installed represents a greener energy mix. Every time they sell a panel and it gets hooked up to the grid, the entire world's balance is shifted towards renewables. It's not their fault those panels aren't being installed where they will contribute to the creation of more panels. That's not their business.

    I'd like us to stop shutting down relatively environmentally friendly US production on environmental grounds only to have much dirtier production started in another country.

    I agree with that to an extent. However, I don't care where the panels are made, so long as they are made and installed. Once they're installed somewhere, they're providing a benefit somewhere.

    As to being a rabid AGW guy... It is obviously dramatically over hyped.

    Hockey stick motherfucker, have you seen it?

    As I made clear in my first post, the news is full of these stupid articles every day blaming every weather event, flu, etc on global warming. You've seen them too, don't lie.

    You are the liar here. They are blaming the severity of these events on global warming, and you're deliberately mischaracterizing their reports because you're a disingenuous douchebag. We know you're smart enough to understand what you've read, but you're willfully refusing to do so, which is why you're a douchebag.

    That being the case, the media has no credibility on the matter

    You shot your credibility wad telling lies about the media, you don't get to weigh in on their level of credibility while you're actively lying about them.

    If the position hadn't been over stated,

    The media has been consistently understating the situation, not overstating it. Stop lying.

    if debate had been welcomed, if contradiction and correction were accepted...

    Your lies are unwelcome. Crying about how your lies are unwelcome won't change the fact that they are lies, and won't make them any more welcome.

    So there won't be a discussion. We'll just power politics at each other ON THAT ISSUE until you again appreciate that you MUST tolerate debate.

    You're not interested in debate, only hand waving until people get tired of trying to debate you while you're ignoring facts and twisting words. No one is interested in tolerating that. Tolerance of abuse is not tolerance, it

    --
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