As a follow-up to your post on Indian banning the export of all rice except basmati:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/panic-buyers-load-rice-supplies-075235908.html
It seems clear that we are leaving the "gradually" phase of climate change and entering the "suddenly" stage. Things are happening as foreseen, but now rapidly.
@Leisureguy @LifeTimeCooking
Hopefully, everyone will now rapidly decarbonize their lives.
Good one! (seriously: do you see any significant signs of that?)
@Leisureguy
Our Energy Information Agency just predicted that the U.S. is going to emit 5% less carbon dioxide than we did last year, so yes there are significant signs that decarbonization is happening finally.
@GreenFire That's good to hear. The problem, as I understand it, is that even if we cut our fossil fuel emissions by 100%, the CO2 and Methane already in the atmosphere would result in the temperature continuing to climb for around 60 years.
@Leisureguy
The science suggests otherwise, but of course I'd like to see the real world experiment of what will happen to our #GlobalWarming after we stop dumping greenhouse gases into our thin precious atmosphere. @hausfath
"The best available evidence shows that, on the contrary, warming is likely to more or less stop once carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reach zero, meaning humans have the power to choose their climate future."
https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-will-global-warming-stop-as-soon-as-net-zero-emissions-are-reached/
I've never seen that before, so thanks for sharing. I noticed it says "NASA’s Dr Gavin Schmidt tells Carbon Brief that this wording does not reflect more recent research and an update is in the works" and NASA did update it to say:
"However, if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases today, the rise in global temperatures would begin to flatten within a few years. Temperatures would then plateau but remain well-elevated for many, many centuries. There is a time lag between what we do and when we feel it, but that lag is less than a decade."
In 2022 NOAA stated:
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/can-we-slow-or-even-reverse-global-warming
"If all human emissions of heat-trapping gases were to stop today, Earth’s temperature would continue to rise for a few decades as ocean currents bring excess heat stored in the deep ocean back to the surface. Once this excess heat radiated out to space, Earth’s temperature would stabilize. Experts think the additional warming from this “hidden” heat are unlikely to exceed 0.9° Fahrenheit (0.5°Celsius). With no further human influence, natural processes would begin to slowly remove the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and global temperatures would gradually begin to decline."
Obviously, I'd like to see the real world experiment, too!
I hear you and I don't know either. The climate is pretty complex. I just wanted to add some info into the discussion!
@BE
@Leisureguy
There's definitely a lot of heat we've added into our planet's water, but I don't know what sort of quasi-equilibrium exchange there's going to be with our warmer atmosphere.
TBH, I think we've spent too much effort on modeling and too little on the actual decarbonization which putting on my conspiracy theorist hat was part of their "plan".
Congress and such could say they were taking #ClimateAction by providing funding to the modelers which actually didn't impact profits.
I agree: it's important to act, and that requires hope and an expectation that one's acts will bear fruit. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by how so many corporations and people actively fight against taking effective action.
@GreenFire @BE @Leisureguy Right. Not only can we do something to meet the challenges of climate change — We must act.
And pessimism associated with resulting passivity won't in any way be helpful.
#ClimateChange #ActNow #FreeFromFossilFuels #SaveThePlanet #SaveLives
I do follow a plant-based diet — and a whole-food diet, avoid foods manufactured using industrial methods.
@Leisureguy @GreenFire @BE 👍👍👍 One welcome way to act responsibly!
In fact, switching to a whole-food plant-based diet is a positive step that anyone can take immediately — that is, it does not require group action or protest movements or getting corporations or governments to change course. Instead, one can do it on their own initiative, and it does not require getting permission or a permit.
People who want to fight climate change: put up or shut up. Quit eating foods derived from animals.
@Leisureguy @ArenaCops @BE
One of the most accessible avenues for people to reduce their carbon footprint is to reduce their income unless they are using that income in order to make their lives and others net-zero.
It may be a case of correlation rather than causation.
In any event, changing one's diet seems easier and more within reach than drastically reducing one's income.
@Leisureguy @ArenaCops @BE
Perhaps for many people changing diet is as simple as you make it out to be, but I believe that we should focus on the major source of #GlobalWarming prior to taking on cultural issues and if you'd seen what damage the flawed rollout of the Green New Deal with its focus on diet and agriculture had towards helping to block #ClimateAction you could appreciate where I'm coming from.
My focus was those interested in what they can do *themselves.* I know that many are focused on what *others* can do — particularly corporations & govts — but one's diet is under one's direct control.
"major source of global warming":
"Global food production generates greenhouse gas emissions of more than 17 billion metric tons per year... Animal-based foods account for 57 percent of those emissions, and plant-based ones make up 29 percent.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-how-much-food-contributes-to-climate-change/
@Leisureguy @ArenaCops @BE
You seem to be suggesting that choosing to burn fossil fuels is not a personal choice, but I don't accept that's entirely true. I'm not going to argue about it though since everyone has to make their own choices.
I choose to focus on fossil fuel burning since it is the major contributor to the #GlobalWarming that's killing so many and causing such terrible damage.
I don't think minimizing burning fossil fuels and adopting a whole-food plant-based diet are mutually exclusive. I was commenting on the latter choice.
But I agree with you: people can both curtail their direct use of fossil fuels and also their consumption of animal-based foods. (I do understand that your focus is the former.)
I will add that any serious effort to reduce emissions is going to have to deal with cultural issues. Having one's own automobile and driving it freely is a part of American culture, and changing those habits are going to run into cultural issues.
Indeed, adopting an attitude of conservation and environmental care is a culture issue — one that many resist strongly (cf. the Republican party).
One cannot fight global warming without encountering cultural issues.
Here's a good example of a climate-change-combatting cultural issue that we are going to have to face:
https://mstdn.ca/@BrentToderian@mastodon.online/110803880265987331
@Leisureguy @ArenaCops @GreenFire
The Lancet is a world-leading general medical journal. Which publishes the best science from the best scientists worldwide, providing an unparalleled global reach and impact on health.
In case you didn’t know about it you might check out:
The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/ brought together 37 world-leading scientists from across the globe to answer this question:
Can we feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within planetary boundaries?
The answer is yes, but it will be impossible without transforming eating habits, improving food production and reducing food waste.
Thus: THE PLANETARY HEALTH DIET
The EAT-Lancet Commission presents a global planetary health diet that is healthy for both people and the planet. Discover the report’s key takeaways and specific actions that we all can take to contribute to the Great Food Transformation. https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/the-planetary-health-diet-and-you/
@WBOrcutt @ArenaCops @GreenFire
Good link. My point is that I cannot transform the eating habits of a nation, but I certainly can transform my own eating habits, and so I've done that.
@BE @Leisureguy
I'm not saying that I know for sure, but I feel like that if people don't have hope than they are less likely to take #ClimateAction at least that's what I've seen with most of my old friends and such which sucks.
I don't think that pessimism is going to help us adopt the #ClimateSolutions as fast as would optimism anyways.