Empiricism @Empiricism_Reloaded@qoto.org

It's interesting juxtaposing the following podcasts that are generally about the same subject of #sustainabilty, therefore, mitigating #climatechange

The #Climate Optimist podcast generally discusses the subjects within a free-market neoliberal paradigm. For example, Going Green or Greenwashing? https://www.climateoptimists.co/episodes/going-green-or-greenwashing

Whilst the Crazy Town Podcast generally infers that the neoliberalist free market economy is part of the core business as a usual problem (therefore won't mitigate climate change). For example, Tech Bros on Acid with Douglas Rushkoff https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-11-03/tech-bros-on-acid-with-douglas-rushkoff-bonus-episode-of-crazy-town/

The Climate Optimists Podcast generally advocates that businesses should be encouraged to, for example, put more accurate "green" information on the product labels and hope that the consumers make the right choices. Whilst the Crazy Town podcast generally advocates that #degrowth is the solution & we can't trust the neoliberal "free" market #economy to not spread #climate #disinformation.

The Crazy Town doesn't put a positive spin on the challenge to mitigate climate change. It does suggest solutions, though those solutions are not generally the same as the neoliberal consumerist solutions suggested by the Positive Climate podcast. For example, you won't hear the Crazy Town podcast hosts advocating that everyone should buy electric cars. Whilst the Climate Optimist Podcast hosts generally promote electrifying everything and they didn't explicitly state how that conflicts with sustainable development - the mining companies are planning on extracting minerals from the ocean floor (Degrading pristine wildlife habitat. Well, "pristine" besides the plastic particle pollution). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/21/is-it-too-late-to-halt-deep-sea-mining-the-activists-trying-to-save-the-seabed

The Climate Optimist Podcast is promoting more of a business-as-usual-light option (neoliberal consumerism). Having said that, the Climate Optimist podcast has some effective #political ideas regarding how to mitigate the issues related to climate apathy in #USA politics (e.g., especially the #Republican party).

This will happen! (the future) - However, as the effects of climate change inevitably negatively impact more USA voters, you will start to hear a very different narrative from the Republican party (i.e., they will change their narratives to address their core voter's concerns about climate change).

The time of climate apathy will be over when climate change is negatively effecting all people's lives (in a global economy. e.g., food prices \ supplies)

#psychology

#science

What are #climate "tipping points"?

Climate tipping points are termed positive feedback loops or positive reinforcers.

Basically, Increasing the "X" variable increases the "Y" variable.

For example, #ClimateChange (X) is increasing the risk of #wildfires (Y) https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?as_ylo=2023&q=wildfires+climate+change&hl=nl&as_sdt=0,5

Wildfires are fundamentally Carbon being burnt (Carbon Based lifeforms. e.g., plants and animals) which releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which in turn trap heat into the atmosphere.

Human activities are burning carbon-based fuels ("Fossil" fuels & Biomass [e.g., wood fuel]), which release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which in turn trap heat into the atmosphere, which in turn cause more wildfires, which release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which in turn trap heat into the atmosphere - that's a positive reinforcer (although not "positive" within the colloquial [common] use of the word)

Wildfires are only one of many known positive climate heating reinforcers (there may also be some unknown reinforcers). Another climate reinforcer is how climate heating is causing the melting of permafrost. Permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen—32°F (0°C) or colder—for at least two years straight. Permafrost covers large regions of the Earth. Areas closer to the North or South pole have regions of permafrost that have been frozen for hundreds of thousands of years. https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/siberias-gateway-to-the-underworld-megaslump-is-revealing-650000-year-old-secrets-from-its-permafrost

Permafrost soils also contain large quantities of organic carbon. As Earth’s climate warms, the permafrost is thawing. This means that the organic carbon will decompose and release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere - another positive climate heating reinforcer.

"State-of-the-art global models underestimate impacts from climate extremes" Nature. (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08745-6

Generally speaking, humans are not mitigating climate change, the effect of climate change is mitigating humans. However, whilst it's not impossible (it's an unknown unknown) that human greenhouse gas emitting activities could cause a climate heating runaway effect due to positive reinforcers, the general scientific literature (evidence), infers that the fewer greenhouse gases humans emit, the fewer ecological limiting factors will curtail humans.

Mitigating the existential threat of human-caused climate change is a precautionary approach. However, the data on greenhouse gas emissions clearly shows that industries are not taking the precautionary approach. https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions

Of course, industries supply the fuels, the machinery, etc, that enable people to take part in activities that burn fuels, etc. Many industries are evidently aiming to continue to burn fuels as are many consumers. Many businesses are aiming to continue to farm ruminants (e.g., sheep & cows that emit relatively high amounts of methane)

What is going to limit people from burning carbon-based fuels? (emitting greenhouse gases). The decisions of industries, politicians, and consumers? Well, that has not been the trend.

Generally, in wealthy countries, the effects of climate change, which are causing more localized severe weather such as heatwaves or flash floods, are causing politicians and industries to respond in ways that advocate activities that emit more greenhouse gases (more fossil fuels being burnt) into the atmosphere. For example, constructing more flood defenses. Repairing the damaged infrastructure caused by severe heatwaves such as repairing roads. This is another example of positive climate heating reinforcers. Generally, industries are leading the way (rather than focusing on nature-based solutions such as reforestation <<< that go against the farming industries' business models)

Whilst the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are a predictor of climate heating (there is a time lag), so is human behavioral psychology. In other words, habits (repetitive activities), politics, business decisions, lifestyles, and activities in general.

In many contexts, even when adults are informed that their fuel-burning activities are causing the climate to change in harmful ways, many adults don't even try to reduce their fuel-burning activities. When they're informed that eating meat is a leading cause of climate change, they generally ignore this information.

This blog post generally considers the psychology of those that are evidently not trying to reduce their fuel-burning activities (quite the opposite). https://empiricalperspective.home.blog/2023/04/30/the-gross-simplification-of-the-capitalist-that-lacks-knowledge-of-and-avoids-talking-about-ecology-though-bangs-on-on-about-technology/

#psychology #sustainability #AgroEcology #Degrowth #technology

Although, if you do, I'd advise you to copy and paste all the "following" addresses & regularly download the "follows" data - in case the instance you are on goes offline or suspends your account.

"It’s Not Too Late to Change the World"

The "world" (biosphere) will change human society. That's evident. Climate change is already mitigating humanity.

But yes, it would be prudent if more people were willing & able to mitigate human-caused climate change.

The graph shows that greenhouse gas emissions are rising (a trend). This trend also infers the general trends of human behaviors. #psychology

Therefore, it's rational to forecast that humanity, or business, politics, and lifestyles as usual, will not mitigate climate change (in general).

As #ClimateChange mitigates humanity, and more positive reinforcers come into effect, how long will mono-industrial consumerist societies be able to function?

During this period (present & future) of escalating climate change-related disruption, what forms of culture will emerge?

#future #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #adaptation #evolution

Greetings! I recently moved instance so here is a new #introduction

On Social media, I go under the pseudonym of “Empiricism”.

Empiricism aims (intention or agenda) are to promote (“toot”, “boost”, etc) accurate #science based information. The general theme of this account is related to promoting #sustainable development. #Sustainable development requires mitigating ecological degradation therefore also #ClimateChange (e.g., reducing greenhouse gas emissions).

This account will not “sugar-coat” the challenges that humanity will have to overcome if climate change is to be mitigated. For example, the general trend (historic, present & future) is that humanity is not mitigating #climate change (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions are rising), therefore, climate change is mitigating humanity (e.g., increases in the frequency & intensity of flooding, droughts, etc.)

Since no one can be informed of all the scientific literature, if a reader thinks that Empiricism makes a statement that is not backed up by the general scientific literature, please refer Empiricism to the relevant peer-reviewed science publication (e.g., paper or website)

Here is the link to the Empiricism digital signature https://empiricalperspective.home.blog/2023/06/04/empiricism-on-mastodon-verification-post/

#sustainability #ecology #ConservationBiology #ClimateCrisis mitigation
#degrowth #AgroEcology #Renewable #technology #reforestration #PeatLands