The apocalypse is here..."normal" is over.

[davester]

As a geoscientist, I find this NYT article frighteningly realistic regarding the fact that many global warming consequences are observed to be occurring at or faster than the "worst case" scenarios that previous models indicated. We have to be prepared for massive changes in our ways of living, and even with that, continued massive changes in climate will likely continue to occur.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/opini...tion=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage. There might be a paywall, so here are a couple of clips:

"Going back to normal now means returning to a course that will destabilize the conditions for all human life, everywhere on earth. Normal means more fires, more category 5 hurricanes, more flooding, more drought, millions upon millions more migrants fleeing famine and civil war, more crop failures, more storms, more extinctions, more record-breaking heat. Normal means the increasing likelihood of civil unrest and state collapse, of widespread agricultural failure and collapsing fisheries, of millions of people dying from thirst and hunger, of new diseases, old diseases spreading to new places and the havoc of war. Normal could well mean the end of global civilization as we know it."

"we won’t see “normal” again in our lifetimes. Our parents and grandparents burned normal up in their American-built cars, with their American lifestyles, their American refrigerators and American dreams. And now China and India are doing it, too, because capitalism is global, and we sold it wherever we could. "

[N-OS X-tasy!]

One more reason not to want to live forever.

Those billboards that talk about how the first person to live to 150 years has already been born? May God have mercy on his/her soul.

[Sarcany]

Then you'll be happy to know that the latest projections are quite favorable.

There's a decent chance that we can limit it to a 3-degree rise in global temps by the end of the century vs the 5-to-7 degrees previously predicted.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-clima...SKCN1NY186


(Anything more than 2-degrees is catastrophic.)

[rgG]

My daughter's ex BF has been preaching this for years.
I have sadly always thought he was probably right.
I would jokingly call him, “my little ray of sunshine.”

I figure I may have up to 30 years left. The big question is, how bad will it get before I die.
The other question is, how best to plan for this new normal future.

[C(-)ris]

rgG wrote:
My daughter's ex BF has been preaching this for years.
I have sadly always thought he was probably right.
I would jokingly call him, “my little ray of sunshine.”

I figure I may have up to 30 years left. The big question is, how bad will it get before I die.
The other question is, how best to plan for this new normal future.

Wisconsin will be the new Arizona.

[davester]

rgG wrote:
I figure I may have up to 30 years left. The big question is, how bad will it get before I die.
The other question is, how best to plan for this new normal future.

I'm not that worried for myself. Even with worst case scenarios I am doubtful that societal collapse will occur in my corner of the world within my lifetime. I'm much more worried about my children's (and grandchildren's if my kids would hurry up with those) lives.

[RgrF]

The current administration has taken some baby steps to mitigate the first of the threats by reallocating FEMA funds to preventative rather than strictly reactive actions.

This means bringing agencies like the Army Corp of Engineers and others to plan and build in the most threatened but also the most salvageable locations. Some areas of he country have already reached the fail safe point are beyond salvage.

These actions may not succeed but they are something the previous administration would not have even considered.

[davester]

RgrF wrote:
The current administration has taken some baby steps to mitigate the first of the threats by reallocating FEMA funds to preventative rather than strictly reactive actions.

This means bringing agencies like the Army Corp of Engineers and others to plan and build in the most threatened but also the most salvageable locations. Some areas of he country have already reached the fail safe point are beyond salvage.

These actions may not succeed but they are something the previous administration would not have even considered.

That sort of thing only treats the initial symptoms, not the root cause. Orders-of-magnitude greater societal and economic changes are needed than could be implemented by USACE. Also, that is not the right agency to do the job. This needs fundamental big science, economic, and social solutions. Although engineering work will be needed, that is the easy part.

[RgrF]

davester wrote:
[quote=RgrF]
The current administration has taken some baby steps to mitigate the first of the threats by reallocating FEMA funds to preventative rather than strictly reactive actions.

This means bringing agencies like the Army Corp of Engineers and others to plan and build in the most threatened but also the most salvageable locations. Some areas of he country have already reached the fail safe point are beyond salvage.

These actions may not succeed but they are something the previous administration would not have even considered.

That sort of thing only treats the initial symptoms, not the root cause. Orders-of-magnitude greater societal and economic changes are needed than could be implemented by USACE. Also, that is not the right agency to do the job. This needs fundamental big science, economic, and social solutions. Although engineering work will be needed, that is the easy part.
I agree and mentioned it because it represents a change in direction, a change we'd not have seen but for the election. How far they can take the direction change in 4 years is questionable but they may be able to build a foundation for the next administration.

None of this goes anywhere if the "know-nothings" once again gain power.

[Don C]

Schumer was talking to Rachel tonight and talked about a federal initiative supporting electric vehicles with the goal of replacing internal combustion by 2030 or 2040. Part of the initiative is building recharging stations throughout the country so that the fear of losing power a long way from the nearest station would be removed.

Not sure if that works completely. Refilling a gas tank takes 5 - 10 minutes; recharging batteries is quite a bit longer than that and folks on a trip might not be willing to wait. Also the turnover time at the "pump" is very different, even for a 30 minute charge so a lot more stations would be necessary than current pumps.

That said, if I were in the market for a car right now I would consider that one car would be electric.