I studied and worked in an earth science field before the kids were born, so I never needed convincing. We are vegetarians, rarely drive, travel by air infrequently and only when necessary, live in a small house that is well insulated, and buy most things used. I am probably the most concerned person in the family.
Permaculture lad is here visiting for the weekend (he doesn’t live far away). We had a multi hour long fun discussion last night about where the planet has been, changes that have happened from eons ago to now and the future, and things that can help the planet.
The fact that many either don’t believe in or don’t care about global warming (this includes those who feel it’s good for humans and those who feel humans aren’t changing a thing) is why we choose to focus on the basics. Clean air is good. Clean water is good. Clean ground is good (clean of trash - not leaf litter, etc). Diversity of life is good.
One of the Bio teachers at school has a bumper sticker in her room that I really like:
Only when the last tree has died & the last river has been poisoned & the last fish has been caught will we realize that we cannot eat money.
I get really hopeful for the future when I hear about the things some folks (worldwide) are doing for the planet - regardless of what the temperature does or what’s involved with it happening. I definitely believe there’s a good size movement in the right direction even if not everyone is on board. Great strides have already been made from the “old days,” though there’s definitely still far to go.
And yes, my lad and I still share our views. He has experiments going on on our farm that he shares with the world. (forms of composting, planting, etc) More are planned.
I always believed in climate change just because I have an inclination to believe in science. What really drove it home for me was when D took a class about the environment.
I read all of her assignments, which were various scientific studies such as comparing total environmental impact of different types of animals intended for consumption (cows, pigs, chickens, fish), and man-made chemicals found in fish worldwide.
The depth, breadth, and sheer technical expertise of those articles blew me away. They were not light reading. A dozen pages would take me weeks to work through with my head aching, and much of the statistics/math was over my head. This might sound trite, but my takeaway was this: “Environmental scientists are serious, hardcore people”.
So when I hear people say, “I’m not a scientist but I know better than 97% of the world’s scientists in their own field of expertise”, or “I know what 97% of the world’s scientists say but I read this one article that proves them all wrong”, I just have to roll my eyes.
So yes, D and I are on the same page regarding climate change especially after we essentially took the same college-level class together. That class kinda ruined steak for both of us, actually. OMG the environmental impact of cows compared to pigs, chickens, and fish!
So much of this issue is tied into whether we want others such as government to be making decisions for us. Policies can be contrarian and baffling and irrational.
Plastic straws are banned but plastic trash from street people washes down the storm drains and into the ocean. No enforcement . No penalty.
Some cities are prohibiting gas appliances in new construction despite the fact that gas is more economical and better for cooking. And gas lines don’t cause massive wildfires that put huge amounts of carbon into the air like electrical lines do every time the winds blow. Irrational.
Electric cars are pushed despite their limited range but private jets used only by billionaires are not restricted. Hypocritical.
Comments:
I think my kids are becoming more aware. I appreciate their sharing and some of the info in this thread that helps educate me more.
My daughter’s BF is vegetarian for animal and environmental reasons.
I do hate when people get stuck on bringing up the eliminate straws movement - maybe its a simple, do-able change! Other actions are in place too. Take it easy on the straw movement!
However, poorly maintained gas lines can leak (with leaked methane being a much more powerful climate change accelerant than CO2) and pose an explosion hazard.
Very proud of my local political cartoonist, who clearly leans one direction (often opposite of my direction), but cut through the baloney to characterize the common ground that we can / should find.
https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article44162106.html
(…hmm…tie this to thread topic… @doschicos ?)
Oh, this is kind of a template for how I teach my kids. One extreme or the other doesn’t have to be the winner. Most of this is pretty straightforward, common sense stuff.
@Ohibro I love that cartoon–have seen it posted many times. It definitely has a side concerning dealing with climate change, and I agree with it completely. Thanks for posting–we all are winners when we take it seriously!
I may be a one note horn but the fires here in California (that nearly burnt my home last year) are primarily caused by the electric companies’ shoddy maintenance. We cannot rely only on one source of energy. It gives already negligent companies too much control. And gas is more affordable than our electric rates.
And the straw ban…some restaurant gets a fine for using them, but needles and plastic trash blowing into the street and ocean from stolen shopping carts have no consequences.
Environmental rules and enforcement must be rational and applied equally in order to have public support.
People in San Bruno blamed the same company for shoddy gas pipeline maintenance.
Electric power is generated from diversified sources, the mix of which can be changed for economic and/or environmental reasons. Its main disadvantage is that it is relatively difficult to store.
One monopoly for all our energy needs? Not a good plan.
I’m cutting back on red meat for health and climate reasons. My kid has not. OTOH he’s a lot more pro-nuclear energy for climate reasons than I can be having lived through Chernobyl in Germany.
There’s very little any one individual can do to affect climate change. Not having children would be by far the most significant way an individual could slow the growth of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s laughable when you hear someone with three or more kids, claim to be concerned about climate change. If you can get by with public transportation/biking/walking everywhere, then don’t own a car, although that may not be practical in a lot of the country. If you live in an area where the electric grid is primarily renewable energy, then buy a pure EV vehicle. Pure EV vehicles may not be practical for many people until charging stations become more widely available. I suspect everything else you do or don’t do is below the noise floor.
I’m guessing you’re correct, except you forgot to list size of home and heating/cooling it. Depending on size of house and climate, I’d bet 10% - 25% of a family’s energy footprint is heating/cooling.
https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator tries to estimate your effect based on your travel, home, food, and spending habits.
On the one hand, you have the DOD blowing through taxpayer dollars, and on the other, you’ve described what has occurred over much of human history. Not much new here, in other words.
There’s no reason the long term warming trend won’t continue, irregardless of whether you or I eat meat or walk instead of flying, and there’s no single study I’ve seen stand that didn’t admit mitigating the effects of a warming climate was way, way cheaper than trying to do away with fossil fuels.
There’s always been a certain appeal to authority in the Global Warming thing… that it’s simply too complex for anyone other than a 31 year old Oceanography graduate, flush with grant money, to understand. That, not bothering to wonder about what the other side of the discussion points out to be a new paradigm when it comes to science research, means one is racking up virtue points with the priests of the models and temperature data sets.
Truth is: I’m driving a 4x4 Tundra with a 5.7L engine and 4.30 rear end, and leery of the long term health benefits of giving up meat. Not flying anymore but only because I swore that the last time I went through the TSA in Denver would be the last. Truck likes gas but beats turning my pockets out and walking in sock feet like a penitent for the amusement of someone that would have trouble finding another job.
Not convinced, in other words.
Of course, guzzling gas = guzzling your money so that you may have to turn your pockets out to find money to feed your truck.
@catahoula , global warming and climate change is a messaging snafu of the nerds in charge. It’s a euphemism.
CO2 arguments aside, pollution of all other types is devastating. Particulate matter, mercury, pesticides, etc. All of this is new, man-made, and with 100% certainty affecting the heath of our kids… It is not normal for a species to destroy its own habitat.
Made the calculation that gas wouldn’t go much over 2.50, before I bought it. Travel occasionally for fun, not for a living. Living in a state like CA, where they’ll never see 2.50 gas again, would have influenced my choice, but…
Last I read, they’re searching for their next euphemism, OhiBro. Can’t even recall what they thought polled better, but it was clear they felt it time for a new one.
Pretty sure we all agree pollution is a bad thing. Whether CO2 is pollution or not, seems to be the sticking point.
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So, basically, you are ignoring science and scientists in general (and concerns of the DOD for that matter), not just “a 31 year old Oceanography graduate, flush with grant money”. Got it.
Answer: It’s called Climate Change.