Hanrahan
Climate Crisis, Biosphere & Societal Collapsecross-posted from: https://discuss.online/post/42371817
Societies' slow realisation that we're all kinda fucked will be painful to watch
Will we as a group finally act on it though? I realized a few years ago that this might be what it would take for governments all over the world to stop simping for the corporate pussy. I'm 40 now, and we've had my entire lifetime to act on it but knuckle draggers would always win out in the end.
Problem is, in western countries especially, tbh, our quality of life hasn't been hit all that hard. Unlike iran, where they are running out of water partly (not entirely, mismanagement is a problem there) to climate change.
I think when there's a very real danger many will go hungry due to idk, a 10 year drought (likely to happen in my country, Australia). Then, even the conservatives will no longer deny climate change. Indeed, I think it will be the centre of their agenda just like everyone else's. Combined this with their facist streak, the pessimist in me thinks that moment will not be pretty.
The optimist in me says that there has been signifcant work towards net zero. We're lucky enough we've invented the solutions (solar panels). South Australia for example is targetting 100% by the near 2027 (currently 70% according to wikipedia).
Bit of a short essay but there you go, thats my opinion
Is Australia making solar panels or buying from China?
Everyone is buying from China. Nobody has the resources and cheap enough labour and fiscal policies that control labour wages and export costs to keep the panels as cheap as what China can make. It's their century now.
Thing is, does it matter? Once they're made they'll be used for the next 20 years, it's not like the stock needs constant replenishment because it can be used precisely once like LNG.
While China is cheap that doesn't preclude other countries from doing things.
I've got a pet conspiracy theory.
China is worried about global warming. They realised there was only so much they could do themselves. They also realised the rest of the world is just going to bury its heads in the sand.
How can China combat global warming most efficiently? By dumping huge numbers of solar panels (and support equipment) onto the market at cost or below cost.
They don't need to persuade foreign politicians, they just need to let the people under them attack the problem.
It's simultaneously a very capitalistic, and communistic solution. Which seems to fit China's mentality.
This comes down to China not having enough oil, and thus not enough energy. Their domestic oil is only a drop in the buckef of what they need. So they go ham on everything else, demand side and supply side. To lower demand they build subways and trains like crazy. To increase energy supply they build hydro, nuclear, and now solar. Solar is now cheap because they had to focus on it.
Fully agreed.
They also seemed to realise they can make far more panels than they can deploy. It doesn't matter where the oil is displaced, so long as it goes down, so will prices.
In another 10 years will x hitting y degrees be a normal thing?
Damn, if only there was data about this.
Like seriously, the average person is so supremely incurious.
Was at a function a few months ago. One guy was talking to another as I walked past “yeah, I don’t think I believe in global warming.”
I thought to myself, it’s too bad the climate isn’t dictated by your ignorance.
Oh, don't worry. When the AMOC shuts down Ireland's average temp is going to drop by about 5-10 C. The weather will be closer to what you'd expect in say Toronto.
Averages don't care about extremes. Only 1.5⁰C of this heat is global warming, what makes it record-breaking is the increase in size and frequency of extreme deviations from the average, and those extreme deviations will increase faster than AMOC cooling.
Also, Toronto is on the east coast on the northern hemisphere, giving it a continental climate which has a greater seasonal swing between summer and winter than Ireland, and this baseline seasonal swing will continue to be smaller in Ireland than it currently is in Toronto.
The hottest January day in Toronto on record is 16⁰C. Ireland will probably see a 30⁰C January day before 2080.
