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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #350 on: October 08, 2014, 09:45:07 PM »
If people are taught that political and scientific progress (or God) has climate change action under control, they are less likely to take any action on their own.  So, bad news is helpful in that respect.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/09/15/348629576/how-not-to-teach-climate-change
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Laurent

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AbruptSLR

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #352 on: October 13, 2014, 05:33:53 PM »
The US military is starting to take climate change more seriously, but I think that even they will be caught by surprise at how fast climate change will progress from now to 2050:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/climate-change-military_n_5975734.html
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”
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Laurent

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Laurent

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Laurent

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Laurent

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Laurent

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Laurent

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Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #359 on: October 21, 2014, 11:21:48 AM »
Congressman: ‘I Am A Scientist’ And There’s No Evidence Of Manmade Climate Change
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/09/3577919/benishek-is-a-scientist/

Senate Candidate Admits Cause Of Climate Change, Still Won’t Do Anything About It
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/07/3576735/senate-candidate-climate-change/

Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #360 on: October 21, 2014, 08:56:03 PM »

wili

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #361 on: October 29, 2014, 02:14:45 AM »
« Last Edit: October 29, 2014, 02:58:14 AM by wili »
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #362 on: October 31, 2014, 09:58:47 AM »
I am not a scientist...

Why Republicans Keep Telling Everyone They’re Not Scientists
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/why-republicans-keep-telling-everyone-theyre-not-scientists.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #363 on: October 31, 2014, 02:33:55 PM »
Fossil fuel consulting firm says you must play dirty to win.
Quote
WASHINGTON — If the oil and gas industry wants to prevent its opponents from slowing its efforts to drill in more places, it must be prepared to employ tactics like digging up embarrassing tidbits about environmentalists and liberal celebrities, a veteran Washington political consultant told a room full of industry executives in a speech that was secretly recorded.

The blunt advice from the consultant, Richard Berman, the founder and chief executive of the Washington-based Berman & Company consulting firm, came as Mr. Berman solicited up to $3 million from oil and gas industry executives to finance an advertising and public relations campaign called Big Green Radicals.

The company executives, Mr. Berman said in his speech, must be willing to exploit emotions like fear, greed and anger and turn them against the environmental groups. And major corporations secretly financing such a campaign should not worry about offending the general public because “you can either win ugly or lose pretty,” he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/31/us/politics/pr-executives-western-energy-alliance-speech-taped.html?_r=2
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #364 on: November 01, 2014, 01:27:24 PM »
Is this Adaptation?  Or simply Giving Up on their pollution problem?

http://grist.org/list/chinas-latest-fashion-craze-smog-masks/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #365 on: November 02, 2014, 02:19:27 PM »
A climate change Denier describes his evolution into a Believer.

http://sciencewriters.ca/2014/10/28/confessions-of-a-former-climate-change-denialist/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #366 on: November 04, 2014, 06:25:41 PM »
Canada:  Because if you say "black is white" often enough, people start to believe it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/canadas-perpetual-climate-charade/article21032688/
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Laurent

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #367 on: November 07, 2014, 08:33:19 PM »
Colbert Calls Out Republicans' 'I'm Not A Scientist' Excuse On Climate Change
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/colbert-republicans-climate-change_n_6122130.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green
But what your deaf our what, I already told you "I am not a scientist". ;)

Sigmetnow

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People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #369 on: November 21, 2014, 06:47:46 PM »
A new poll on Religion vs. Climate Change

Believers, Sympathizers, and Skeptics: Why Americans are Conflicted about Climate Change, Environmental Policy, and Science

http://publicreligion.org/research/2014/11/believers-sympathizers-skeptics-americans-conflicted-climate-change-environmental-policy-science/
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wili

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #370 on: November 23, 2014, 04:44:39 PM »
Is the thread's answer: "They just have under-developed amygdalae"?

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/09/22/biology-of-altruism

The biology of altruism: Good deeds may be rooted in the brain
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #371 on: November 23, 2014, 08:15:41 PM »
Because Public Relations firms.
Quote
According to a February report by the Investigative Fund, Edelman was paid more than $50 million to manage online efforts asking officials to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, support tax deductions for the oil industry, and expand access for drilling on public lands.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/18/3593539/leaked-keystone-xl-company-pr-efforts-energy-east/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #372 on: December 02, 2014, 03:18:25 AM »
Some fun links (caution: language) take the edge off this otherwise hard-hitting article on "hypermaterialism."
Quote
The tragic irony is that much of this holiday shopping is supposedly for our kids — and yet this overconsumption is a core part of our climate inaction, which, as President Obama has said, is a betrayal of our children!
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/28/3597347/black-friday-climate-hypermaterialism/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #373 on: December 02, 2014, 04:48:21 AM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

wili

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #374 on: December 06, 2014, 05:36:37 PM »
Sig, that last piece really generated some comment over at the Resilience blog--usually they only get a very few comments for each article, or at most a dozen or two. That thing's already at 777 comments. Lots of the early ones, especially, seem pretty ignorant or right-wingish--I wonder if it got mention on one of the right-wing blogs that sent people swarming.

Anyway, here's a piece from Skeptical Science that takes another look at why even those who acknowledge the science are often in denial at other levels about CC: https://www.skepticalscience.com/even-climate-experts-activists-in-denial.html

Even climate change experts and activists might be in denial

Quote
...Another popular coping and defence mechanism is to pretend that we can address this global and urgent problem by tinkering at the edges of “business as usual”. For example, politicians and business leaders widely believe that we can achieve a decarbonisation of the global economy while maintaining high economic growth. Social psychologist Matthew Adams says such a response is part of an unconscious coping mechanism that simply implies that we have pushed the problem onto a distant future...
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

JimD

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #375 on: December 06, 2014, 06:56:38 PM »
Wili

Your post and quote above are why I have mostly given up on commenting on the various blogs I used to frequent.

Green-BAU is just as deadly as petro-BAU.  Both are forms of denial in that they advocate either no change or solutions which just will not physically,mathematically or rationally work.  All of their 'solutions' are based upon some form of 'faith' based thinking. 

If 99.9% of the people will not even address the core issues of the problem and insist on following the dead in the water practices which led us to this point we have no hope. 

As Einstein said, "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity."  Both the BAU and Green-BAU people are insane by that definition.

I have accepted that the way forward leads only to collapse and further cascading levels of collapse as we stair step down our levels of civilizational complexity and undergo dramatic population declines.  Where the bottom lies I do not know, but I do know that the longer we continue on our highly probable path the further down that bottom will be. 

Personally I find myself hoping every day for that Black Swan to arrive and speed the process along.  That is humanity's best chance to having a future.   Depending on God or the religion of Progress to save us is just pissing into the wind.

I guess I have reached the level of Acceptance (with the occasional relapse tossed in).  It is sort of peaceful here.
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viddaloo

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #376 on: December 06, 2014, 10:28:20 PM »
Good post, JimD.

I'm pretty much in the same place you are. Relapses: Although until recently not believing in any geoengineering, I heard about a project to carpet areas with a white reflecting substance. This seems kind of safe (provided the substance isn't the substance from hell, of course). Other ideas to pump sea water into fog could be applied when and if that fog would cool the area.

I really stopped believing in technological solutions, but relapses keep telling me that 7 billion people, hundreds of millions of whom even have higher technical education, ought to be able to launch some pretty good (and safe) ideas?
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #377 on: December 07, 2014, 12:34:50 AM »
I'm not sure what you mean by 'green BAU'.

Do you mean that going forward we will continue to install renewables at accelerating rates?  That's what we've been doing, that's our green BAU right now.

Install ever increasing amounts of wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, tidal and biofuel generation and close down coal plants.

Put ever increasing numbers of EVs and PHEVs on the road while increasing required mileage requirements for ICEVs.

Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #378 on: December 10, 2014, 01:52:12 AM »
"Cascading levels of collapse" due to BAU suggests humans are completely incapable of accepting anything besides Business As Usual, which seems... short-sighted.  Can you really imagine no other option?  Not that long ago, millions had rationing during the wars -- without mass rioting or suicide due to deprivation.

Instead, I see: closing most manufacturing and industry, which reduces energy requirements and will be tied to the end of rampant consumerism.  Loss of those millions of jobs will be addressed by a moderate monthly stipend paid to all -- employed as well as unemployed.  You won't have to have a job to survive.  McMansions will be replaced by more modest, sustainable housing. 

And "BAU collapse" would hardly affect the billions of poor who manage today in sustainable circumstances ranging from mud huts to small farm houses.  So it's not exactly the whole of humanity collapsing.  We'll just find a new set point.  I'm pretty sure people will choose to change their lifestyle rather than rolling over and dying because gasoline is no longer available, or there's no local mall with 10 different kinds of saucepans to buy.  There will be saucepans if you need one (3-D printed on demand) and alternative modes of transportation.

Not saying it will be easy or painless or without rancor.  Saying it's possible.  That's what lets me feel at peace.
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #379 on: December 10, 2014, 03:20:31 AM »
Collapse would require that we basically run out of oil in well under a decade.  Probably in less than five years.  With no prior warning.

Give us five years warning and we would have preventative measures in place.

This "collapse" stuff is doomer porn.


viddaloo

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #380 on: December 10, 2014, 04:02:01 PM »
This "collapse" stuff is doomer porn.

One man's doomer porn is another man's naked truth!  ;D
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #381 on: December 10, 2014, 07:05:54 PM »
The naked truth is that we will not abruptly run out of fossil fuels.

The naked truth is that we almost certainly have the ability and opportunity to avoid extreme climate change.

The naked truth is that the changes in our energy sources will not cause civilization to crash.

The naked truth is that the necessary adaptations which we will make to deal with our changing climate will not cause civilization to collapse.


viddaloo

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #382 on: December 10, 2014, 07:44:46 PM »
Perhaps. I think the desperate application of strong derogatives like 'doomer porn' suggests otherwise.
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #383 on: December 10, 2014, 08:01:12 PM »
There's no desperation.

There's pointing of finger and laughing.


 ;D

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #384 on: December 10, 2014, 08:41:42 PM »
The enemy is within
Don't confuse me with him

E. Smith

AbruptSLR

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #385 on: December 10, 2014, 10:49:49 PM »
According to the following quote from USA Today (for Dec 10 2014), there is so much surplus crude oil at the moment that prices have dropped 31% since Sept 30 2014; which should promote more use of fossil fuels:

Quote: "Benchmark U.S. crude declined $2.88, or 4.5%, to $60.94 a barrel in New York.

"The drop in oil prices is good," says Russ Koesterich, chief investment strategist for BlackRock. "It's the rate of decline that's scaring people." The price of a barrel of light, sweet crude oil has plunged 31% since Sept. 30."

Edit: See attached graph (from the WSJ) of the recent oil price drop
« Last Edit: December 11, 2014, 01:58:03 AM by AbruptSLR »
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #386 on: December 10, 2014, 10:53:34 PM »
I'm not sure why you linked that video.  (I find it annoying when people just drop links.  Especially if I've got to watch a video and guess their point.  My bandwidth is expensive.)

The guy says something about we act as if there are 'no consequences for our actions'.  Clearly some do.  I'm not sure that we, in general, do.  I'd point out that some recognize the consequences sooner than other who 'get it' later.

That we need to 'be able to turn that around'.  OK, I agree.  To a point.

That there is a 'cultural constraint on change'.  Sure.

That 'people who are trained to study the raw data and as scientists base their opinion on data'.  Right.

So other than stating a few obvious points what was the point?

Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #387 on: December 10, 2014, 10:57:24 PM »
Quote
"The drop in oil prices is good,"

It's mixed.  It's good for consumer's wallets, industry, and the economy in general.  It's very bad for some oil-producing countries (the US is going to take a hit).  It's bad for reducing our use of oil, EVs and PHEVs will be less competitive.  It's bad for the development of low carbon fuels.


AbruptSLR

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #388 on: December 10, 2014, 11:27:32 PM »
Quote
"The drop in oil prices is good,"

It's mixed.  It's good for consumer's wallets, industry, and the economy in general.  It's very bad for some oil-producing countries (the US is going to take a hit).  It's bad for reducing our use of oil, EVs and PHEVs will be less competitive.  It's bad for the development of low carbon fuels.

It sounds like society will stay on a BAU pathway for a little longer, at least.
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Neven

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #389 on: December 10, 2014, 11:28:48 PM »
I'm not sure why you linked that video.  (I find it annoying when people just drop links.  Especially if I've got to watch a video and guess their point.  My bandwidth is expensive.)

Sorry about that. I thought that dropping a youtube link was enough for the little youtube window to appear, which makes it somewhat easier for people to decide whether they want to/should watch it or not.

Quote
The guy says something about we act as if there are 'no consequences for our actions'.  Clearly some do.  I'm not sure that we, in general, do.  I'd point out that some recognize the consequences sooner than other who 'get it' later.

That we need to 'be able to turn that around'.  OK, I agree.  To a point.

That there is a 'cultural constraint on change'.  Sure.

That 'people who are trained to study the raw data and as scientists base their opinion on data'.  Right.

So other than stating a few obvious points what was the point?

Jason Bradford says much more, and it goes a lot deeper. I meant the video as a reply to your "pointing of finger and laughing". I'll quote the entire first half of the video, and hopefully you'll then understand my POV:

Quote
This faulty premise that we can always keep expanding human population and human consumption of resources, how does that perpetuate? I think what happens is this: essentially we have this physical reality based upon the availability of fossil fuel energy which essentially allows us to raise our short-term carrying capacity of the planet tremendously.

We are able to now organize the resources of our planet to support more and more people and more more consumptive lifestyles, to a point where it's gone on for so long and we've met so many challenges that in its essence we developed a culture that reinforces the idea that there are no real consequences to our actions because even if there's a short term problem we'll have the ingenuity and the ability to solve it.

The society in general then has generation after generation going back with that belief system and those set of expectations. And so to be able to turn that around when all anyone who's alive today can see, is just, you know, this era of human progress that goes back into the past and they assume it's gonna stretch out to the future.

And it's embedded in the laws and the habits that people have. I'ts just sort of a positive feedback loop. So there you see this cultural constraint then on change that becomes very very dangerous, because when that is challenged, it's challenging generations of belief and assumptions.

And what happens is that those who challenge it, are essentially putting themselves outside of their own culture. And that becomes very difficult to handle as an individual, psychologically and emotionally. Because your constantly going to be looking at your own culture, and saying: Oh my gosh, it's crazy. It's crazy. And yet the culture will look back at you and say: you're crazy."

I'm no fan of doomer porn, but I'm no fan of wishful thinking either. To really believe that just switching from fossil fuels to renewables, without making structural changes to the economic system and everything in its wake (culture, social relations, narratives), will make everything okay, and present that as naked truth, whilst laughing at the stupid doomers, is....

Saddening.

It depresses me, just like it depressed Jason Bradford (and probably still does). Some deny, some fail to act, and others are acting, but walk right past the root cause of our ongoing predicament.
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Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #390 on: December 11, 2014, 12:17:40 AM »
Quote
This faulty premise that we can always keep expanding human population and human consumption of resources, how does that perpetuate? I think what happens is this: essentially we have this physical reality based upon the availability of fossil fuel energy which essentially allows us to raise our short-term carrying capacity of the planet tremendously.

Yes, there are limits on population size/growth.  But there's no indication that we will hit, or even test, that limit.

Yes, we have to move off fossil fuel.  Which we have started doing.

Quote
the idea that there are no real consequences to our actions because even if there's a short term problem we'll have the ingenuity and the ability to solve it.

We have nothing that proves we can't solve our problems.  We already have the technology we need in hand, even if we quit improving and inventing today.

Note.  I am not saying that we absolutely will solve our problems.  I am saying the only reason we might not is because we failed to act. 

I suppose I should also add the possibility of an "unknown unknown".

Quote
And what happens is that those who challenge it, are essentially putting themselves outside of their own culture.

Nothing new.  I'm sure the first tribe of language-endowed humans were hesitant to mess with that new invention called "fire".  The first fire-advocate probably had rough sledding.  (Too bad he/she couldn't make the rest of the tribe some s'mores.  That would have cured the deniers.)

wili

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #391 on: December 11, 2014, 12:19:17 AM »
Quote
To really believe that just switching from fossil fuels to renewables, without making structural changes to the economic system and everything in its wake (culture, social relations, narratives), will make everything okay, and present that as naked truth, whilst laughing at the stupid doomers, is....

Saddening.

It depresses me, just like it depressed Jason Bradford (and probably still does). Some deny, some fail to act, and others are acting, but walk right past the root cause of our ongoing predicament.

+10000...
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #392 on: December 11, 2014, 02:22:32 AM »
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To really believe that just switching from fossil fuels to renewables, without making structural changes to the economic system and everything in its wake (culture, social relations, narratives), will make everything okay,

Of course switching off fossil fuels to renewables won't solve all the world's problems.  The statement was so stupid I simply pointed and laughed.

No one, to my knowledge, has ever made that claim.  I'd question the sanity of anyone who did.


Sigmetnow

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #393 on: December 11, 2014, 05:43:30 PM »
"The Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones. The Oil Age will not end because we ran out of oil."
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #394 on: December 11, 2014, 07:35:55 PM »
The stone age ended because we found a better technology - metallurgy.

The oil age will end because we will switch to a better technology - renewable electricity.


Neven

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #395 on: December 11, 2014, 08:48:34 PM »
But what will make the age of endless economic growth end?  :)
The enemy is within
Don't confuse me with him

E. Smith

Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #396 on: December 11, 2014, 10:34:30 PM »
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But what will make the age of endless economic growth end?

Fulfillment of desire?

If all inputs are sustainable then what is the problem with growth?

Neven

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #397 on: December 11, 2014, 11:16:03 PM »
The problem with the current definition of growth is that it hinders the process of making inputs sustainable. GDP growth will always take precedence over sustainability. So unless that is changed, the current set-up will never be sustainable. And something that isn't sustainable can't go on forever and will bump in all kinds of limits that will make it even more difficult to make those inputs sustainable.

You see, we in the western world should have already ended it, change the way we define growth, be that example for the rest of the world, because growth had done what it needed to do: increase living standards after WW2.  Instead of transitioning to a steady state economy, GDP growth has been turned from a means into an end, and now serves an oligarchy that will push the limits of inequality and wealth disparity as far as it can.

So unless something is done about that, the switch to renewables will not be the solution it can be.
The enemy is within
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wili

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #398 on: December 11, 2014, 11:26:29 PM »
What neven said.

As for "If all inputs are sustainable then what is the problem with growth?"

...Oh, never mind.

If someone can't see how this is self-contradictory on the face of it, there's no use trying to point it out to them.
"A force de chercher de bonnes raisons, on en trouve; on les dit; et après on y tient, non pas tant parce qu'elles sont bonnes que pour ne pas se démentir." Choderlos de Laclos "You struggle to come up with some valid reasons, then cling to them, not because they're good, but just to not back down."

Bob Wallace

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Re: Why some still "DENY" and others "FAIL TO ACT"
« Reply #399 on: December 11, 2014, 11:56:50 PM »
The problem with the current definition of growth is that it hinders the process of making inputs sustainable. GDP growth will always take precedence over sustainability. So unless that is changed, the current set-up will never be sustainable. And something that isn't sustainable can't go on forever and will bump in all kinds of limits that will make it even more difficult to make those inputs sustainable.

You see, we in the western world should have already ended it, change the way we define growth, be that example for the rest of the world, because growth had done what it needed to do: increase living standards after WW2.  Instead of transitioning to a steady state economy, GDP growth has been turned from a means into an end, and now serves an oligarchy that will push the limits of inequality and wealth disparity as far as it can.

So unless something is done about that, the switch to renewables will not be the solution it can be.

I guess the takeaway from that is that there is no apparent problem with growth as long as the inputs are sustainable.

And that the route to sustainability won't necessarily be easy.  (Which was not claimed.)

I'm not really sure why you added renewable to the end of your statement.  Renewables are all about sustainable inputs.  And getting off finite energy sources. 

And I'll repeat.  Renewable energy is one part of a larger set of solutions we need to implement to achieve a sustainable economy.