What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action

[mostly_lurking]

"If you melt those ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, the water levels will rise and come to the level of the Statue of Liberty's elbow," warns astrophysicist @neiltyson as he discusses climate change with @VanJones68 on The Van Jones Show on CNN.
https://mobile.twitter.com/cnn/status/1051243685072068608
Minute+ video clip at the link.

This is terrible. Nonscientific fear-mongering IF'S. The Ice caps are not going anywhere soon.
These kind of things just push people away.

[Sigmetnow]

"If you melt those ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, the water levels will rise and come to the level of the Statue of Liberty's elbow," warns astrophysicist @neiltyson as he discusses climate change with @VanJones68 on The Van Jones Show on CNN.
https://mobile.twitter.com/cnn/status/1051243685072068608
Minute+ video clip at the link.

This is terrible. Nonscientific fear-mongering IF'S. The Ice caps are not going anywhere soon.
These kind of things just push people away.

Since the calm, reasoned expanations of “a few feet in a few decades” has done essentially nothing to get people to act on climate change, it seems clear a more radical approach is required.  There’s a reason the “don’t text and drive” PSAs include shocking car crashes.

One interesting aspect here is that it involves a beloved scientist making the statements on CNN.  That invites a useful audience, albeit on a less-watched show.

[gerontocrat]

What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action in the UK is an attempt to start "disruptive, nonviolent disobedience". Given the mood in the country, no surprise if the nonviolent bit will be difficult to maintain amongst some of the protestors.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/18/governments-no-longer-trusted-climate-change-citizens-revolt

As the fracking protesters show, a people’s rebellion is the only way to fight climate breakdown
George Monbiot

Our politicians, under the influence of big business, have failed us. As they take the planet to the brink, it’s time for disruptive, nonviolent disobedience

On 31 October, I will speak at the launch of Extinction Rebellion** in Parliament Square. This is a movement devoted to disruptive, nonviolent disobedience in protest against ecological collapse. The three heroes jailed for trying to stop fracking last month, whose outrageous sentences have just been overturned, are likely to be the first of hundreds. The intention is to turn this national rising into an international one.

This preparedness for sacrifice, a long history of political and religious revolt suggests, is essential to motivate and mobilise people to join an existential struggle. It is among such people that you find the public and civic sense now lacking in government. That we have to take such drastic action to defend the common realm shows how badly we have been abandoned.

Extinction Rebellion** https://risingup.org.uk/XR/

[Sigmetnow]

Climate Expert Katharine Hayhoe to Speak at Nobel Peace Prize Forum

The panel discussion in Oslo, Norway will cover the world’s response to climate change.

Katharine Hayhoe, co-director of the Texas Tech University Climate Science Center and a professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts & Sciences, has been invited to participate in one of the most distinguished forums in the world by the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

Hayhoe will join other world leaders on climate science, policy and solutions as part of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Forum Oslo at the University of Oslo, Norway. The forum, scheduled for Dec. 11 and titled “How to Solve the Climate Crisis in Time,” will follow the keynote speech delivered by former U.S. vice president and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Al Gore.

“I'm honored to participate in this event, and I appreciate the decision of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum to use this event to highlight the urgency of a changing climate,” Hayhoe said. “Just last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest report, detailing in stark terms the future of our world if we don't take immediate action to reduce carbon emissions. A global conversation about how we can sensibly and safely accomplish this goal is exactly what we need right now.”

As the co-director of the Climate Science Center, Hayhoe engages with stakeholders in agriculture, public health, energy, infrastructure and more to communicate the relevance of a changing climate to our society today. ...

http://today.ttu.edu/posts/2018/10/nobel-peace-prize-forum

[NeilT]

What's New in Climate Change Acceptance and Action in the UK is an attempt to start "disruptive, nonviolent disobedience". Given the mood in the country, no surprise if the nonviolent bit will be difficult to maintain amongst some of the protestors.

Yep it is easy to demonstrate Fracking.  Somewhat harder to demonstrate the opening of a new North Sea gas field.

[Sigmetnow]

Results from U.S. mid-term elections yesterday:

Seven new Democratic Governors have solid Democratic state legislature majorities in both houses for majority (over 1/2 US population) - who proposed 50% clean energy by 2030 or better!

Ballot initiative flops mask strong election for clean energy | Utility Dive

In each of those states, the newly elected governors will come into office with one-party rule — Democrats controlling both houses of the state legislatures — which may make it easier to enact their energy agendas. If that happens, it could mean fewer costly fights over clean energy ballot initiatives in the future, which delivered mixed results Tuesday night.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ballot-initiative-flops-mask-strong-election-for-clean-energy/541626/

[Sigmetnow]

Democrats won the majority of the U.S. Congress’ House in the mid-term elections last Tuesday, which means they will take over the leadership of House committees.  Scientists and climate-change believers are coming on board!

House Dems plan to bring back committee on climate change

Democrats are reportedly planning to revive a House committee on climate change after winning back control of the House.

The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was dissolved by Republicans in 2011 after the GOP took control, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will ask Democrats to reconstitute it, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The special committee, which was started by Pelosi, was not authorized to advance legislation, but the panel held hearings to address concerns about climate change, extreme weather events and global warming.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/415723-house-dems-plan-to-bring-back-committee-on-climate-change

All eyes on top Democrat to bring science back to science committee

Environmentalists are hoping that Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) will bring science back to the House science committee when she takes over as chair in the next Congress.

Johnson, if elected chair, will be the first woman with a degree in a STEM field to hold the position since 1990. She was the first registered nurse elected to Congress when she won her first term in 1993, and she’s served as ranking member on House Science, Space and Technology Committee since 2011.

The Democrat will represent a significant shift from the previous chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas).

Smith introduced controversial bills including the Secret Science Reform Act and worked in tandem with the Trump administration to introduce heavily criticized policies on science transparency to the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/415589-all-eyes-on-top-democrat-to-bring-science-back-to-science-committee

Congress gains an influx of scientists as GOP science committee head leaves
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/10/congress-gains-scientists-lawmakers-midterm-elections

Also posted in the Trump Assaults on Science on the Science board.

[TerryM]

Sig
The above is good news indeed.


If the Dems can concentrate on good governance for the next two years, their long heralded Blue Wave will become a reality in 2020.
Terry

[wdmn]

Some folks are trying to organize a planet-wide general strike on Jan. 15th:

https://np.reddit.com/r/EarthStrike/

https://twitter.com/StrikeEarth

[Sleepy]

EIB climate survey
Assessing citizens’ sentiments towards climate change
http://www.eib.org/en/surveys/citizens-climate-change-survey
About Swedes (I'm a minority here, in more ways than this...):

Below the EU average with 63% of Swedes describing themselves as concerned or alarmed when thinking about climate change, Swedes are less concerned about the impacts of climate change than their fellow Europeans. The survey also reveals that they are less aware of the dangers of climate change than the average EU citizen, with only 51% of Swedes considering that climate change has already become a threat to humanity, against 59% for the EU average.

Furthermore, the survey highlights some generational gaps, with 59% of the millennial generation (18 to 34 year-olds) believing global warming is due to human activity and only 37% of the ageing population (55+) sharing this view.

[Sigmetnow]

With Democratic Majority, Climate Change Is Back on U.S. House Agenda
Fossil fuel supporters will still control the Senate, but the House will soon be able to turn a spotlight on climate change and Trump's retreat from responsibility.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07112018/election-2018-climate-change-democratic-majority-house-congress-energy-senate-governors-initiatives


The number (and state origin) of Democratic votes in last week’s U.S. mid-term elections, if applied to presidential voting and the electoral college (that archaic system that made a winner of the loser of the 2016 popular vote) — would be more than sufficient to provide a Democrat victory in 2020.

Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) 11/11/18, 11:30 AM
So here's an updated map showing House popular vote winners, mapped onto the Electoral College. Dark blue/dark red means the party won by >= 5 points, light blue/pink means it was close.
https://twitter.com/natesilver538/status/1061657448719749120

ג'סיקה מונטל - جسيكا مونتل (@JessicaMontell) 11/11/18, 12:18 PM
@NateSilver538 Consider switching to a map of population rather than land. All that empty space painted red is very misleading. See @nytimes map
https://twitter.com/jessicamontell/status/1061669472266792961

[magnamentis]

Sig
The above is good news indeed.


If the Dems can concentrate on good governance for the next two years, their long heralded Blue Wave will become a reality in 2020.
Terry

hope dies last while a trump supporter is like a priest to whom you want to proof that there is no god, even though they perhaps sooner or later get it, they would never admit it because their previous life would have been a waste.

as a result they're starting to abuse kids an fuck around until they get caught or fail.

in short, trump voters will not abandon the man in masses because they would admit their own stupidity when looking at themselves in the mirror, hence they gonna stick to their "hero" to the last man standing or until the man lost his power, his life or both.

the elect that man in millions takes so much inferiority that i'm not even sorry for them, only solution is to disconnect as much as possible from sick animalic humanity and live a humble life under the radar. biggest chance to survive anyways sifting through all documented history

[Sigmetnow]

U.S. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Joins Environmental Activists in Protest at Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s Office

The proposed committee would, among other things, establish a 10-year plan to transition the U.S. economy to become carbon neutral, according to draft legislation that the activists presented to Pelosi’s office. The activists are also pushing Democratic leaders to reject campaign contributions from fossil fuel industry groups. “We need every person who is going to claim the mantle of Democratic leadership to take the no fossil fuel money pledge,” Prakash said at the sit-in outside Pelosi’s office.

Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to join the protesters and march on her own House leader sets a tone of urgency and combativeness that is rare on Capitol Hill. Walking into the Cannon House Office Building, she told The Intercept something new had to be tried. “The way things are done has not been getting results. We have to try new methods,” she said. ...

https://theintercept.com/2018/11/13/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-sunrise-activists-nancy-pelosi/

[Sleepy]

Solheim and Branson are <I'll sensor myself here because this is so <I'll sensor myself here...> <I'll sensor myself here again...> <I'll sensor myself here again, too...>>:
https://twitter.com/ErikSolheim/status/1061923168162582528

[nicibiene]

There is an increasing movement among brave young people, children aged 10 years:

https://mobile.twitter.com/Gretathunberg
https://mobile.twitter.com/lillyspickup
https://mobile.twitter.com/elsie__luna

https://www.schoolstrike4climate.com/

Impressive speech of Greta Thunberg:



I try to support them by sharing their posts, leaving word to encourage them to do their walk and telling my children about them.

Maybe some of you here could support them too? 

[Sleepy]

I agree:

Another from the "We Don't Have Time" series (posted earlier in this thread).

A message to all adults out there who are busy defending an obsolete lifestyle.

Also this, with the same video (content) as yours above but attached, nicibiene:

More on Greta Thunberg. Over 10.000 people in Helsinki this Saturday.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/10/20/teen-climate-activist-crowd-thousands-we-cant-save-world-playing-rules-because-rules

And this:

<snip>
Our present system started in the early 70's and one thing (maybe the only thing?) that might change it, is ordinary people and kids like Greta above. When enough people realize what must change, corporations and governments must change.
<snip>

[Archimid]

Veteran Democrats wary of climate push by Ocasio-Cortez and her allies

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/16/veteran-democrats-wary-leftward-push-climate-977988

Veteran Democratic lawmakers are closing ranks against new members pushing the party to the left on climate change.

Incoming chairmen say they want to address climate change, but they are bristling at the tactics of Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other newly elected Democrats who say the party needs to come up with a "Green New Deal" that would decarbonize the economy within a decade.

“The idea that in five years or 10 years we’re not going to consume any more fossil fuels is technologically impossible,” Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), whose in line to lead the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told POLITICO. “We can have grand goals but let’s be realistic about how we get there.”

It is impossible only because people like these cowards say it is impossible.

[gerontocrat]

Veteran Democrats wary of climate push by Ocasio-Cortez and her allies

Veteran Democratic lawmakers are closing ranks against new members pushing the party to the left on climate change.

Incoming chairmen say they want to address climate change, but they are bristling at the tactics of Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other newly elected Democrats who say the party needs to come up with a "Green New Deal" that would decarbonize the economy within a decade.

“The idea that in five years or 10 years we’re not going to consume any more fossil fuels is technologically impossible,” Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), whose in line to lead the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told POLITICO. “We can have grand goals but let’s be realistic about how we get there.”

It is impossible only because people like these cowards say it is impossible.

Corporate Democrats rule, OK?

ps Schoolchildren are going on strike in Australia.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/15/the-children-are-rioting-in-the-streets-they-are-deadly-serious-and-perhaps-our-last-hope

[wdmn]

Several arrested as thousands block London bridges in climate rebellion

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/17/thousands-gather-to-block-london-bridges-in-climate-rebellion

More than 50 people have been arrested as thousands of demonstrators occupied five bridges in central London to voice their concern over the looming climate crisis.

The demonstration will move from eastern bridges to congregate at the end of the day at Westminster, where there will be speeches and opportunities for members of the public to speak about environmental destruction.

The move is part of a campaign of mass civil disobedience organised by a new group, Extinction Rebellion, which wants to force governments to treat the threats of climate breakdown and extinction as a crisis.

“The ‘social contract’ has been broken … [and] it is therefore not only our right but our moral duty to bypass the government’s inaction and flagrant dereliction of duty and to rebel to defend life itself,” said Gail Bradbrook, one of the organisers.

The social contract has been broken; the public trust has been violated. Time for a new deal.

[Red]

This seems reactive as opposed to proactive. I have to ask if these sorts of policy changes are very well thought out or not. It puts the cost of walking away from FF squarely on the shoulders of the poorest without giving them an alternative. i.e. you still have to get to work every day or we take your car/house/food away.
                                                         ---------------------------
 
In just a few weeks, the yellow hi-vis vest has become such a potent political symbol that one risks being mistaken for a supporter of the rebellious gilets jaunes when cycling in Paris.
The gilets jaunes are a grass-roots revolt against high fuel prices, and they threaten to paralyse France on Saturday.
The cause of the price hikes are “eco taxes” meant to dissuade the French from using cars. “We choose to tax pollution and harmful products rather than workers,” budget minister Gérald Darmanin explains. Yet the fuel taxes penalize the poor disproportionately.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/revolt-over-high-fuel-prices-threatens-to-paralyse-france-1.3699287

[kassy]

This is just one part of a whole range of measures and they are spreading the pain around:

As of January 1st 2019, SUV's (Sport utility vehicles), big sedans and other large cars will be slapped with penalties of between €50 to €10,500 depending on their polluting level, fines that in fact already exist.

The difference is that the emission threshold for cars will be lowered by 3 grams, from 120 to 117 grams of CO2 released per kilometer.

That means the number of cars penalized is likely to rise from the current 16.5 percent to 27.6 percent in 2019, unless there’s a considerable switchover to less polluting cars by the French public.

https://www.thelocal.fr/20180720/france-tightens-grip-on-polluting-cars-with-stricter-eco-tax


I went to look what the actual tax is. Of course there are some other issues with the price as well:



Why have fuel prices increased in France?
The hike in fuel prices is due to three things (two of which were decided by the government), said Chassignet.

A rise in crude oil prices in 2018 is the first reason why fuel prices have been high this year. The cost surged to a bit more than €80 per barrel in October although it has since dropped to the low 50s, high 40s in November. With a weak euro in regards to the dollar, this increase has been strongly felt by motorists.

“The price of crude oil increased a lot from July to October this year, it only started going down this month,” said Chassignet.

The second thing is an increase in the carbon tax, which is meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Introduced in 2014 under the Francois Hollande government, the carbon tax falls under the domestic consumption taxes (TIC) umbrella. The government has the objective to keep increasing this tax for the next few years (going from €39 in 2018 to €47,5 in 2019).

Since the beginning of this year, the diesel tax went up by 7.60 cents per litre, while the tax on petrol went up by 3.90 cents per litre

https://www.euronews.com/2018/11/16/what-s-all-the-fuss-about-the-french-fuel-tax-hikes-euronews-answers

The french government also put money aside for compensation so you can get a credit for changing to a less polluting car.

So they are not just putting the cost of walking away from FF squarely on the shoulders of the
poorest.

[Sigmetnow]

The likely 2020 U.S. presidential candidate is daring TV networks to finally cover climate change.

Bernie Sanders, Stoking Democratic Uproar Over Global Warming, Sets A Climate Town Hall

”The fact that [climate change] is that high among the base of one of our two major political parties is remarkable, because that was not the case even five years ago,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, a senior research scientist and Yale’s climate program director. “If you think of Bernie, you’d think he’d be talking about inequality or civil rights. There’s a whole host of progressive issues, yet this is the one he’s leading with. It may suggest there’s been an alignment of the stars.”

Last week, youth activists with the grassroots climate group Sunrise Movement staged sit-ins in the offices of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the likely next chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who opposed the creation of a select committee on a Green New Deal.

At least three sitting members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus agreed to back a resolution Ocasio-Cortez proposed to establish a 15-member Green New Deal panel. Activists are hoping Sanders’ event will add the 2016 presidential contender’s star power to their movement. ...

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-climate-change_us_5bf20e9ce4b0f32bd58aae6e

[Sleepy]

When will the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise join? The Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) just did.

EK joins the CLC climate initiative: Climate policy ambition must be raised to correspond to the 1.5 C target
https://ek.fi/en/current/2018/11/20/ek-joins-the-clc-climate-initiative-climate-policy-ambition-must-be-raised-to-correspond-to-the-1-5-c-target/

https://clc.fi/en/supporters-for-net-zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions-initiative/

[Sleepy]

The Climate Emergency Plan 3.00 PM CET 24 November
https://climateemergencyplan.confetti.events/

If we are to stay below 1,5 °C global warming, emissions have to peak no later than 2020. That is less than 800 days from now. Emissions must also be cut by half by 2030, and to zero by 2050. We need an immediate emergency response by policymakers, businesses and civil society, aimed at an unprecedented transformation of all sectors of society. The Club of Rome’s Climate Emergency Plan, presented by Anders Wijkman, outlines an immediate course of action for policymakers. This will be the point of departure for a solutions-oriented seminar that advances the conversation on how to demand and create real change. We will learn about innovative technical platforms, the transition from conventional growth economics, how to successfully create political change and the growing power of youth movements.

[Sleepy]

THE CLUB OF ROME CLIMATE EMERGENCY PLAN.
Out now, have at it:
http://www.clubofrome.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Climate_Emergency_Plan_Final.pdf

[Sigmetnow]

“But rather than talk about what will happen if we do nothing, they should talk about the opportunities that will be made possible once we take action."

Michael E. Mann: ""Tackle global warming with hope, not fear" | Online version of my @POLITICO op-ed with hyperlinks!”
https://twitter.com/MichaelEMann/status/1069676015872589825

[oren]

Climate change acceptance and action?
I am very concerned by the developments in France. Finally some government tries to put measures to fight climate change, and the public is going out on the streets with short-sighted protest. Other governments and future politicians will probably remember this hint very well.

[sidd]

French protests are more than a bunch of shortsighted mobs rioting for cheap fossil fuel. But this is not the place for that discussion. Perhaps in another thread ?

sidd

[Bruce Steele]

Owen, I was wondering when the forum was going to help explain a European revolt . It arises out of desperation does it not?  That the rich are moving forward and the masses are not?  I am amazed that riots aren't crushed as they would be over here.
 Will not poverty , homelessness, hopelessness lead to similar results everywhere? The problem is growing here in very obvious ways, tent camps along the train tracks , and the freeways . It isn't even getting cleaned up any more here in one of the best economies and vast wealth of Santa Barbara.
Problems that have been obvious in the more poverty ridden areas like Fresno are matastizing.
Although I haven't been to France I think there is still some form of a safety net that doesn't exist over here any more, if it ever did but the people at the bottom don't believe a petition to government is an option . They aren't going to revolt . When will we accept walking past the downtrodden ? Every day.
 I don't post much on my efforts at zero fossil fuel energy , farming or basic minimalism . I realize it is
maybe more of a hobby that affluence affords than an honest path millions might follow. To bad about that because until we can accept less and learn to enjoy the experiance we will supply plenty of blood for the batons. But if you are rioting for living more like the rich then blood will flow.
 The arrow of progress is a stupid idea but a difficult social construct to disassemble . When the French learn how to add acorns to their diets I will know the game is changing.
 

[oren]

French protests are more than a bunch of shortsighted mobs rioting for cheap fossil fuel.

I do understand that, and I think any "climate tax" must be accompanied by a dividend plan / basic income, so that the net result falls on the rich rather than the barely-surviving poor. But in the context of this thread I am still concerned by the consequences of the shallow headline issue - French protest fuel taxes (and other climate action). Politicians will surely take the message to heart, regardless of the details.

[Sigmetnow]

U.S.:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and House freshmen are protesting congressional orientation
• The future lawmakers have staged rallies and are tweeting their protests of the bipartisan events, which are cosponsored by the American Enterprise Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
• "Lobbyists are here. Goldman Sachs is here.   Where's labor? Activists? Frontline community leaders?" Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday.
https://www.businessinsider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-and-house-freshmen-are-protesting-orientation-harvard-2018-12

Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Is a Winning Climate Strategy
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/12/ocasio-cortez-green-new-deal-winning-climate-strategy/576514/


Megan Herbert #TantrumBook: "Frogs and fish is a perfect way in! I spoke with a group of [6-year-olds] yesterday and we focussed a lot on ecosystems and how when they warm, plant/animal life is disrupted. They totally got it."
https://twitter.com/megan_herbert/status/1071312443798900736

[Sigmetnow]

Australia

NSW MP says NO MORE coal mines.  Brief video.

Jeremy Buckingham  (@greensjeremy)
12/6/18, 6:20 AM
The devastating destruction of the Maules Creek coal mine near Boggabri. This was the last new coal mine approved and built in NSW. It should be the last new coal mine ever! #nswpol #coal #auspol

https://twitter.com/greensjeremy/status/1070639083687309312

[etienne]

Climate change acceptance and action?
I am very concerned by the developments in France. Finally some government tries to put measures to fight climate change, and the public is going out on the streets with short-sighted protest. Other governments and future politicians will probably remember this hint very well.

These are not climate change protests but taxes protests. Most of the protesting people are working poor that have difficulties to live until the end of the month, while taxes are reduced on the richer people and companies.
France has much more social protection than the US, but when the fridge and the purse is empty, the medical program won't help you.
The main actions to try to stop the move are an increase of 100 EUR of the minimal salary, a reduction of the taxes on work that is done in an overtime scheme and for poor retiered people.
The taxes on fuel are not "ecotaxes" because incomes are only partially planned for the energy transition, and mainly for normal business of the state.
Sometimes people having nothing are in a better situation because they have nothing to loose.  If you have a very low salary, a little house you were able to buy 30 years ago, an old car that might not comply with the technical control, but that you need to go to work, you're really in deep s..t.
The crazy thing with taxes is that major companies are able to avoid income taxes, but small local ones can't. If you want income tax free furniture, IT, or shoes, I guess you know where to go, and it really is unfair compared to smaller companies.

[Sigmetnow]

Satirical report from the Onion:

Study Finds 79% Of Statistics Now Sobering
https://www.theonion.com/study-finds-79-of-statistics-now-sobering-1819576831

[Sigmetnow]

Eric Holthaus: "Our time demands a world-changing vision of a courageous future that works for everyone. This 3-min clip from @Ocasio2018 is the best I've seen at articulating what we need right now, and groups like @sunrisemvmt and @ExtinctionR are making it happen. We are in this together.”

‘The only way we are going to get out of this situation is by choosing to be courageous.’ — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1070706429978263552

https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus/status/1071852521898082304

[TerryM]

Satirical report from the Onion:

Study Finds 79% Of Statistics Now Sobering
https://www.theonion.com/study-finds-79-of-statistics-now-sobering-1819576831

First laugh of the day!


Thanks, I really needed something to lighten things up.
Terry

[oren]

Thanks for the clarifications about France.

[Sigmetnow]

U.S. Congressional Republicans’ long string of losses could now lead to some surprising wins for the climate.

“Currently, a Green New Deal and revenue-neutral carbon tax are the two leading U.S. climate policy legislative contenders. Both are popular – a recent poll found 68 percent of voters support a revenue-neutral carbon tax, and 76 percent support a carbon tax if the revenue were invested in renewable energy, as under a Green New Deal.”

Congress to confront climate/health care nexus
https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2018/12/congress-to-confront-climate-change-health-care-nexus/

[Sigmetnow]

More Americans view climate change as 'imminent' threat: Reuters/Ipsos Poll

A growing percentage of Americans see climate change as an “imminent” threat driven mainly by human activity, and more than two-thirds want Washington to work with other nations to combat it, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.

The public concern over global warming in the United States clashes with President Donald Trump’s policies aimed at maximizing fossil fuels production and dismantling climate protections he views as too onerous and costly for industry. ...

https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1OC1FX

[Sleepy]

The best discussion from Katowice so far, unless you're part of the high flying climate glitterati.

[etienne]

The best discussion from Katowice so far, unless you're part of the high flying climate glitterati.

Very good discussion indeed. Crazy idea to ask to the 10% most polluting people to produce only as much CO2 than an average European, and it's crazy to think that it would reduce emissions of 1/3.

[wdmn]

Average European is very misleading, since almost everyone in a country like Denmark would be in the top 10%.

[Sleepy]

Everyone in Denmark is above those 53,000 pounds mentioned in the video above? No, but we are rich in Scandinavia and also not that green. That's only the facade. Kevin immediately saw through that facade when he came to Uppsala a couple of years ago. Income inequality is steadily increasing here as well.

Where in the world is it easiest to get rich?


If you feel to dive a bit further:
https://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1198429/FULLTEXT01.pdf

[etienne]

Furthermore, these 53'000 pounds are certainly per person, so it makes 212'000 pounds for a family with 2 kids.
In Luxembourg (which is not known to be a poor area), minimum salary is around 2000 EUR, so for 2 adults with 2 kids and all social helps and some overtime work, maybe they can get up to 6000 EUR per month, or 72'000 EUR per year, still very far away of the 212'000 pounds. And lodging is very expensive, at least 12'000 to 15'000 EUR per year which also reduces CO2 emission possibilities (my boys have a friend who lives to 7 people - 2 parents, 2 kids and 1 grandmother -  in an old appartment with 2 sleeping rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living-room and it probably costs around 15'000 EUR per year).

[Sigmetnow]

U.S.:  New Jersey rejoins regional state climate initiative

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ([Democrat]) announced Monday that the state will rejoin a region-wide carbon cutting initiative after having pulled out under former Gov. Chris Christie ([Republican]).

The Garden State will once again become a partner of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, made up of Mid-Atlantic and New England states focused on reducing energy emissions through a cap-and-trade auction process. Other member states include Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

"Climate change and sea-level rise affect every one of us," Murphy said on Monday. "From Superstorm Sandy to the powerful nor'easters and devastating flooding this year, it is imperative that New Jersey reclaim its leadership role in fighting back."

New Jersey was a charter member of the partnership, but Christie withdrew the state's membership in 2012. ...

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/421782-new-jersey-rejoins-state-climate-initiative

[Sigmetnow]

Michael E. Mann: "Twenty years ago in @Nature we concluded that recent warming was unprecedented in at least six centuries (https://t.co/JZq8P0bufm). This year in @Nature, scientists concluded it's unprecedented in at least eleven millennia.  Guess we were wrong."
https://twitter.com/MichaelEMann/status/1075091315300425728
Paper: https://t.co/pfv5301dnF

Physics & Astronomy Zone on Twitter: "A small action can be amplified to become a large one even if you are unaware of it.”
https://twitter.com/ZonePhysics/status/1075118749194301440
Video of tiny domino acting on only a few others to knock over a huge one.

"My 9 year old - trying to work out his life expectancy. This ended in tears.”
https://twitter.com/mellojonny/status/1075525732703657985
Image at the link.

[Sigmetnow]

Levin’s an environmental attorney who also ran a clean technology trade group. He picked the title “Clean Energy Advocate” for his ballot description.

Incoming Democrat Wants to Make Climate a 2020 Election Issue
California Representative-elect, Mike Levin, thinks climate can rally voters in the next presidential race
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/incoming-democrat-wants-to-make-climate-a-2020-election-issue/

[Sigmetnow]

After Back-to-Back Hurricanes, North Carolina Reconsiders Climate Change

After North Carolina was hit by two major hurricanes within two years and flooding rainfall from a third, the state that once spurned the science of sea level rise in its zoning rules is starting to take climate change more seriously.

A new governor has a different policy agenda that incorporates the risks from climate change, and polls suggest a growing number of North Carolina residents are concerned about climate change and want policies that help protect them from extreme weather. ...

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27122018/hurricane-damage-north-carolina-climate-change-2018-year-review-florence-michael-matthew

[Sigmetnow]

The U.S. Congress is becoming noticeable greener since the Dems won the House in the November mid-term elections:

Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi)
12/28/18, 11:34 AM
It is with great enthusiasm that I appoint @USRepKCastor as the Chair of our new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. We know she will bring great experience, energy & urgency to confronting this existential threat.
https://twitter.com/nancypelosi/status/1078690755194118144

Also posting in Paris thread.

[TerryM]

Rep. Kathy Castor, newly appointed chair of "Select Committee on the Climate Change" blocks green initiative to disallow those taking money from Big Oil & King Coal from sitting.
What an inauspicious beginning!

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/kathy-castor-climate_us_5c1c0843e4b08aaf7a869cfd?ec_carp=8866883844216575748

More BAU from Nancy Pelosi, who never saw a dollar so dirty that she wouldn't bend over to accept it.
Terry