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DragoonXNucleon t1_izsq66a wrote

"Keep warming under 1.5c"...

Yea, we crossed that threshold already. Right now were on track for warming of 5c, and we refuse to endure any pain switching off fossil fuel.

That time long sailed. If we dealt with emissions are Al Gore showed us the hockey stick we coulda done this without pain.

Now, its too late. We have to drastically cut and that means giving things up. We need carbon taxes, gas taxes and extreme taxes on anything emission based.

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Vex1om t1_izstf55 wrote

>We have to drastically cut and that means giving things up.

You're not wrong, but I'm not sure you understand how tightly society is tied to fossil fuels. Severe cuts that would actually move the needle wouldn't just be people putting on a sweater in winter and giving up air conditioning in the summer. It would literally mean that billions of people would have to give up eating as we try to grow crops without the use of fossil fuels-based fertilizers.

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GMN123 t1_izt2xr4 wrote

Getting off fossil fuels is not going to happen because anyone chose to. It'll be because better, cheaper alternatives come along. Like with electric cars, they aren't a compromise, they're an improvement.

We might be a little way off those improvements in others areas, but they'll come. When we develop fusion or a cheap mass storage option for renewables we'll not burn gas or coal for power or heating much longer.

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bitofrock t1_izt35ga wrote

We could stop using huge amounts of oil to create the huge amounts of food required to feed cattle that become our beef meat. And pets. Dear God, why are we buying carnivores as pets? We can do so much that would help and all we'll miss out on are cheap beef burgers. I can handle that.

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Vex1om t1_j00blob wrote

>We could stop using huge amounts of oil to create the huge amounts of food required to feed cattle that become our beef meat.

Technically, this would improve food yields relative to fertilizer utilization, but it does nothing to deal with fossil fuels for farm equipment, transport, processing, refrigeration, etc - and you would STILL need massive amounts of fertilizer to feed the existing population. The carrying capacity of the earth without advanced fertilizers is probably in the neighborhood of 3 to 4 billion people.

It's also politically untenable, of course. I think that you will find that the majority of the population is simply not willing to give up meat in their diets. A solution that nobody is able to implement isn't really much of a solution.

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SansSanctity t1_izsrvg5 wrote

Policy proposals like this would harm the poorest in our society and likely kill millions of people if implemented globally.

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Taalnazi t1_izssv8z wrote

And doing nothing would harm poor, middle, and rich, and kill millions upon millions more.

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SansSanctity t1_izst6q6 wrote

That's not true, the USA has had drastic decreases in carbon emissions over the last two decades in spite of not having these kinds of policies that would specifically harm the poorest in our society. How is someone supposed to warm their home in the winter or fill their car with gas for work when you've taxed energy so drastically?

I am sick and tired of the unscientific catastrophizing around this topic.

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MrScaryEgg t1_izsx83b wrote

> How is someone supposed to warm their home in the winter or fill their car with gas for work when you've taxed energy so drastically?

This question seems to be based on the misconception that energy = fossil fuels. The point such a tax would be to account for the true cost of using fossil fuels, rather than renewables, for energy.

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DanoPinyon t1_iztmh6l wrote

...we've merely shifted our manufacturing pollution to Asia.

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SansSanctity t1_iztmrno wrote

No we haven’t, the USA is one of the least involved developed economies in terms of its trade with the rest of the world. Much of our reductions come from the phasing out of coal fired plants and the increase in the use of much cleaner (albeit it not entirely emissions free) natural gas.

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DanoPinyon t1_iztnfhy wrote

You could strengthen your assertion by showing a chart over time of manufacturing output in USA.

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Taalnazi t1_izsw942 wrote

Well, for that you have to thank politicians who were deeeeep in the oil and gas pockets. They did nothing to construct clean energy stuff.

So now we are paying the price for that. No one of us wanted this, except for the greedy companies and some politicians.

You can wear thermo clothing. You can drive an electric car or bicycle and demand better infrastructure and public transport. Plenty of opportunities.

Not doing anything and crying about not having enough gas, which itself harms the climate, is not the solution.

The US has decreased some emissions, but far too few and little. It needs to go to zero.

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Individual_Ad2579 t1_izsww76 wrote

I just don’t think you understand the impact on the economy it would be to go to zero

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Taalnazi t1_izsxdfy wrote

The impact would be larger if we did nothing. Have you got any better ideas?

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Individual_Ad2579 t1_izysmxf wrote

Have a good economy so we can better fund actual policies instead of ramping up spending to where we inflate the currency so much we can’t afford to put in policies that will actually effect climate change

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SansSanctity t1_izswma2 wrote

Did you just say oil and gas interests are responsible for the drastic decrease in USA's emissions?

"You can drive an electric car"

"Emissions need to go to zero."

You don't know how electric cars are made, do you?

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Taalnazi t1_izsx1re wrote

I see talking with you is talking on deaf ears... You are not actually willing to learn. I have constructively answered you, and you keep returning with personal attacks. You know that you can be better than this.

Bless your heart. I disengage.

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EclecticKant t1_izsy5cy wrote

Drastically? The CO2 emissions per Capita have been reduced by less than a quarter in the last 30 years. And the total emissions are almost at an all time high.

A few developed countries have reduced significantly their emissions, mostly the Eu, but the USA is not one of them, the only reductions are caused by an increased efficiency in the technology used, definitely not because of efficient climate policies or a shift in the public opinion on the matter.

The USA is the richest country on earth by far, and it's doing nothing, and the problem is not that people wouldn't be able to heat their homes or fuel their cars, there is plenty of wealth to spare, but people just don't care enough, even though doing something is in their best interest, but it doesn't benefit them in the short term

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SansSanctity t1_izsygg6 wrote

I was talking about total emissions, which are down, not at an all-time high.

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EclecticKant t1_izt064x wrote

https://www.statista.com/statistics/183943/us-carbon-dioxide-emissions-from-1999/

We are 20% down from the all time high. Basically the same level of the eighties. Is this what you would describe as "drastically reduced"?

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SansSanctity t1_izt0fyt wrote

Why did you describe a 20% reduction from the ATH in the 1980s as " the total emissions are almost at an all-time high."?

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EclecticKant t1_izt1l7x wrote

Mostly because they have started to increase again. My point still stands, emissions aren't being reduced, not nearly enough to have any meaningful impact on our effect of climate change.

What about your point? How can you describe people's opinions as "unscientific catastrophizing" when your opinion is based on wrong facts

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SansSanctity t1_izt1sim wrote

I stated that we are trending down over the last 20 years. You’re the one with “wrong facts” who said we are at an all time high.

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EclecticKant t1_izt7fda wrote

"ALMOST at an all time high" seems more fitting than "drastically reduced" when referring to a 20% reduction.

Your initial argument is that the USA "drastically" reduced emissions without harming the poorest part of the population, and my point is that it is simply not true. The USA produces the same emissions that it did 50 years ago, does it seem enough to you? The USA hasn't suffered from climate change policies because it has not put in place any meaningful climate policy.

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fjccommish t1_iztbmts wrote

Reduced is reduced.

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EclecticKant t1_iztgl78 wrote

And drastically means Nothing.

Praising the US policis for such a small reduction is ridiculous and pointless.

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fjccommish t1_izvamly wrote

Turn off your computer. Stop driving. Turn off your electric appliances. Show us the way.

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EclecticKant t1_izw7j6c wrote

The only options are a 20% reduction or returning to the bronze age?

Following the same path of the EU would be more than enough, and probably more than anyone expects or asks from the USA, the EU produces roughly half the tons of Co2 both per Capita and per dollar of value produced compared to the US. And the US is probably richer than the average European country, so the lack of money is probably not the problem.

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fjccommish t1_izy6rvt wrote

I agree. You first.

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EclecticKant t1_izy75bn wrote

I'm European. I already went first.

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fjccommish t1_izyjszh wrote

What have YOU done that you are demanding Americans do to stop fake global warming?

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EclecticKant t1_j014bwk wrote

Pollute less?

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fjccommish t1_j03020n wrote

What have I polluted?

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EclecticKant t1_j030qka wrote

16 tons of co2 each year, on average.

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fjccommish t1_j0369fq wrote

CO2 isn't a pollutant. Plants need it to grow and thrive.

You've measured the CO2 I put out?

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EclecticKant t1_j03ahed wrote

Co2 is an infrared absorber, that's the problem.

And yes, people measured, the fact that co2 absorbs infrared makes it easy to measure its quantity. People measured how much the USA releases, then they divided it by the population to get an average.

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fjccommish t1_j03as1x wrote

I asked what am I polluting.

CO2 is not a pollutant.

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EclecticKant t1_j03eghx wrote

From Wikipedia

A pollutant or novel entity[1] is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effects, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource.

Co2 has the unwanted and negative effect of absorbing infrared emissions of the earth surface, so it is a pollutant. I'm really curious as to why co2 is not a pollutant according to you, because plants use it?

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fjccommish t1_j04eraf wrote

From scientists:

"A new study published recently by three veteran researchers reveals that "EPA's basic claim that CO2 is a pollutant is totally false.""

"The authors - Drs. Jim Wallace, John Christy and Joe D'Aleo - stated there is "very, very little doubt but that EPA's claim of a Tropical Hot Spot, caused by rising atmospheric CO2 levels, simply does not exist in the real world.""

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amanamongbotss t1_izsv4hc wrote

That seems like a short-sighted rebuttal when the alternative is we all die and we kill nearly everything else and also suffer way more.

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SansSanctity t1_izsvg8u wrote

As I say below the comment you're replying to, your response is unscientific catastrophizing that needs data to back it up. We've already seen massive carbon reductions in the USA without taxing energy prices such that they would harm or kill poor people.

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Maxathron t1_izt41vp wrote

Almost every single process in the modern US requires some form of hydrocarbon pulled out of the ground to function. Are you willing to go back to the days when you need to ride into town on a horse? Is your entire city willing to do that? No Amazon, no internet, no Reddit, no A/C, no Walmart, no skyscrapers, you don't even get to insulate your house, tap water is out too, and on and on and on. You don't even get to use solar panels or modern wind turbines. At best you get some old fashioned wooden windmills and small hydroelectric dams.

99% of your clothes are out because it takes power and infrastructure made out of or requiring the use of those hydrocarbons to make your cotton and wool clothes. Ceramic dishes are out because they need the power to light their kilns on the scale to give you a set. Lightbulbs are made from plastic and metal heated using burning hydrocarbons. That computer or phone you're on absolutely requires hydrocarbons to make. Toss your new iPhone 15 in the garbage if you want cLiMaTe ChAnGe to be addressed.

In order to get the desired outcome you seek, EvErYoNe will need to go back to the early 1800s US society. That's also likely to take Feminism, LGBT, and Civil Rights along with it. And you have no idea if other states or countries will agree or not. China can just say No and what are you going to do? Line up muskets to fight tanks and nuclear weapons?

People aren't going to agree to cut back on anything and at best will pass the blame to a scapegoat. The standards of living drop will be catastrophic. No one will agree to going back to what amounts to be the stone age just to save the planet. Sad, but true. But the planet will survive. Did you know that when the Siberian Traps were formed, Earth became Venus for a few million years. Did most life perish? Yes. Did the Earth survive? Also yes.

If you really want to live a life where everything is green and no pollution is there, go on a one-way trip to Mars and homestead it.

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wyrn t1_izy3ndk wrote

> the alternative is we all die

That's not how it works chief

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heyitsmetheguy t1_izst6lx wrote

Your clearly not thinking of the effect of not doing it are you

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RyoxAkira t1_izsuhw8 wrote

More like 3,5C. You forget a lot of important pledges like China 's sudden 2060 pledge. But yes, much more has to be done to reach 1,5 or 2. We're on 1.2-1.3C rn.

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DigNitty t1_izt43h2 wrote

Even if we somehow cut emissions across the board Today, the train is moving. We'll continue to see negative climate effects worsen for the next few decades, before they get better. That, of course, is if we had everything fixed today.

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aminbae t1_izz1j8z wrote

we dealt?

only way to deal with emissions long term is tech transfer to 3rd world countries

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hellwisp t1_izswi60 wrote

I can't imagine taxes doing much. The price of fuel increased by 100% and I don't see anyone driving any less than they did.

There needs to be a drastic shift to other sources of energy.. a forced change that corporations can't avoid. The capitalist megacorps are responsible for all the environmental negligence humanity has done in the past two centuries.

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Thenerdy9 t1_izt3m8f wrote

actually yeah, price of fuel went up, but demand for gas is inelastic so demand wasn't affected too much - but prices have started going back down, an actual sign of falling demand, not increasing supply. so we shall see.

Alternatives are on the horizon. they need massive investment in scale-up and innovation.

Diesel may be hydrogen-paired to almost eliminate emissions. Electric cars may be scaled up if we can get the balance and equity of mining and recycling lithium and cobalt right...

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hellwisp t1_izt5y6y wrote

Yeah.. the processes involved in lithium battery manufacturing.. not great.

What if all countries went full France and invested heavily into nuclear?

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Thenerdy9 t1_izx3tfj wrote

definitely an important player in the interim.

it is very political... but, from what I've heard at least in the US, nuclear facilities have encountered so much pushback about nuclear waste storage that they've pretty much given up and now store and manage it all on site. 🤷 and isn't that what we wanted all along...

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matmoe1 t1_izsxl8s wrote

100%? That's crazy.. here it's only been like 25-35% i defo couldnt afford 100%

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hellwisp t1_izsxt1n wrote

Yeah. It went from 0.9€/l to 2.05€ at it's peak. It's dropping now thankfully.

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Thenerdy9 t1_izt34y7 wrote

carbon taxes that accelerate climate solutions - not vengeful to benefit citizens who cannot change the system except by their demand for the choices that are already out there.

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chemistry_teacher t1_izt777w wrote

And that’s only part of the problem. We need water taxes especially where lands are drier.

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