Bacon's Rebellion

NOTE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Today CNN carried a story about a new report on Climate Change (“Climate Change Crisis ‘Catastrophic’”) by the Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF) of UK with quotes from Kofi Annan.

Bottom line: 300,000 are now dying each year and 300,000,000 – the population of the US of A – are already effected by the impacts of Climate Change.

Before anyone starts ranting about the ‘cause’ of Climate Change here is the SYNERGY position noted in TRILO-G Chapter 24 – Greed, Excess, Ignorance, Myths, Entitlements, Windfalls and Subsidies and restated in Chapter 31 – What Don’t You Understand?:

“SYNERGY’s long standing position is that it does not make ANY difference whether human action is ‘causing’ Climate Change or not.

“What Agencies, Enterprises and Institutions must do IF Global Climate Change IS caused by human action are EXACTLY the same strategies that must be implemented:

1. If Global Climate Change is NOT caused by humans, OR
2. If the Earth is not really warming at this time, OR
3. If, after warming, the Earth starts to re-cool due to some, as yet unknown cause.

“Humans must SHRINK THEIR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT regardless for the direction in which the Global Climate is now tending, regardless of the level of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere and regardless of the size of the hole in the Ozone Layer.

“Shrinking humans ecological foot print is a prerequisite to civilization achieving a sustainable trajectory. Denial of this reality is nothing short of high treason against humanity.”

Do BR Bloggers have evidence based in SCIENCE of what can be done that will make a difference?

Other than Fundamental Transformation of human settlement patterns, that is.

Are there well documented sources that question the assumptions of the GHF report?

EMR

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12 responses to “NOTE ON CLIMATE CHANGE”

  1. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    I Wish the Earth Were Warming – It Would Save a Lot of Lives

    http://lewrockwell.com/suprynowicz/suprynowicz132.html

  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Assuming human causation of global warming, what is the the root cause? Is it just the number of people?

    What if there were no internal combustion engine? What if we still traveled by horse and steam engine? Would all the horse poop and flatulence necessary to handle today’s population produce more, less or the same amount of greenhouse gases than we get today with automobiles and airplanes?

    What if we all burned wood and coal to heat our houses instead of natural gas? What if we used gas lights instead of electricity? What would be the impact on global warming? What if we only had 19th Century energy efficiency and 19th Century fuels with 21st Century population?

    If the root cause is the sheer number of people living in the US and elsewhere, why do we permit immigration, especially illegal immigration, and shouldn’t we adopt strict birth limits like the Chinese?

    If global warming’s root cause is our population and we don’t want to limit population, aren’t we left with a bunch of crazies who want to decide things for everyone else?

    TMT

  3. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    I’m scratching my head that we may be having Global Warming but not caused by people but … people must still stop doing things.. that apparently don’t have anything to do with causing global warming in the first place.

    but I’ll let that drop and move on to what TMT said…

    I guess.. if one assumes that each person on earth is going to use a certain amount of energy and the waste from it – causes global warming….

    then.. if one thinks there is no way to reduce the energy usage per person..then yes..

    but if we could use energy that emits less of what causes the problem….

    or.. we could still use the polluting energy but less of it – through less use or ..more efficient use.

    so…

    a car….

    if we fuel it with gasoline – we get waste

    if we fuel it with electricity from solar or natural gas, we get less waste

    or … we could drive less

    or drive cars that get better fuel mileage (and thus emit less waste)…

    Some guy on TV said that if we can figure out “fusion”.. that we’d be home free from all of this and we could move on to the next big challenge…

    assuming of course that Global Warming is already in process and will inevitably lead to the ruination of the planet and there is not a dang thing we can do about it.

    In other words..we have committed the environmental equivalent of a mortal sin – and hell is where we are headed…no matter how many “good works” we do later on.

    sort of an ugly vision …

    and makes a mockery of the oft-used phrase – “generational theft”.

    So..EMR .. it might already be too late.. so why repent?

  4. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    It is almost June, and my heat is still kicking on. Haven’t been able to get out in the hay field yet because it is cold and wet – usually I’m done by now.

    Anecdotal, yes.

    RH

  5. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    well RH.. you know.. there are going to be cool spots as the ice caps melt… right?

    😉

  6. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    It’s been said that GM and other industrialized advances in the 20th century is what let to the Middle Class – and that the “suburbs” are primarily a creation of the middle class who desired a safer place to live and for their kids to go to school than the urban areas which were divided up into the rich side of town (with more perceived safety) and the poor side of town ..with more affordable housing but perceived as far less safe.

    …so the “solution” was to find a place further out that was less expensive and safer.

    EMR spends much time talking about …what I think I’m hearing – as a society that consumes too much … expends it’s natural capital in pursuit of consumption….

    but in terms of consuming resources… the rich will always be the ultimate consumers but they’ll also be the smallest in total numbers and it’s the sheer every increasing numbers of middle class that are consuming more and more as their total numbers grow.

    So.. why would someone who makes plenty of money and can easily afford a home in Great Falls or other close-in places have a need to commute to the “burbs” for housing?

    The poor won’t do it either because the car-centric life is more than they can afford so they are stuck staying in the more urbanized areas where there is amble publically-supplied infrastructure and services and plentiful places to work within walking or transit distance.

    so .. my take on EMR’s treatise is that it’s the middle class and efforts to increase the middle class that is ultimately responsible for Climate Change and not the poor nor the rich.

    that “affordable” 3000 square foot home in suburbia – is … what is behind Climate Change.

    no?

  7. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    the sun is consuming its natural capital too, and at a prodigious rate. It is a natural thing to come natural capital.

    “but in terms of consuming resources… the rich will always be the ultimate consumers but they’ll also be the smallest in total numbers “

    The US is rich compared to other countries and we consum prodigioously, but we are alsoo among the most efficient conumers (bad as we are). If we consumed resources as badly as the poorest nations do, the world would be many times worse off. It isn;t a given tha just because the middle classes consume more than the poorer classes the the world environment is any worse off.

    RH

  8. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    ” why would someone who makes plenty of money and can easily afford a home in Great Falls or other close-in places have a need to commute to the “burbs” for housing?”

    It isn’t the housing: they can get that anywhere. It is the environmental benefits, perceived safety, reduced hassle (loud neighbors, etc.), and other added conveniences (park your RV without offending someone, maybe).

    RH

  9. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    ” environmental benefits, perceived safety, reduced hassle (loud neighbors, etc.), and other added conveniences (park your RV without offending someone, maybe).”

    like I said.. if you can afford it.. you can obtain the things you’re talking about without a long commute.

    there are lots of safe places to live in NoVa including places to park RVs (if not in your driveway).

    People commute for “more” than they can afford in NoVa.

    It’s simple math.

    A 100K salary will by an “x” house in NoVa and in Spotsylvania that 100K salary will buy a x+y house or even a 2X house and the only other cost is that little commute ever day, twice a day.

    but in terms of what demographic group is the largest consumer of resources -whether it is here or in China – it is the middle class who has discretionary income and spends it on stuff that requires energy and GHG to make.

    By the way.. China has a every increasing middle class that numbers about 300 million and is growing.

  10. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    “It’s simple math.

    A 100K salary will by an “x” house in NoVa and in Spotsylvania that 100K salary will buy a x+y house or even a 2X house and the only other cost is that little commute ever day, twice a day.”

    If you think it is simple math, then you don’t get it. All the simple answers are wrong.

    I just spoke to a couple looking for a home in Springfield in order to split their commute: hers to F’burg and his to Silver Spring.

    RH

  11. Larry G Avatar
    Larry G

    yup.. you can explain that to the 30,000 commuters we have every day leaving here for NoVa.

    The number of folks who commute from NoVa to Fredericksburg could fit on the head on a pin.

    the other 30,000 go the other way.

    want proof?

    head out to the northbound lanes of I-95 in Stafford at 6 a.m…. and while you're there marveling at the thundering herd…check out the "reverse commute" southbound lanes.

  12. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    "So I live about 9 miles from exit 126 to 95 in Spotsylvania.

    I will be leaving my job in Quantico, VA which I figure wasn't too bad a commute for most locals.

    The job is going to be paying me about $36k more per year so I am not going to be fussy about the drive.

    Still, I would like to be as intelligent about my new commute as possible.

    First of all, I am not sure if my new employer will be offering me a parking space (I doubt it based on past experiences).

    If they do, I would probably just drive in.

    My next thought would be just to drive to the Springfield Metro and take the Blue Line to McPherson Station (NW DC) where it is just a short walk to work.

    Alternatively, I was thinking of parking at one of the Park and Rides in Spotsy and if there is some bus available to the Fredericksburg VRE that could work…or park at the Fredericksburg VRE stop etc?

    I am trying to work this out so that it costs me the least amount of money to get to DC.

    I am kind of in sticker shock when I try to figure what the cost of VRE + Metro would be for the month.

    Any thoughts?

    Lucky in VA"

    1) Not everyone in Spotsy works downtown.

    2) Mass transit is too expensive.

    "The 2006 Commuter Labor Study was prepared for the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance by the Center for Regional Analysis, School of Public Policy of George Mason University to examine the evolving economy of the Fredericksburg Region, to document the characteristics of its resident workers, its economic structure, and the commuting pattern of residents and potential in-commuters from neighboring areas; and to analyze and interpret this information in order to guide formulation of economic development policy recommendations for the region.

    A key finding of the survey of both the region’s out-commuters and potential in-commuters from Prince William and Fairfax Counties showed that they place value on a shorter and more reasonable commute, and that they would be willing to trade some salary for jobs in the Fredericksburg region with more reasonable commuting. "

    In 2008 Spotsylvania had 45,000 workers, 6500 of them car pool, and 1500 more work at home. Of the 35,000 commuters wo drive alone 18,000 travel less than 24 minutes to work.

    The solo SUV driver who travels 50 miles to work is largely a myth, and certainly not the main source of traffic problems.

    https://edis.commerce.state.nc.us/docs/countyProfile/VA/51177.pdf

    The fact remains that those who keep the records can see a reduction in traffic associated with a reduction in jobs. If you really want to control traffic, control the jobs. That is what the 2006 commuter labor survey is all about: "to guide formulation of economic development policy recommendations for the region."

    I could have told them that ten years ago, for free.

    RH

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