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quote:
Originally posted by kander
I fail to see how a few months of reduced factory pollution is worth living through an era where the use of mass graves is a real possibility. But it will be a wonderful mass grave with just the right amount of lime, trust me we can do it the best. it will be a winning grave with a black marble wall and all the names engraved on it. we can put benches near where survivors can come visit the many faceless names.
Epitaph that reads, Here lie the poor souls from the covid pandemic. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. Not too big but easily readable because no pollution in the air.
Sounds like a silver lining for sure.
This implies a trade, a choice. That is not what was suggested in the original post. I think the original post presented a reasonable question. Unfortunately I don't think any such reductions in consumption are will last and may be attended by over-consumption in other areas sort of like over-eating comfort food.
I myself have spent several hundred dollars stocking up on things I fear myself and my elderly parents might need.
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Whichever toilet paper company started the "run on TP" meme is raking in the cash... Personally I'm stocking up on Costco Vodka, since it's multi-use.
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quote:
Originally posted by hokuili
terracore - when you consider how wrong you are about climate science you might want to reconsider where you source your news
When I was in school "they" told us we'd be under an ice sheet by now. When I was in college "they" told us we'd be completely out of oil and under water by now. And we'd have no ozone layer.
The climate is absolutely changing. It has never stopped changing. The silver lining is that none of the predicted climate apocalypses have happened.
A good takeaway from all of this is we didn't just export our jobs we also exported a lot of our pollution to a country that doesn't do a good job of regulating either.
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I wonder how this corona virus situation will affect TMT? The protestors may get frightened away but on the other hand, the entire project could be further delayed or cancelled because of it.
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The idea that COVID-19 may reduce humanity’s pollution output & carbon footprint is gaining recognition:
As a growing coronavirus pandemic shuts down conferences, transport, schools and sporting events worldwide, it is also nudging people toward new behaviours and technologies that may have lasting impacts on the emissions driving climate change.
https://news.trust.org/item/20200311212322-0umid/
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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There have been many studies on the Juneau incident where electricity rates went up about 5x without warning due to an avalanche cutting of access to cheap hydroelectric power. (ironically, putting their electricity cost about the same as what we pay in Puna).
The result was that consumption dropped 25-30% almost immediately. That would have been quite the carbon footprint savings if the missing hydro power wasn't being supplied by diesel, but the effect on consumption was the relevant data point.
As soon as prices returned to normal, so did the consumption.
https://www.aceee.org/files/proceedings/...s/2131.pdf
Of course if there is a mass die-off of human beings, consumption after this emergency may not return to what it was before. Or will it? If oil prices stay in the gutter survivors may respond by buying even larger SUVs.
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The original presumption in my OP was that humans are intelligent and can learn new behavior when confronted by a change in their lifestyle or routine. That’s what the article I linked (
https://news.trust.org/item/20200311212322-0umid/) suggested as well.
But maybe we’re doomed to repeat our mistakes until we can’t anymore, and another species will use our remnants as oil a few million years from now.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
But maybe we’re doomed to repeat our mistakes until we can’t anymore, and another species will use our remnants as oil a few million years from now...
Ah, Mr Bill, I think Mr Edge is on to something, eh?
Let's just hope they pass through this phase of development with a little more finesse that we have..
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Almost everyone I've talked to on the mainland is working from home at places that would previously not allow it out of security concerns or just lack of motivation to set it up. Now that systems to do so are being put into place. let's hope that the trend continues once we're again free to roam about the cabin.
Certainty will be the death of us.
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Yes, I hope that is a lasting legacy of this pandemic. I heard from a former colleague that my previous place of work has now finally allowed working from home.
Once we are free from the shackles of the office then there need not be traffic jams or even megacities anymore.
