The Climate Change Thread

[Al-O-Meter]

Our president-elect is ever helpful…

Trump is at the same time not wrong and woefully uninformed.

The fires are aided by California government and beneficial to the California government, but the details Trump offers up have nothing to do the real issues. California has a perverse incentive to burn down rich people's houses as a mechanism to close budget shortfalls.

Since 1978, California property taxes have been constitutionally capped. To make up for the lack of revenue there, the fees to build anything are astronomical. That leads to things like building units to house the homeless costing over $1 million per unit. There was someone building a 2,000 square foot house last year who said he spent over $300k on permit fees alone before the first shovel of dirt could be turned. Does anyone want to take a guess on what event causes a spike in building permits?

When California has a budget shortfall, the first thing that gets cut is funding for the fire department.

LA Mayor Karen Bass cut fire department funding by $17.6M, focused on homeless spending— months before wildfires turned city into hellscape

The Los Angeles Fire Department had its budget cut by a staggering $17.6 million this financial year, records show — as fire crews continue to battle out-of-control blazes currently ravaging …

nypost.com

 

[Red]

Politicization by Trump and MAGA is very asinine….

https://wapo.st/4gLtihb

There is nothing political about the wildfires that have annihilated thousands of buildings around Los Angeles this week, with two exceptions.

The first is that California and Los Angeles are run by leaders from the Democratic Party, meaning that anything bad that happens in those places happened on their watch.

The second is that the conflagrations are in part a function of an unusually hot, dry period in the region — precisely the sort of extreme that scientists who study climate change expect to be more common as the world warms. The world was probably warmer during 2024 than it has been at any point in recorded history. There’s no real question that climate change contributed to what’s happening in Los Angeles.

Over the past two decades, though, climate change has gone from a peripheral concern of scientists to a global problem to an issue that’s viewed through the lens of political partisanship. Taking action to combat climate change enjoyed a brief moment of bipartisan support, a unity that collapsed as Republican politicians leaned into rhetoric (stoked by fossil fuel companies) that downplayed the risk and accused the left of seeking to restrict American freedom rather than carbon dioxide emissions.

The result by this point is that any declaration that the various examples of climate-change-linked disasters as being climate-change-linked is seen as a left-wing talking point. So the right, across its mouthpiece television channels and social media bubble, lines up for partisan warfare.

The L.A. Fires Have Started a Misinformation Storm

From Hollywood-cabal conspiracy theories to misunderstandings around government resources, emotions surrounding the ongoing fires in Los Angeles have kept conspiracy theories going

www.yahoo.com

Five Climate Realism Insights on California’s Wildfires

The wildfires scorching the region around Los Angeles are likely to be the most expensive in history. But, future climate change-related disasters will certainly top them in cost. Here are some steps…

www.cfr.org

 

[The Thriller]

Politicization by Trump and MAGA is very asinine….

https://wapo.st/4gLtihb

There is nothing political about the wildfires that have annihilated thousands of buildings around Los Angeles this week, with two exceptions.

The first is that California and Los Angeles are run by leaders from the Democratic Party, meaning that anything bad that happens in those places happened on their watch.

The second is that the conflagrations are in part a function of an unusually hot, dry period in the region — precisely the sort of extreme that scientists who study climate change expect to be more common as the world warms. The world was probably warmer during 2024 than it has been at any point in recorded history. There’s no real question that climate change contributed to what’s happening in Los Angeles.

Over the past two decades, though, climate change has gone from a peripheral concern of scientists to a global problem to an issue that’s viewed through the lens of political partisanship. Taking action to combat climate change enjoyed a brief moment of bipartisan support, a unity that collapsed as Republican politicians leaned into rhetoric (stoked by fossil fuel companies) that downplayed the risk and accused the left of seeking to restrict American freedom rather than carbon dioxide emissions.

The result by this point is that any declaration that the various examples of climate-change-linked disasters as being climate-change-linked is seen as a left-wing talking point. So the right, across its mouthpiece television channels and social media bubble, lines up for partisan warfare.

The L.A. Fires Have Started a Misinformation Storm

From Hollywood-cabal conspiracy theories to misunderstandings around government resources, emotions surrounding the ongoing fires in Los Angeles have kept conspiracy theories going

www.yahoo.com

Five Climate Realism Insights on California’s Wildfires

The wildfires scorching the region around Los Angeles are likely to be the most expensive in history. But, future climate change-related disasters will certainly top them in cost. Here are some steps…

www.cfr.org

A lot of bored and well off Americans wanted a return of the teevee tweeting president and boy did they get a return of one. I hope they enjoy the next four years of making every single day about him. Every fire, every earthquake, every storm, every national championship, every war, every terror attack, every pandemic, every international incident, every entertainment awards ceremony, will be politicized and made to be about him. The Apprentice: Pretending to President, season 2!

Have republicans lowered the price of eggies yet?

 

[Al-O-Meter]

There is nothing political about the wildfires that have annihilated thousands of buildings around Los Angeles this week

Pure cope. Climate change does not make buildings more likely to burn. Slashing the fire department makes buildings more likely to burn.

In Southern California, we have Los Angeles County, Riverside County, Orange County, and San Diego County. They all have the same climate. All of the annihilated buildings are all in one county, the county that slashed their fire department.

 

[fishonjazz]

MSN

The final global average temperature calculated for 2024 was not only the hottest year since global temperature records began in 1850, but also the first year to pass a milestone set by world leaders to try to keep the worst impacts of climate change at bay, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said overnight Friday.

The announcement was the first of several expected Friday, as major climate observation organizations agreed to make annual announcements on the same date, including NASA, NOAA and Berkeley Earth.

"All of the internationally produced global temperature datasets show that 2024 was the hottest year since records began in 1850,” stated Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus director.

The temperature was 2.9 degrees (1.6 C) above the estimated temperature between 1850-1900, often referred to as the pre-industrial era.
Each of the past 10 years has been one of the warmest 10 on record.
A new record high daily global average temperature was reached on July 22, at 30.8 degrees.
Every month since July 2023, except for July 2024, was above the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 C) threshold.
The only continental regions that did not see their warmest year on record were Antarctica and Australasia

It seems like a small number. But that 2.7 degrees can be the difference between a raging fever and a healthy toddler. Between a hockey rink and a swimming pool. Between food going bad or staying safe.

When the global average goes up, the extremes go way up.

We’re already seeing it across America. Storms are more extreme, drenching areas with more water that's causing an increasing number of devastating flash floods. Droughts are more devastating, catastrophic wildfires more common and hurricanes wetter.

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane increased again, reaching record annual levels in 2024, at 422 parts per million, according to Copernicus. Carbon dioxide concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere were 2.9 parts per million higher than in 2023. (Utah air quality is pretty poor today.)

 

[LogGrad98]

Politicization by Trump and MAGA is very asinine….

https://wapo.st/4gLtihb

There is nothing political about the wildfires that have annihilated thousands of buildings around Los Angeles this week, with two exceptions.

The first is that California and Los Angeles are run by leaders from the Democratic Party, meaning that anything bad that happens in those places happened on their watch.

The second is that the conflagrations are in part a function of an unusually hot, dry period in the region — precisely the sort of extreme that scientists who study climate change expect to be more common as the world warms. The world was probably warmer during 2024 than it has been at any point in recorded history. There’s no real question that climate change contributed to what’s happening in Los Angeles.

Over the past two decades, though, climate change has gone from a peripheral concern of scientists to a global problem to an issue that’s viewed through the lens of political partisanship. Taking action to combat climate change enjoyed a brief moment of bipartisan support, a unity that collapsed as Republican politicians leaned into rhetoric (stoked by fossil fuel companies) that downplayed the risk and accused the left of seeking to restrict American freedom rather than carbon dioxide emissions.

The result by this point is that any declaration that the various examples of climate-change-linked disasters as being climate-change-linked is seen as a left-wing talking point. So the right, across its mouthpiece television channels and social media bubble, lines up for partisan warfare.

The L.A. Fires Have Started a Misinformation Storm

From Hollywood-cabal conspiracy theories to misunderstandings around government resources, emotions surrounding the ongoing fires in Los Angeles have kept conspiracy theories going

www.yahoo.com

Five Climate Realism Insights on California’s Wildfires

The wildfires scorching the region around Los Angeles are likely to be the most expensive in history. But, future climate change-related disasters will certainly top them in cost. Here are some steps…

www.cfr.org

No, what warmed it up are the literal billions of illegal immigrants from Mexico taking harbor in Los Angeles due to the DEI policies of the Leftist Marxist-Nazi-Tonton Macoute Dictators and their policies on mutilating children against the will of both parent and child. It is the massive increase in jalapeno use that has heated things up and fueled these fires. Everyone knows that. Duh.

 

[LogGrad98]

MSN

The final global average temperature calculated for 2024 was not only the hottest year since global temperature records began in 1850, but also the first year to pass a milestone set by world leaders to try to keep the worst impacts of climate change at bay, the Copernicus Climate Change Service said overnight Friday.

The announcement was the first of several expected Friday, as major climate observation organizations agreed to make annual announcements on the same date, including NASA, NOAA and Berkeley Earth.

"All of the internationally produced global temperature datasets show that 2024 was the hottest year since records began in 1850,” stated Carlo Buontempo, Copernicus director.

The temperature was 2.9 degrees (1.6 C) above the estimated temperature between 1850-1900, often referred to as the pre-industrial era.
Each of the past 10 years has been one of the warmest 10 on record.
A new record high daily global average temperature was reached on July 22, at 30.8 degrees.
Every month since July 2023, except for July 2024, was above the 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 C) threshold.
The only continental regions that did not see their warmest year on record were Antarctica and Australasia

It seems like a small number. But that 2.7 degrees can be the difference between a raging fever and a healthy toddler. Between a hockey rink and a swimming pool. Between food going bad or staying safe.

When the global average goes up, the extremes go way up.

We’re already seeing it across America. Storms are more extreme, drenching areas with more water that's causing an increasing number of devastating flash floods. Droughts are more devastating, catastrophic wildfires more common and hurricanes wetter.

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane increased again, reaching record annual levels in 2024, at 422 parts per million, according to Copernicus. Carbon dioxide concentrations in Earth’s atmosphere were 2.9 parts per million higher than in 2023. (Utah air quality is pretty poor today.)

Realistically humans have built their society based on the energy sources that drive this, at least as far as we can tell. And also realistically, this isn't changing anytime soon. Especially with more than half the world in essentially poverty who just do not have the capacity to change their energy sources to something more expensive and less accessible. Even if the US overnight went completely zero emission, and the entire EU, it would not be enough to make a dent in global carbon output. Let that sink in. This isn't changing in the foreseeable future, it just isn't. In the end, humanity will do what it has shown it has a nearly infinite capacity to do: destro....LOL no, ADAPT. People will move away from affected areas, the landscape will change. Population centers will shift. As has happened throughout the entire 100k year history of civilization. We used to be centered in the fertile crescent, and now we are not. We used to be primarily in Africa and now African in its entirety isn't even a sizable portion of the world population. These things will all change again. We will make incremental steps toward better energy sources, but until we face a true crisis, in this case that would mean the imminent collapse of the fossil-fuels-based energy systems worldwide, then there is no impetus for change that can overcome the wealth disparities between the countries who are in a position to actually do something about it (not that they actually WILL do anything about it, but simply who has the wealth to attack the issue) and those who simply do not have the resources to overcome their poverty to do anything about it. We are in the "our wealth will destroy us" phase of our society, where those with the wealth don't care because they can buy their way out of the consequences, and those without wealth have no means to upend the energy system that is more deeply ingrained for them than a heart is to a human body, and frankly I think that this is exactly what will happen, but it will take many decades for this to happen. But with the great divide between those who care, and those who do not, and the third and largest group of people who can realistically do nothing about it except vote for the someone in the other 2 groups, there is really no impetus to change. The market economy will be our destruction, or at least we will likely see a drastic decrease in humans when the fossil fuel crisis really hits in 50+ years and we are forced to change rapidly, so the markets at that point will adapt and those at the forefront of the new energy generation methods will become the new Rockefellers, and again rule from ivory towers until the next existential crisis hits our species. Ugh.

 

[str8line]

Realistically humans have built their society based on the energy sources that drive this, at least as far as we can tell. And also realistically, this isn't changing anytime soon. Especially with more than half the world in essentially poverty who just do not have the capacity to change their energy sources to something more expensive and less accessible. Even if the US overnight went completely zero emission, and the entire EU, it would not be enough to make a dent in global carbon output. Let that sink in. This isn't changing in the foreseeable future, it just isn't. In the end, humanity will do what it has shown it has a nearly infinite capacity to do: destro....LOL no, ADAPT. People will move away from affected areas, the landscape will change. Population centers will shift. As has happened throughout the entire 100k year history of civilization. We used to be centered in the fertile crescent, and now we are not. We used to be primarily in Africa and now African in its entirety isn't even a sizable portion of the world population. These things will all change again. We will make incremental steps toward better energy sources, but until we face a true crisis, in this case that would mean the imminent collapse of the fossil-fuels-based energy systems worldwide, then there is no impetus for change that can overcome the wealth disparities between the countries who are in a position to actually do something about it (not that they actually WILL do anything about it, but simply who has the wealth to attack the issue) and those who simply do not have the resources to overcome their poverty to do anything about it. We are in the "our wealth will destroy us" phase of our society, where those with the wealth don't care because they can buy their way out of the consequences, and those without wealth have no means to upend the energy system that is more deeply ingrained for them than a heart is to a human body, and frankly I think that this is exactly what will happen, but it will take many decades for this to happen. But with the great divide between those who care, and those who do not, and the third and largest group of people who can realistically do nothing about it except vote for the someone in the other 2 groups, there is really no impetus to change. The market economy will be our destruction, or at least we will likely see a drastic decrease in humans when the fossil fuel crisis really hits in 50+ years and we are forced to change rapidly, so the markets at that point will adapt and those at the forefront of the new energy generation methods will become the new Rockefellers, and again rule from ivory towers until the next existential crisis hits our species. Ugh.

Great post. Only the biggest governments all working in coordination can fix this. Trump and the MAGA loons are probably setting us back decades when we don't have decades to spare.

 

[The Thriller]

Great post. Only the biggest governments all working in coordination can fix this. Trump and the MAGA loons are probably setting us back decades when we don't have decades to spare.

But eggs and renaming the Gulf of Mexico are more important. Besides, climate change, just like vaccines, is a hoax. Oh and the forgotten man has hurt feels cuz black Obama won the White House in 2008.

 

[Sardines]

But eggs and renaming the Gulf of Mexico are more important. Besides, climate change, just like vaccines, is a hoax. Oh and the forgotten man has hurt feels cuz black Obama won the White House in 2008.

And then the wokeies tried to hoist a black female President on us in a massive switch-a-roo. Not so fast leftists! We figured out she was a black female before it was too late.

 

[Al-O-Meter]

Only the biggest governments all working in coordination can fix this. Trump and the MAGA loons are probably setting us back decades

You don't have to convince me. I already voted for them.

If you want to see what that utopia would look like, it would look like the UK. Their Net Zero initiative has led to declining per capita GDP for more than a decade, lower productivity, and a lower standard of living for its people. The creator class, the engine of any country, is fleeing the UK.

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-likely-lose-nearly-one-six-millionaires-by-2028-report-says-2024-07-10/

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/18/business/uk-millionaires-loss-record/index.html

https://www.devere-group.com/why-are-millionaires-leaving-the-uk/

If you say Trump and the MAGA loons are holding that back here in the United States then America made the right choice.

 

[Al-O-Meter]

And then the wokeies tried to hoist a black female President on us in a massive switch-a-roo. Not so fast leftists! We figured out she was a black female before it was too late.

It is bizarre to see the lengths you lot will go to deny the obvious. A metro area slashes their fire department and stuff burns. The Los Angeles Fire Department Chief says "Any budget cut is going to impact our ability to provide service. That is a ground truth in regard to our ability. If there's a budget cut, we had to pull from somewhere else. What does that mean? That doesn't get done or that there are delays. ... Since day one, we've identified huge gaps in regard to our service delivery and our ability of our firefighters' boots on the ground to do their jobs since day one. ... We know we need 62 new fire stations. We need to double the size of our firefighters. The growth of this city since 1960 has doubled and we have less fire stations." When asked by Fox News' affiliate, KTTV, if the City of Los Angeles, and its Mayor Karen Bass failed the city, the Los Angeles Fire Department Chief replied: "Yes."

The JF majority denies the Fire Department Chief's educated opinion to insist that it is global warming and racism that was to blame. If only the US wasn't bigoted against a black female then the fire wouldn't have happened, never mind that fire department slashing mayor Karen Bass is a black female who did get elected. This was a failure of government. The insidiousness of the blamecasting among the lefties is that it prevents learning from the failure.

 

[Douchebag K]

i live in an area with a high bushfire risk that has seen 3 pretty catastrophic fires in the last 40 years and have personally seen up close 2 of them. Similarly to California we have Eucalypts. Guess what, eucalyptis burns like crazy. The reports of the lack of forest management, backburning, clearing, fire access trails and water management in a dry environment beggars belief. This is not a left / right climate change / woke issue. This is a complete abdication of common sense and basic competency in management in a high fire risk area. Absolutely unbelievable. Thoughts with all those affected, it's a life altering event when you lose everything.

 

[Douchebag K]

And then the wokeies tried to hoist a complete moron President on us in a massive switch-a-roo. Not so fast leftists! We figured out she was a completely ill equiped imbecile before it was too late.

there fixed it for you And if you think that's not the case then you have zero credibility.

 

[Sardines]

there fixed it for you And if you think that's not the case then you have zero credibility.

Kamala is not a moron. Seriously, it's one thing to say there are better candidates, but to say that a lawyer who then became a district attorney (elected), who then became a state Attorney General (elected), who then became a senator (elected), and was chosen to be Vice President of the United states is a "moron" is a moronic thing to say.

I mean do you honestly believe her IQ is below 80? To be a moron your IQ would be between 50-70.

 

[Douchebag K]

Kamala is not a moron. Seriously, it's one thing to say there are better candidates, but to say that a lawyer who then became a district attorney (elected), who then became a state Attorney General (elected), who then became a senator (elected), and was chosen to be Vice President of the United states is a "moron" is a moronic thing to say.

I mean do you honestly believe her IQ is below 80? To be a moron your IQ would be between 50-70.

of course not she's obviously academically smart, you can't be a lawyer and be that. I have no idea why you're so hung up on this kind of thinking when people say she's dumb. You can be academically smart and have abysmal emotional intelligence and abysmal people / political whatever else skills. I mean you just have to read Thrillers posts. She's probably got an IQ of 125, I have no idea what she's like privately. She's an idiot in political terms. Like very very low political IQ. I mean she lost to Donald ****ing Trump. She wasn't chosen for her smarts and because she's an able political candidate, off the cuff she's barely able to string a coherent sentence together let alone lay out a policy position.

Most of her career she's been very fortunate to be right place / right time / connected to the right people / and then at the end because she ticked the right boxes identity wise. Like most of your politicians she's extremely underwhelming in terms of her capabilities / achievements. So yeah i see her as a moron in the context of the sphere of life she operates in.

 

[Sardines]

of course not she's obviously academically smart, you can't be a lawyer and be that. I have no idea why you're so hung up on this kind of thinking when people say she's dumb. You can be academically smart and have abysmal emotional intelligence and abysmal people / political whatever else skills. I mean you just have to read Thrillers posts. She's probably got an IQ of 125, I have no idea what she's like privately. She's an idiot in political terms. Like very very low political IQ. I mean she lost to Donald ****ing Trump. She wasn't chosen for her smarts and because she's an able political candidate, off the cuff she's barely able to string a coherent sentence together let alone lay out a policy position.

Most of her career she's been very fortunate to be right place / right time / connected to the right people / and then at the end because she ticked the right boxes identity wise. Like most of your politicians she's extremely underwhelming in terms of her capabilities / achievements. So yeah i see her as a moron in the context of the sphere of life she operates in.

I agree with this post 100%

I hope Kamala goes away from public political life. I feel the same way about Bill and Hillary Clinton. I mean I'd be pleased if Bill went to prison for sexual assault or something along those lines. He's a dirty POS and he always has been.

The Democratic party needs a significant shake-up. The DNC always plays not to lose and never plays to win. It isn't working, they are losing.

 

[Red]

I can’t see anything good coming from the near instantaneous creation of conspiracy theories in 21st century America. Conspiracism swamping reason. Just seems like, overall, this trend destabilizes and guarantees divisiveness. Here’s the latest irrational bit of nonsense, applied to the LA firestorms…

Untouched palm trees spark wildfire conspiracy theories

Bizarre claims include that infernos were caused by ‘direct energy weapon’ to erode humanity and implement 15-minute cities

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[Rubashov]

I can’t see anything good coming from the near instantaneous creation of conspiracy theories in 21st century America. Conspiracism swamping reason. Just seems like, overall, this trend destabilizes and guarantees divisiveness. Here’s the latest irrational bit of nonsense, applied to the LA firestorms…

Untouched palm trees spark wildfire conspiracy theories

Bizarre claims include that infernos were caused by ‘direct energy weapon’ to erode humanity and implement 15-minute cities

www.telegraph.co.uk

15 minute cities? sounds like a great idea. My aunts house burnt down in the Ash Wednesday fires 40 years ago, every so often I go up there and help my uncle clear out trees on fire trails, the ground is almost like fired clay from the heat of the bush fires 40 years later. Its impossible to break the ground without a pick.

 

[Al-O-Meter]

I can’t see anything good coming from the near instantaneous creation of conspiracy theories in 21st century America. Conspiracism swamping reason.

Do you mean like claiming climate change makes structures more burnable?