Perfect strangers yelling at me on the internet, I can deal with. It’s the people who are family and friends that call me negative for trying to deal honestly with the challenges of the future that are very real, ie, climate change, over-consumption, waste, recycling, death, health, that is the most sad.
Jessica, could you please link back to your past writings that "list out all the little things someone can do to make a difference?" I appreciate reminders about ways I can make any kind of impact.
All of the problems are absolutely and directly related to human population. It is a problem that we will never, ever address. Even calling attention to it draws hatred.
"So many people in this country want to say they understand, even when they don’t. They want to brag about their grit, but they’re too fragile to ever listen to honest criticism. They respond to the truth with violence, and they blame you for it, because you made them feel bad. "
“When you tell them we’re running out of water, that this or that part of the world is experiencing record-breaking heat waves, that Spain will be a desert in a few years, that the rainforest is turning into a Savanna, they ignore all of it and call you negative.”
Yes, and let’s not forget exasperated sighs, the sneers, the rolled eyes, the smug condescension, the folksy wisdom and smug condescension barely masked as concern (“See? It’s snowing out. The climate’s fine. It’s you I’m worried about. You read too much. You think too much. I just think maybe you’re catastrophizing a little.”), the outright rude contradiction (with no evidence offered, of course), the shouting down. All that and more. I would be surprised if every major cataclysm in human history weren’t preceded by a chorus of “There’s nothing to worry about, everything will be fine.”
Everything we humans have accomplished in the last 200 years is all supported by a vast, one time non-repeatable, stroboscopic pulse, of energy ( and the materials it allows us to access). Still 84% from fossil Carbon and not going down. The global economy has increased 100X and the human population 8X as a result. Fossil Carbon is stored solar productivity that was accumulated from 500 million years ago. They're not making any more in human timescales and we are nearing the peak of oil. The roll out of rebuildable alternative energy replacements for even half of the 19 terawatts we are currently blowing through will be energetically-materially, financially, and time constrained long before we complete even the first generation. Which would then need to be entirely rebuilt all over again in 30 years. Economy-materials/ GDP/ human population are highly correlated at nearly1:1:1. As energy inevitably goes down by depletion, one or both of the others must go down. By design or disaster. Things will be much smaller and simpler once again in the near future. We would be (finally) wise to quit squandering it and focus what we have left to build out the things we (they) will really need in order to equitably and humanely coast back down. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5293515997394136&set=a.1474844829261291
“There seems to be a lot of people in this country who go around talking about how positive and optimistic they are, but only if you never ask them any hard questions or make them think too hard about anything they don’t like. If you challenge them or offend them in any way whatsoever, that positivity snaps like a little twig. When it does, they blame you for it.”
Some indicators in climate that indicate climate change is real:
1. INTENSITY of wildfires. We have always had them, but their intensity is worse than it has ever been. And it is not due to operation tactics. Or sweeping the forest.
2. INTENSITY of storms. Again, we've always had them; their intensity (not based on human loss or property damage but actual measurements of force) has increased.
3. Temperature of oceans and smaller waterbodies. Many aquatic lifeforms can not tolerate even a one degree in temperature change. We are losing them and sometimes it is not a global catastrophy, they just fade away, turn yellow and disappear like an old newspaper.
4. More people are noticing. We have more population and more people are eyewitnesses to the evidence. In the past, people were not allowed or just did not have the capacity to see evidence and spread knowledge quickly. We have cameras everywhere and we see oil spills, forest fires, tornadoes, landslides, flash flooding up close and in-person or second-hand.
Perfect strangers yelling at me on the internet, I can deal with. It’s the people who are family and friends that call me negative for trying to deal honestly with the challenges of the future that are very real, ie, climate change, over-consumption, waste, recycling, death, health, that is the most sad.
Jessica, could you please link back to your past writings that "list out all the little things someone can do to make a difference?" I appreciate reminders about ways I can make any kind of impact.
Lifestyle over life.
That’s western society’s early 21st century motto.
This summer is going to be very dangerous. Especially August and September.
El Niño combined with already record breaking ocean warming is going to kick start some very violent weather.
A weather station in Canada just broke its all time daily high temp by 7 degrees Celsius. Scientists were speechless.
We’re entering a new phase of climate breakdown.
And because our President refuses to declare a climate emergency many people are in great danger.
Make sure to have a plan for power outages, fire, extreme heat and storms.
If you can afford solar panels get ‘em to take pressure off the grid.
Air filters, solar powered air conditioners, emergency generators, escape plans, all need to become standard.
All of the problems are absolutely and directly related to human population. It is a problem that we will never, ever address. Even calling attention to it draws hatred.
Wars and war industries us more resources and create more pollution than anything ordinary people do.
"So many people in this country want to say they understand, even when they don’t. They want to brag about their grit, but they’re too fragile to ever listen to honest criticism. They respond to the truth with violence, and they blame you for it, because you made them feel bad. "
Feeling over facts, that's our world right now.
“When you tell them we’re running out of water, that this or that part of the world is experiencing record-breaking heat waves, that Spain will be a desert in a few years, that the rainforest is turning into a Savanna, they ignore all of it and call you negative.”
Yes, and let’s not forget exasperated sighs, the sneers, the rolled eyes, the smug condescension, the folksy wisdom and smug condescension barely masked as concern (“See? It’s snowing out. The climate’s fine. It’s you I’m worried about. You read too much. You think too much. I just think maybe you’re catastrophizing a little.”), the outright rude contradiction (with no evidence offered, of course), the shouting down. All that and more. I would be surprised if every major cataclysm in human history weren’t preceded by a chorus of “There’s nothing to worry about, everything will be fine.”
I call it "civility porn"
I don’t think you’ve ever described my thoughts so perfectly as you did right here.
Everything we humans have accomplished in the last 200 years is all supported by a vast, one time non-repeatable, stroboscopic pulse, of energy ( and the materials it allows us to access). Still 84% from fossil Carbon and not going down. The global economy has increased 100X and the human population 8X as a result. Fossil Carbon is stored solar productivity that was accumulated from 500 million years ago. They're not making any more in human timescales and we are nearing the peak of oil. The roll out of rebuildable alternative energy replacements for even half of the 19 terawatts we are currently blowing through will be energetically-materially, financially, and time constrained long before we complete even the first generation. Which would then need to be entirely rebuilt all over again in 30 years. Economy-materials/ GDP/ human population are highly correlated at nearly1:1:1. As energy inevitably goes down by depletion, one or both of the others must go down. By design or disaster. Things will be much smaller and simpler once again in the near future. We would be (finally) wise to quit squandering it and focus what we have left to build out the things we (they) will really need in order to equitably and humanely coast back down. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5293515997394136&set=a.1474844829261291
Thank you Jessica🙏
“There seems to be a lot of people in this country who go around talking about how positive and optimistic they are, but only if you never ask them any hard questions or make them think too hard about anything they don’t like. If you challenge them or offend them in any way whatsoever, that positivity snaps like a little twig. When it does, they blame you for it.”
Yep.
You nailed it. The United States of Denial. As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
Some indicators in climate that indicate climate change is real:
1. INTENSITY of wildfires. We have always had them, but their intensity is worse than it has ever been. And it is not due to operation tactics. Or sweeping the forest.
2. INTENSITY of storms. Again, we've always had them; their intensity (not based on human loss or property damage but actual measurements of force) has increased.
3. Temperature of oceans and smaller waterbodies. Many aquatic lifeforms can not tolerate even a one degree in temperature change. We are losing them and sometimes it is not a global catastrophy, they just fade away, turn yellow and disappear like an old newspaper.
4. More people are noticing. We have more population and more people are eyewitnesses to the evidence. In the past, people were not allowed or just did not have the capacity to see evidence and spread knowledge quickly. We have cameras everywhere and we see oil spills, forest fires, tornadoes, landslides, flash flooding up close and in-person or second-hand.
You know what would be more effective than prepping? STOP VOTING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS. It ain't rocket science.
First Florida, Now Montana. They've all been watching too much Fight Club.
They seem to believe the first step in solving our problems is ...
outlaw any discussion of the problems.