Part of the cause of unparalleled wildfires in Western states has been caused by dead conifers. They have died due to pine bark beetles whose population has soared because the winters are no longer cold enough to kill the beetles. These beetles kill the trees. Once dead they are like a large match stick and lightning strikes set the trees on fire leading to flying embers, starting fires in neighboring vegetation. As far as I know, Glenn Beck and other climate deniers don't have bachelor of science degrees in forestry. I do.
Thanks in particular for the link to the story on BP's role in coming up with the term "carbon footprint." I have a bit of a perfectionism, scrupulosity, and depression problem, and my brain responds to focusing on how to minimize my energy and resource use by saying, "Well, maybe the planet would be better off with one fewer American," and it takes time to recover from that train of thought. I feel kind of silly in semi-publicly saying this, but if you have other readers whose combination of earnestness and brain weasels are activated by stories about individual solutions, I hope they noticed that British Petroleum would rather trigger climate despair in people who already care about the planet than examine and acknowledge their own responsibility, and I hope they'll remember that, next time their brains are beating up on them for not being able to single-handedly fix climate change by swapping out light bulbs and taking shorter showers.
Nothing like a Heated story on rampant climate change disinformation allowed to spread like a wildfire to raise my blood pressure a few notches in solidarity with, fear of, and anger at the rising global temperatures caused by the fossil fuel industry and all of these gutless, greed-driven wonders who enable them to continue business as usual.
Did you see Josh Marshall's editorial comparing Facebook to a nuclear energy company that dumps its waste by the side of the road (company profits, society suffers the externalities)? It's a good succinct read. Talking Points Memo Sept. 18 2020. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/understanding-whats-wrong-with-facebook
What's with the Facebook's Disinformation team? Obviously not enough quantity and/or quality. What about a massive group of certified volunteers to find and comment on posts of misinformation and disinformation?
Forest management? How about the 2016 wildfires in Kansas that swept across 400,000 grazed pastures, hay meadows and other heavily managed acreage? When you have super dry conditions caused by drought/heat waves and combine it with strong winds, it doesn't matter how well "managed" the forest, grassland, tundra, savannah is--you're going to have an uncontrolled wildfire.
Part of the cause of unparalleled wildfires in Western states has been caused by dead conifers. They have died due to pine bark beetles whose population has soared because the winters are no longer cold enough to kill the beetles. These beetles kill the trees. Once dead they are like a large match stick and lightning strikes set the trees on fire leading to flying embers, starting fires in neighboring vegetation. As far as I know, Glenn Beck and other climate deniers don't have bachelor of science degrees in forestry. I do.
Portland State University. "Climate change increasing risks of lightning-ignited fires." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 31 May 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180531084415.htm>.
Thanks in particular for the link to the story on BP's role in coming up with the term "carbon footprint." I have a bit of a perfectionism, scrupulosity, and depression problem, and my brain responds to focusing on how to minimize my energy and resource use by saying, "Well, maybe the planet would be better off with one fewer American," and it takes time to recover from that train of thought. I feel kind of silly in semi-publicly saying this, but if you have other readers whose combination of earnestness and brain weasels are activated by stories about individual solutions, I hope they noticed that British Petroleum would rather trigger climate despair in people who already care about the planet than examine and acknowledge their own responsibility, and I hope they'll remember that, next time their brains are beating up on them for not being able to single-handedly fix climate change by swapping out light bulbs and taking shorter showers.
Nothing like a Heated story on rampant climate change disinformation allowed to spread like a wildfire to raise my blood pressure a few notches in solidarity with, fear of, and anger at the rising global temperatures caused by the fossil fuel industry and all of these gutless, greed-driven wonders who enable them to continue business as usual.
Maybe its time to take a leaf out of the Montreal Protocol playbook.
See https://uv.substack.com/p/stuff-to-the-rescue
Did you see Josh Marshall's editorial comparing Facebook to a nuclear energy company that dumps its waste by the side of the road (company profits, society suffers the externalities)? It's a good succinct read. Talking Points Memo Sept. 18 2020. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/understanding-whats-wrong-with-facebook
I see the Colonel Sanders of Climate Denial is back at it.
What's with the Facebook's Disinformation team? Obviously not enough quantity and/or quality. What about a massive group of certified volunteers to find and comment on posts of misinformation and disinformation?
Forest management? How about the 2016 wildfires in Kansas that swept across 400,000 grazed pastures, hay meadows and other heavily managed acreage? When you have super dry conditions caused by drought/heat waves and combine it with strong winds, it doesn't matter how well "managed" the forest, grassland, tundra, savannah is--you're going to have an uncontrolled wildfire.
And who else is beyond tired of the loose label "antifa?" So my sense is that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. As a Kansan, I wish I had money for a billboard on I-70 that says "Our most famous antifa member: Dwight D. Eisenhower" with the accompanying picture: https://www.walmart.com/ip/General-Dwight-D-Eisenhower-talking-with-soldiers-of-the-101st-Airborne-Division-Poster-Print-by-John-Parrot-Stocktrek-I/478395092?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=17374
And yes, I DO think it's funny that Walmart sells pictures of armed antifa members!
Nefarious Zuckerberg!