Does anything else really matter?

[Donny osmond]

Twitter post, for the non-paedos among us:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yesterday 44 of the world’s leading climate scientists wrote an open letter about collapse of the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation (AMOC) <br><br>When I interviewed one of them about the consequences of AMOC reaching a tipping point he could barely keep it together. <a href="https://t.co/Xsu0po5iZs">pic.twitter.co ... </p>&mdash; Philip Boucher-Hayes (@boucherhayes) <a href=" 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Donny osmond]

Oh, and on the earlier subject of microplastics in the environment, I was reading yesterday how nanoplastics have now been found __ in the breath __ of wild dolphins. There's so much if that shit in the oceans, the dolphins are literally breathing it out

[Son of Mathonwy]

Twitter post, for the non-paedos among us:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yesterday 44 of the world’s leading climate scientists wrote an open letter about collapse of the Atlantic Ocean’s circulation (AMOC) <br><br>When I interviewed one of them about the consequences of AMOC reaching a tipping point he could barely keep it together. <a

As Atlantic circulation shuts down I can just see Farage or his successors telling us that the new ice age hitting the UK is proof that so-called global warming was flat-out wrong.

Nothing will be done. There aren't enough votes in it. Too many people are ignorant and/or misinformed.

Vote green though, it's the only chance we have.

[Puja]

I can't read this thread right now, because I already have enough existential dread about the world my children are growing up into being properly fucked by the rise of fascism and authoritarianism and cannot add the fact that the planet is probably already irretrievably broken into my impending mental health breakdown right now.

But today managed to combine the two together, as I discovered the likely leader of the opposition (and demagogue who will probably need very little poking to go full fascist) is a "not a climate change sceptic, but a Net Zero sceptic":

What I’m saying is that climate change is a serious issue that needs work. But what strategy should we pick? We could pick an adaptation strategy, that this is going to happen. How do we build lives that will work within that?

We’ve chosen the strategy, which is to reduce carbon emissions. There is no guarantee that that will work. I want to see something, if we are going down that path, something that has other benefits. So energy security.

Sure, that sounds like a viable option. We'll just adapt. Be able to grow wine grapes in Kent and enjoy a mediterranean climate. It'll all be fine.

Puja

[Donny osmond]

I can't read this thread right now, because I already have enough existential dread about the world my children are growing up into being properly fucked by the rise of fascism and authoritarianism and cannot add the fact that the planet is probably already irretrievably broken into my impending mental health breakdown right now.

But today managed to combine the two together, as I discovered the likely leader of the opposition (and demagogue who will probably need very little poking to go full fascist) is a "not a climate change sceptic, but a Net Zero sceptic":

What I’m saying is that climate change is a serious issue that needs work. But what strategy should we pick? We could pick an adaptation strategy, that this is going to happen. How do we build lives that will work within that?

We’ve chosen the strategy, which is to reduce carbon emissions. There is no guarantee that that will work. I want to see something, if we are going down that path, something that has other benefits. So energy security.

Sure, that sounds like a viable option. We'll just adapt. Be able to grow wine grapes in Kent and enjoy a mediterranean climate. It'll all be fine.

Puja

I'm here to help you! There are at least two worries you can just forget about straight off.

1. When the Atlantic current turns off, no one will be growing grapes or anything else in Kent so you don't need to worry about that.
2. When the climate collapses, no one will give a shit about the rise of fascism, so you don't need to worry about that either.

2057. I'll be 82 at that point so won't know about anything, let alone give a fuck, so I'm ok, you young uns are more fucked but that's a you problem.

Hope that has helped, let me know if there's anything else you need.

[Mikey Brown]

This was quite entertaining.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c__fDd1dN ... Aice9ECubk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Son of Mathonwy]

This was quite entertaining.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c__fDd1dN ... Aice9ECubk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The interviewer wasn't at all hostile was she?

[Son of Mathonwy]

Fuck the climate, just go with gut instinct on what might cause growth, eventually.

FFS if Reeves wants big projects to boost the economy, stick to rail. This is climate destroying fantasy economics.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ine-ticket

[Son of Mathonwy]

Fuck the climate, just go with gut instinct on what might cause growth, eventually.

FFS if Reeves wants big projects to boost the economy, stick to rail. This is climate destroying fantasy economics.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ine-ticket

Reeves' case for the Heathrow expansion uses a report commissioned by Heathrow Airport as evidence. This is pathetic.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... on-airport

[Son of Mathonwy]

Grim stuff.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -scientist

[Which Tyler]

London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study finds
Levels of deadly pollutants have dropped, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas

[Puja]

London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study finds
Levels of deadly pollutants have dropped, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas

A rare good news story and especially welcome because it involves a politician not caving on a morally good policy just because GB News and Reform created an astroturfed public backlash to it.

Puja

[Stom]

London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study finds
Levels of deadly pollutants have dropped, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas

A rare good news story and especially welcome because it involves a politician not caving on a morally good policy just because GB News and Reform created an astroturfed public backlash to it.

Puja

Wasn't just them. It was literally the only thing my parents and extended family wanted to talk about. How Kahn is a terrible, terrible person because he's made this law and now they're going to have to give up their cars or pay £6k or whatever sum they dreamed up.

It was poorly communicated, it "targeted" a group of people who are amongst the loudest, and it played in to existing prejudices. It was always going to be deeply unpopular among the loudest demographic.

[Stom]

I'm very much coming around to the idea of Europe taking "back control" of production, so to speak. By reducing the amount of transit needed on supply chains, it would dramatically reduce pollution. But not localised pollution, which is a problem...

[Puja]

London air pollution down since Ulez extended to outer boroughs, study finds
Levels of deadly pollutants have dropped, with significant improvements in capital’s most deprived areas

A rare good news story and especially welcome because it involves a politician not caving on a morally good policy just because GB News and Reform created an astroturfed public backlash to it.

Puja

Wasn't just them. It was literally the only thing my parents and extended family wanted to talk about. How Kahn is a terrible, terrible person because he's made this law and now they're going to have to give up their cars or pay £6k or whatever sum they dreamed up.

It was poorly communicated, it "targeted" a group of people who are amongst the loudest, and it played in to existing prejudices. It was always going to be deeply unpopular among the loudest demographic.

I poorly communicated - the fascists created the seed for the backlash with astrouturfing and blatant lies, but it was genuinely public (certainly enough to cost the Uxbridge and Ruislip by-election) because very few people are immune to propaganda and Labour refused to stand up and refute it, leading to a one-way direction of debate. Labour curled back in on themselves with a supine, "Well, I guess, if you don't like it, then we can always change," but Khan stood his ground and has done good.

Puja

[Son of Mathonwy]

A rare good news story and especially welcome because it involves a politician not caving on a morally good policy just because GB News and Reform created an astroturfed public backlash to it.

Puja

Wasn't just them. It was literally the only thing my parents and extended family wanted to talk about. How Kahn is a terrible, terrible person because he's made this law and now they're going to have to give up their cars or pay £6k or whatever sum they dreamed up.

It was poorly communicated, it "targeted" a group of people who are amongst the loudest, and it played in to existing prejudices. It was always going to be deeply unpopular among the loudest demographic.

I poorly communicated - the fascists created the seed for the backlash with astrouturfing and blatant lies, but it was genuinely public (certainly enough to cost the Uxbridge and Ruislip by-election) because very few people are immune to propaganda and Labour refused to stand up and refute it, leading to a one-way direction of debate. Labour curled back in on themselves with a supine, "Well, I guess, if you don't like it, then we can always change," but Khan stood his ground and has done good.

Puja

When I checked that even my parents' old car was ULEZ compliant I figured that this was only going to affect a small minority. Some people must just like getting angry.