climatedepot--2020-04-21--‘Fantastic’ for the climate: Activists See Coronavirus Lockdowns As Dress Rehearsal for ‘Climate Eme

‘Fantastic’ for the climate: Activists See Coronavirus Lockdowns As Dress Rehearsal for ‘Climate Emergency’ – Special Report

The climate change activist community has been in awe at the governments around the world and their responses to the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic .
Global warming campaigners have been watching closely and taking notes as the virus-induced societal shutdowns have enacted many of the climate activists ’ long sought after agenda .
The coronavirus government response of austere lockdowns and limited economic activity has inspired climate activists and motivated them to the virus fears to lobby for their climate “ solutions.
” The environmental Left has watched as many of the same “ solutions ” they have advocated for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enacted seemingly overnight by governments around the world .
The irony is that the World Health Organization ( WHO ) has been allegedly leading the fight against COVID-19 , but sadly , the WHO — among other problems — had its priorities badly misplaced .
Everything the climate campaigners could have ever hoped for has become a ( temporary ? )
reality with the Coronavirus shutdown of modern society .
• Hated airline travel , promoted “ flight shaming ” ?
Now ?
The airline industry is wiped out .
• Hated economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system .
Now ?
Growth wiped out .
• Called for lower emissions through “ planned recession ” or “ degrowth ” policies ?
Now ?
Achieved recession or worse — almost overnight .
• Hated eating out at restaurants ?
Now ?
The restaurant industry wiped out .
• Called for end of the hated gas-fueled cars ?
Now ?
Car driving and sales wiped out as global oil demand drops dramatically .
• Wanted meat-eating stopped ?
Meatpacking plants closing , demand for meat down as restaurants closed .
• Called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumption ?
Now ?
Done .
Non-essential stores , businesses , movie theatres , vacations , etc shut down indefinitely in response to the coronavirus .
• Wanted kids to skip school to accomplish all of the above climate goals ?
Now the schools are canceled almost everywhere !
As Peter Barry Chowka observed in American Thinker : “ Overnight , our society is doing what radical leftist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) and her fellow Green New Deal fanatics have demanded : An almost total end to air travel ; personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promises of free health care for all quickly becoming the new status quo ; and the ability of people to sit at home without working and receive a paycheck from the government .
The Democrats want that to continue indefinitely.
” And prominent climate activists have revealed they will not hesitate about enforcing these types of regulations in the name of climate change .
In February of 2020 , then-Democratic presidential candidate and mega climate funder Tom Steyer , laid out his plan for a climate police state .
“ I will declare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first day of my presidency .
I will use the Executive emergency powers of the presidency to tell companies how they can generate electricity , what kind of cars they can build — on what schedule , what kind of buildings we ’ re gon na have , how we are going to use our public lands , ” Steyer declared .
“ We need to rebuild this country in a climate-smart way…we don ’ t have a choice on this , ” he added .
There have even been calls for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 , University of Copenhagen international relations professor Ole Wæver explained : “ If there was something that was decided internationally by some more centralized procedure and every country was told ‘ this is your emission target , it ’ s not negotiable , we can actually take military measures if you don ’ t fulfill it ’ , then you would basically have to get that down the throat of your population , whether they like it or not.
” The climate activist community has been waiting for decades for this type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and society .
They have long sought to seize the opportunity to impose their world view , central planning and the banning of what they deem are non “ climate-friendly ” aspects of our lives and remake society in their image .
In short : If you like living under the coronavirus fears and government-mandated lockdowns , then you ’ ll love living your life under a “ climate emergency ” .
The climate movement may now be poised to plan and dictate a new “ earth-friendly ” world in the aftermath of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began to mobilize how to use the governments ’ response to the coronavirus pandemic as a model for the climate scare .
Sampling of Key Coronavirus ‘ Hall of Shame ’ quotes ( from March/April 2020 ) Many of the measures that governments are taking to control the COVID-19 virus are very similar to many of the climate “ solutions ” that have been proposed by the UN , the Green New Deal and other climate organizations .
The global warming movement has literally proposed policies to control every aspect of human life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from your lightbulbs to your appliances to your home thermostats to your automobile choices to your family size to the size and method of building your home to your personal diet to your owning pets to your clothing choices to your vacation choices to regulating and penalizing you for your personal carbon footprint and attempting to revamp the energy sector and the entire economic system .
Many climate activists will welcome a global recession because they have been calling for “ degrowth ” policies and “ planned recessions ” to fight climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw how COVID-19 caused a near-total shutdown of the “ evil ” modern life they waged war on was essentially shut down overnight and the climate warriors wanted in on the action .
Progressive environmentalists lauded the lockdowns as having “ ecological benefits ” but lamented that they wanted climate activists to be in charge of shutting down society .
Dr Jason Hickel , a lecturer in economic anthropology at Goldsmiths University and member of the advisory board of the Green New Deal for Europe , explained : Dr. Hickel likes the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but what galls Hickel is that he wants the lockdowns to be ‘ planned ’ so that he and his academic colleagues can be in charge of crafting their vision of a utopian world which he explains is “ reducing unnecessary industrial activity.
” The climate campaigners see a post coronavirus world defined by fear of ‘ climate change ’ and they are seeking to remake societies from their university offices instead of letting free people and free economies thrive .
As former President Ronald Reagan said : “ The more the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan.
” The warmists ’ past repeated calls for “ global government ” were also inserted into the coronavirus shutdown debate .
The goals of the climate activists have advanced given the coronavirus total shutdown of society .
Climate activists know that if the U.S. government and other western nations can shut down all aspects of society to deal with a virus , it can do the same for climate change .
Climate activists have to be pleased to see a conservative Republican President — Donald Trump — at least temporarily support a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. for public safety purposes .
The climate campaigners know that a precedent has been set and they will exploit future presidents and Congresses more agreeable to their climate agenda , to impose similar climate-based restrictions for alleged public safety .
The climate movement is also likely now to increase their focus on linking viruses to “ climate change ” and thus make fighting climate change a part of fighting deadly viruses .
The activists will then attempt to piggyback efforts like the Green New Deal as a part of future virus-fighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they should never let a crisis go to waste .
They are pouncing on any opportunity to inject climate change into the COVID-19 issue including attempts to make sure that federal stimulus bills include going in the “ right direction toward decarbonization.
” But so far , these attempts have been rebuffed due to the fact that the last thing U.S. businesses need is more punishing climate-based mandates to satisfy the Democrat Party environmental base .
Activists are also seeking to remake the automobile and transportation .
Many in the climate action community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this living under some sort of lockdown .
They want at least a portion of these governmental lockdown powers to remain and be used for climate change after the coronavirus pandemic passes .
Activists want the public to get used to the travel restrictions , to get used to the quarantines , to get to use to limits in their personal freedom as lower emissions are mandated due to the “ climate emergency.
” As the UK power chief warned a few years ago that due to green energy policies , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only using power when it was available.
” The climate activists and progressive Left want people to get used to living a restricted life , where your everyday actions have to be approved by the government or okayed by a bureaucratic official .
Our current reality of living under a virus-induced government lockdown is the perfect template for how the climate campaigners envision a future living under a coercive government that takes the “ climate emergency ” seriously .
Steve Milloy of JunkScience.com wrote on April 18 : “ The coronavirus police state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
The climate police state would be permanent.
” There are many obstacles in the way for environmental campaigners .
In Europe , the carbon market collapsed and the EU was urged to put economic survival ahead any Green New Deal .
UK Guardian activists hope Coronavirus lockdown becomes climate lockdown : ‘ What was once impossible ( socialist , reckless ) now turns out not to be , at all ’ – UK Guardian editorial : “ The brakes placed on economic activities of many kinds , worldwide , have led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been unthinkable : 18 % in China between February and March ; between 40 % and 60 % over recent weeks in Europe .
Habits and behaviours once regarded as sacrosanct have been turned on their heads : road traffic in the UK has fallen by 70 % .
Global air traffic has halved.
” … “ Huge political shifts are underway , with fiscally conservative governments such as Boris Johnson ’ s intervening in economies to an unprecedented extent .
What was once impossible ( socialist , reckless ) now turns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Could the renewed shock of human vulnerability in the face of COVID-19 make way for an increased willingness to face other perils , climate chaos among them ?
” … “ But with the postponement of crucial UN biodiversity and climate conferences , it has never been more important to keep up the pressure .
There is no exit strategy from our planet.
” Coronavirus seen as ‘ test-run ’ for climate change : ‘ Mass shutdowns we now experience could provide a model for imposing ’ a ‘ climate emergency ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now experience – likely necessary in a pandemic – could provide a model for imposing harsh actions to curb carbon emissions that activists consider as great or greater threats than the virus itself.
” … “ Unless carefully controlled and monitored , the response to the current pandemic could end up leaving us with a system more akin to China ’ s authoritarian order , dominated by a narrow class of Mandarins and billionaires.
” … “ Already some environmentalists view the policies used to battle the virus , and the unprecedented course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run ” for what they believe will be necessary to save humanity .
As in the Middle Ages , theology will play a central role in pushing an autocratic “ solution.
” In their oddly pious way , some environmentalists view the pandemic , like climate change , as a kind of “ comeuppance ” for the evil impact of humans on Earth.
” … ” Throughout history , crises – like the COVID-19 pandemic – have been ideal opportunities for expanding centralized control of life , ostensibly for our own good .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a new police state and in some countries , such as France , a rising incidence of informers , conspiracy theories , and even vigilantism.
” … ” A scientifically-based crisis offers an ideal terroir for the promotion of oligarchy.
” Climate activist sees ‘ silver lining ’ in coronavirus : ‘ The machine of capitalism has slowed dramatically , prompting environmental healing ’ – Brooke Russell in Santa Barbara Independent : “ The tangibility of COVID-19 is overshadowing the looming existential threat of climate change , an issue that has much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devastation.
” … “ Even in the most tragic of times , however , a silver lining ultimately prevails .
As roads empty and people sequester themselves , the machine of capitalism has slowed dramatically , prompting environmental healing.
” “ While many Americans , as well as people across the globe , maintain a singular focus on the pandemic , the prominent threat of climate change is being overlooked.
” Social planners , ecologists look to exploit coronavirus as opportunity to ‘ permanently ’ remove cars from the road — Seek ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ & ‘ remake cities ’ Watch Al Gore : ‘ Scientists have warned us about the coronavirus and they ’ ve warned us about the climate crisis ’ – ‘ Fossil fuels are a pre-existing condition for COVID-19 ’ Gore : “ The scientists have warned us about the coronavirus and they ’ ve warned us about the climate crisis , and we ’ ve seen the dangers of waiting too late to heed the warnings of the doctors and scientists on this virus , ” Gore told “ Real Time with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We should not wait any longer to heed their warnings about what we ’ re doing to radically destabilize the earth ’ s climate.
” Al Gore also claimed the use of “ fossil fuels are a pre-existing condition for COVID-19′ – Emissions are ‘ in effect a pre-existing condition that raises the death rate.
” Host Bill Maher added : “ The air in Los Angeles has not been this good since it belonged to Mexico .
But people will do it [ lockdowns ] for the virus — they won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touts ‘ CALLS TO ‘ FLATTEN THE CURVE ’ OF CLIMATE CHANGE POST-CORONAVIRUS ’ – Newsweek : “ Scientists , activists and religious leaders ranging from Pope Francis to filmmaker Spike Lee are highlighting lockdown reductions in air pollution and nature “ coming alive ” as part of a larger call to permanently change industrial and economic behavior after COVID-19.
” Climate Depot response : “ Well if Pope Francis and Spike Lee agree on it , then it must be true.
” Flashback warning : Scientism leads us to technocracy : C.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the name of science .
That is how tyrannies come in ’ – C.S .
Lewis warning : “ I dread specialists in power because they are specialists speaking outside their special subjects .
Let scientists tell us about sciences .
But government involves questions about the good for man , and justice , and what things are worth having at what price ; and on these a scientific training gives a man ’ s opinion no added value.
” Climate campaigners seize on coronavirus to advance global warming agenda – By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus proves we need the Green New Deal Ross McKitrick : Suddenly , plastic is looking pretty good again in age of coronavirus Much of our reliance on plastic packaging was motivated by the need for public hygiene… Canada ’ s single-use plastics are not the source of ocean contamination .
Banning them will impose costs and inconvenience here while doing nothing to fix the problem .
As reported by Our World in Data , only a tiny fraction ( about three per cent ) of the world ’ s plastic production is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can end up as ocean waste each year .
Very little of that fraction comes from high-income countries because we have effective waste-management systems .
Plastic that goes into a Canadian landfill has no chance of ending up in the ocean , especially if the landfill is away from rivers and coastlines .
More than 50 per cent of the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch is abandoned fishing nets and gear .
Most plastic waste entering the ocean from land — 86 per cent of it — comes via a handful of rivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waste is domestically-produced , as of 2017 about 10 per cent was from imported plastic waste .
Vice MAG Column : ‘ When this pandemic is over , it ’ s time to dismantle capitalism ’ Environmental Reporters Strategize On Using Coronavirus To Advance Climate Agenda – Bring in Hayhoe to give advice German Public Law Professor : Climate Crisis ‘ Requires Freedom-Limiting Measures ’ – ‘ Fight against the virus ’ is model for climate fight – German public law professor Thomas Schomerus of Leuphana University : “ The fight against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight against global warming.
” … The public can be convinced “ to accept even the most serious encroachments on fundamental rights.
” The only thing that is needed for the public acceptance of “ stringent measures ” , says Schomerus is communication made “ in a transparent , comprehensible , science-based and multimedia-based manner ” .
If this is done , he writes , “ the population will be prepared to accept even the most serious encroachments on fundamental rights.
” He writes that the concern about the future of children and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” as the fear of death by the Coronavirus .
CLAIM : ‘ The coronavirus outbreak is part of the climate crisis ’ – Claim : The two emergencies are in fact quite similar .
Both have their roots in the world ’ s current economic model – that of the pursuit of infinite growth at the expense of the environment on which our survival depends – and both are deadly and disruptive .
In fact , one may argue that the pandemic is part of climate change and therefore , our response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ containing the spread of the virus .
What we thought was “ normal ” before the pandemic was already a crisis and so returning to it can not be an option .
… The rapid response to COVID-19 around the world illustrates the remarkable capacity of society to put the emergency brake on “ business-as-usual ” simply by acting in the moment .
It shows that we can take radical action if we want to .
Amid coronavirus , UN posts a video of ‘ UN Climate Change Program Officer ’ answering ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a key part of your work ?
’ Amid pandemic , ‘ global warming ’ solutions looking less attractive right now : High-density living ?
Mass transit ?
Reusable bags ?
Bike sharing ?
Now we ‘ can all see what a carbon-constrained economy looks like ’ Jane Fonda : ‘ Climate change guarantees that COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic we will see ’ – Fonda : “ With climate change , shorter , warmer winters , earlier springs , deforestation and other clearing of wild areas for human use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in contact with people who lack resistance .
This is how all the recent pandemics—AIDS , SARS , MERS , Ebola and now COVID-19 originated .
The melting of the Arctic ice sheet is releasing untold pathogens to which humans are not immune .
Climate change guarantees that COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic we will see.
” Flashback 2018 : World Health Organization : ‘ Climate change is the greatest health challenge of the 21st century , and threatens all aspects of the society in which we live ’ Coronavirus ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opportunity ’ for economic ‘ degrowth ’ – ‘ A planned slowdown of ’ the economy to fight ‘ climate change ’ “ Degrowth ” involves a purposeful contraction of the economy Some climate-focused economists see the COVID-19 pandemic as an unwitting experiment for a radical strategy to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions .
The concept is called “ degrowth.
” It involves a planned slowdown of economic sectors that emit large amounts of global carbon dioxide .
Those sectors would scale down until the broader economy meets “ sustainable emissions levels , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Natasha Chassagne of the University of Tasmania : There are “ opportunities we can take away from the coronavirus emergency.
” … “ ‘ Degrowth ’ involves a purposeful contraction of high-emitting sectors while growing other sectors that produce low or zero emissions.
” # Flashback : Sierra Club Touts Economic ‘ De-Growth ’ : ‘ We have to de-grow our economy ’ to ‘ temper climate disruption , and foster a stable , equitable world economy ’ – ‘ WORK LESS TO LIVE MORE ’ Flashback : Warmist Prof. Alice Bows-Larkin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight ‘ global warming ’ : ‘ Economic growth needs to be exchanged ’ for ‘ planned austerity ’ – ‘ Whole system change ’ Flashback : ‘ A planned economic recession ’ : Global warming prof. Kevin Anderson – who has ‘ cut back on showering ’ to save planet – asserts economic ‘ de-growth ’ is needed to fight climate change Beware the Left ’ s ‘ Degrowth ’ Movement : ‘ Reveals the modern left for what it is at its core , anti-growth , anti-people , anti-free enterprise & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degrowth fad — hopefully it is just that — also reveals the modern left movement for what it is at its core .
It is anti-growth , anti-people , anti-free enterprise and anti-prosperity .
The entire climate change movement is an assault against cheap and abundant energy and rising living standards .
This raises the question of how we could ever rely on the left to fix our economy , help the poor and make us all more prosperous if their goal is to shrink the economy , not grow it ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopefully it is just that — also reveals the modern left movement for what it is at its core .
It is anti-growth , anti-people , anti-free enterprise and anti-prosperity .
The entire climate change movement is an assault against cheap and abundant energy and rising living standards .
This raises the question of how we could ever rely on the left to fix our economy , help the poor and make us all more prosperous if their goal is to shrink the economy , not grow it ?
Degrowth is defended by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic and social movement based on ecological economics , anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism.
” These are the proponents of a radical and increasingly chic movement on the left called “ degrowth.
” This is the idea that economic growth and increased prosperity are the root CAUSE of massive ecological destruction and health pandemics .
The agenda is to shut down industrial production and industries like fossil fuels , automobiles and airline travel that contribute to global warming .
COVID-19 and the economy lockdown are seen as a kind of test run for the theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be central to our response to the COVID-19 pandemic ’ WHO Official Michael Marmot : Coronavirus Reveals What Is Possible for Climate Restrictions – ‘ Revealed what governments are capable of doing ’ – Will ‘ socialize the economy ’ Professor writes NBC News OpEd : ‘ Coronavirus and climate change : The pandemic is a fire drill for our planet ’ s future ’ Prof. Adam Frank University of Rochester : “ It ’ s time to wake up .
Like this pandemic , climate change is also going to push @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilization .
Unlike the pandemic , its effects will be long term .
The international COVID-19 pandemic is many things , but its deepest impact may be fostering a recognition that this machine of civilization that we built is a whole lot more fragile than we thought .
And that is why , in the long term , the coronavirus will one day be seen as a fire drill for climate change.
” … “ The pandemic has awakened us from our slumber .
It is letting us see the real consequences of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important lesson — allowing us the insight , strength and compassion to build a resilient and robust future.
” Former UK PM Gordon Brown urges world leaders to create ‘ a temporary form of global government ’ to tackle coronavirus Now is the time for global leaders to create one world government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Chinese coronavirus pandemic , former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged on Thursday .
… “ This is not something that can be dealt with in one country , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a coordinated global response.
” … Gordon Brown has urged world leaders to create a temporary form of global government to tackle the twin medical and economic crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic .
UN environment chief : ‘ Nature is sending us a message ’ with coronavirus & climate change Destruction of wildlife and the climate crisis is hurting humanity , with Covid-19 a ‘ clear warning shot ’ , say experts … Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Inger Andersen .
Andersen said humanity was placing too many pressures on the natural world with damaging consequences , and warned that failing to take care of the planet meant not taking care of ourselves .
Leading scientists also said the Covid-19 outbreak was a “ clear warning shot ” , given that far more deadly diseases existed in wildlife , and that today ’ s civilisation was “ playing with fire ” .
They said it was almost always human behaviour that caused diseases to spill over into humans .
To prevent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both global heating and the destruction of the natural world for farming , mining and housing have to end , as both drive wildlife into contact with people .
‘ Let ’ s not let this crisis go to waste ’ : Coronavirus offers ‘ a chance to do capitalism differently ’ – Government has the upper hand , ‘ It must seize the moment ’ Analysis : Covid-19 : A glimpse of the dystopia greens want us to live in – Shows us ‘ what life would be like if environmentalists got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ There is something profoundly ugly in this .
George Monbiot and other greens seem to view Covid-19 as a disaster that will have an upside : it might roll back the Enlightenment-era belief that humankind can exercise dominion over nature and remind us that actually we are at nature ’ s mercy .
They hope this disaster will restore nature ’ s power over the humanized world.
” Extinction Rebellion stickers declare : ‘ Corona is the cure , humans are the disease ’ UN Shifts from ‘ Climate Change ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus could rebuild global economy ‘ along more sustainable lines ’ – U.N .
FORCED TO PIVOT : During his virtual press conference , Guterres gave a nod to the Paris Agreement .
He said the pandemic could create an opportunity to rebuild the global economy along more sustainable lines .
But he made it clear the world must focus first on the coronavirus crisis .
… The United Nations ’ main climate change initiatives have been moved online or are on hold .
Several planned U.N. climate action gatherings have been canceled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.N .
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have canceled all in-person meetings and foreign travel , and are working to arrange online conferences where possible .
Most recently , the U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) , a body based in Montreal , called off a series of regional meetings meant to roll out a new emissions trading program to begin this month .
ICAO said the regional planning seminars for its carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation simply have been postponed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposed .
Greta Thunberg : Coronavirus shows action against ‘ climate change ’ possible – “ Once we are in a crisis , we can act to do something quickly , act fast , ” said Thunberg , 17 , whose solo school strikes for climate action helped spark a global youth climate strike movement .
“ Though it must be in a different way to how we have acted in this case , we can act fast and change our habits and treat a crisis like a crisis.
” … The virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to let go completely of activism , ” she added .
“ We can do it online and at home .
We just need to be creative and find new ways.
” Russian fashion model says if Covid-19 wipes out half of humanity , the planet will benefit – ‘ The fact that half of humanity will die out is , to be honest , not so scary ’ Victoria Bonya said that coronavirus is actually needed by the Earth and will be a positive thing for the planet .
“ Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we destroyed the planet .
And , to be honest , for me , it ’ s much worse that the planet will die .
And the fact that half of humanity will die out is , to be honest , not so scary.
” “ Mankind as a whole has become worse than a locust which eats everything in its path and does not leave a living thing !
Over the past 50 years , we have killed the planet in a way that no generation has in thousands of years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form of the coronavirus , should be beneficial to us , ” she wrote .
Climate activists prod Democrats to leverage coronavirus crisis – Wash Times : Such declarations have alarmed free-market advocates worried that the global and national response will pave the way for more government control over the private sector as future Democratic administrations draw parallels between the coronavirus and global warming .
“ The goals of the climate activists have advanced , given the coronavirus ’ total shutdown of society , ” said Climate Depot ’ s Marc Morano .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. government can shut down all aspects of society over a virus , it can and may someday under a different president take similar measures to fight an alleged climate crisis.
” He pointed to the shutdown of airline travel , restaurants and entertainment , saying that “ many climate activists will welcome a global recession because they have been calling for ‘ degrowth ’ policies and ‘ planned recessions ’ to fight climate change.
” Plastic Bag Bans Put on Hold Over Concerns About the Cleanliness of Reusable Bags Amid Coronavirus Fears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lessons for Fighting the Coronavirus – Climate battle has familiar ‘ disdain for science , neglecting future risk , lack of global leadership ’ A study by University of Chicago researchers projected that , by 2100 , climate change would kill roughly as many people as the number who die of cancer and infectious disease today .
As with the European heat waves , the most vulnerable in society will bear the brunt .
“ Today ’ s poor bear a disproportionately high share of the global mortality risks of climate change , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PM by Admin | Tags : coal , coronavirus Warmist Ben Santer : How COVID-19 Is like Climate Change – ‘ Both are existential challenges ’ Lorrie Goldstein : We Gambled On The Wrong Threat — Climate Change – “ One of the key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is that for at least the past decade , we focused disproportionately , or rather our governments did , on one potential global threat — human-induced climate change — to the exclusion of all others.
” Toronto Star Columnist : COVID-19 deaths are ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true terror is mass death and that could become reality if we don ’ t tackle climate change ’ Watch : Michael Shellenberger on how climate change alarmists see hope in coronavirus Watch : The Green New Deal Has Arrived – Coronavirus achieves many of the GND ’ s objectives MSNBC Anchor : Proposed $ 800 Billion Stimulus Is Proof U.S. Can Afford Green New Deal – Chris Hayes : ‘ We can , of course , afford a Green New Deal ’ Former UN Env .
Director approvingly cites activist ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world down to stop a virus , that also means it is possible to do the same for climate change ’ Teen Vogue Op-Ed : ‘ Coronavirus Response Should Be a Model for How We Address Climate Change ’ Teen activist JAMIE MARGOLIN : “ If we can shut the world down to stop a virus , that also means it is possible to do the same for climate change .
Treat all emergencies like emergencies !
” ( Also see : Former UN Env .
Director approvingly cites activist ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world down to stop a virus , that also means it is possible to do the same for climate change ’ ) Margolin in Teen Vogue : “ The way the world has been able to mobilize itself and shut down in the blink of an eye to properly respond to the coronavirus is proof that political leaders actually do have the ability to make rapid change happen if they want .
So where is that rapid response for the climate crisis ?
… For years , climate justice activists like myself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our climate emergency .
And for years , that action has not taken place… .
Why have there not been coronavirus levels of shutting down and completely rewiring our society ?
Every time I meet with lawmakers and tell them that we need rapid transformation to halt climate change , they tell me “ change that fast just isn ’ t possible.
” But the COVID-19 world response has proven that rapid change and disruption of business as usual is possible !
… What would it look like when the world actually decides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It would look like what we ’ re seeing right now .
Media coverage of the issue 24/7 .
Consistent headlines about updated death tolls .
Experts appearing on the news daily to update the public on the crisis .
Everyone stopping everything and putting the world on pause to deal with the immediate crisis at hand .
… Pandemic response is simply trying to mitigate a disaster , while urgent climate response is not only mitigating disaster , but actively creating a better world.
” LA Times Op-Ed happy to see global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : ‘ We must embrace a world that the coronavirus , perversely , is laying out for us ’ – Christopher Ketcham in LA Times : ‘ The coronavirus may finally cause us to see air travel for what it is , a fuse burning in the climate ’ bomb .
“ As it happens , a lot less flying is required if we are to stabilize a non-nightmarish planetary climate for our children , our grandchildren and their children .
The spread of the novel coronavirus comes in the wake of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change that was commissioned by the United Kingdom and published in November .
Called “ Absolute Zero , ” the report , drafted by a group of scientists from the universities of Cambridge , Oxford , Nottingham , Bath and the Imperial College London , advised how Britain could reach its stated target of zero emissions by 2050 .
Among their conclusions : Because at present and for the foreseeable future there is no carbon-neutral alternative for the powering of planes , all air travel in the U.K. will have to decline precipitously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and cease altogether by 2050 .
“ For some period , ” the report says , “ we ’ ll all stop using aeroplanes.
” What ’ s true for Britain , of course , has to be true globally — an end to air travel as we know it if the planet is to keep within the putatively safe carbon budget that holds warming to 1.5 degrees Centigrade .
And one can read that conclusion another way : Present-day rates of carbon-intensive travel and tourism are among the many time bombs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future generations… We have to start thinking now — right now , today , as you read this — about a livable , equitable future for our children , and for that future to be realized we must embrace a world that the coronavirus , perversely , is laying out for us .
It is a world of less travel , less consumption , one not pathogen-determined but instead created by our own collective self-restraint , humility and altruism .
If we learn from the coronavirus , generations to come will thank us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greta Thunberg on climate – ‘ Producing results that are arguably more important , immediate and effective ’ – Greta Thunberg ’ s statements and actions are a constant reminder of climate change and the need for rapid mitigation and adaptation .
We can identify the ‘ Thunberg effect ’ and the impact that this has had on the growth in carbon offsetting .
Nevertheless , the Thunberg effect has had an as yet relatively small impact on climate change… We can label this the ‘ COVID-19 effect ’ .
In contrast with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results that are arguably more important , immediate and effective .
‘ Worry about environmentalists getting too happy ’ about Coronavirus causing emissions to drop – ‘ Really Not the Way You Want To Decrease Emissions ’ ‘ There are climate lessons in the response to the virus.
” The drop in emissions could end up being just a blip that contributes to other problems , said Samantha Gross , a fellow at the Brookings Institution .
One of those problems is that falling costs of oil and other fossil fuels could discourage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and could encourage people to use more oil and gas .
“ I actually worry about environmentalists getting too happy and worked up about the fact that emissions are going down , because this is really not the way you want to decrease emissions , ” she said .
NYT : Social Distancing ?
You Might Be Fighting Climate Change , Too – The ‘ benefit of a reduced carbon footprint ’ – “ Any time you can avoid getting on a plane , getting in a car or eating animal products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ savings.
” Many people trying to avoid the coronavirus are already two-thirds of the way there .
Watch : Morano on TV : Coronavirus hysteria is the future environmentalists want : – The Ezra Levant ’ s Show Terence Corcoran rips warmists : Good news , say climate activists : We have a coronavirus pandemic !
‘ Think of the benefits !
’ Usual Fear : ‘ What Could Warming Mean for Pathogens like Coronavirus ?
’ ‘ Scientists expect to see changes in…severity of disease outbreaks as global temperatures rise ’ NYT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor claiming coronavirus is ‘ climate change on warp speed ’ – Gernot Wagner , a climate economist at New York University , called the virus “ climate change on warp speed.
” Why have we not taken climate risks to heart ?
Politics and psychology play a role .
Change is hard when there ’ s a powerful industry blocking it .
The fossil fuel industry has pushed climate science denial into the public consciousness .
Climate activists : Coronavirus response needs to be ‘ a Global Green New Deal ’ to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as is feasibly possible ’ – Open Democracy : “ Once the outbreak subsides , attention will inevitably turn to how the global economy can be rebooted .
Before we rush to reinstate ‘ business as usual ’ , we should pause to consider the impact this might have on human and environmental health…governments could forge a different path by unleashing a vast program of investment to decarbonize the global economy as fast as is feasibly possible and bring our environmental footprint within fair and sustainable limits .
The effect would be to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transport , housing , and agriculture sectors , decarbonize production and consumption , and restore our natural ecosystems.
” “ In 2008 we bailed out the banks – this time we should bail out the planet .
This plan has a name : a Global Green New Deal .
In the face of a growing environmental emergency , it ’ s the only game in town .
We simply can not afford a return to business a usual.
” Dems use Coronavirus panic to tout passage of Green New Deal : Dem Sen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pass a Green New Deal and deliver climate justice ’ Democrats don ’ t want to waste coronavirus panic : Sen. Whitehouse wants climate ‘ menu ’ included in economic aid package : ‘ We ’ d want a price on carbon ’ Democrats don ’ t want to waste coronavirus panic : Sen. Whitehouse wants climate ‘ menu ’ included in economic aid package : ‘ We ’ d want a price on carbon ’ – Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse .
The Rhode Island Democrat said airlines , in particular , must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in return for federal financial assistance… ” If they want to bail out the airline industry , then the airline industry better damn well be ready to clean up its act in terms of carbon emissions offsets , ” Whitehouse said .
“ It can be done , they can do it , and the taxpayer should make sure they ’ re performing it.
” … Whitehouse said he would seek to include carbon offsets as part of any stimulus for carbon-intensive industries .
Another potential ask : a “ menu ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incentives for clean energy .
“ There would be a menu : We ’ d probably want a tax extender ; we ’ d want a price on carbon ; we ’ d have a long , long list — and don ’ t even get me started on the cruise ships , ” Whitehouse said .
# Dems use Coronavirus panic to tout passage of Green New Deal : Dem Sen Markey : ‘ We should be working to pass a Green New Deal and deliver climate justice ’ Greta Thunberg says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus risk MAG : What would happen if the world reacted to climate change like it ’ s reacting to the coronavirus ?
Fast Company Mag : “ We ’ ve seen that governments can act , and people can change their behavior , in a very short amount of time , ” says May Boeve , executive director of the climate advocacy group 350.org .
“ And that ’ s exactly what the climate movement has been asking governments and people to do for years in the face of a different kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t see commensurate action .
On the one hand , it shows that it ’ s possible to do this , and it ’ s possible for this kind of mobilization of resources to take place in a short amount of time .
In that sense , that ’ s encouraging .
But we were never in doubt of that aspect.
” Instead , she says , it was a question of whether there was political will for rapid change .
UK Guardian : Coronavirus ‘ health crisis is reducing carbon emissions more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fall in global CO2 emissions ’ Coronavirus is curbing carbon dioxide emissions : ‘ Falls in economic activity will reduce greenhouse gas emissions ’ – The disease is temporarily reducing carbon emissions in China and elsewhere as many factories remain shuttered and fuel consumption goes down .
“ The most immediate impact of coronavirus is falls in economic activity , which will reduce greenhouse gas [ GHG ] emissions , ” Faith Ward , chief responsible investment officer at Brunel Pension Partnership , told Al Jazeera .
Warmist : Coronavirus could be ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change ’ – More Effective Than The Green Deal – Excerpt : “ The Coronavirus has become both the biggest threat to businesses and potentially the most consequential factor in reducing emissions in the short-term .
China , the first country to suffer from the Coronavirus , has already seen greenhouse gas emissions fall by 25 % in recent weeks as industrial installations have shut down… The International Energy Agency predicts that oil demand will fall at least to levels not seen since the 2009 economic crisis , as economic activity slows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fastest-growing source of emissions , has fallen off a cliff , with Lufthansa ’ s recent statement that it is halting 50 % of flights sparking major concern for the aviation industry… It may be that future generations look back at Coronavirus as the turning point in global efforts to fight climate change .
And they may ask , “ what was the Green Deal ?
” .
Oxford Unisvierty Global History Professor Peter Frankopan on the coronavirus : “ One beneficiary will be the climate : after all , the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easily thanks to the collage of industrial production .
Who is to say that this pandemic does not provide a turning point in world history .
EU official : Focus on coronavirus shows need for binding net zero climate law – Frans Timmermans , a European commission vice-president who leads on the climate emergency , said the different crises facing Europe underscored the need for a climate law in order not to lose track of reducing emissions .
The long-awaited climate law unveiled on Wednesday is the centrepiece of the European Green Deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s economy , promised by the European commission president , Ursula von der Leyen , within her first 100 days .
“ It will be our compass for the next 30 years and it will guide us every step as we build a sustainable new growth model , ” Von der Leyen said announcing the law .
Journalist Ed Conway of UK Times & Sky News Cheers Coronavirus for Killing ‘ Old ’ Climate Skeptics – Calls virus ‘ ultimate weapon against climate change ’ The Week mag touts impact of coronavirus as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – ‘ A significant reduction of…carbon footprints ’ By Madhvi Ramani – The Week Magazine : Excerpts : “ But where scientists and popular movements have thus far failed to convince the world to act , it seems that Mother Earth may have succeeded , with the never-before-seen COVID-19 virus…The novel coronavirus is estimated to have curbed carbon dioxide emissions in China by a quarter.
” “ It ’ s not just air travel .
People are canceling cruise trips after 3,711 passengers and crew members were quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
Another win for the environment , since people on a seven-day cruise produce roughly the same carbon footprint as they would during 18 days on land… ” “ The current epidemic shows us that we are completely unprepared to deal with future outbreaks of diseases that will occur as a result of climate change .
Not only will climate change increase the number of diseases passed from animals to humans due to changing boundaries of habitats and decreased biodiversity , but the melting ice and permafrost are releasing long dormant bacteria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus has sent alarm bells ringing throughout the world .
It ’ s time for us to wake up , listen to the primordial Earth goddess Gaia , and act.
” Climate activists celebrate ‘ the benefits of coronavirus ’ : ‘ It is fantastic for the environment ’ – Economic slowdown is ‘ good news for the ecologists ’ Climate activist Astrophysicist & Philosopher Martín López Corredoira on coronavirus and its impacts : “ Neither Greenpeace , nor Greta Thunberg , nor any other individual or collective organization have achieved so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the planet in such a short time.
” “ There are also positive aspects .
As said by the proverb , every cloud has a silver lining…We see a reduced production in Chinese industry , which has resulted in a huge drop in China ’ s pollution.
” Venice…is now deathly silent .
What a respite for the Venetians !
What good news for the ecologists and tourist-haters !
This positively affects the reduction of CO2 emission and the whole wave the destruction associated with holiday and professional conference tourism…It is certainly not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it is fantastic for the environment.
” # Also See : Former UN Climate Chief Christiana Figueres : Slower economic growth from coronavirus ‘ may be good for climate ’ – ‘ There is less trade , less travel , less commerce ’ The Week mag touts impact of coronavirus as a ‘ win for the environment ’ – ‘ A significant reduction of…carbon footprints ’ Will Coronavirus Recession Kill Green Craze That Has Infected Board Rooms In Recent Years ?
Former UN Climate Chief Christiana Figueres : Slower economic growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate ’ – ‘ There is less trade , less travel , less commerce ’ Channel 4 ’ s Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked former UN chief Figueres : “ Is there any sense that this could be self-controlling — that as we see economic growth possibly slowing down around the world , because of coronavirus — that ’ s actually good for the climate ?
” Christiana Figueres replied : “ Well , that is , ironically , of course , the other side of this — right ?
It may be good for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is less trade , there ’ s less travel , there ’ s less commerce.
” Weaponizing Coronavirus : Figueres also said : Expect more disease outbreaks ‘ if we continue to deny , delude and delay on climate change ’ Figueres also used the coronavirus as an opportunity to plug the UN ’ s campaign to reduce and stop meat-eating around the world .
“ If we continue to eat animals , we will actually be poisoning ourselves and being the genesis new diseases that we have not seen before , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # Also see : Climate activists celebrate ‘ the benefits of coronavirus ’ – ‘ It is fantastic for the environment ’ – Economic slowdown is ‘ good news for the ecologists ’ The Week mag touts impact of coronavirus as a ‘ win for the environment ’ – ‘ A significant reduction of…carbon footprints ’


climatedepot--2020-04-21--European Green New Deal advisor sees ‘ecological benefits’ to COVID-19 lockdowns – Seeks ‘a planned

European Green New Deal advisor sees ‘ecological benefits’ to COVID-19 lockdowns – Seeks ‘a planned approach to reducing unnecessary industrial activity’

Dr Jason Hickel , lecturer in economic anthropology at Goldsmiths University and member of the advisory board of the Green New Deal for Europe , said : “ When you do scale down energy use and industrial production then it does have these ecological benefits but the crucial thing to observe here is that this is happening in an unplanned , chaotic way which is hurting peoples ’ lives .
We would never advocate for such a thing in climate policy .
What we need is a planned approach to reducing unnecessary industrial activity that has no connection to human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wealthy people as opposed to ordinary people .
So , there are much more equitable , just , and carefully planned ways to approach this kind of problem than what is happening now.
” Climate Depot Response : `` Dr. Hickel likes the 'ecological benefits ' of the lockdowns , but what galls Hickel is that he wants the lockdowns to be 'planned ' so that he and his academic colleagues can be in charge of crafting their vision of a utopian world which he explains is 'reducing unnecessary industrial activity . '
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ world defined by fear of 'climate change ' and they are seeking to remake societies from their university offices instead of letting free people and free economies thrive . ''
- Ronald Reagan : “ The more the plans fail , the more the planners plan.
” In response to a question on the potential ecological and environmental benefits of the Covid-19 pandemic , Dr Jason Hickel , lecturer in economic anthropology at Goldsmiths University and member of the advisory board of the Green New Deal for Europe , said : “ When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industrial production then it does have these ecological benefits but the crucial thing to observe here is that this is happening in an unplanned , chaotic way which is hurting peoples ’ lives .
We would never advocate for such a thing in climate policy .
What we need is a planned approach to reducing unnecessary industrial activity that has no connection to human welfare and that also disproportionately benefits already wealthy people as opposed to ordinary people .
So , there are much more equitable , just , and carefully planned ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is happening now.
” Professor Kevin Anderson , said : “ We need to be moving away from private transport and have really good quality public transport which poorer people in our society already have to use , but it ’ s low-quality public transport – so that ’ s great public transport for large swathes of our society .
”

Thank you for being patient. We are doing some work on the site and will be back shortly.


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Scientists aboard the ‘global warming’ arctic research vessel ‘spending months contending with polar

Scientists aboard the ‘global warming’ arctic research vessel ‘spending months contending with polar bears and extraordinary cold’

“ The goal of the MOSAiC expedition is to take the closest look ever at the Arctic as the epicenter @ @ @ @ @ gain fundamental insights that are key to better understand global climate change .
Hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ involved in this exceptional endeavour.
” “ The data gathered will be used by scientists @ @ @ @ @ climate research to a completely new level .
”


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Watch: Morano on coronavirus models vs. climate models

We have a fascinating conversation with @ ClimateDepot on this week 's episode including : > Whether you can trust @ @ @ @ @ public health experts '' are > What lockdowns could be used for in the future @ @ @ @ @ episode : https : //t.co/ZHjwy4vMcZ pic.twitter.com/XNoORfu1uM


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Delingpole: Earth Day 2020 – Greens Celebrate Coronavirus Lockdown as Blueprint for New World Order

‘ It ’ s shown us what a future with less pollution and more active wildlife could be like.
’ Expect to hear a lot more of this environmental propaganda in the coming weeks and months : green activists and their celebrity useful idiots treating the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic not as a crisis but an opportunity to be exploited .
On this particular occasion , the offending pillock is the BBC ’ s favourite pouty-lipped , perma-smiling astronomer Professor Brian Cox .
But Cox is far from the only leftist celebrity treating the Coronavirus pandemic as a blueprint for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , anti-growth world greens would like to see emerging from the wreckage of the global pandemic .
Others include the best-selling historian and Oxford professor Peter Frankopan : We ’ ve seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic .
We can ’ t afford any more consequences of climate denial .
All of us , especially young people , have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall .
The melting of the Arctic ice sheet is releasing untold pathogens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change guarantees that COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic we will see .
To be prepared we need to care for each other .
Realize that this collective , existential crisis can not be dealt with individually , or by a small , under-funded , under-staffed government that caters to the fossil fuel industry .
None of this is accidental or coincidental .
The global green movement and its many celebrity/high-level political supporters are treating the chaos , fear and increased authoritarianism generated by Chinese coronavirus as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which no populace anywhere in the West would have been prepared to tolerate in normal times .
As Marc Morano points out here , the lockdown world we are experiencing now is almost exactly the kind of world green activists have been demanding for the last few decades : • Hated airline travel , promoted “ flight shaming ” ?
Now ?
The airline industry is wiped out .
• Hated economic growth , the hallmark of the capitalist system .
Now ?
Growth wiped out .
• Called for lower emissions through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” policies ?
Now ?
Achieved recession or worse — almost overnight .
• Hated eating out at restaurants ?
Now ?
The restaurant industry wiped out .
• Called for end of the hated gas-fueled cars ?
Now ?
Car driving and sales wiped out as global oil demand drops dramatically .
• Wanted meat-eating stopped ?
Meatpacking plants closing , demand for meat down as restaurants closed .
• Called for an end to “ excess ” consumption ?
Now ?
Done .
Non-essential stores , businesses , movie theatres , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to the coronavirus .
• Wanted kids to skip school to accomplish all of the above climate goals ?
Now the schools are canceled almost everywhere !
But instead of being embarrassed at being shown up as the anti-freedom , anti-prosperity Malthusian killjoys they are , the greenies are doubling down and trying to persuade us that the straitened , struggling , constrained , impoverished , collapsing world we ’ re now experiencing is something we should all embrace .


climatedepot--2020-04-22--John Kerry on coronavirus & climate change: ‘The parallels are screaming at us’ – ‘Cost of climate i

John Kerry on coronavirus & climate change: ‘The parallels are screaming at us’ – ‘Cost of climate inaction will match — if not exceed — our current expenditures’

That ’ s the take this Earth Day from former Secretary of State and onetime presidential contender John Kerry , who was a participant in the inaugural Earth Day 50 years ago .
He described that Nixon-era march , well before social-media sharing but timed to the launch of the Environmental Protection Agency and other initiatives , as his first moment of activism after arriving home from combat in Vietnam .
The onset of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic from the novel coronavirus has “ made more people value science , flattening the curve has given proof of concept to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line , and as people understand that their daily decisions are connected to the lives of others , people everywhere will mobilize , ” Kerry said in an interview with Our Daily Planet .
Kerry , who also penned an Earth Day op-ed for the Boston Globe , said on MSNBC that a “ baseline of truth ” to advance scientific recommendations around COVID-19 and climate change is needed , but has at times proved elusive from the Trump White House .
“ …It ’ s no coincidence that the same president who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referred to climate change as a ‘ hoax from China , ’ ” Kerry charged in the Our Daily Planet interview .
For its part , the Trump administration has helped usher in relief for small businesses and individuals hard hit by the economic slowdown from the pandemic .
President Trump , in a release recognizing Earth Day , said : “ We are working hard to remove trash from our oceans , accelerate cleanups at Superfund sites , and revitalize communities through our Brownfields program .
Additionally , I was proud to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States will be joining the Trillion Trees Initiative launched in January.
” The acknowledgment comes at a time when the Trump administration has relaxed some longstanding environmental regulations citing coronavirus in the short term , and cost to businesses over the long haul .
“ … [ T ] here ’ s a story of hope in the climate crisis that is the opposite of what you have to do to stop the spread of COVID-19 .
You had to basically shut down much of the economy to stop this disease , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On climate , it ’ s not a choice between economic recovery and climate action ; solving the climate crisis is the engine of our economic future , period .
That ’ s the great part of it : we end up healthier and create more jobs .
We just have to get going .
”


climatedepot--2020-04-22--John Kerry updates climate tipping point on Earth Day: ‘Time is running out: Less than 9 years to av

John Kerry updates climate tipping point on Earth Day: ‘Time is running out: Less than 9 years to avoid climate catastrophe’

John Kerry : `` Here ’ s a wake-up call .
Until the coronavirus crisis , every major nation was on track to increase emissions this year .
We have been moving backward .
We will be at the “ nine years left ” mark to take the long-term significant steps recommended in a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change three years ago .
Time is running out : less than nine years to avoid climate catastrophe .
But there ’ s time to act — and opportunity if we do .
If the economic devastation of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost of climate inaction will match — if not exceed — our current expenditures , which is why the next administration must act with urgency on day one . ''
Earth ‘ serially doomed ’ : The official history of climate ‘ Tipping Points ’ began in 1864 – A new ‘ global warming ’ 12-year deadline from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez The parallels between the coronavirus and the climate crisis You could just as easily replace the words ‘ climate change ’ with ‘ COVID-19 ’ ; it is truly the tale of two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Excerpts : On the first Earth Day 50 years ago , I was one of 20 million Americans who took to the streets to demand that leaders protect our environment .
We were activists — many reluctant , others accidental , and some dyed-in-the-wool purists — united as unlikely allies .
We had different agendas , but one common purpose : to make powerful people listen .
And we did .
Before that first Earth Day , there was no Environmental Protection Agency , no Clean Water Act , no Clean Air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed .
That day saved lives .
A half-century later , on Earth Day 2020 , we can ’ t march , rally , or fill the streets because of stay-at-home orders to fight the coronavirus pandemic .
But COVID-19 has given us greater reason than ever to organize and fight to connect the fragility of our planet to the fragility of life itself .
We will be at the “ nine years left ” mark to take the long-term significant steps recommended in a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out : less than nine years to avoid climate catastrophe .
Earth ‘ serially doomed ’ : The official history of climate ‘ Tipping Points ’ began in 1864 – A new ‘ global warming ’ 12-year deadline from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Climate Tipping Points date back to at least 1864 “ As early as 1864 George Perkins Marsh , sometimes said to be the father of American ecology , warned that the earth was ‘ fast becoming an unfit home for its “ noblest inhabitant , ” ’ and that unless men changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to such a condition of impoverished productiveness , of shattered surface , of climatic excess , as to threaten the depravation , barbarism , and perhaps even extinction of the species.
’ ” —MIT professor Leo Marx Earth “ Serially Doomed ” Perhaps the best summary of the tipping-point phenomenon comes from UK scientist Philip Stott .
“ In essence , the Earth has been given a 10-year survival warning regularly for the last fifty or so years .
We have been serially doomed , ” Stott explained .
“ Our post-modern period @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traced back to the late-1960s , if not earlier .
By 1973 , and the ‘ global cooling ’ scare , it was in full swing , with predictions of the imminent collapse of the world within ten to twenty years , exacerbated by the impacts of a nuclear winter.
” Here we go again !
Prince Charles issues new 10 years to save the planet tipping point – He previously issued 18 month , 100 month , 35 year tipping points 2020 : The Prince of Wales warns that humans have just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ We really do have to pull our fingers out now because the theory is we have got this decade left , ’ he declared .
2019 : Prince Charles at it again : Issues new 18-month climate tipping point after previous ‘ 100 month ’ deadline expires– The Prince of Wales has warned global leaders that if we don ’ t tackle climate change in 18 months the human race will go extinct in a speech in London yesterday to foreign ministers from the Commonwealth .
“ I am firmly of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide our ability to keep climate change to survivable levels and to restore nature to the equilibrium we need for our survival , ” Prince Charles said .
Flashback : 2015 : Prince Charles gives world reprieve : Extends ‘ 100-Month ’ climate ‘ tipping point ’ to 35 more years– Prince Charles had previously issued a 100-month climate tipping point deadline in 2009 .


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Have a Tree-some?! ‘Tree humping’ is an actual thing? ‘Sex Academia-Style’

Picture a climate-conscious Melbourne University arts graduate , Nancy , out of work and applying to stack shelves at Woolies .
Nancy : Sure .
I did a lot of inter-disciplinary study with the university ’ s flagship Sustainability Research Institute ( MSSI ) .
Nancy : Well , last July 8 , I went to an all-day symposium on “ Hacking the Anthropocene ” .
MSSI was an overall seed funder and major seminar sponsor , and one of the speakers was an authority on tree humping .
Nancy : You really haven ’ t heard of the Climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ a name coined for the emerging geological era in which humans are centralised as the dominant planetary force .
Perhaps intended to evoke ecological concern , it draws on settler colonial discourse , problematically homogenises all humans as planet destroyers and implies that we are locked into these petrifying ways of being.
” Recruiter : We might get back to you .
This Wuhan Virus is keeping us pretty busy right now with the empty shelves .
Thanks for dropping by .
Nancy ’ s interview was cut short before she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ exciting schedule ” , which featured a keynote talk on “ Composting Feminism ” ( not a misprint ) .
This Do-It-Together symposium was booked out by eager academics and their students , some fretting on the waitlist .
It was at the Abbotsford ex-Convent , with vegan morning tea and lunch and gender-neutral toilets .
At least the morning tea wasn ’ t drunk from jam jars .
[ 1 ] In each of three sessions , master Anthropocene Hackers described their hacks ( example : “ Rupturing the colonial Anthropocene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ hack back ” , a hip term for discussion .
Some participants were “ theys ” rather than he or she .
The revelations were interleaved with “ walkshops ” where attendees “ weathered with what-ever mid-Winter provides ” , offset by raincoats and fleecy underwear .
Those walkshops were about ‘ Un-earthing .
Wild concrete on living soil ’ , curated by visual ecologist Aviva Reed and celebrating “ the sedimentation of our imaginations.
” [ 2 ] Her walk notes are in need of Google Translate , but here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of material molecular immersion into the living grounds we walk upon .
Through this process we will unearth our obligations and responsibilities to care for the soil that cares for us … This walkshop engages critically and sensually with what is beneath our feet , honouring both the ingredients that make up the concrete pathways that hold us and the soil beneath … We name and acknowledge the sand , lime , silt and clay and through an immersive process will explore the deep time … asking what is our responsibility to honour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multi-specied complexity and our obligation to unearth the negations of this concrete for the soil beneath .
Celebrity guest was multi-tattooed and ripped Professor of Gender Studies Jack Halberstam of Columbia University , whose “ work considers wild , queer , decolonial possibilities for protest culture , anarchy and performance.
” Accidentally anticipating the Wuhan Flu , he spoke on “ Strategies of Wildness – Why We Must Unbuild the World !
” He was currently working on a book titled Wild thing : Queer theory after nature which explores queer anarchy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the intersections between animality , the human and the environment .
His prior books include “ Skin Shows : Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters ” , “ Female Masculinity ” , “ The Queer Art of Failure ” and “ Gaga Feminism : Sex , Gender , and the End of Normal ” .
His articles include “ What ’ s Queer About Queer Studies Now ?
” Who paid his airfares here , I wonder ?
The Composting Feminism speaker was senior gender lecturer Dr Astrida Neimanis , who founded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hails from ( you guessed it ) Sydney University .
Only last week she was writing about what bushfire smoke and Wuhan Flu “ have to teach us about the politics and imaginaries of breathing in contemporary societies ?
How do ‘ we ’ notice , engage with and respond to our gaseous ( e.g .
oxygen , carbon ) and multispecies ( e.g .
eucalypts , viruses ) relations and how might ‘ we ’ do this otherwise ?
” She would like to see you “ reflecting on your own experiences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and how this might be similar and different to human and non-human others.
” Another talk was by artist Richard Orjis , of the Auckland University of Technology , on ‘ bttming the Anthropocene ’ .
One of his many artworks , ‘ Like a Flame ’ , is reproduced at right to indicate where his muse leads him .
As for “ bttming ” , there are no safe spaces at Quadrant , so think twice before hitting this explanatory link .
Orjis says , “ Bttm Methodology emerged out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mushrooms and queer ecologies , tree hugging/humping , resting , composting and excretion , toilets and cruising.
” As an unworldly reporter , I needed to consult Urban Dictionary to discover that actual “ tree humping ” may involve either sex with or domination of the phallic-like tree , often by exhibitionists .
Here ’ s how it is used and defined : Platonic tree-hugging is a fetish practised by many green/climate academics .
It was celebrated in a piece by Charles Sturt lecturer Shelby Gull Laird at the monoversity and taxpayer-funded ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Are we all tree-huggers ?
” she asked .
Her suggestions include “ Spend some time sitting under a tree .
And if you ’ re so inclined , maybe even give it a cuddle.
” The global arts community is not always into trees platonically .
Minnesota ’ s Conceptual Artist Genevieve Belleveau , daughter of an environmental educator , has described her psychedelic drug-enhanced tree affairs , starting with a birch tree at age eight : Fascination , and love , and the sense that the tree accepted my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love me back , exactly , she was receptive to my love for her… kissing her and hugging her I felt a kind of shame afterwards , because I did that to a living entity without its consent … I don ’ t think it ’ s that bad that I humped the tree or whatever.
” You ’ re probably thinking my interest in this lady ’ s arboreal love life is just prurient .
No , because Ms Belleveau from far off Minnesota picked up on my Quadrant tribute to Melbourne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run by Perth ’ s Pony Express with $ 80,000 tax and ratepayer funding .
[ 3 ] The Bathhouse , like the MSSI-backed symposium , offered a route for surviving the Anthropocene from the “ devastating forces unleashed by global capital ” .
Among the Bathhouse ’ s attractive dances were Slug Sex : The dominatrix uses UV light “ to illuminate a trail of goo , which she produces in a graceful , entwining dance .
Music is a lugubrious , downbeat , sensual song .
Projector displays video of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The dominatrix slowly approaches audience “ and fans them with undersea-like movements , before encircling them in her wings then darting away.
” Getting back ( with some reluctance ) to Auckland ’ s artist Orjis , he explained that “ bttming is a methodology for exploring power dynamics , kinship , relationality and passivity as an active resistance to capitalist , colonial and patriarchal reproductive impulses.
” He earlier/later ran a Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute workshop on “ How can we privilege ‘ arse end of the world ’ , or southern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismantle dominant epistemologies of the north ( rational , Eurocentric , Judeo-Christian ) ?
And how can methods of passive resistance operate in response to colonial , capitalist and patriarchal hegemony ?
” He advertised that his workshop “ will invite participants to engage with these ideas through sitting , thinking , making and talking , or not sitting , not thinking , not making or not talking.
” That seems to cover the field .
In 2018 Orjis ran an exhibition in Basement Adult Shop & Cruise Club , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Aotearoa New Zealand .
The show was called , “ Under your skin you look divine ” .
He wrote that it “ realises the important role sex stores and cruise clubs play in contributing to queer culture and identities ” and invited “ locally based artists to take over the store in a one-night flirtatious digital queer mess of an exhibition.
” Melbourne University ’ s Hacking the Anthropocene was not just the Convent seminar but a series of workshops and events over months of “ challenging the toxic and corrosive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One seminar was to help educators get their message into school classrooms .
As convenor Blanche Verlie put it , pre-Wuhan of course : Climate vulnerability-and-complicity , white fragility and supremacy , CIS entitlement and speciesism each present particularly challenging conditions for educators and other pedagogues to navigate in contemporary educational settings .
How can we effectively engage people in discussions and responses to what might feel for them – and us – like an existential crisis ?
As educators , communicators , artists , activists , scholars , facilitators , parents , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategies we are using to engage people with issues such as ( but not limited to ) climate change , the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous peoples , xenophobia or homophobia , or mass extinction ?
What are the specific characteristics of how such issues play out in classrooms ( or other spaces ) ?
The take-away from all the detail above is that the welfare , sanity and usefulness to society of the student generation is in safe hands with Melbourne University academics and their colleagues .
[ 4 ] No matter who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their jobs , the government must support as providers of “ essential services ” the academics delivering Anthropocene Hacks , Feminist Composting and tree humping .
Tony Thomas ’ new book Come to think of it – essays to tickle the mind , can be purchased here [ 1 ] The Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute , with its close ties to watermelons , Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg , needs to be renamed “ Comedy Central ” .
For my earlier anatomising start here .
I have achieved a rich haul in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ 2 ] She is particularly interested in decolonising the sciences with a focus on evolution and the ecological imagination .
[ 3 ] I make this claim because she adds a reference to sex exhibitionists Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stevens who I also cited in my piece .


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Al Gore endorses Biden for President on Earth Day: Biden will ‘put us on the road to solving the cli

Al Gore endorses Biden for President on Earth Day: Biden will ‘put us on the road to solving the climate crisis’

Joe Biden Asks A Surprised Al Gore If There ’ s Still Time To ‘ Aggress The Climate Change ’ Former Vice President Al Gore ( D ) endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden ‘ s ( D ) presidential candidacy on Wednesday during a climate change-focused livestream discussion on Earth Day .
“ We need policy changes , and that means we need to change some of the policymakers , particularly the one in the White House , ” Gore said .
He added that he would tell an undecided voter , “ This is the most consequential choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve ever had in American history .
Donald Trump is the face of climate denial globally .
He is lifting the constraints on polluters.
” Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee following Sen. Bernie Sanders ‘ s ( I-Vt. ) recent exit from the nomination contest .
Gore said later that people should vote for Biden to “ put us on the road to solving the climate crisis and creating a brighter future.
” Gore ’ s endorsement comes on the same day that Washington Gov .
Jay Inslee ( D ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on environmental issues , also threw his support behind Biden .
Some Sanders-aligned environmental advocates have called for Biden to take on bolder climate plans .
The presidential candidate has expressed willingness to do so , saying in a statement this week that “ in the months ahead , expanding this plan will be one of my key objectives .
” Gore , who served as Bill Clinton ‘ s vice president , ran for president himself in 2000 .
He narrowly lost to former President George W. Bush .
Since then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his efforts to draw attention to climate change .


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Watch: Morano discusses Al Gore getting Fact-Checked on polar bears

Happy Earth Day !
On today 's Scoop we are joined by the excellent @ ClimateDepot .
We take a @ @ @ @ @ Fact-Checked Al Gore a few years ago .


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Greta Thunberg compares coronavirus to global warming: ‘We need to tackle two crises at once’

Battling the novel coronavirus has become the world ’ s top priority , but teen climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday compared the pandemic to the “ climate crisis ” and insisted that “ we need to be able to tackle two crises at once.
” The 17-year-old Swedish activist ’ s comments came in a video conversation hosted by the Nobel Prize in Stockholm for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day .
“ Today is Earth Day , and that reminds us that the climate and environmental emergency is still ongoing , ” she said .
“ We need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this crisis , at the same time as we tackle the climate and environmental emergency because we need to be able to tackle two crises at once.
” At such times , she said , “ it is even more important that we listen to scientists , science , and to the experts.
” “ That goes for all crises , whether it ’ s the corona crisis or whether it ’ s the climate crisis , which of course is still ongoing and is not slowing down even in times like these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize , was named Time magazine ’ s Person of the Year in 2019 for her global-warming activism , including her Fridays for Future protests , in which she encourages students to skip school to engage in protests .
Climate Depot ’ s Marc Morano said Ms. Thunberg and other climate activists are “ perplexed as to why people are not taking their ‘ climate emergency ’ seriously but are taking COVID-19 seriously.
” “ Greta is now trying to link climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for humanity to battle , ” he said in an email .


climatedepot--2020-04-22--AP’s Seth Borenstein rips Climate Depot’s Morano: ‘You’re just a troll with a love for conspiracy, a

AP’s Seth Borenstein rips Climate Depot’s Morano: ‘You’re just a troll with a love for conspiracy, a hatred for science and reality. Leave science to smart people’

Seth Borenstein claim : `` I seek out experts , people who have studied the science , have academic qualifications @ @ @ @ @ peer-reviewed journals and write what they say .
I hold up a mirror to what @ @ @ @ @ show from qualified scientists .
That 's my job . ''
Morano responded : `` @ @ @ @ @ .
Your 'job ' is to promote bullshit climate scares in any way you can @ @ @ @ @ the actual science .
I do n't pay too much attention to your articles anymore @ @ @ @ @ you honestly think you are a good reporter on climate change .
I think you @ @ @ @ @ Borenstein replied : `` You do n't pay attention to reality , science or anything @ @ @ @ @ just a troll with a love for conspiracy , a hatred for science and reality @ @ @ @ @ people .
Bye . ''
Morano : `` No reason to get so testy Seth @ @ @ @ @ ''


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Bjorn Lomborg: 50 years after the first Earth Day, the planet’s doing pretty well

Lomborg : In America , for instance , a recent comprehensive study showed that “ water pollution concentrations have fallen substantially ” over the past 50 years .
And a stunning 3.8 billion people in the world have gained access to clean drinking water since the 1970s .
Air pollution , the world ’ s biggest environmental killer , has seen even greater improvements .
Outdoor air pollution has declined dramatically in rich countries , in no small measure due to attention from the 1970 Earth Day and the legislation it inspired , such as the landmark US Clean Air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world ’ s poor , the deadliest air pollution is indoors .
Almost 3 billion of the world ’ s poorest still cook and keep warm with dirty fuels like dung , cardboard and wood , and the World Health Organization estimates the effects are equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes daily .
Since 1970 , the death risk across the world from indoor air pollution has been cut by more than half .
Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the birth of the modern environmentalist movement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pause and ask : How is our planet doing ?
The answer : pretty well , actually .
We have much to celebrate — and much to think about as we consider ways we can make the next 50 years more effective .
Many Westerners are surprised to hear that the environment is improving .
A lot .
This surprise owes to an unfortunate flip side of the Earth Day legacy , which too often can focus on doom and gloom , making us despondent and driving poor policies .
Early environmentalism from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmental priorities such as polluted rivers — the Cuyahoga River even infamously caught fire in 1969 — and fouled air , with soot and smog killing millions .
Here , we ’ ve made great strides .
Most bodies of water in rich countries are much cleaner , since we are prosperous enough to clean up our messes .
In America , for instance , a recent comprehensive study showed that “ water pollution concentrations have fallen substantially ” over the past 50 years .
And a stunning 3.8 billion people in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water since the 1970s .
Air pollution , the world ’ s biggest environmental killer , has seen even greater improvements .
Outdoor air pollution has declined dramatically in rich countries , in no small measure due to attention from the 1970 Earth Day and the legislation it inspired , such as the landmark US Clean Air Act enacted later that year .
For the world ’ s poor , the deadliest air pollution is indoors .
Almost 3 billion of the world ’ s poorest still cook and keep warm with dirty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the World Health Organization estimates the effects are equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes daily .
Since 1970 , the death risk across the world from indoor air pollution has been cut by more than half .
Despite the amazing progress , both indoor and outdoor air pollution still kill 8 million people annually .
At least 2 billion people still use drinking water sources contaminated by feces .
So , for the next 50 years , we still have our work cut out for us .
But curiously , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversation .
We don ’ t emphasize enormous improvements , and we don ’ t focus on our vital , unfinished business in water and air quality .
Instead , the standard story is how the environment is getting ever worse — how we ’ re hurtling toward catastrophe .
This tradition also started with Earth Day .
By 1970 , many leading environmentalists were predicting the end of the world .
Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich was perhaps the leading apocalypse proponent .
For Earth Day , he predicted that environmental deterioration would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ globally , 4 billion would die before the year 2000 .
Life magazine also saw impending doom , predicting air pollution would be so bad that Americans would have to wear gas masks by the 1980s — and that pollution would block half the sunlight .
Not only were these predictions spectacularly wrong , but they were outlandish when first made .
Yet in a world where more alarm gets more attention , they started a trend of framing environmental issues in worst-case ways .
The tone scares , it depresses — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Today , climate change takes up the vast majority of the environmental conversation , and it is definitely a real problem .
However , it also is too often framed in exaggerated fashion , with predictable results : A new survey shows that almost half of humanity believes global warming likely will make humans extinct .
This is entirely unwarranted .
The UN Climate Panel finds that the overall impact of global warming by the 2070s will be equivalent to a 0.2 to 2 percent loss in average income .
That is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of the world .
Such fear also makes us prioritize poorly .
Climate change mitigation today costs more than $ 400 billion each year in renewable subsidies and other costly climate policies .
Yet , we spend much less on making water and air cleaner for the billions with basic needs .
We can rightly look back on Earth Day with pride for the attention it brought to the environment .
But we need to curb the exaggerations , to make sure we actually leave the environment in the best possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Copenhagen Consensus and a visiting fellow of the Hoover Institution , Stanford University .
His upcoming book is “ False Alarm .
”


climatedepot--2020-04-22--New Michael Moore-Backed Documentary Reveals Massive Ecological Impacts Of Renewables – Exposes Gore

New Michael Moore-Backed Documentary Reveals Massive Ecological Impacts Of Renewables – Exposes Gore, Apple, Musk, McKibben

“ Planet of the Humans ” notes that Al Gore personally accepted fossil fuel money in 2013 when he and a co-owner sold Current TV to Al Jazeera , which is state-funded by Qatar , the gas-exporting nation whose citizens have the largest per capita carbon footprint in the world .
One year earlier , Gore had said the goal of “ reducing our dependence on expensive dirty oil ” was “ to save the future of civilization.
” The film shows Jon Stewart , the host of Comedy Central ’ s “ The Daily Show , ” asking Gore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for your business , a more sustainable choice ?
” “ What is not sustainable about it ?
” responded Gore .
“ Because it is backed by fossil fuel money ?
” said Stewart The film shows both abandoned industrial wind and solar farms and new ones being built — but after cutting down forests .
“ It suddenly dawned on me what we were looking at was a solar dead zone , ” says filmmaker Jeff Gibbs , staring at a former solar farm in California .
“ I learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last.
” ... “ Planet of the Humans was produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore .
“ I assumed solar panels would last forever , ” Moore told Reuters .
“ I didn ’ t know what went into the making of them.
” A new documentary , “ Planet of the Humans , ” being released free to the public on YouTube today , the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day , reveals that industrial wind farms , solar farms , biomass , and biofuels are wrecking natural environments .
Michael Shellenberger : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been at risk of running out of energy .
There has always been enough fossil fuels to power human civilization for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years , and nuclear energy is effectively infinite . ''
Over the last 10 years , everyone from celebrity influencers including Elon Musk , Arnold Schwarzenegger , and Al Gore , to major technology brands including Apple , have repeatedly claimed that renewables like solar panels and wind farms are less polluting than fossil fuels .
But a new documentary , “ Planet of the Humans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on YouTube today , the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day , reveals that industrial wind farms , solar farms , biomass , and biofuels are wrecking natural environments .
“ Planet of the Humans was produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore .
“ I assumed solar panels would last forever , ” Moore told Reuters .
“ I didn ’ t know what went into the making of them.
” The film shows both abandoned industrial wind and solar farms and new ones being built — but after cutting down forests .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were looking at was a solar dead zone , ” says filmmaker Jeff Gibbs , staring at a former solar farm in California .
“ I learned that the solar panels don ’ t last.
” Like many environmental documentaries , “ Planet of Humans ” endorses debunked Malthusian ideas that the world is running out of energy .
“ We have to have our ability to consume reigned in , ” says a well-coiffed environmental leader .
“ Without some major die-off of the human population there is no turning back , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , humankind has never been at risk of running out of energy .
There has always been enough fossil fuels to power human civilization for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years , and nuclear energy is effectively infinite .
But the apocalyptic rhetoric detracts little from the heart of the documentary , which exposes the complicity of climate activists including Bill McKibben , founder of 350.org , Robert F. Kennedy , Jr. , and Sierra Club ’ s Executive Director , in promoting pollution-intensive biomass energies , as well as natural gas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ information I had never seen before .
It shows Apple ’ s head of sustainability , former EPA head Lisa Jackson , claiming on-stage at an Apple event , “ We now run Apple on 100 % renewable energy , ” to loud applause .
But Gibbs interviews a scientist who researched corporate renewables programs who said , “ I haven ’ t found a single entity anywhere in the world running on 100 % solar and wind alone.
” The film shows a forest being cut down to build an Apple solar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hayes claims at a 2015 Earth Day concert that the event was being powered by solar , Gibbs goes behind the stage to find out the truth .
“ The concert is run by a diesel generation system , ” the solar vendor said .
“ That right there could run a toaster , ” said another vendor .
The film also debunks the claim made by Elon Musk that his “ Gigafactory ” to make batteries is powered by renewables .
In fact , it is hooked up to the electric grid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to only last 10 years , ” said a man selling materials for solar manufacturing at a corporate expo .
“ It ’ s not like you get this magic free energy .
I don ’ t know that it ’ s the solution and here I am selling the materials that go in photovoltaics.
” “ What powers a learning community ?
” said McKibben at the unveiling of a wood-burning power plant at Middlebury College in Vermont .
“ As of this afternoon , the easy answer to this is wood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to look at the bunker of wood chips .
Anything that burns we can throw in there !
This shows that this could happen everywhere , should happen everywhere , and must happen everywhere !
” The film reveals that McKibben and Sierra Club supported a Michigan ballot initiative that would have required the state get 25 % of its electricity from renewables by 2025 , and that the initiative was backed by biomass industrial interests , and that efforts to build a biomass plant at Michigan State University were hotly opposed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In reality , scientists have for over a decade raised the alarm about biomass and biofuels causing rainforest destruction around the world including Brazil and Malaysia , and have documented that , when one takes into account their landscape impacts , the fuels produce significantly higher carbon emissions than oil and gas and may produce more than coal .
The film shows Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla telling Leslie Stahl of “ 60 Minutes ” that his biofuels plant made “ Clean green gasoline.
” After Stahl asked what the downside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no downside.
” One year later , Khosla ’ s company filed for bankruptcy and defaulted on a $ 75 million loan it received from the state of Mississippi .
It produced biofuels for $ 5 to $ 10 a gallon — “ even without counting the cost of building the plant , ” noted Washington Post ’ s Steve Mufson in 2014 .
Two earlier Khosla biofuel ventures had already gone bankrupt after receiving hundreds of millions of federal government subsidies .
Shareholders sued Khosla ’ s company for fraud .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Al Gore personally accepted fossil fuel money in 2013 when he and a co-owner sold Current TV to Al Jazeera , which is state-funded by Qatar , the gas-exporting nation whose citizens have the largest per capita carbon footprint in the world .
One year earlier , Gore had said the goal of “ reducing our dependence on expensive dirty oil ” was “ to save the future of civilization.
” The film shows Jon Stewart , the host of Comedy Central ’ s “ The Daily Show , ” asking Gore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for your business , a more sustainable choice ?
” “ What is not sustainable about it ?
” responded Gore .
“ Because it is backed by fossil fuel money ?
” said Stewart As part of the agreement , Gore reportedly received $ 100 million .
Climate activists weren ’ t bothered by it .
“ I don ’ t think the community is too upset , ” a politically active environmentalist told The Washington Post about Gore ’ s deal with Qatar .
“ My personal sense is he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem with biofuels—the land required—stems from their low power density .
If the United States were to replace all of its gasoline with corn ethanol , it would need an area 50 percent larger than all of the current U.S. cropland .
Even the most efficient biofuels , like those made from soybeans , require 450 to 750 times more land than petroleum .
The best performing biofuel , sugarcane ethanol , widely used in Brazil , requires 400 times more land to produce the same amount of energy as petroleum .
Publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promoted solar panels as an alternative to fossil fuels .
“ There were days where Germany was generating 80 percent of its power from solar , ” said Mckibben .
In reality , wind and solar provided just 34 percent of German electricity in 2019 , and Germany relies upon burning natural gas , coal , and biogas from corn .
“ In the Green Century Fund , recommended by 350.org , ” reports Gibbs , “ I found less than one percent solar and wind and 99 % things like mining , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sands exploiter , McDonald ’ s , Archer Daniels… Coca-Cola… and lots of banks , including Black Rock , the largest financer of deforestation on earth.
” “ The plants that we are building , the wind plants and solar plants , are gas plants , ” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told oil and gas investors .
About another project , Ivanpah , he said , “ It ’ s a turbine that we just take from a gas plant and suspend it from a big scaffolding , a tower and surround it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Building the Ivanpah solar farm resulted in the deaths of hundreds of old desert tortoises .
“ Deserts are not dead , ” said the filmmaker .
“ They are in fact full of ancient life.
” The film points to the massive materials requirements of renewables .
Solar panels require sixteen times more materials in the form of cement , glass , concrete , and steel than do nuclear plants , and create three hundred times more waste .
“ You would have been better off just burning fossil fuels in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ instead of just playing pretend .
We ’ re basically just being fed a lie.
” The man noted that Koch Industries provide many of the materials used to build solar panels and industrial solar farms .
“ The funny part is that when you criticize solar plants like this you are accused of working for the Koch brothers , ” he laughs .
“ That ’ s the idiocy .
This relies on the most toxic industrial processes we ’ ve ever created.
” What drives people who believe they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ?
The filmmaker hints that the desire for “ sustainability ” is really a desire for a kind of immortality .
“ What differentiates people is that we know we ’ ll die someday , ” says a sociologist .
“ We enveloped ourselves in belief systems and worldviews.
” “ People on the left and the right who think we ’ re going to be able to solar panel ourselves into the future , ” he says , “ I think that ’ s delusional.
” The good news , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you come to terms with death , anything is possible .
”


climatedepot--2020-04-22--Earth Day at 50: Progress, Not Politics, Cleaned Up America

Environmental activists decreed in 1970 that April 22 was to be commemorated as Earth Day .
Fifty years later , if you listen to these activists , especially as they are fog-horned by the mainstream media , you might get the impression that our environment is in more jeopardy than ever .
Is this true ?
Let ’ s stipulate that post-World War II America was much dirtier than 2020 America .
Industrial cities were beset with smog .
Pollution in rivers caught fire .
Waste dumps weren ’ t always managed well .
Not much thought was given to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Litter was commonplace .
All that said , with the exception of three days in October 1948 , when the weather trapped acrid factory emissions in the valley town of Donora , Pa. , resulting in the deaths of 20 people , the environment was not an actual public health problem .
Still the Donora tragedy propelled states and then the federal government to take action on the environment .
Awareness of the value of environmental protection and the regulation of emissions were all underway by the time of the first Earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made tremendous progress .
Here are some examples to consider : • Air pollution has declined dramatically.There is no chance of another Donora-like incident .
• Except for rare accidents like what occurred in Flint , Mich. , drinking water is clean and safe .
• Except for stubborn surface water problems caused by runoff ( as seen in the Gulf Mexico and Chesapeake Bay ) surface water quality has dramatically improved .
Any industrial discharges to surface water have been cleaner than the surface water itself for decades .
• There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threaten anyone ’ s health .
• Pesticides are thoroughly tested for safetybefore use and use is strictly regulated .
How did all this progress happen ?
Environmentalists would like to take all the credit .
But reality is more complex .
As our society became wealthier , we could afford the luxury of paying more attention to our environment .
That same wealth has made it possible to afford expensive laws and regulations and to afford scientific knowledge and technology development .
The key , though , was and remains wealth – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the environments of poorer nations around the world .
Air quality , for example , is awful in places like China and India not because they don ’ t know what to do or don ’ t care , they just can ’ t afford to do much about it at this point in time .
Despite all this progress , environmentalists used the 50th Earth Day to sound the alarm about climate change .
We have been told that climate change is literally the end of the planet .
Climate is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say , for present purposes , that since pre-industrial times , there has been approximately 1.1 degree Celsius of warming and almost 50 % more CO2 in the atmosphere .
Despite the alarm , no one knows what the future holds .
The assumption of the alarmists is that emissions are bad , but history tells a different story .
Since man started emitting vast quantities of greenhouse gases , more people are living longer and at a higher standard of living .
Life expectancy is up from approximately 40 years ( 1850 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
U.S. per capita GDP is up from approximately $ 2,825 in 1850 to approximately $ 53,000 in 2016 ( 2011 dollars ) .
The Earth is greener today than it was 40 years ago when we started taking satellite photos of the planet , according to NASA .
What is the future of the environment ?
No one knows for sure , but if the past is any hint of the future , more wealth , strong property rights , better education and new technologies will enable us to keep our environment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hysteria , which just causes money to be wasted versus being spent more productively .
Early hysteria about toxic wastes site ( such as Love Canal in upstate New York ) resulted in $ 50 billion being wasted litigating Superfund cleanups .
A lot of sites could have been cleaned up with that money .
Instead , it went to lawyers .
More generally , green groups have often taken extreme positions to advocate for overregulation that has impeded environmental protection and wasted time and money .
Radicals often attack capitalism with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build that.
” On Earth Day , that should be retorted with : “ You didn ’ t clean that up.
” Environmental protection has been a group effort enabled by our wealth , culture and system of government .