So the “Climate Change” taxes that Macron put in place were there to offset the tax cuts he gave to his rich friends. I certainly can understand the ire of the Yellow Vests for being forced to eat a “climate change” tax so that Macron’s buddies do a bit better.
While I do think a gasoline tax would help deal with the overall predicament by reducing consumption, I’d want to make sure that the money collected went, dollar for dollar, into an actual, new spending program that would actually help address some aspect of the predicament.
But if that gasoline tax just went to fund a tax cut to the rich, you end up with a revolution.
It really has to be seen as being something fair that will actually benefit “the people” and at the same time materially encourage our transition into a less gasoline-driven economy - such as a public transit system. Or something like that.
But we need to be careful to watch who the winners and losers will be with all these programs.
Last two cents: if your favorite climate change politican flies around in a private jet, what they say can be safely ignored as they are utter hypocrites.
So I’m thinking about making click heaters, and ran the numbers for a formula. It looks to me like to make 1.3 cups of sodium acetate trihydrate, you need to work 1/2 cup of baking soda SLOWLY into 1 gallon of 5% acidity vinegar, and then boil down to the desired volume, or slightly more. Maybe you want 4 waters for every Sodium acetate, in which case you’d stop it short.
But then I got thinking: if I wanted to make a green homeless cart, I’d make one with a stove that burns wood or trash efficiently, but I’d put the stove in the middle, and insulate with click heaters. That way, when I want to sleep, I activate the click heaters, and there is no carbon monoxide; and I efficiently catch the waste heat for nighttime.
Then during the summer and fall, use the same click heaters to dry harvest, long term.
Don’t know if the idea is any good, but I thought I’d toss it out there. If I try it and find out, I’ll let y’all know.
Doug, the point is that it’s pointless to pursue a remedy that makes things worsre than in the current paradigm.
I could expound on how the US government’s involvement in nutrition in the 1970’s and the resulting food pyramid was a direct contributor to the obesity epidemic and all of the resulting downstream diseases. It occurred because the gov. listened to a fish biologist who knew nothing about human nutrition and tuned out the real experts while big agriculture and big food industries were whispering into the government’s ear.
Or, I could explain in detail how doctors are completely mistreating type 2 diabetes and in the process are actually hastening the progression of the disease and sending their patient’s on an accelerating pathway to the downstram consequences of heart disease, stroke, alzheimers, and increased chance of cancer. They are trying to help their patients but because they misunderstand the cause and true dynamics of the disease they are actually hurting their patients.
Doing something can actually be worse than doing nothing if you are doing the wrong thing.
Good for you.
As we said back in the 60s and 70s, think globally, act locally. My local actions are in the context of community gardens. My near term goal is to persuade the town to institute a large scale composting operation for the benefit of the entire area. That would sequester carbon and recycle it into fresh vegetables.
After that I would like to work on urban forest gardens.
All the while, of course, I will continue to work for election of a new Congressperson to replace the current Trump punch. In order for democracy to work we must participate.
After that I would like to work on urban forest gardens.Then you might be interested in the book I have just started reading - 'The Food Forest Handbook - Design and manage a home scale perennial polyculture garden' by Darrell Frey and Michelle Czolba
I wouldn’t post my solution on this site because it would make people’s heads here exolode as it is based on the assumption and reality that CO2 is not a problem and in fact that more is beneficial. That is clearly not the operating assumption on this site so you are asking me to give a solution to what I consider to not be a problem. I have no solution to the CO2 is bad thesis problem. In my view, the problem is the CO2 is bad thesis.
But I have said what I have to say and realize that I am banging-up against the power of superstition. Science and facts are helpless against the dogma fueled by superstition so I will make no further effort.
Superstition is a self-encapsulating proposition that refuses to let itself be disturbed in any way by anything, least of all by reason and facts. It entertains no doubt and leaves no open cracks through which might leak-in something unpleasant.
But if you wish to rectify the situation, it can easily be accomplished by marrying a princess.
But may I ask Why you allude to Archduke Farquad’s mirror?
Selbstverstaendlich, for the pointing finger, that it might observe itself in all its glory!
Old Guy, may I ask - since you are so quick to discount the collective expertise on this site, the collective scientific findings many of us here at least find credible, and the collective anecdotal evidence many of us have each experienced regarding ecosystem collapse - why are you here? Bringing the light of knowledge to the savages? Knowledge to the ignorant?
Oh, and what’s your PhD in? I don’t recall hearing your qualifications. Asking for a friend.
-S
speaking especially to the most passionate on here who are worried about CO2.
This may be the mirror you seek.
Although, over the years here on this site what I have seen as that none of you, even the passionate believers, respond to this and talk about each of our actual details and ways we can support each other in gettting better at it ! But, maybe this time… so instead of making a Group as was tried before, maybe we just meet back here on this thread within a week with our results
Yes, our calculator is a bit dated, I think it shuld have a tab for air miles, makes it easier. Instead if you fly, put in your share of airliner fuel based on type of plane/#of passengers. Otherwise, it gives a real good idea.
Here it is : http://www.greenknowe.org/r4a/
here are the rules : http://www.greenknowe.org/content/riot-4-austerity-7-categories
You can look at the power mix in your state to see how much on average comes from which source. This is the most accurate way right now. Solar you make at home is more obvious that of course that part is solar, but it still has an impact and you dont get unlimited amounts. Pounds of trash includes recycling.
There are many ways we can say this is or is not perfect, but it is the best calculator we have seen and if we all just do it, then we have a baseline of comparison.
The nice thing about this calculator is every household gets to do it in their won way so a suburban househould may use more gasline but way less heating fuel and grow all their vmeat eggies in the back garden. The calculator gives a final number based on each individual mix
ANd, again, for a mainstream start to cutting back, look to build it solars half project, and once you have that deon, and are buying local and in bulk, we can talk more… https://www.builditsolar.com/References/Half/Half.htm
I don’t understand what we are judging or categorizing.
My home is all electric; it’s a 62x11 ID mobile home for six of us, and we use 20000 kwh a year; we refuel the tank – maybe eighteen gallons every five days, so that’s 72x18= 1300 gal. There’s six of us, but the needs of a remote family member greatly plays into that – so what’s that, maybe 200-220 gal per person.
We heavily buy used, when possible. We garden, but not successfully: I can only say we try. We try to pick wild foods, but we just discovered local ordinances make that largely illegal.
So we seem to come in at half the American standard. With as little as we are paid, and as much as goes away in taxes, I don’t see how we could improve up to 90% savings. What’s the purpose of the 90% goal?
Anyhow, my percentages were (guessing garbage):
44,181.8,0,38.1,23.3,14.3, way too heavy on wet goods… 5% local sustain, 5%bulk,90% wet… and 53% of national average.
So I’ve shown you mine. What’s it all mean?
Except there IS a difference.
When I presented a rationale for why I think CO2 can’t cause warming I didn’t get a counter rationale. I got statements such as:
We know CO2 warms the earth
It’s all been debunked before
It has warmed where I live
We know CO2 traps heat
In otherwards, why not counter my argument in a similar vein as my argument. Show me where it is wrong in the details. Persuade me. I am open to detailed argument. That’s how I arrived at my position in the first place. But I am not going to capitulate my position without persuasion.
But when there are only expressions of faith and canned talking points thrown at me then I can’t credibly be accused of being obstinate because that didn’t shift me off of my position. In fact, it can only raise in me suspicions of what I am dealing with.
The thing is, this is mine now, I have been working on this for a long while, it is a process, and sometimes has backsliding.
For right now:
15 gallons diesel per person per month for transport. But, we took a driving vacation, highly unusual, so averaging this over the year I think would add another 5 gallons per person per month – so I put 20 gallons in to the calculator
300kWh of Solar produced eletric per month, that is 2kW of panels on the roof. I am making it within that budget. This includes water pumping, well and pressure pump, so my gallons of water impact is shown here.
less than 2 cords of wood per year, last few years this is dead down wood from my own yard, so counts as zero but even if I count it it only raises the percent by 2%
1 pound of garbage/recycle per person per week. We compost and work hard to not buy packaging no throw away cups or bags.
New stuff right now is about $100/month, used about $25 month in gneral, some months used is much higher and new is less, but I have been buying a few things lately
local 20%, bulk 60%, wet 20% I can get wet down to almost zero when the cards are all aligned right, but not lately
that is 13.5% of national average CO2 emisions my household is responsible for.
Transport is the sticky part for being in the suburbs, but that is canceled out by having wood heat in an area of trees, and room to store canners and home canned and bulk foods. Also, I have worked on my habits over the years to get packaging and trash down, electric usage down and finding places to buy bulk foods. I bought a small solar system 20 years ago and have worked to keep our usage within that budget.
Here are some things done over the years.
Solar hot water heater saved alot of electric for many years, but is presently needing to get a panel fixed. I also turned the thermostat down on the electric water heater and put in very low flow shower heads, 1.5gallons per minute, and trained the kids to shorter showers, this saves alot of hot water even without a solar water heater. There are many other things to cut down on hot water – wash clothes in cold water, etc…
I have an all electric house, but I put in a wood stove to heat with as I live in an area with alot of tree and wood waste. I bought a recent, energy efficient and low pollution one for its time used, so then we could afford it. That stove made us use 1/2 of the wood than the old woodstove that came with the house.
In the summer, I use a solar cooker quite a bit, I did this much more when all the kids were here, it was also convenient to have food ready when they got home. This absolutely has paid for itself vs the electric range, not to mention the convenience of unattended cooking that doesnt burn. Goodwill often sells electric breadmakers, this is great for the winter when the sun is not out and uses less power than the oven. Crookpots also do not use much power and are easily bought used and work in the winter.
Gardening is a learnign process, it can take a while to get successful. In the meantime buy local at the farmers market, and you can can what you buy there, for example I have bought flats of tomatoes, peaches, berries in season and that farmers market and canned at home to eat all year. This is a 2 for, local food and no trash as the jars are reused. It also build skills without waiting for your own garden to take off. Buy dry goods in bulk, like grains, flour, rice, beans either by the 25lb bag thru a bulk buy, like azure or Costco etc… or go to your local healthfood store, or WinnCo and buy by the pound out of their bulk bins. Bring reusable bags or jars to fill there. etc…
Driving and traveling was the hardest. I made kids carpool to school and activities. I combined trips or did without. Usually I keep a deep pantry or plan ahead to not make trips to stores. I took the train to move my youngest in to college even. We also took the train to her wedding, but carpooled with other family to get back. We keep the smallest, most fuel efficient car possible. Yes, you CAN have 5 people take a diesel Jetta (almost 50mpg on the hwy) car camping for the week, with bikes and food ! WHile work commuting must happen, sometimes carpools can be arranged. One of my kids chose to stay homeschooling for a while so that she could participate in a certain activity. I did not drive back home during this activity and had to find things to do ( most parents would go home as is was 2 or 3 hours long, I forget) SO, I would bring projects with me or work on the laptop in the car or coffee house.
etc… we have caulked, we use laptop not desktop computer, the refirgerator is bought looking at kwH per year, not style, etc…
Look to the half project for other ideas https://www.builditsolar.com/References/Half/Half.htm
Where I live it is not unusual tho be under a high pressure system with moisture in the air at about 1%. During the daytime the temp might go as high as 32C or higher and be there up to an hour before sunset. Then by about seven hours after sunset the temp has dropped to10C with no air movement bringing in outside air. So within 7-8 hours the temp has dropped by 22C or 40F… Now ask yourself how powerful is the “trapping” power of the greenhouse gases with that kind of a temp drop in such a short time. And then consider that H2O makes up more than 95% of the heat trapping effect.
Also remember that during the day the removal of heat energy is even greater because of convection and outgoing radiation but the temp goes up because the energy input from the sun overwhelms it.
But how potent is this trapping effect when temp drops that dramatically in a few hours? In the desert the temp can go from100F to below freezing in a few hours. And the CO2 is up there all the time.
https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/EdHalf.htmGood News: Average Family Cuts Home Electric Usage in HalfCall me crazy but I have been anxiously waiting for my electric bill to arrive this month.Why? Because I took the 20% challenge CL & P offered recently (use 10-20% less electricity and get that same crediton your next bill) AND I took the Half Challenge on the website BuilditSolar.com. (cut your electric use by half)Then I did something. I actually stopped moaning about the rates for 5 minutes and did something to reduce my electric usage.I received my electric bill today and got the news.... I was nervous. It was like opening the scores to my college boards. The result? I cut my bill in half!!!! Yes! Half!!!! All in the span of 2 months. Try it it yourself. It's easy.For the month of July, my family used 1107 KWH (Kilowatt hours) and paid $204. Ouch!Opening that bill was a painful experience. Then, this past month of August we used 601 KWH andpaid $115. Now I'm feeling good about that. Not good enough to stop moaning about the rates, but good enoughto slap my son five. He wouldn't let my wife open the bill until I came home. My 8 year old son is in this with me.What did we do? What can you do? Something! Pick any one of these items below or go online and find others.Do something... don't just sit there clicking the remote while the planet is melting.Here's what we did. In July we had a home energy audit for $100 wherein they changed most of our incandescent lights to energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. Good deal! Plus they did a blower door test, weather stripped, sealed, changed all our faucets to low flow heads, and checked for air infiltration. They found that we have a low flow problem with the hot air return which can cause the furnace to use more oil. I gotta get that fixed before Winter.In August I got busy. I vacuumed a decade of dust off my refrigerator coils, lowered my electric hot water heater by turning 2 screws, my wife and I started drying clothes using our new $60 clothesline instead of the electric dryer,I began heating my water for coffee in the microwave instead of the electric stove, I unplugged the microwave disengaging the power sucked up by a useless clock, and put the TV, which has a remote, a DVD (remote) the VCR, which has a clock, and the PS2 all on a power strip. Then I turned them all off when not in use. OFF! I said.I TURNED THEM OFF!!!!!!!!! No more phantom power for me! Does it matter? An average home will use about 50 Watts per hour of phantom power. That's 8 Gigawatts on a National level, the size of 8 large power plants. I think it does matter.And two other things: First I kept asking myself, "Do I need to turn this on?" and secondly I repeated the phrase "Please turn the light off."I guess our family effort worked. We cut our bill in half. Was it difficult? No. Did we spend a lot of money? $100 bucks for the audit and $60 for the clothesline. We'll make that back in another month.I'm excited! We cut our energy use in half. We are helping. We're saving money.We are on our way now.Please join us.Edward
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