Texas weather reminiscent of a movie

[Ian C. Kuzushi]

I didn't call Steve a climate denier, but the quip that "the climate is changing with or without us" is a common refrain among the "I'm not a denier, but I'm really a denier." That's because it is using a truism that dismisses or diminishes human driven climate change (global warming). Heck, he even said that humans are trivial when it comes to the climate. That's not what the climatologists say.

I already agreed with him on the obvious stuff. Yeah, it's grim. Yeah, we may not be able to stop it. But, we could try and slow it down. As I mentioned, humans can't adapt to what will happen in 300 years if we don't.

[Steve James]

I don't deny climate change at all. I'm not cheating by acknowledging that the Sahara was once a forest and body of water or that it was tropical in the arctic. I also don't deny that humans have accelerated climate change, or that humans can do much to decelerate the effects they have on climate. All three are happening simultaneously.

We've always had to adapt or perish. We have to prepare for more floods, fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes, as well as for events such as volcanoes and earthquakes. Texas seems to have been unprepared.

[Steve James]

Oh, humans are trivial; the Earth will adapt with or without us. Species come and go. We have a chance not to self-destruct.

[Ian C. Kuzushi]

Humans are trivial on a planetary scale, but that's not what you said. You said they were trivial when it comes to the climate. They are not. That would be like saying that the cyanobacteria that caused the Great Oxygenation Event were trivial to the climate.


Anyway, I saw a funny tweet today about Texas.

"The Gov of Texas has instructed folks to stay at home in order to save lives.

ARE YOU GOING TO LET THEM TAKE AWAY YOUR LIBERTIES??
WE HAVE A RIGHT TO LEAVE OUR HOMES AND GET A HAIRCUT WHEN WE WANT TO!"

[Steve James]

Humans are trivial on a planetary scale, but that's not what you said.

I didn't mean the effect of humans on the climate was trivial. I meant, from the perspective of survival of species, humans are trivial. That is why addressing climate change is critical for US.

We have rovers from three nations arriving on Mars. In someone's head is the dream of terra-forming all or part of that planet to make it habitable. We have a hard enough time terra-forming this planet to make it survivable. D'ya think we know how yet?

[Steve James]

[Ian C. Kuzushi]

I suspected it was some sort of misunderstanding. FWIW, I was having issues with the end of this statement:

I prefer to think of our species as being very fragile --and trivial to the climate.

Anyway, those are some wild temps for Sin City. What are the averages for this time of year? That's not high dessert, IINM.

As I said, at least here we are used to the cold. So, while things have shut down for a couple of days, we are not crippled and lots of people aren't dying.

[Steve James]

Yeah, I meant it in the sense that the climate doesn't care about us .

Anyway, it can get cold in the desert, but 11 degrees at 5pm seems extreme. Let's see how long it lasts. It's true that people in the NE (or four distinct seasons) will be better prepared. Imagine if this weather hit Florida. Ooh.

[Steve James]

@Trick. You made me curious about how Sweden and the northern countries handled wind turbines. In Texas, some are blaming the problems on over-reliance on wind energy. Turns out, it's mostly about cost, not capability.

"Keeping wind power going through extreme events isn’t impossible as researchers in Sweden have proved. Turbines in the Arctic Circle can work in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). And most turbine makers, from Vestas Wind Systems A/S and General Electric Co. are now able to offer versions of their units that come armed with ice mitigation systems and heating for some of the equipment." .....

"By adding a thin layer of carbon fiber to the wings that can be automatically heated, the formation of ice can be halted altogether. There are also versions that use heated air inside the wings. This all comes at a cost, the winter-proof units will be as much as 5% more expensive and will have to reduce some of its output to keep warm, Skarp said."

[Trick]

Oh, humans are trivial; the Earth will adapt with or without us. Species come and go. We have a chance not to self-destruct.

Adapt to climate change/or halting climate change may be easier in the near future. With rapid development of human engineering/Transhumanism and similar stuff we may be able to transform adapt our selfs to feel comfortable at home in any climate biological or/and social....

. A clinical trial has shown that if the hormone oxytocin (available in pharmacies with a prescription) is administered, it creates a tendency to act with greater integrity. Oxytocin also seems to improve people’s ability to understand other people’s emotions, an essential characteristic for empathy. These studies suggest that interventions that affect sensitivity in the neural systems could also increase people’s willingness to cooperate with rules or social goals.

. https://www.bbva.com/en/human-engineeri ... te-change/

[Trick]

@Trick. You made me curious about how Sweden and the northern countries handled wind turbines. In Texas, some are blaming the problems on over-reliance on wind energy. Turns out, it's mostly about cost, not capability.

"Keeping wind power going through extreme events isn’t impossible as researchers in Sweden have proved. Turbines in the Arctic Circle can work in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). And most turbine makers, from Vestas Wind Systems A/S and General Electric Co. are now able to offer versions of their units that come armed with ice mitigation systems and heating for some of the equipment." .....

"By adding a thin layer of carbon fiber to the wings that can be automatically heated, the formation of ice can be halted altogether. There are also versions that use heated air inside the wings. This all comes at a cost, the winter-proof units will be as much as 5% more expensive and will have to reduce some of its output to keep warm, Skarp said."

I’ve been away from Sweden a long time now and don’t really know about how widespread and advanced the green energy technologies has come there......However here in China’s Anhui Province huge wind turbine and solar panel fields are plenty, maybe because the winters are quite mild and snowless down here

[Trick]

More on climate change related to Sweden ..

Yesterday was “Fettisdagen” the time of the year when Swedes can enjoy the delicious ‘Semla’ a sweet bun filled with whipped cream and marzipan .....
However timely the government came out with an warning that the big consumption of the Semla have an huge negative climate effect that equals the yearly emission from 2500 cars....

[Trick]

Has it been mentioned in the thread? The irony that the biggest oil producing US state happen to be Texas
How’s the oil baron families such as the Bushes holding out at the ranch

[Steve James]

Has it been mentioned in the thread? The irony that the biggest oil producing US state happen to be Texas
How’s the oil baron families such as the Bushes holding out at the ranch

Being the biggest oil producer doesn't necessarily translate to a great advantage for Texans. Gasoline and oil prices are a bit cheaper. However, oil is controlled by global (internationally owned) corporations.

The oil barons are set for several generations if they never pump another drop. Have you ever heard of "peak oil"? For a few weeks recently, the price of a barrel of oil went negative. I.e., you had to pay someone to take the oil off your hands. It's like driving to the gas station and having the attendant pay you for the gas you took.

So, major car companies are phasing out gasoline-only vehicles. I think Jaguar and GM are two examples. Personally, I think hybrids would be the best way to go, rather than fully electric. Though, we'll hopefully move to using hydrogen as fuel. Then we can dump the batteries.

[Trick]

Has it been mentioned in the thread? The irony that the biggest oil producing US state happen to be Texas
How’s the oil baron families such as the Bushes holding out at the ranch

Being the biggest oil producer doesn't necessarily translate to a great advantage for Texans.

Yes seem so, especially right now when they get a taste of their black gold in the climate changing way