neanderthal

Great speech by Al Gore about the fossil fuel industry.

Fight back by lobbying local officials for things that reduce car dependency!

While we all work towards political change, in the mean time we can all focus on our consumption habits.

Aligning purchases with GHG reduction will save you money because you will buy less over time. You will have better stuff. It can even be more convenient. E.g. a nice espresso setup in a car dependent area is cheaper in the long run and more convenient than driving to a coffee shop all the time.

We often see news about climate protests. What we don't see is how effective or ineffective it is.

Rose Abramoff pointed out how they have had great success delaying, and hopefully eventually stopping the MVP pipeline:

https://climatejustice.rocks/@ultracricket/111035854628921172

Anybody that works in a media outlet, please start drawing attention to activism successes. Make it front and center in the headline or opening paragraph.

If we want to stop global warming, we need EFFECTIVE action. Start spreading the word on what gets results.

Publish how to convince city governments to fix car dependency.

Remember, global warming, if left unchecked could be the worst thing that has happened to humanity. WW2 was pretty bad. American and European imperialism was pretty bad. The black death was pretty bad. Let that sink in.

Creators, start writing and spreading the word on how to fight global warming effectively, within the confines of your local laws of course. Here in the US, you can certainly write about people that have broken the law and what the consequences were, like Rosa Parks.

My fellow Americans. Get off your asses and vote. In every election. Even in red areas. If we all get off our asses, we will generally win. Run for local office if you are able. Contact local officials and get them to take measures.

Does the Pied Piper pick peppers too?

Were the peppers already pickled on the plant somehow? Is there a type of pepper called pickled peppers? What is a peck anyway?

The fact that self driving cars exist is an admission that driving a car can really suck. Navigating busy suburbs and cities in a car is a stressful experience, especially when people are commuting to or from work.

I don't think cars should be completely eliminated, as they have their place, but the existence of self driving cars is strong evidence of the insanity of the car being the only feasible way to get around some parts of the world.

A lot of big polluters are publicly traded companies. Owning shares of US public companies means you can go to shareholder meetings, vote, and other rights.

What do all think of a non profit that runs and is funded with an endowment composed of big polluters like oil companies and using the dividends to fund climate initiatives? In the mean time, using the seat at the table to influence other shareholders to reduce emissions, which is in their long term interest anyways.

If the endowment dries up, mission accomplished. If it grows, more money to act with.

What do all think?

We are racing down a mountain at full throttle. Our children are in the back seat. The speedometer is buried. The road curves sharply ahead. On the outside of the curve is a cliff with a 200 meter drop. On the other side is a vertical rock wall.

Here are some ideas I came up with to help push people into taking action. Sure we need systemic changes like ending car dependent cities and heavily reducing fossil fuel usage. Doing nothing is smashing through the guard rail and off the cliff. Doing one is slowing enough to MAYBE survive crashing into the mountain. Doing both is slowing down enough to navigate the curve.

There are some things we CAN do.

1. Start spreading the word on social media for unofficial things like moo-less Monday. Don't eat beef on Mondays. Weather Wednesday, where you adjust or turn off your HVAC. This could be a whole other thread.

2. Start getting louder and louder. Remember, we need to both act AND influence enough people for systemic changes.

3. Consume less. Be as efficient with resources as possible. There tons of things you can do here that are minimal effort and barely noticeable.

4. Political action. Vote. Run if you are able. Contact politicians at all levels. Talk with people about things that have benefits beyond just climate. E.g. transit reduces traffic.

5. Stay strong. Don't succumb to doomerism.

Check the date on the article for a nice surprise.

::: It is from 1977 :::

The US state of Louisiana requires social media companies to get parental permission for users under 16.