The Climate thread

[fattyflattie 4639]

On 3/22/2024 at 8:37 AM, jimmyjazz said:

I recently read an estimate that ~ 10% of residential recycling materials are actually recycled, and ~ 90% just go to the landfill.  Great.  I would hope industrial recycling would have a much higher yield.

That sucks. We fill up the bin each week, I really hope our community is doing more than 10%. 

[bolverk 29671]

Here's a gifted link for @RomaVicta and anyone else interested in two projects (one in Iceland and another, much larger in Odessa, TX) geared toward carbon capture. It's a good read as it also discusses many of the issues surrounding the effort, including expense, effectiveness, and ethics.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/31/climate/climate-change-carbon-capture-ccs.html?ugrp=m&unlocked_article_code=1.hE0.C_vy.8xZNakjhVWGv&smid=url-share

[Post Oak 20213]

Get a rope.

 

[Nivek 16928]

7 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

Get a rope.

 

Shit this is Texas, that is call for a tax cut.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

25 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

Get a rope.

 

Eight hours of benzene that was (if I read the paper correctly) 15 times the limit, and eight hours of carbon monoxide at 2500 lb/hour (limit=351.79/hr) among other things.

[troph 24791]

imagine how much more we could do if this was a natural issue not a political one. makes me so mad. my team doesn't care so I don't care. grrr.

[Biff Tannen 45682]

27 minutes ago, troph said:

imagine how much more we could do if this was a natural issue not a political one. makes me so mad. my team doesn't care so I don't care. grrr.

We are dooming multiple generations due to this.  I'm sure they won't mind.

[Mdhorn 5949]

6 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

We are dooming multiple generations due to this.  I'm sure they won't mind.

If they're anything like Uvalde, they'll continue voting Republican, even at the expense of their offspring.  Leopards faces person woman man camera tv whatnot.  

Edited April 2 by Mdhorn

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

15 hours ago, Mdhorn said:

If they're anything like Uvalde, they'll continue voting Republican, even at the expense of their offspring.  Leopards faces person woman man camera tv whatnot.  

I hate to wish Midland ill, but if the wind was blowing eastward perhaps the resulting pollution lingered over Tim Dunn's 6000 sq ft place.

[troph 24791]

Plastic bags that aren’t biodegradable should be outlawed, we now have a viable replacement. 
 

 

[GreenspointTexas 9600]

https://www.khou.com/article/news/nation-world/march-10th-straight-month-to-be-hottest-on-record/507-4746dd72-47b0-40af-bedd-b42478a7c719?fbclid=IwAR3gB79l4--gQj9EdA_SZNKUo_A_S-7ObBsC0hZxJ5P5dgDO4yGfAz5R3Uk
 

jesus

[Captainant 27661]

On 3/21/2024 at 10:55 PM, BeardIP said:

Amazon says its plastic packaging can be recycled. An investigation finds it usually isn’t. (Grist) https://grist.org/accountability/amazon-says-its-plastic-packaging-can-be-recycled-an-investigation-finds-it-usually-isnt/

Shit, I could've told ya that. Anytime there's something besides that sole material - like say a foam polymer infill in a paper envelope - it's not gonna be recyclable mainly due to contamination. And even so, most of the plastic that's taken in is too dirty to clean or separate and is just burned as a heat source, rather than landfilling a boatload of plastic every day

[troph 24791]

Preserving 13 million acres of sensitive public lands seems nice.

 

 

[troph 24791]

This is awesome too. 30% of DR waters now protected. 
 

 

[troph 24791]

I’ve actually seen quite a bit of good news re EVs (growth rate is down but the growth is still incredible), solar panel production, microbes to reduce methane in agriculture, ocean clean up, river clean ups.  

[InkaUtexas 25920]

23 minutes ago, troph said:

This is awesome too. 30% of DR waters now protected. 
 

 

This is great, but very misleading. This impacts the tourist trade. Not the water around the island. I lived there in the early 1980's for three years and was at the beach every weekend. All over the island. Reefs were pristine, lots of fish. Went back in the 1990's quite a bit. My brothers live there. It was night and day and has only gotten worse. Some areas, where the resorts are have maintained some beauty, but it is not the same and doubt it will recover.

Santo Domingo is filthy. The two rivers do nothin gbut push waste into the water. You DO NOT swim in the city. I mean NEVER. No one does. Puerto Plata is going in that direction.

So don't want to be a downer, and as I said, this is great. But it is a band aid when amputation is needed.

[hookem2010 2624]

There was some additional land set aside in Texas recently, too.

https://www.kcbd.com/2024/04/16/biden-administration-announces-texas-wildlife-refuge-expansions/

[troph 24791]

6 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

This is great, but very misleading. This impacts the tourist trade. Not the water around the island. I lived there in the early 1980's for three years and was at the beach every weekend. All over the island. Reefs were pristine, lots of fish. Went back in the 1990's quite a bit. My brothers live there. It was night and day and has only gotten worse. Some areas, where the resorts are have maintained some beauty, but it is not the same and doubt it will recover.

Santo Domingo is filthy. The two rivers do nothin gbut push waste into the water. You DO NOT swim in the city. I mean NEVER. No one does. Puerto Plata is going in that direction.

So don't want to be a downer, and as I said, this is great. But it is a band aid when amputation is needed.

I’ve spent enough time around to be under no illusion these moves are starting from a position being ahead. The Caribbean especially is turbo fucked.  South Pacific not so much. But everywhere is playing from behind at this point.

[InkaUtexas 25920]

9 minutes ago, troph said:

I’ve spent enough time around to be under no illusion these moves are starting from a position being ahead. The Caribbean especially is turbo fucked.  South Pacific not so much. But everywhere is playing from behind at this point.

One client is a NZ company. They do a lot of environment work in the South Pacific. Owner has been working there for about 40 years and says the damage is real and getting worse. His big bitch. Micro plastic and chinese fishing boats, or raiders as he calls them.

[Biff Tannen 45682]

Oceans are going to be the first to show us how badly we fucked up. Reefs are devastated. 

[BevoAbyss 2059]

About rafting in the Rio Grande:

-- I first rafted Santa Elena Canyon in 1993 and 1996. Both times, the river had shallow parts where we had to drag the raft around boulders and over rocks. The river levels do fluctuate, but there is no doubt the river is more shallow or dried up for longer periods of time. The dams in New Mexico are a key source of the problem, as well as overpopulation, drought, and agricultural excess.

-- As the Canyon got deeper ... and water got deeper ... you could hear the sandy water quietly grinding like sandpaper carving the canyon walls. It was unreal. Will never forget it.

-- The "beaches" inside the Canyon (as it snaked along) were 100% pristine. And no doubt the Canyon Walls are spectacular, rising over 1000 feet.

-- At night, you could see the flashes of lightning bugs galore... and hear bat wings flapping as they zoomed in for the late-night snacks.

But, the most epic experience was seeing the Milky Way rise above the towering Canyon walls, shrouded in complete and total darkness. It was like a wide ribbon of glowing stars/stardust astride the Canyon walls, which were pitch black. Majestic, magnificent, mind-blowing.

-- My girlfriend and I were just in complete and total awe. Overwhelmed at times. She even shed a tear or two. A truly sublime experience.

-- For a good couple of hours, we just laid on the beach looking up and sipping some tequila. It was ever more mesmerizing as our eyes adjusted to the darkness. (I think it is called the "scotopic" part of human vision.) The Milky Way seemed like it was in 3D. 

-- Friends, if you have never rafted the Santa Elena Canyon, put it on your bucket list. And do an overnighter to see the Milky Way. You will never forget it. 

Edited April 21 by BevoAbyss

[troph 24791]

8 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

One client is a NZ company. They do a lot of environment work in the South Pacific. Owner has been working there for about 40 years and says the damage is real and getting worse. His big bitch. Micro plastic and chinese fishing boats, or raiders as he calls them.

The oceans in the south are a quantum leap better than in the north, but again no where is unscathed.

We’ve dove reefs down there that are still super healthy and unbelievable how much life is there. The Caribbean reefs are trashed. Florida reefs are about to disappear. 

I know shit is bad, but I’m an optimist so I’m going to share good news and enjoy it for what it is, hope that while it’s too late for a lot maybe it not too late for all of it. 

Edited April 21 by troph

[BevoAbyss 2059]

Ocean acidification, coral bleaching, massive over-fishing, dredging the sea floors. and plastic garbage all throughout the oceans. We are f*cking up the oceans big time, the ultimate life support system on Planet Earth

Take a few moments and watch the TED Talk by Sylvia Earle, the legendary and pioneering oceanographer. Earle is pure greatness! Some incredible imagery in the video, a talk mixed with dread and hope for the future.

 

Edited April 21 by BevoAbyss

[troph 24791]

Again … aware. I’m not willing to doom consume everyday. It’s fine… it’s all bad. 

[Biff Tannen 45682]

2 hours ago, BevoAbyss said:

About rafting in the Rio Grande:

-- I first rafted Santa Elena Canyon in 1993 and 1996. Both times, the river had shallow parts where we had to drag the raft around boulders and over rocks. The river levels do fluctuate, but there is no doubt the river is more shallow or dried up for longer periods of time. The dams in New Mexico are a key source of the problem, as well as overpopulation, drought, and agricultural excess.

-- As the Canyon got deeper ... and water got deeper ... you could hear the sandy water quietly grinding like sandpaper carving the canyon walls. It was unreal. Will never forget it.

-- The "beaches" inside the Canyon (as it snaked along) were 100% pristine. And no doubt the Canyon Walls are spectacular, rising over 1000 feet.

-- At night, you could see the flashes of lightning bugs galore... and hear bat wings flapping as they zoomed in for the late-night snacks.

But, the most epic experience was seeing the Milky Way rise above the towering Canyon walls, shrouded in complete and total darkness. It was like a wide ribbon of glowing stars/stardust astride the Canyon walls, which were pitch black. Majestic, magnificent, mind-blowing.

-- My girlfriend and I were just in complete and total awe. Overwhelmed at times. She even shed a tear or two. A truly sublime experience.

-- For a good couple of hours, we just laid on the beach looking up and sipping some tequila. It was ever more mesmerizing as our eyes adjusted to the darkness. (I think it is called the "scotopic" part of human vision.) The Milky Way seemed like it was in 3D. 

-- Friends, if you have never rafted the Santa Elena Canyon, put it on your bucket list. And do an overnighter to see the Milky Way. You will never forget it. 

Some photos from the East Rim from my overnight in October 2021. 
 

 

[Biff Tannen 45682]

2 hours ago, BeardIP said:

Happy Earth Day. And this is super insightful (below) and I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty. I can't/won't eat chicken sausage or turkey bacon, much less plant-based meat.

 

I much prefer turkey and white meat in general over red meat (though I get down on some brisket and/or steak probably once a month or so) and love the Beyond Meat and Morning Star plant-based stuff.  It helps that my wife is mostly a vegetarian and a great chef, but the benefits to the environment are astounding. 

 

[Neonmoon 38129]

I eat plant based meats. They’re delicious. My wife makes the best impossible lasagna. I also eat regular meat. Also delicious. 

I haven’t found a plant based chicken that’s good yet. That shit needs work. 

[4th&Five 41537]

Any good ones that aren’t high in sodium?

[troph 24791]

On 4/22/2024 at 3:34 PM, BeardIP said:

That's fantastic, and like I said that's great for the environment, etc. and we need people like you, but I just can't with the turkey/chicken inferior substitutes and especially with the plant based stuff. Maybe lab-grown meats will hit the mark?

Edited April 24 by troph

[troph 24791]

lab grown is gonna take a while for me. but I keep asking my fam to have at least 2 vegetarian days a week (first for health reasons second environment). we don't eat a lot of red meat maybe once a month, but burgers yikes kids love em. chicken and pork are our go to's.

Edited April 24 by troph

[GreenspointTexas 9600]

https://www.kens5.com/article/tech/science/climate-science/texas-hotter-wildfires-climatology-report/269-483d3038-e623-406b-b0e3-b322c0766d35?tag1=kensshare&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR30hgt6eQ6S2_yTSi2HjJlVYoPf96LQ3gl77IMuSstyA-nhtsoXEvdbVEk_aem_AWeDRoBuc7RTEBmJ5Kp-GQJgkHABZI9BRC9CjptwF9d5GyM-3HN8rhLFYkJFw8FbhVK3_z8uwIZRR-oz8hO8McJ5
 

“The number of 100 degree days in Texas each year expected to quadruple by 2036”

[HenryJames 66049]

Ballgame?

[GreenspointTexas 9600]

2 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Ballgame?

If that report holds true, houston will have roughly 180 days a year with temps over 100 degrees by 2036. Cool cool

[troph 24791]

I'm as doom and gloom as anyone, well not really, but I get shit is changing but I'm not really looking to Texas A&M for my climate science research tbqh. call it bias, don't care.

[troph 24791]

Just now, BeardIP said:

I'd rather just intermittent fast and skip a meal than eat chicken sasuage or turkey burgers and save up my consumption to make it worthwhile. In fact, that's what I mostly do with red meat-- I won't eat a steak for example unless it's a bone-in ribeye. Miss me with any other cuts, including filets, regular ribeyes, etc.

real chicken, real turkey, no prob though I generally just avoid sausage - and a P Terribles chicken burger is not half bad.  better off dead kitchen experiments though, yeah no thanks.

[Dahobbs 17534]

On 4/22/2024 at 5:26 PM, Neonmoon said:

I eat plant based meats. They’re delicious. My wife makes the best impossible lasagna. I also eat regular meat. Also delicious. 

I haven’t found a plant based chicken that’s good yet. That shit needs work. 

I eat meats that were fed plants. Does that count? 

[Neonmoon 38129]

On 4/22/2024 at 6:37 PM, 4th&Five said:

Any good ones that aren’t high in sodium?

No idea. Haven’t really dug that deep on it. Seems comparable to fast food burgers., but yeah, higher than store bought beef. Which makes sense, non processed always better for you, no matter the product. 

[YChang 3443]

20 minutes ago, troph said:

I'm as doom and gloom as anyone, well not really, but I get shit is changing but I'm not really looking to Texas A&M for my climate science research tbqh. call it bias, don't care.

Ha, how do you feel about one of the leading climate chanage scientists in the world teaches at Texas Tech? 

[YChang 3443]

21 minutes ago, BeardIP said:

I'd rather just intermittent fast and skip a meal than eat chicken sasuage or turkey burgers and save up my consumption to make it worthwhile. In fact, that's what I mostly do with red meat-- I won't eat a steak for example unless it's a bone-in ribeye. Miss me with any other cuts, including filets, regular ribeyes, etc.

Check out some Chinese/Indian recipes. Typical American cuisine's treatment of chicken, lentils, and beans are boring. 

[troph 24791]

6 minutes ago, YChang said:

Ha, how do you feel about one of the leading climate chanage scientists in the world teaches at Texas Tech? 

Tech has a long history of weather / climate research. no prob. and I don't disagree with the premises that it's going to be hotter than satan's balls in the future.

[Biff Tannen 45682]

Let’s stop beating around the bush and have some people admit that they either don’t understand or don’t give a shit that the continued cultivation of cows (especially), pigs, chickens, and other livestock is decimating our environment. DECIMATING.  
 

Yeah, I love steak too man. Burgers are good. Chicken wings are a staple!  I get it. BUT. Just take it down a notch. No one has a knife to your throat saying you have to eat tempeh 6 days a week and you have to go to Whole Foods to buy kale to shove in your wife’s pussy before you can fuck it. Though I am open minded. 
 

My point is “eh, I don’t really want to go to plant based or lab grown meat because it’s weird” is a stupid and fucked up argument. It’s a moral imperative to stop eating that shit all the time. And the alternatives already taste good and are only going to get better. 
 

Eat up buttercups!  The next step if you don’t is fucking Soylent green. 

Edited April 25 by Biff Tannen

[WhatTheBuck 28779]

6 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Let’s stop beating around the bush and have some people admit that they either don’t understand or don’t give a shit that the continued cultivation of cows (especially), pigs, chickens, and other livestock is decimating our environment. DECIMATING.  
 

Yeah, I love steak too man. Burgers are good. Chicken wings are a staple!  I get it. BUT. Just take it down a notch. No one has a knife to your throat saying you have to eat tempeh 6 days a week and you have to go to Whole Foods to buy kale to shove in your wife’s pussy before you can fuck it. Though I am open minded. 
 

My point is “eh, I don’t really want to go to plant based or lab grown meat because it’s weird” is a stupid and fucked up argument. It’s a moral imperative to stop eating that shit all the time. And the alternatives already taste good and are only going to get better. 
 

Eat up buttercups!  The next step if you don’t is fucking Soylent green. 

Our use of fossil fuels is the number one problem. If we don’t address that then switching to vegetarianism, which I am never going to do, won’t amount to much. Yes, the livestock issue is a problem. It’s not the main problem. And we’re not doing much to address the main problem.

Jesus, we have a former president, who’s running for president again, who denies that global warming is real and is still chanting “Drill, baby, drill!”

[DigglerontheHoof 21196]

I'll drive an electric car, give up riding gas-powered motorcycles, recycle, quit using plastic, etc.  But fuck giving up animal protein.  Ain't. Gonna. Happen. 

[Biff Tannen 45682]

9 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I'll drive an electric car, give up riding gas-powered motorcycles, recycle, quit using plastic, etc.  But fuck giving up animal protein.  Ain't. Gonna. Happen. 

It's not about giving it up.  It's about moderation.  The demand for beef specifically is way higher than can be sustainably produced.  It honestly wouldn't take a huge effort to make a dent, just a widespread effort.  Only eat 4 fast food burgers a week instead of 5.  Across the nation that would be a massive drop in demand.  I know I'm kidding myself.

[WhatTheBuck 28779]

19 minutes ago, DigglerontheHoof said:

I'll drive an electric car, give up riding gas-powered motorcycles, recycle, quit using plastic, etc.  But fuck giving up animal protein.  Ain't. Gonna. Happen. 

Username checks out?

I eat a lot less beef than I used to. I eat mostly chicken and pork. Sometimes I’ll go days without eating meat. Not out of a sense of moral responsibility or anything. Just a matter of ease and convenience. I can get by pretty well on fruit and nuts. I eat lots of apples and bananas and snack on peanuts daily. (And haven’t had a cold or anything else since before the pandemic)

But yeah, I’m never giving up meat. I’m just one person. I don’t have kids. (Glad I don’t have to explain to them how their grandparents, aunt, and uncle are on the side of the people who royally fucked their environment…and their schools…) Yeah, I know it’s a little bit of a cop out but I’m making some changes and trying to advocate for more major change, the kind that can make a real difference. I try to avoid big industrial meat products as best as I can. The more local, the better. I’m sure I could be more rigorous about it than I am. But I won’t touch chicken from Tyson or Perdue. 

[Biff Tannen 45682]

14 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

The more local, the better

This

[Dahobbs 17534]

7 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Let’s stop beating around the bush and have some people admit that they either don’t understand or don’t give a shit that the continued cultivation of cows (especially), pigs, chickens, and other livestock is decimating our environment. DECIMATING.  
 

Yeah, I love steak too man. Burgers are good. Chicken wings are a staple!  I get it. BUT. Just take it down a notch. No one has a knife to your throat saying you have to eat tempeh 6 days a week and you have to go to Whole Foods to buy kale to shove in your wife’s pussy before you can fuck it. Though I am open minded. 
 

My point is “eh, I don’t really want to go to plant based or lab grown meat because it’s weird” is a stupid and fucked up argument. It’s a moral imperative to stop eating that shit all the time. And the alternatives already taste good and are only going to get better. 
 

Eat up buttercups!  The next step if you don’t is fucking Soylent green. 

1/10th of our environment may be a small price to pay for a medium rare filet mignon. 

[South Austin 52494]

21 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

I eat a lot less beef than I used to.  

Not for climate reasons, but I significantly reduced my red meat consumption a couple years ago, and subsequently saw a huge reduction in my overall and bad cholesterol numbers (upping my fiber helped as well). I love a good burger about once a month, and eat other beef dishes here or there. But my main source of animal protein is chicken.

[DigglerontheHoof 21196]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

Not for climate reasons, but I significantly reduced my red meat consumption a couple years ago, and subsequently saw a huge reduction in my overall and bad cholesterol numbers (upping my fiber helped as well). I love a good burger about once a month, and eat other beef dishes here or there. But my main source of animal protein is chicken.

Same.  I turned 58 last week and the years take their toll.  

[jimmyjazz 45920]

I remain fully committed to drinking massive amounts of bread every day.