While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
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While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
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Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#2The air quality index in Seattle is 185 right now, which is unheard of; I could barely see the sun yesterday. Last year there was extreme air pollution due to wildfire smoke for the first time that I can remember, and I thought then maybe it was a anomalous event, but now that it's twice in two years it's probably time to think of this as the new normal.
And as much as I want to blame politicians as an easy target, it's still a democracy and they are ultimately just reflecting the views of the public. The Seattle Times is running stories on the wildfire smoke, and their comment section is depressingly filled to the brim with nonsense like "ACTUALLY this is because the environmentalists clear out underbrush and create more forest fires, CHECKMATE LIBRULZ". We're going to sink under the waves still screaming culture war nonsense with our last breaths.
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#3funny, the poor guy believes politicians can actually make these kinds of changes. As long as polluting is more profitable than not polluting, our corporate overlords will keep pumping that shit into the air. And as a general populace, we all _think_ something should be done, as long as it doesn't affect us.
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#4[deleted]
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#5The air quality index in Seattle is 185 right now, which is unheard of; I could barely see the sun yesterday. Last year there was extreme air pollution due to wildfire smoke for the first time that I can remember, and I thought then maybe it was a anomalous event, but now that it's twice in two years it's probably time to think of this as the new normal. And as much as I want to blame politicians as an easy target, i…
>still a democracy and they are ultimately just reflecting the views of the public
Seems more like a reflection of the views of corporations than the public
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#6The air quality index in Seattle is 185 right now, which is unheard of; I could barely see the sun yesterday. Last year there was extreme air pollution due to wildfire smoke for the first time that I can remember, and I thought then maybe it was a anomalous event, but now that it's twice in two years it's probably time to think of this as the new normal. And as much as I want to blame politicians as an easy target, i…
Most scientists agree that the uptick in serious fires in the west is primarily from decades of bad forrest management, not climate change.
Climate change obviously plays a role, but it's not the primary driver.
I think some activist groups and the media are purposefully muddying the water on this issue.
http://mjr.jour.umt.edu/how-journalists-fan-the-flames-of-wi...
http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/western-washington-smo...
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#7The air quality index in Seattle is 185 right now, which is unheard of; I could barely see the sun yesterday. Last year there was extreme air pollution due to wildfire smoke for the first time that I can remember, and I thought then maybe it was a anomalous event, but now that it's twice in two years it's probably time to think of this as the new normal. And as much as I want to blame politicians as an easy target, i…
There is a large domestic disinformation machine in the US. The disinformation media has for decades used identity politics to get Americans to vote for policies that benefit the 0.01%. Nowhere is this clearer than with climate change.
In my experience, many of those in the disinformation bubble have no idea that climate change denial benefits oil and gas companies and is heavily funded by them.
If you’re interested in disinformation and how it affects climate change policy, the book and movie Merchants of Doubt is really great- it explains some of the strategies used.
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#8The air quality index in Seattle is 185 right now, which is unheard of; I could barely see the sun yesterday. Last year there was extreme air pollution due to wildfire smoke for the first time that I can remember, and I thought then maybe it was a anomalous event, but now that it's twice in two years it's probably time to think of this as the new normal. And as much as I want to blame politicians as an easy target, i…
Most scientists agree that the uptick in serious fires in the west is primarily from decades of bad forrest management, not climate change. Climate change obviously plays a role, but it's not the primary driver. I think some activist groups and the media are purposefully muddying the water on this issue. http://mjr.jour.umt.edu/how-journalists-fan-the-flames-of-wi... http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/western-wash…
Syonyk aka Russell Graves has an interesting post summarizing the issue: https://syonyk.blogspot.com/2018/08/wildfires-in-western-uni...
(he's not an expert, so take it with a grain of salt)
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#9funny, the poor guy believes politicians can actually make these kinds of changes. As long as polluting is more profitable than not polluting, our corporate overlords will keep pumping that shit into the air. And as a general populace, we all _think_ something should be done, as long as it doesn't affect us.
Its not just about corporations. If the sinners are a dozen of "them", the solutions are easy. If you have good standard of living in a middle/lower income country or if you are not homeless in a developed country, You Sir! are responsible for a lot, than you are willing to accept.
Re: While the planet burns our politicians fiddle
#10The air quality index in Seattle is 185 right now, which is unheard of; I could barely see the sun yesterday. Last year there was extreme air pollution due to wildfire smoke for the first time that I can remember, and I thought then maybe it was a anomalous event, but now that it's twice in two years it's probably time to think of this as the new normal. And as much as I want to blame politicians as an easy target, i…
Most scientists agree that the uptick in serious fires in the west is primarily from decades of bad forrest management, not climate change. Climate change obviously plays a role, but it's not the primary driver. I think some activist groups and the media are purposefully muddying the water on this issue. http://mjr.jour.umt.edu/how-journalists-fan-the-flames-of-wi... http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/western-wash…
I agree that from what most scientists are saying, that sounds like the availability of fuel; but could climate change be responsible for the unusually hot and dry conditions?