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Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

nytimes.com

71–80 of 325 posts

Re: Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

#71
post #17

It is an interesting exercise to ask people to imagine a world without air travel. Where you can't just appear halfway around the world at the drop of a hat. Travel again becomes the domain of boats & trains. To almost anyone you talk to, banning air travel sounds completely ridiculous. In reality it wouldn't be enough by itself. It's on the lower end of action that is required.

This is kind of only true if you're the sort of person who flies a lot.

If you're someone who never flies, or flies once every year or two, it's not really a big deal at all. On the rare occasion I travel transcontinental I would need to set aside 3 days each way for travel instead of one, which would be inconvenient but not really a huge problem. Even if my transoceanic freight exclusively went by boat, it wouldn't be a big difference in my life. I already don't care about having the latest electronic gadgets as soon as they can be delivered from their factories.

Even two weeks to cruise across the Atlantic and a month across the Pacific (if you ignore the emissions of cruise ships for a moment) isn't really a deal-breaker on your once-in-a-lifetime vacation to another continent, either as part of your elaborate honeymoon or as part of your retirement.

Re: Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

#72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just so you know, I'm downvoting this comment instead for being an inane rant without presenting a rational argument.

Unfortunartely, becoming sloth is always easier than confronting reality unless you're forced not to.

I understand your frustration, but using such loaded language makes it seem like you're judging other people for doing what is in their own personal, rational interest.

Doesn't it seem more effective to find ways to align people's self-interest (aka "sloth") with positive outcomes?

Re: Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

#73

"Over all, air travel accounts for about 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions — a far smaller share than emissions from passenger cars or power plants." 2.5% means we should focus on reducing somewhere else in the near term.

If you think 2.5% is too small to care, consider what would your company do for an extra +2.5% of annual net profit.

Re: Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any time someone actually does the math on sucking carbon out of the atmosphere, it seemingly becomes clear that it is simply not scalable to suck the carbon out of the atmosphere. Have you done the math, and if so, why is everyone who comes to the aforementioned conclusion wrong?

These guys seem to have a viable approach to accelerated weathering, a form of carbon removal: https://projectvesta.org/

There's not enough limestone deposits for this to work - that aren't actually being currently mined.

You cannot use a an active mine for this technique, you have to let the stone lie and weather.

Re: Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

#75
post #5

"Over all, air travel accounts for about 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions — a far smaller share than emissions from passenger cars or power plants." 2.5% means we should focus on reducing somewhere else in the near term.

Eeeeh, it depends. People in the US are going to go totally librarian poo if someone comes to take away their cars.

In the US you have a choice between insufficient/unaffordable urban housing, and suburban/rural living. In the former case a few people can take public transit, bike, walk, or work remotely, and yet urban congestion continues to worsen. In the latter case the vast majority need some form of private transportation to live. It's a big country, any solution is going to have a large technological component.

Re: Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These guys seem to have a viable approach to accelerated weathering, a form of carbon removal: https://projectvesta.org/

There's not enough limestone deposits for this to work - that aren't actually being currently mined. You cannot use a an active mine for this technique, you have to let the stone lie and weather.

Read their FAQ [1]. They're using olivine, not limestone, and there's a ton of olivine in the crust.

[1] https://projectvesta.org/frequently-asked-questions/

Re: Air Travel Emissions Vastly Outpace Predictions

#80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunartely, becoming sloth is always easier than confronting reality unless you're forced not to.

I understand your frustration, but using such loaded language makes it seem like you're judging other people for doing what is in their own personal, rational interest. Doesn't it seem more effective to find ways to align people's self-interest (aka "sloth") with positive outcomes?

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