alanjjohnstone
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The current livestock population in the world is around 28 billion animals and constitutes the highest source of two major greenhouse gases—methane and nitrous oxide. The production of methane, in particular, is troublesome, as it has an 85 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame. Methane emissions from the livestock sector are projected to rise by 60 percent by 2030—the same time period over which strong and rapid reductions are needed.
“Failure to implement animal to plant protein shifts increases the risk of exceeding temperature goals and requires additional, and unrealistic, greenhouse gas reductions from other sectors.”
Recent evidence shows, in comparison with the current food system, switching from animals to plants proteins, could potentially feed an additional 350 million people in the US alone.
https://phys.org/news/2018-11-urgent-meat-dairy-consumption-climate.html
“I’ve seen it, I’ve read some of it, and it’s fine,” the president told reporters at the White House. Asked about severe economic impacts, he said, “I don’t believe it….Right now, we’re at the cleanest we’ve ever been and it’s very important to me,” Trump said. “But if we’re clean but every other place on Earth is dirty, that’s not so good.”
Does CCS work? It is not good news.
Britain is likely to experience hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters by the 2070s, as well as rising sea levels which can lead to floods, due to the effects of climate change, long-term projections by the Met Office show, in the first major update on Britain’s climate projections since 2009.
Even in the lowest-emission scenario, average annual temperatures are expected to be up to 2.3 degrees Celsius
In the highest-emissions scenario, summer temperatures could be up to 5.4C higher by 2070 and winters up to 4.2C higher.
The report said average summer rainfall could fall by up to 47 percent by 2070 and winter rainfall could be up to 35 percent lower in winter.
Meanwhile, sea levels could rise by up to 1.15 metres (3.77 ft) by 2100, which increases the risk of flooding.
“Sea levels are projected to rise over the 21st century and beyond under all emission scenarios – meaning we can expect to see an increase in both the frequency and magnitude of extreme water levels around the UK coastline,” the Met Office said in a statement.
Britain has already reduced emissions by more than 40 percent since 1990, the projections show a future Britain could face without further action.
How do the temperatures and rainfall equate to growing seasons and choice of crops? I have no idea but surely somewhere there will be an estimate.
The Environment Agency is preparing for 4C of warming in planning the UK’s flood defences, though the Paris agreement aims to limit warming to no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels.
Solar Radiation Management/Stratospheric Aerosol Injection geo-engineering
“Geoengineering perpetuates the false belief that today’s unjust, ecologically and socially devastating industrial model of production and consumption cannot be changed and that we, therefore, need techno-fixes to tame its effects.” – Hands Off Mother Earth.
There is also CCS, BECCS, DAC, ice-thickening.
Who decides what technologies are necessary, who controls them and who profits?
Good news for the beef-eaters
http://inthesetimes.com/article/21534/cows-beef-climate-change-carbon-soil-grass-fed
Bad news for the beef-eaters
http://inthesetimes.com/article/21538/beef-myth-meat-industry-ecological-disaster
An interesting article
https://www.alternet.org/why-people-believe-conspiracy-theories-and-how-change-their-minds
Are there any lessons for us in correcting deeply entrenched misconceptions?
Britain’s Drax has started a pilot project to capture and store carbon dioxide emissions at its biomass plant, the first of its kind in Europe.
Drax said the CO2 will initially be stored on site but that eventually it will seek to find a use for the gas, such as in the drinks industry which earlier this year was hit with a CO2 shortage. (hmmmm…?? drink our way out of climate change)
Yes, they are not as radical or revolutionary as they seem to think themselves. It was the same with Occupy, same with Reclaim the Streets and many more other expressions of discontent.
They may genuinely believe they are different and got the answers but they don’t.
There is no reason for us to debate this among ourselves – it is a taken.
What is up for discussion is how we reach out to this dissident protest group, how we contact and interact and begin to influence them.
They certainly won’t change their ideas unless they are questioned and challenged on them, in a comradely fraternally fashion, in a non-adversarial manner.
That means talking and communicating and ensuring that they are hearing us and listening to us, as much as we are heeding their views on how to demonstrate and raise awareness.
I already suggested a friendly forum discussion meeting with experienced environment speakers, GlenM and BrianG, if available.
I’m not in London or the UK , i am not on Twitter or Facebook, but i do now blog on the environment. But that is effectively ineffectual, a mere whisper in the deafening web chatter.
We require face-to-face meetings. We know from our history of outdoor speaking how important personal contact is in a successful way of attracting a deeper interest and most of all, gaining trust. Don’t think the Trots have not been on the fringes hoping for one of their “interventions” and i am sure the more political savvy among ER will be well aware of the threat and we should be careful we are not tarred with the same brush.
I leave it to you on the scene to choose and decide what is to be done – but one thing to be sure of – Don’t expect them to come looking for us because it ain’t going to happen.
Don’t let this be another opportunity that we let go by without even attempting to build a relationship with a potential audience.
Who says i am not the purveyor of good news.
<p class=”story-body__introduction”>South Korea has started to dismantle the country’s largest dog slaughterhouse. The Taepyeong-dong complex in Seongnam city, south of Seoul, will be cleared over two days and converted into a public park.</p>
About one million dogs are consumed every year and activists have sought to end the custom. Dog meat was once considered a delicacy in South Korea, but attitudes have changed in recent years.Korean Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) said in a statement. “It will open the door for more closures of dog meat slaughterhouses across the country, expediting the decline of the overall dog meat industry.”
The number of dog meat restaurants has also been falling in South Korea. Seoul once had 1,500 restaurants serving the dish, but this had dropped to about 700 by 2015.
More and more South Koreans are also choosing to keep dogs as pets – roughly one-fifth of the population.
Some videos to watch and some slogans to hear
Fifty Conservative MPs have called on Theresa May to adopt an ambitious target of cutting carbon emissions to net zero before 2050
The worms that have turned
Protests continue
An estimated 1,000 more demonstrators, many clad in black clothing, massed on the green in Parliament Square for what organisers labelled a “memorial service” to mourn the loss of life on the planet.
Many waved banners emblazoned with slogans including “System change, not climate change” and “Rebel for life” as they listened to speeches.
