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Jordan Peterson says what’s wrong with Western climate campaign
19 Nov, 2021 15:14
Controversial psychologist and author Jordan Peterson claimed Western countries had no “moral right” to force developing nations to reduce pollution output, noting instead that improving their economies was key.
During an appearance on the BBC’s ‘Question Time’ show on Thursday, the Canadian professor noted that the focus of climate change policies should be on incentivizing the development of cheap energy in poorer polluter countries.
“The best long term solution is to try to make developing countries as rich as possible, and the best way to do that is not control their pollution output, but to help them develop the cheapest energy they can possibly manage as fast as they possibly can,” Peterson said.
The debate saw UK undersecretary for employment Mims Davies suggest that measures taken to tackle climate change should not come at the “expense of developing countries.” But Peterson countered that it “absolutely, 100% will be [at their expense].”
I don’t think we have any moral right in the West at all to do that.
He also criticized the recent COP26 climate change conference for failing to explore ideas on how best to improve national economies in the developing world, noting that he saw “very little of that sort of idea” coming out of the UN summit.
In the final hours of the two-week conference, China and India had intervened to soften the wording around the use of coal in the Glasgow Pact. The two countries demanded a change in the final text of the agreement that called for coal to be phased out, revising this to “phasing down unabated coal.”
The move prompted COP26 president and UK minister Alok Sharma to declare that China and India would have to “justify” their actions to countries that were more vulnerable to global warming effects. However, officials in both Beijing and New Delhi have countered that the criticism was unfair.
Peterson is not the first to make this observation, but the idea hasn't really caught on yet, probably because nobody has figured out a way to make money from it.
Another observation Peterson could have made was the relentless, hyperbolic messaging of governments and media about climate change that is causing extraordinary levels of anxiety among teenagers. This will result in horrendous damage to a whole generation, far worse than climate change itself ever could.
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Wind power becoming too cheap to support itself
27 Nov, 2021 15:29
Major efforts to bring down the cost of generating wind power should be restrained, the head of a turbine-making major has warned, citing the industry’s limited ability to continue investing in new technologies and enterprises.
The cost of wind power has recently dropped to levels that allow a challenge to such fossil fuels as coal and natural gas, thanks to an enormous investment boom in green energy.
“What we’ve clearly achieved is that wind power is now cheaper than anything else. But I believe we shouldn’t make it too cheap,” Siemens Gamesa’s Chief Executive Andreas Nauen said as quoted by Reuters.
In Europe, wind and solar are reportedly significantly cheaper than coal, natural gas and nuclear power. Driven by the green transition aimed at addressing climate change, demand for wind turbines is at a record high. However, lower prices and increased competition have seen producers’ margins squeezed.
“We have probably driven it too far,” Nauen said, stressing that the sector wouldn’t be able to invest in innovations if the drive to cut the cost wind power continues at the same rate.
Rising costs stemming from the global supply crunch and high prices for such raw material as steel are also eroding the operating margins of turbine makers.
Earlier, Siemens Gamesa, one of the world’s largest suppliers of wind energy technology, as well as its major rival Vestas, warned they have been able to pass on to customers a part of these higher costs, which is likely to be reflected in higher auction prices and power purchase agreements over time.
Governments around the world have been phasing out generous wind subsidies, opting for more competitive contract tenders, and favoring project developers that submit the lowest bids.
“We need to change auction systems in the future,” the top manager said, suggesting that criteria such as local job creation should be considered instead of focusing only on price.
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Shift to EVs could cost half a million European jobs
6 Dec, 2021 15:33
A new study by the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) has found that half a million jobs could be lost in the EU by 2040 with the ban on combustion-engine cars and transition to electric vehicles.
The survey, which was conducted by PwC, showed that more than two-thirds of those jobs could disappear in the period of 2030-2035, making it difficult to mitigate the “social and economic impacts” caused by mass unemployment.
The report, however, also said that 226,000 new jobs would be created in the manufacturing of electric parts, reducing the net number of job losses to approximately 275,000 over the next couple of decades.
According to data by the industry trade group, the automotive manufacturing sector is responsible for more than 5% of the overall manufacturing employment in 13 EU Member States, with more than 60% of those workers employed by automotive suppliers.
“Society’s needs are far too diverse for a one-fits-all approach,” said CLEPA’s Secretary General, Sigrid de Vries. He added that “the use of hybrid technologies, green hydrogen and renewable sustainable fuels will enable innovation as we redefine mobility in the coming decades.”
CLEPA’s report comes as earlier this year the European Commission announced plans to eliminate 100% of CO2 emissions from new cars by 2035. The policy effectively bans the sale of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles after that date.
Even trucks, trains and ships? Seriously?
Scientists reveal purpose of giant monolith in Australia, and it’s grim
6 Dec, 2021 15:15
Researchers are constructing a ‘black box’ in Australia, a device that they say is meant to survive climate change disasters and warn future survivors about humanity’s mistakes.
Described as a “tool,” the monolith is being “built to outlive us all” and will be constructed in a remote location on the island of Tasmania, Australian scientists told ABC News.
The box, being constructed by the University of Tasmania researchers and other collaborators, will not actually be ready until the middle of next year, but it’s already begun collecting data. The box’s storage drives, powered by solar panels with backup battery power, wirelessly collect specific measurements, such as land and sea temperatures, CO2 levels, and human energy consumption. Its hard drives also collect and contextualize headlines around major world events, such as the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow. The 10-by-4-meter steel monolith will be placed between the towns of Strahan and Queenstown.
According to a website set up for the black box, the creators expect human civilization to “crash” without dramatic changes introduced, and this box will “record every step we take towards this catastrophe.” The website also gives people a glimpse at some of the raw climate-related data being recorded by the device.
At the moment, researchers say the hard drives can store data for 30 to 50 years, but they are working on a compression system that would allow it to collect information for much longer. At the moment, however, some believe the box’s promise of collecting climate-related data with the intent of documenting our destruction could make a difference in the present.
“When people know they’re being recorded, it does have an influence on what they do and say,” Jonathan Kneebone, another collaborator on the project, told ABC.
As the project’s website informs us, the box ensures one thing is true in the climate crisis: “Your actions, inactions, and interactions are now being recorded.”
Interesting project! One major problem is that is doesn't, in any way, account for God. As I believe Jesus will return in about 10 years, the box will completely miss this event. But then, God gave us a black box 1600 years ago when the Bible was canonized. It accounts for the distant past, the present, and the future, both near and distant.
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