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More Evidence Identifies China as The Source of Mysterious Ozone-Destroying Emissions
For years, a mystery puzzled environmental scientists. The world had banned the use of many ozone-depleting compounds in 2010. So why were global emission levels [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0106-2] [DX] still so high?
The picture started to clear up in June. That's when The New York Times published an investigation into the issue. China, the paper claimed, was to blame for these mystery emissions. Now it turns out the paper was probably right to point a finger.
In a paper [open, DOI: 10.1029/2018GL079500] [DX] published recently in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, an international team of researchers confirms that eastern China is the source of at least half of the 40,000 tonnes of carbon tetrachloride emissions currently entering the atmosphere each year. They figured this out using a combination of ground-based and airborne atmospheric concentration data from near the Korean peninsula.
Previously: Someone, Somewhere, is Making a Banned Chemical that Destroys the Ozone Layer
Illegal Chinese Refrigerator Factories Are Selling Banned CFCs
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Monday October 29 2018, @06:27PM (25 children)
Every time I read / hear someone raging against the USA's political machine and the USA's corporations that are killing the planet, I think about articles like this. Yes, the USA needs to take care of the environment and not restrict their citizens' fundamental rights. That doesn't mean the USA is the worst offender in either of those categories. The USA was founded with the freedom of its' citizens in the forefront. That's not a bad thing. In fact, the freedoms of various groups, that weren't explicitly written into the constitution have been fought over and won. What's more, is Texas, that hive of scum and villainy (Oil), is leading the nation in production of renewable energy. "The report noted that Texas generated more wind and solar energy than any other state, nearly all of which came from wind." https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/solar-wind-renewable-energy-record/ [nationalgeographic.com]
We do need to be vigilant, but can we at least stop spouting self-hatred of our nation?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 29 2018, @06:53PM (3 children)
I wonder how much is self-hatred vs foreign influence.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday October 29 2018, @07:40PM (2 children)
At some point foreign influence is self-propagating. Which makes things like "Fake News" (factually incorrect statements and/or propaganda from other countries targeting US citizens to promote their ideologies) on Facebook and the like very detrimental to our society. Netflix has to include a certain ratio of French films in order to do business in France, for that very reason. So the people of France don't become carbon copy clones of USA Citizens. Though, I can only assume, a person that only speaks french, would find subtitled English films to be an onerous task in the vast majority of films. I know I like watching quite a number of subtitled foreign films, but there's definitely something lost in the translation at times. Especially, when the words aren't the problem.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 29 2018, @08:35PM (1 child)
Yeah, I realize this as it becomes a fad. I've been on the internet since it was a government only thing - before it was called the internet, and also with BBSes and have noticed very sharp shifts in public opinion out of seemingly nowhere and have long wondered about this. Could be an eternal September thing, who knows? Would make a good archeology/history study someday.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @03:27AM
I'd agree with Eternal September, which I count as the transition from the Second Age to the Third Age. Opinions would shift as democratization increases during the early Third age, but as corporations begin to exert influence in the late Third Age, opinions shift again. We're starting to see the transition to the Fourth Age when deplatforming will be common on the clearnet, causing another shift in apparent public opinion. The defining characteristic of the Third Age is a parallel to the pattern of capitalism: an initial, flourishing democratization followed by stagnation into oligarchy. The defining characteristic of the Fourth Age is the split of the free internet to darknets.
Democratization will be absent during the Fourth Age. The clearnet will be tightly controlled by corporations (an end run around to the First Amendment in the USA), and the free internet will only be accessible to those who have the skill to do so, possibly at personal risk. During this time, it will be up to those of us who have that skill (and bravery) to facilitate communication among the working class (viz. the "deplorables" including left-wing views and the "alt-right").
(Score: 4, Informative) by shortscreen on Monday October 29 2018, @07:25PM (5 children)
The US is not the worst offender in some categories, in other ones it is the worst. People who live in the US and pay taxes in the US may be more concerned about bad things that are being perpetrated in or by the US.
Addressing one's own faults is more likely to accomplish something than is ignoring them while pointing at others, who are likely to respond by doing the same.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday October 29 2018, @07:46PM (4 children)
While pointing fingers won't necessarily help. Totally ignoring what other countries are doing won't help either. Raging against our own corporate entities won't help, if we're already doing quite a good job when compared to the rest of the world. It won't matter a whole lot globally, if the United States is the only nation that has strict environmental laws. It may mitigate a large number of things on our own soil, but anything that involves world climate will be just slightly less horrible.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 29 2018, @11:34PM (3 children)
But you're not doing a good job! USA is #2 largest greenhouse gas emitter of the 200 or so countries... And if you look at the emissions per capita USA is doing MUCH worse than e.g. China. Stats for example here. [wikipedia.org]
China also produces twice the amount and share of total renewable electricity than USA. Stats for example here. [wikipedia.org]
I mean it's good to be proud of your own achievements but at the same time you must not be blind to the same of others...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @12:29PM
Greenhouse gas?
Do you mean the most important greenhouse gas, water? Because I think you'll find that the Amazon river is the largest emission of water by a single country. Of course, that is not in vapor form and even if it was it would be dwarfed by the water vapor coming off the oceans.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 30 2018, @01:21PM (1 child)
What's bad about that job? The US doesn't emit a relatively high per capita greenhouse gases because it hates Mother Earth, but because it is doing valuable activities which happen to emit greenhouse gases in the course of the activity.
I find it remarkable how would-be environmentalists can ignore the vast improvement in US pollution over the past half century and obsess over greenhouse gases. But then again, what would they do if these problems were actually considered fixed? Find a real problem?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @03:59PM
Well with Trump and Pruitt removing all the hard won protections id say there is good reason to worry.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Monday October 29 2018, @07:31PM (14 children)
Placing a stupid and hateful troll in the White House is the worst act of national self-hatred I've ever seen. If, that is, that's what the voters really chose. There are a lot of questions about possible Russian interference that are still largely uninvestigated. It's weird how all sorts of rules that used to matter, such as the emoluments clause, now no longer matter.
I understand many voters hoped to shake things up, hoped the ultimate result would be a better nation, and didn't trust Hillary not to continue the status quo of gradually destroying the middle class. But voting for a troll is a hell of a way to go about it.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 29 2018, @07:48PM (5 children)
Working out pretty good so far.
Strong economy means more people can afford to buy their preference, this benefits clean energy
Reduction of troop levels and military action in Syria, turning what President Obama said was a generational conflict into almost nothing
Things are going significantly better now with North Korea than they were in 2016
Europe is increasing its military spending to protect against possible Russian aggression
Stepped up our presence in the Pacific to protect Taiwan/Philippines/Vietnam/etc from Chinese expansion and annexation
New trade deal that benefits the United States and Mexico
You can tell thing aren't looking good for China when they have to run propaganda in US newspapers
If you check out the local newspapers in Taiwan/Vietnam/Japan/South Korea/Anywhere that isn't the west they are pretty pleased with him.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @12:50AM (1 child)
You forget the best: no oreo in the White House.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @03:03AM
What??!! You're telling me that we're paying for Trump to have special all-white Oreos made for him? Quick call the congressional budget office.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @01:01AM (1 child)
Wonder how far the Dow will tumble down tomorrow.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @03:03AM
Me to. Where is the "Prophetic" mod?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @11:12AM
Holy fuck man. Your seem to have a beautiful summary of Fox News propaganda. Goebbels would be proud.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Freeman on Monday October 29 2018, @07:54PM (1 child)
What the Democrats failed to realize, is how toxic Hillary Clinton has become politically. Yes, she was / is a powerful female politician. I have no doubt, she could do the job, I just don't trust her to do the job. Even less so than Trump. Which is saying a whole lot in and of itself. Sure, there are some people who thought he was a great candidate and she was the devil. What the far right wing and the far left wing fail to understand is this. Both Candidates Sucked. They just each sucked less in their own way. I think the biggest thing Trump had going for him, is that he was fairly new to the political scene. Opposed to Hillary who had decades to poison her own voting pool. Then there was the shenanigans with Sanders.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Pav on Wednesday October 31 2018, @05:03AM
More and more people (language warning) have this take [youtube.com].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 29 2018, @08:56PM (1 child)
a little rebellion now and then is a good thing
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 29 2018, @11:38PM
and you must destroy the
villagecountry to save it(Score: 1, Flamebait) by c0lo on Monday October 29 2018, @10:15PM (2 children)
Would you rate the placing of an intelligent but still hateful troll in the White House as less self-hatred?
(the question above is hypothetical, any resemblance with reality is purely coincidental)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Monday October 29 2018, @11:25PM (1 child)
Do you know the Anna Karenina principle?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday October 30 2018, @01:48AM
Interesting, I didn't know it has a name (otherwise it become obvious if one replaces "happiness" with "absolute optimum"; apart from degenerate cases - many choices with the same result/optimum value - there is a single combination of parameter values for which the absolute optimum is attained, all the other combination are sub-optimal in their own way)
My point though - the one which the modder seems to have missed in spite of my disclaimer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Tuesday October 30 2018, @02:09PM
Compared to putting Clinton in? Electing Trump was a standard protest vote. It's silly to portray that as national self-hatred.