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We've Already Built too Many Power Plants and Cars to Prevent 1.5 °C of Warming:
In a [...] paper published in Nature today[*], researchers found we're now likely to sail well past 1.5 ˚C of warming, the aspirational limit set by the Paris climate accords, even if we don't build a single additional power plant, factory, vehicle, or home appliance. Moreover, if these components of the existing energy system operate for as long as they have historically, and we build all the new power facilities already planned, they'll emit about two thirds of the carbon dioxide necessary to crank up global temperatures by 2 ˚C.
If fractions of a degree don't sound that dramatic, consider that 1.5 ˚C of warming could already be enough to expose 14% of the global population to bouts of severe heat, melt nearly 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers) of Arctic permafrost, and destroy more than 70% of the world's coral reefs. The hop from there to 2 ˚C may subject nearly three times as many people to heat waves, thaw nearly 40% more permafrost, and all but wipe out coral reefs, among other devastating effects, research finds.
The basic conclusion here is, in some ways, striking. We've already built a system that will propel the planet into the dangerous terrain that scientists have warned for decades we must avoid. This means that building lots of renewables and adding lots of green jobs, the focus of much of the policy debate over climate, isn't going to get the job done.
We now have to ask a much harder societal question: How do we begin forcing major and expensive portions of existing energy infrastructure to shut down years, if not decades, before the end of its useful economic life?
Power plants can cost billions of dollars and operate for half a century. Yet the study notes that the average age of coal plants in China and India—two of the major drivers of the increase in "committed emissions" since the earlier paper—is about 11 and 12 years, respectively.
[*] Monday.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by digitalaudiorock on Wednesday July 03 2019, @07:05PM (4 children)
Another huge culprit is home air conditioning. Actually our central air gave out almost three years ago...we're actually due for a new furnace and AC...just haven't gotten around to it. I have to say though this is the third year we've gone without it (New Jersey) and there have only been a few times I missed it much.
What blows me away is that there are a lot of people who literally cool their homes in the summer down to a temperature that's actually lower then the temperature the heat it to in the winter! I mean FFS...adapt to the climate a little. At one job I had years ago I almost needed fucking gloves to code in the middle of August due to that bullshit. I mean come on.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 03 2019, @10:46PM (2 children)
And this is a feedback loop: climate gets hotter -> people use more air conditioning which causes more greenhouse gasses -> climate gets hotter
(Score: 2) by fyngyrz on Thursday July 04 2019, @09:13PM (1 child)
That loop is dependent upon one particular toxic link: power generation that generates those greenhouse gasses. Typically other types of pollution as well.
Many types of power generation do not do that. Those are the ones we should be developing in order to replace the toxic power generation systems. That will break the loop.
The trick here is to convince the government and the public that this really needs to be done as in, "this is a fucking emergency, get after it."
I wouldn't get anyone's hopes up, though. I think the stupid is far too deeply rooted.
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Fibonacci: it's as easy as 1, 1, 2, 3
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday July 05 2019, @09:18AM
So when will you try evidence? If the situation really is as dire as claimed, then there's evidence for that.
(Score: 2) by canopic jug on Thursday July 04 2019, @03:10AM
What blows me away is that there are a lot of people who literally cool their homes in the summer down to a temperature that's actually lower then the temperature the heat it to in the winter!
I've seen a lot of that in some places. It has also been going on for a very long time. I remember learning to pack winter clothes for certain buildings during the summer in the US. The height of the wastefulness was that many of the younger women were running space heaters under their desks at the same time instead of just adding winter clothes when indoors during the summers.
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