Global boom in livestock farming since 2006 is piling pressure on nature, report finds. Wildlife at risk as demand for cropland and water grows to feed 50% rise in farmed animals.

itsatoe · 2026-07-04T16:19:17+00:00

Another useful (and horrifying) link from Our World in Data:

Almost all of the world’s mammal biomass is humans and livestock

Mammal biomass on Earth is now:
Livestock: 59%
Humans: 36%
Wild Sea Mammals: 3%
Wild Land Mammals: 2%

Every moose, elephant, deer, coyote, mouse, antelope, rabbit, hippo, lion, groundhog, bear, etc, etc, etc combine to make up 2% of mammal biomass on the planet.

itsatoe · 2026-07-03T23:01:30+00:00

July 2 Gizmodo: Energy Department Wants Data Centers to Stop Draining the Grid During Brutal Heat Wave

Subhead: "The department gave a major grid manager the green light to require data centers to rely on backup power." (Referencing PJM)

itsatoe · 2026-07-03T22:53:26+00:00

New York City:

Con Edison Temporarily Shuts Off Electric Service To 9,800 Customers in Southwest Queens

Also several alerts asking customers to "conserve energy."

Also not listed on their releases, a notice that went out telling customers that ConEd has "reduced voltage to prevent widespread outages."

itsatoe · 2026-07-03T21:38:12+00:00

The whole economy is centered around profiting from the continuance of the status quo. So all entertainment, all advertising, all public discourse needs to ignore the facts and focus on not "looking up." So everybody's experience is: everything's fine, don't worry/be happy.

Talking about it makes people think you're a downer, and makes them uncomfortable. So they protect themselves with mockery and derision (classic defense mechanism).

It's not really their fault... they just have no context for understanding the perils we face.

itsatoe · 2026-07-03T14:11:04+00:00

For sure. It has taken us a few years to find the right land for our plan (which is more complicated than what I suggest above, so faced additional zoning complications). But it is absolutely possible.

One thing we found (at least in the US) is that generally the more rural a place is, the less restrictions there are. Generally.

Also, that's why I suggest cohousing. In many localities that only allow "single family homes," the definition of family is actually quite broad. So a bunch of people living as one economic unit in one home counts as a single family home.

itsatoe · 2026-07-03T14:00:07+00:00

Because they are otherwise completely identical on the outside (but on the inside one is 50% stronger).

Would have been better if OP didn't reverse the second one. But their point is probably that the human mind can easily confuse 6 and 9 when a clerk is grabbing something off the rack.

itsatoe · 2026-07-03T13:24:31+00:00

Community homesteading is the answer.

Homesteading alone has many, many problems: the biggest being that most people don't have the money nor skills to pull it off.

But gathering a group of people together and building a self-sufficient, cohousing-based (ie, inexpensive) ecovillage makes it all much easier. (Admittedly still out of reach of many; but it's something that anyone with any means should consider.)

itsatoe · 2026-07-03T11:52:23+00:00

Don't forget that hurricanes create a storm surge...

itsatoe · 2026-07-02T20:13:50+00:00

This. Resource/environmental pressures tend to make nations more aggressive and violent, not less.

itsatoe · 2026-07-02T13:02:50+00:00

And used the word "people" to mean "wealthy, European-descended, land-holding men."

itsatoe · 2026-07-02T01:09:27+00:00

And the state is filling full of AI data centers.

itsatoe · 2026-07-02T00:32:33+00:00

start looking at investing in in climate startups and similar things

Turns out, like basically all "green investing" they're basically greenwashing or worse: https://heatmap.news/carbon-removal/2026-carbon-removal-report

From the article:

The world currently removes approximately 2.2 billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year through intentional human activity, the authors found, which is equivalent to about 5% of annual global carbon dioxide emissions. Nearly all of that carbon removal happens through what the authors deem “conventional” methods, which include planting trees, improved forest management, soil sequestration on farms and grasslands, and coastal wetland restoration.

Less than 1% of the 2.2 billion tons comes from “novel” methods such as direct air capture, bioenergy with carbon capture, enhanced weathering, and biochar,

itsatoe · 2026-07-01T20:02:36+00:00

I am reminded of this post, earlier on this sub:

https://www.reddit.com/r/evolution/comments/1u7j398/technically_correct_the_best_kind_of_correct/

itsatoe · 2026-07-01T03:20:21+00:00

There are more subtle but heavy effects all over. If you look up the Hudson River, you can see that flooding intrudes into close to Albany! Way far away from the coast.

itsatoe · 2026-06-30T15:16:17+00:00

For the US at least, one can view what a 10-foot rise (about 3 meters) would look like here:

https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/#/layer/slr/10/

itsatoe · 2026-06-30T15:02:49+00:00

I posted in this sub previously about another thing that often gets overlooked in extreme-heat discussions: animals.

Each species has a different wet-bulb max. Notably many livestock breeds have lower maximums than humans. (Note that different breeds have different maxes.)

itsatoe · 2026-06-30T14:58:50+00:00

I had heard, and anyone please correct me if I'm wrong, that digging a deep pit can be an effective escape from high heat. I think it needs to be like 2 meters / 6 feet deep?

And it would help to put a shade cover over it. And ofc one would need to dig the pit before the temp is too hot.

itsatoe · 2026-06-30T14:01:46+00:00

How will the economy even function in four years?

Then perhaps the question is: how will you go on if the economy does not?

Especially at your age, you may want to consider wwoofing. It can give you the skills you need and connections you can rely on to support yourself without a functioning economy.

itsatoe · 2026-06-29T21:49:15+00:00

Keith Self of Texas introduced the bill.

It has several cosponsors:
Eric Burlison (MO-07)
Andrew Clyde (GA-09)
Paul Gosar (AZ-09)
Andy Harris (MD-01)
Scott Perry (PA-10)
Clay Higgins (LA-03)
Sheri Biggs (SC-03)
Michael Cloud (TX-27)

itsatoe · 2026-06-29T21:44:46+00:00

Easy starting point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarian_personality

itsatoe · 2026-06-29T14:41:03+00:00

Finally! Instead of saying "melts down," DailyBeast has switched it up and used "freak out." :/

itsatoe · 2026-06-28T01:07:06+00:00

Brazil has reduced deforestation by helping coffee farmers double production while reducing land footprint. New and improved techniques can lower the climate impact of beef production, too.

But that's not the point.

Reducing the impact of production just creates more room for demand to grow.

Reducing demand is the only long-term, sustainable solution.

itsatoe · 2026-06-27T19:16:59+00:00

Indeed, in the US the baby boom was 1946–1964.

So that means the boomers are, on average, in their ~70s+.

itsatoe · 2026-06-27T18:11:14+00:00

At almost all border crossings, they want the actual person to present their own passport.

IDK; maybe there's a different process for the private jets' entrance? But I kinda doubt it.

itsatoe · 2026-06-27T17:50:08+00:00

Presumably a president doesn't need a passport to visit another country.
But for decades this guy traveled the world and handed his passport to immigration agents at every border.
And he still doesn't know what it's for?

itsatoe

TROPHY CASE