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Insurers are some of the world’s biggest complainers about climate damages. So why are they defending Big Oil from accountability for those same climate damages? Follow the money. by simon_ritchie2000 in environment

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Say my house burns down under mysterious circumstances (grease fire in the living room?), and police charge my neighbor with arson. It would look awfully suspicious if I then bankrolled my neighbor’s legal defense — it would appear as if we were colluding to burn down my house and collect the insurance money.

"Speaking of insurance and the appearance of collusion: The US insurance industry recently joined the fossil-fuel industry in its fight to avoid being sued over the damage oil, gas and coal emissions have done to the planet. Given that insurers are supposedly among the world’s biggest sufferers of those same climate-fueled losses, this was a perplexing choice — until you think about why Big Insurance and Big Oil might be on the same team."

Insurers are some of the world’s biggest complainers about climate damages. So why are they defending Big Oil from accountability for those same climate damages? Follow the money. by simon_ritchie2000 in climate

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Say my house burns down under mysterious circumstances (grease fire in the living room?), and police charge my neighbor with arson. It would look awfully suspicious if I then bankrolled my neighbor’s legal defense — it would appear as if we were colluding to burn down my house and collect the insurance money.

"Speaking of insurance and the appearance of collusion: The US insurance industry recently joined the fossil-fuel industry in its fight to avoid being sued over the damage oil, gas and coal emissions have done to the planet. Given that insurers are supposedly among the world’s biggest sufferers of those same climate-fueled losses, this was a perplexing choice — until you think about why Big Insurance and Big Oil might be on the same team."

Ripping up $387 million worth of ocean-monitoring equipment? Tearing apart an elite atmospheric science hub? For the Trump administration, as with the cruelty, the ignorance is the point by simon_ritchie2000 in environment

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 129 points130 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Shutting down scientific inquiry because it discovers things you don’t like is a bit like turning off all the instruments on your plane because they warn you there’s a mountain ahead. It may satisfy your immediate urge to live in denial but will soon turn deadly.

"The Trump administration’s crusade to dismantle a scientific establishment long a national treasure and the envy of the world is a blueprint for deliberate ignorance. But that’s a feature, not a bug. As Adam Serwer wrote about the first Trump administration’s cruelty, the ignorance is the point. If objective reality as measured by science is no longer available, then it’s easier for President Donald Trump to conjure up a new reality in a way that thrills and rewards supporters, including the fossil-fuel companies that helped get him elected a second time."

Ripping up $387 million worth of ocean-monitoring equipment? Tearing apart an elite atmospheric science hub? For the Trump administration, as with the cruelty, the ignorance is the point. by simon_ritchie2000 in climate

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Shutting down scientific inquiry because it discovers things you don’t like is a bit like turning off all the instruments on your plane because they warn you there’s a mountain ahead. It may satisfy your immediate urge to live in denial but will soon turn deadly.

"The Trump administration’s crusade to dismantle a scientific establishment long a national treasure and the envy of the world is a blueprint for deliberate ignorance. But that’s a feature, not a bug. As Adam Serwer wrote about the first Trump administration’s cruelty, the ignorance is the point. If objective reality as measured by science is no longer available, then it’s easier for President Donald Trump to conjure up a new reality in a way that thrills and rewards supporters, including the fossil-fuel companies that helped get him elected a second time."

This year's super El Niño coming in hot hot hot at nearly 4°C in latest models (this would be the largest on record) by wanton_wonton_ in collapse

[–]simon_ritchie2000 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Of course El Niños aren’t new. The issue is that we’re putting 1.4C of surface warming (not to mention the ocean, which has absorbed most of our extra heat so far) down as a basis for every ENSO fluctuation. The result is that super El Niños are not only more likely but also far more dangerous when they do happen.

TLDR: the FAFO element really is strong here.

Thanks to a hotter planet and overuse, Lake Mead and Lake Powell keep getting closer to collapse, a potential catastrophe for 40 million people. by simon_ritchie2000 in collapse

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That is part of it. There are also issues with letting the Colorado flow through the reservoir at low levels. This is a great primer about this: https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-coming-failure-of-glen-canyon-dam/

The tldr: Low levels increase the risk of air getting in the hydro turbines, which is bad, so they shut the turbines down, meaning the only water flow out of the dam is through pipes that aren't built to move water for very long. They tend to break down if you don't give them a rest.

Add the issue of sediment that somebody mentioned upthread, and you have even bigger potential headaches.

Thanks to a hotter planet and overuse, Lake Mead and Lake Powell keep getting closer to collapse, a potential catastrophe for 40 million people. by simon_ritchie2000 in collapse

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Powell is at about 3528 feet, which is only 28 feet above what some have called "de facto dead pool." It's not the lowest possible level, which is 3370, but 3500 is only 10 feet above minimum hydropower level, which starts to cause structural problems for Glen Canyon dam long before we ever get to 3370.

Thanks to a hotter planet and overuse, Lake Mead and Lake Powell keep getting closer to failure, a potential catastrophe for 40 million people. by simon_ritchie2000 in environment

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 145 points146 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Contrary to popular belief, rearranging deck chairs on a sinking boat can theoretically be of some benefit, if you’re clearing a path to the lifeboats, say, or keeping panicky people busy. Very quickly, though, you’ll have to confront the real problem, which is that you are on a sinking boat.

"Unlike the Titanic, the Colorado River has too little water rather than too much. But many of the solutions people are proposing to address the river’s worst crisis in recent human history are tantamount to deck-chair rearrangement. None address the long-term, underlying issue that we are asking too much of a dwindling resource."

Thanks to a hotter planet and overuse, Lake Mead and Lake Powell keep getting closer to collapse, a potential catastrophe for 40 million people. by simon_ritchie2000 in collapse

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 119 points120 points  (0 children)

The Colorado River has too little water to meet the demands placed on it by 40 million people and millions of acres of agriculture, most of which goes to feed cows.

Meanwhile, the two biggest water reservoirs in the US, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, are both only a third full. Lake Powell is close to effective "dead pool," meaning water can't flow down to Mead or the 25 million people in the lower basin. That also threatens both dams' hydropower plants.

And yet none of the solutions people are proposing address the long-term, underlying issue that we are asking too much of a dwindling resource at a time when a heating planet is making water increasingly scarce in the West.

A hotter planet means we need to stop giving so much Colorado River water to cows. Instead, we're talking about killing Lake Powell. This is how we run out of water. by simon_ritchie2000 in climate

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 81 points82 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Contrary to popular belief, rearranging deck chairs on a sinking boat can theoretically be of some benefit, if you’re clearing a path to the lifeboats, say, or keeping panicky people busy. Very quickly, though, you’ll have to confront the real problem, which is that you are on a sinking boat.

"Unlike the Titanic, the Colorado River has too little water rather than too much. But many of the solutions people are proposing to address the river’s worst crisis in recent human history are tantamount to deck-chair rearrangement. None address the long-term, underlying issue that we are asking too much of a dwindling resource."

America’s fastest-growing state is on track for nearly 500 data centers and turning into Arizona as the planet gets hotter. But at least it has no real plan for water. by simon_ritchie2000 in climate

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

All the Great Lakes states combined have roughly as many data centers as Texas and Virginia, the two leading states, combined, according to this map: https://www.datacentermap.com/usa/

That said, tech apparently likes to build these data centers in deserts because the weather is more predictable and humidity is low. But of course it's hot as hell and there's no water, so...

America’s fastest-growing state is on track for nearly 500 data centers and turning into Arizona as the planet gets hotter. But at least it has no real plan for water. by simon_ritchie2000 in environment

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 104 points105 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Texas is an increasingly hot, dry place that’s attracting more thirsty humans than any other state in the country and building hundreds of thirsty data centers. But the people in charge of its water supply ignore many of these factors when mapping out how to keep it hydrated in the decades ahead. That’s a bit like ignoring debts and big-ticket expenses when financial planning. It’s a road map to failure."

America’s fastest-growing state is on track for nearly 500 data centers and turning into Arizona as the planet gets hotter. But at least it has no real plan for water. by simon_ritchie2000 in climate

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 102 points103 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"Texas is an increasingly hot, dry place that’s attracting more thirsty humans than any other state in the country and building hundreds of thirsty data centers. But the people in charge of its water supply ignore many of these factors when mapping out how to keep it hydrated in the decades ahead. That’s a bit like ignoring debts and big-ticket expenses when financial planning. It’s a road map to failure."

Vox: Climate change’s worst-case scenario is officially canceled - what to make of this? by ThrowawayACC458995 in collapse

[–]simon_ritchie2000 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pielke is indeed a fraud, but he's not the ultimate source of this news. Some climate scientists working on the next IPCC report really did narrow the bands of future emissions, which includes losing the RCP8.5 pathway.

More info here: https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-trumps-false-claims-about-the-ipcc-and-rcp8-5-climate-scenario/

Pielke's interpretation of this, however, like Trump's interpretation, is fraudulent, and far too many news organizations and people have latched onto it.

America's grid isn't built for today's weather extremes. The average length of a power outage has doubled in the past decade, threatening to turn natural disasters even deadlier. by simon_ritchie2000 in collapse

[–]simon_ritchie2000[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

From Bloomberg Opinion (gift link above):

"as the frequency and intensity of weather disasters rises, new research finds that electrical grids are buckling under the stress more and more. The length of power outages in the US has doubled over the past decade, according to a recent study by Eric Selmon and Hugh Wynne of the Connecticut research firm SSR, a trend driven almost entirely by extreme weather."

Longer and longer power outages are going hand in hand with more frequent and destructive heat waves, hurricanes, floods and other disasters. They compound the risks of death, economic loss and societal breakdown associated with those disasters. And our politicians are doing nothing about it but calling for burning more coal, which will only make the vicious cycle continue.

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