Climate Change: Post up your Phd. dissertation, coward

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Climate Change: Post up your Phd. dissertation, coward

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eNeMeE: Nov 26, 2012

shrike82 posted:

Kinda surprised how muted government employees in climate change or environmental related agencies have been. At this point, working for the Trump administration should be seen as being a collaborationist.

If they say anything they can almost certainly be fired for cause.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 06:18

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# ? May 15, 2024 06:36

Taffer: Oct 15, 2010

qkkl posted:

I'd be careful when attending those scientists march rallies. If you get arrested you could get put on a blacklist that would make it very hard to find employment in your field.

If marching in favor of science disbars people from finding employment in science fields, we've got bigger things to worry about.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 06:22

Mukaikubo: Mar 14, 2006; "You treat her like a lady... and she'll always bring you home."

Taffer posted:

If marching in favor of science disbars people from finding employment in science fields, we've got bigger things to worry about.

Well, that's the problem, isn't it? We would have bigger problems, but they who get fired and blacklisted and can't get a job, might not. :v:

# ? Jan 27, 2017 13:16

Forever_Peace: May 7, 2007; Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah

Mukaikubo posted:

Well, that's the problem, isn't it? We would have bigger problems, but they who get fired and blacklisted and can't get a job, might not.

State research subsumed into the propaganda operation of an autocrat is a bigger problem for me too. I have close collaborators in Turkey - I've seen how this ends if we don't fight.

If you are a scientist or care about science, you owe it to yourself to understand what happened in Turkey last year.

Turkey sacks 15,000 education workers in purge

quote:

Turkey has escalated its purge of government officials in the aftermath of the failed coup, with about 35,000 public servants affected by the end of the day despite a government spokesman insisting that the crackdown was being carried out in accordance with the rule of law.

In the latest developments on Tuesday, the government fired more than 15,000 employees at the education ministry, sacked 257 officials at the prime minister�s office and 492 clerics at the directorate for religious affairs. Additionally, more than 1,500 university deans were asked to resign.

It followed the firing of nearly 8,800 policemen, and the arrests of 6,000 soldiers, 2,700 judges and prosecutors, dozens of governors, and more than 100 generals � or just under one-third of the general corps. Some 20 news websites critical of the government have also been blocked.

Turkey purges universities after failed coup

quote:

At an emergency meeting of 165 university rectors on 18 July in Ankara, Y�K had told university rectors to identify academics and administrators with connections to the G�len movement � a religious and social organization that Erdoğan considers to be behind the coup � and to take steps to expel them. Istanbul University immediately suspended 95 academics in various faculties. The council did not invite a further 28 rectors to that meeting, saying that their universities are suspected of being pro-G�lenist. Some of these institutions will be taken over by the state, Y�K said.

The Scale of Turkey�s PurgeIs Nearly Unprecedented

quote:

Only rarely in modern history has a leader detained and fired as many perceived adversaries as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has since a failed coup attempt last month. Here is how Mr. Erdogan�s vast purge would look if Americans were targeted at a similar scale.

Like revoking the licenses of every third teacher in private elementary and high schools across the United States.
In addition to the teachers suspended, the government intends to close more than 1,000 private schools it linked to Fethullah Gulen, a cleric who the government said was the mastermind of the coup attempt.

Like firing nearly every third employee of the U.S. Department of Education.
The officials who were fired from the Education Ministry had responsibilities that included appointing teachers and preparing curriculum. The evidence against them is unclear.

Like forcing all American university deans to resign.
Every university dean in Turkey was forced to resign without an explanation of who would replace them or whether they would be allowed to reapply for their jobs.

Purge in Turkey intensifies brain drain

quote:

The crackdown by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan since the failed putsch has seen more than 40,000 people detained, among them dozens of academics, and over 100,000 people ejected from state institutions. Some 2,350 academics were fired from a total of 93 universities.

Augmenting fears of political instability is a perception of a decreasing quality of education in Turkey. Some statements by influential people seem to denigrate the value of learning. One was the deputy rector of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Bulent Ari, in a television interview in March: �Those who will keep this country on its feet are those who did not get an education,� he said. �The most dangerous people in Turkey are the literates, professors and university graduates who draw Turkey into chaos.� Prof Ari later claimed that the recording was manipulated but resigned from his university post.

Mr Erdogan has clashed with academics in Turkey before. In January, the government rounded up and temporarily detained 27 university teachers who signed a petition criticising the government�s �deliberate massacre and deportation� of Turkey�s Kurds in the south-east of the country.

Opinion: Turkey�s Scientists Under Pressure

quote:

From 2012 to 2016, our team looked at the religious and political views of academic scientists in eight countries and regions, including Turkey. Our data collection included both a survey of 22,525 physicists and biologists and interviews with 609 of these scientists. The scientists were situated at elite and non-elite universities and research institutes and spanned all career stages. We received 9,422 completed responses for an overall response rate of 42 percent (as defined by the American Association for Public Opinion Research). All surveys and interviews were completed under conditions of complete confidentiality.

Our interviews with scientists revealed that Turkish academics feel increasing pressure from the government, and that political and religious conformity is valued at the expense of scientific progress. Turkish scientists were concerned that the vibrant Islamic sentiment in the country would prevent science from flourishing. One biologist told us that since the current government took office, �it�s going in this direction that when I give a lecture,� she said, �I have to think twice about saying something about evolution, for example.�

Scientists also said that funding decisions and appointments to the Turkish Academy involved favoritism toward certain religious groups and the suspension of a merit-based process. �There is more money being doled out to certain universities that are not strong but they have more associations with the religious leadership,� according to one biologist. �There were scientists who were good,� said another biologist, �but they had religious views that meant they were discriminated against.�

Based on our interviews, we have ascertained that Turkish scientists feel political and religious conformity with the government is too highly valued under the current regime.

This doesn't even touch upon the other aspects for a free society I'd lose under an authoritarian (it gets worse than people think). This is just what at stake for me personally, directly, in my field.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 14:04

cowofwar: Jul 30, 2002; by Athanatos

Turkey is a garbage genocide-denying country but hopefully the US doesn't take inspiration.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 14:43

Forever_Peace: May 7, 2007; Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah

cowofwar posted:

Turkey is a garbage genocide-denying country but hopefully the US doesn't take inspiration.

Professor of Political Science at Columbia who grew up in Turkey thinks that we are

quote:

It can happen here
Over the past decade, I, along with millions of my compatriots, watched an illiberal populist leader commandeer every lever of power in my country of origin, Turkey, by systematically dismantling constitutional safeguards and intimidating society into submission. Having secured less than half of the popular vote in successive elections, Erdoğan proceeded to jail journalists, activists, judges, prosecutors, generals, and members of parliament. To stay in power, he has reignited a dormant civil conflict, stoked ultranationalist violence, allowed extremist movements to flourish, orchestrated military incursions into two neighboring countries, and shredded the rule of law. In hindsight, the signs of his authoritarian intentions were there all along; many of us just didn�t think the republic would succumb so easily.
...
Expect the worst
Don�t look for ways to soothe your sense of alarm, or assume that a Trump presidency might turn out less harmful than he has so far indicated. Autocrats almost always turn out worse than they seem before coming to power. A presidential candidate who has uncontrollable fits of rage over perceived slights from a former beauty queen is likely to use every resource available to him to hound his enemies. In the United States, those powers are formidable indeed, ranging from a nuclear arsenal to the boundless surveillance powers of the NSA.

Don�t expect the Republican establishment to rein him in, as few Republicans were courageous enough to disavow his candidacy even when he appeared to be losing the election. Now that he controls the most powerful office in the land, expect them to be fully servile.

Don�t count on the elaborate system of checks and balances instituted by the founders. James Madison�s ingenious machine was designed to withstand the mundane incompetence, greed, and short-sightedness of politicians, but it cannot weather the onslaught of an aspiring tyrant hell-bent on destroying it. Consider that the separation of powers, the primary mechanism Madison envisaged for holding tyranny at bay, is all but irrelevant while Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the presidency�particularly once they get their hands on key federal judicial appointments. All autocrats set about dismantling countervailing power structures, but with the inauspicious ideological alignment of all three branches of government, Trump won�t even have to try.

If you trust in freedom of expression to expose the autocratic machinations of a Trump administration, think again. It is no coincidence that Erdoğan and Trump are both litigious in the extreme, regularly using personal lawsuits to bludgeon their critics into quiescence. Autocrats understand that freedom of expression is fragile, and seek to stifle it by hook or by crook. The American free speech tradition is stronger than Russia�s or Turkey�s, but a hyper-sensitive, bullying White House press office could easily cow the media into favorable reporting. It does not take much for the deleterious chilling effect of such measures to take hold. Conservative �news� outlets already enjoy overwhelming dominance in the United States, and Trump�s singular genius is for manipulating the media. That, after all, is how he fueled the birther movement that in turn made him into a political force. Finally, he can also be expected, like Berlusconi, to create his own private media empire to shape the �truth� to which a large part of the electorate is exposed.
...
The experience of Russia and Turkey suggest that the only democratic, nonviolent practice capable of deterring the autocrats is the sight of endless crowds marching: vociferous, tenacious, disciplined citizens claiming ownership over their constitutional liberties and defending the integrity of their political institutions. Erdoğan was never so rattled as he was by the Gezi Park protests that quickly spread all over the country; Putin experienced the only real challenge to his regime during the street demonstrations of 2011 and 2012. In the short term, both movements failed to defang the authoritarian regimes they challenged, not because mass protests were the wrong strategy but because the brutal force commanded by a consolidated authoritarian regime makes it very difficult for such movements to succeed.

This is why it is essential to protest early and often. Citizens of consolidated democracies have absorbed a genteel lesson: if our side loses, we wait our turn until the next election. Under normal circumstances, the internalization of that lesson is essential to democracy�s stability. When those in power are poised to destroy constitutional safeguards, however, hanging on in quiet desperation until the next election can be fatal to democracy.

Instead, Americans must tap into their rich and proud tradition of civic resistance, whose highlights are the twentieth-century civil rights movement and protests against the Vietnam War. Civic action needs to begin now. We must claim public squares before Trump takes office, marching in droves and communicating a clear message that his brand of autocracy shall not pass.
...
Many Americans have still to discover that nothing boosts civic morale and solidarity like a massive public protest. The act of standing together in a public space and affirming our shared values and our respect for one another is a transformative experience, one that could release the still largely untapped political potential of millennials. In contrast to the Trump rallies in which racist, sexist, and Islamophobic obscenities were chanted by thousands, peaceful mass demonstrations are in order to enact the resilience of American democracy and the inclusive and affirmative ideals for which it stands. The vast majority of Americans who still affirm these ideals need just such an antidote, and they need it now.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 15:11

Acid Haze: Feb 16, 2009

Don't worry, everyone! Fusion energy will save us from all the bad things! :shepicide:

# ? Jan 27, 2017 15:34

got any sevens: Feb 9, 2013; by Cyrano4747

Acid Haze posted:

Don't worry, everyone! Fusion energy will save us from all the bad things!

With rectors haphazardly built after science is outlawed.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 15:53

Nice piece of fish: Jan 29, 2008; Ultra Carp

Forever_Peace posted:

Professor of Political Science at Columbia who grew up in Turkey thinks that we are

That is some very interesting reading. Mind crossposting that to the trump thread et.al.? I can't disagree with any of it.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 16:05

breadshaped: Apr 1, 2010; Soiled Meat

Europe can probably feed and house the eventual refugee mass migration from climate change but we will have to give up our lavish lifestyles, espresso k cups and sacrifice a lot of financial stability and hahah who am I kidding.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 16:09

Forever_Peace: May 7, 2007; Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah

Nice piece of fish posted:

That is some very interesting reading. Mind crossposting that to the trump thread et.al.? I can't disagree with any of it.

I got plenty more where that came from. What thread is appropriate for a deep dive into the Authoritarian risk of Trump? Link me and I'm there.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 16:16

A Buttery Pastry: Sep 4, 2011; Delicious and Informative!

Bedshaped posted:

Europe can probably feed and house the eventual refugee mass migration from climate change but we will have to give up our lavish lifestyles, espresso k cups and sacrifice a lot of financial stability and hahah who am I kidding.

I doubt we'll be able to, even if we wanted to, given that we'll likely see a significant loss in productivity for Europe as a whole. Adding a Europe's worth of refugees on top of that wouldn't exactly help.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 16:23

Oxxidation: Jul 22, 2007

Forever_Peace posted:

I got plenty more where that came from. What thread is appropriate for a deep dive into the Authoritarian risk of Trump? Link me and I'm there.

Throw a rock, half the Internet right now is about how much Trump's going to ream us.

This is the main contender on D&D, though:

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3797481&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

# ? Jan 27, 2017 16:24

qkkl: Jul 1, 2013; by FactsAreUseless

Now that I think about it one of the main reasons Putin supports Trump is probably his views on climate change. Russia is one of the few countries in the world that would actually benefit from significant global warming. If Siberia gets warm enough to support large-scale agriculture then Russia has the potential to have a massive population.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 17:38

call to action: Jun 10, 2016; by FactsAreUseless

That's a cool idea except the soil up there is terrible and isn't going to support farming on a widespread scale even if it's warm enough

# ? Jan 27, 2017 17:41

Bates: Jun 15, 2006

It would be economically useful but the number of babies people have doesn't really depend on how much food is grown within the borders of their country.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 17:43

Forever_Peace: May 7, 2007; Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah

qkkl posted:

Now that I think about it one of the main reasons Putin supports Trump is probably his views on climate change. Russia is one of the few countries in the world that would actually benefit from significant global warming. If Siberia gets warm enough to support large-scale agriculture then Russia has the potential to have a massive population.

I doubt that's his motive, but it gives me an opportunity to link this again because it is really loving good.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 18:00

Forever_Peace: May 7, 2007; Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah Shoe do do do do do do do Shoe do do do do do do yeah

Oxxidation posted:

Throw a rock, half the Internet right now is about how much Trump's going to ream us.

This is the main contender on D&D, though:

https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3797481&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

Started with two dozen or so to kick things off. Go read em: those are the highlights.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 18:49

got any sevens: Feb 9, 2013; by Cyrano4747

qkkl posted:

Now that I think about it one of the main reasons Putin supports Trump is probably his views on climate change. Russia is one of the few countries in the world that would actually benefit from significant global warming. If Siberia gets warm enough to support large-scale agriculture then Russia has the potential to have a massive population.

Siberia needs more holes.

# ? Jan 27, 2017 18:56

Conspiratiorist: Nov 12, 2015; 17th Separate Kryvyi Rih Tank Brigade named after Konstantin Pestushko
Look to my coming on the first light of the ~~fifth~~ ~~sixth~~ some day

qkkl posted:

Now that I think about it one of the main reasons Putin supports Trump is probably his views on climate change. Russia is one of the few countries in the world that would actually benefit from significant global warming. If Siberia gets warm enough to support large-scale agriculture then Russia has the potential to have a massive population.

It's not agriculture, but access to arctic oil.

Plus Hillary, or pretty much any other administration for that matter, would have had a stronger stance against Russia.

And of course there's the inherent advantage of having what you consider a competitor country get an inept and socially disruptive leader.

Conspiratiorist fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Jan 28, 2017

# ? Jan 28, 2017 00:58

MaxxBot: Oct 6, 2003; you could have clapped

you should have clapped!!

That's pretty warm! Sea ice looks like it's back to making new record lows as well.

https://twitter.com/MJVentrice/status/826446847468302336

At the other side of the globe:

https://twitter.com/adrian_luckman/status/826464392837488641
https://twitter.com/sgascoin/status/826466274133819393

MaxxBot fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Feb 1, 2017

# ? Feb 1, 2017 01:33

Oxxidation: Jul 22, 2007

Fine. Just let it all loving end.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 01:33

MaxxBot: Oct 6, 2003; you could have clapped

you should have clapped!!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...m=.0195160867d6

quote:

�[A]fter studying the Arctic and its climate for three and a half decades, I have concluded that what has happened over the last year goes beyond even the extreme,� wrote Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, in an essay for Earth Magazine.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 19:22

Arglebargle III: Feb 21, 2006

That graph is hard to parse.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 20:40

donoteat: Sep 13, 2011; Loot at all this bullshit.
Who lets something like this happen?

Yes -- it's been a while since I took an HVAC class, but surely positive degree-days are what we should be worrying about? (or are climate degree-days different?)

# ? Feb 1, 2017 20:42

MaxxBot: Oct 6, 2003; you could have clapped

you should have clapped!!

It's showing the anomaly in freezing degree days when compared to the average.

"Averaged over the Arctic north of 80 degrees, this chart displays the difference from normal in the cumulative number of freezing degree days September to January. Freezing degree days accumulate according to the number of degrees Celsius below freezing. Minus-5 Celsius would represent five freezing degree days."

# ? Feb 1, 2017 20:48

TildeATH: Oct 21, 2010; by Lowtax

We lost twelve hundred degree days of cooling.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 20:57

VectorSigma: Jan 20, 2004; Transform
and
Freak Out

In the dead middle of Arctic night no less.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 21:00

TACD: Oct 27, 2000

US Republicans launch effort to abolish Environmental Protection Agency with new bill

quote:

A bill to �completely abolish� the Environmental Protection Agency has been drafted that would close the main arm of the US Government responsible for fighting climate change by the end of next year.

...

According to reports, the EPA is facing major budget cuts under the new administration. Its staff have also been ordered not to use official social media accounts or speak to journalists without permission.

But, in his email, Mr Gaetz called for the abolition of the EPA.

�Our small businesses cannot afford to cover the costs associated with compliance, too often leading to closed doors and unemployed Americans,� he said.

�It is time to take back our legislative power from the EPA and abolish it permanently.

�Today, the American people are drowning in rules and regulations promulgated by unelected bureaucrats and the Environmental Protection Agency has become an extraordinary offender.�

The EPA, which was created in 1970 by Republican President Richard Nixon, has a mission to ensure the US �plays a leadership role in working with other nations to protect the global environment� among other goals.

Despite its origins, Mr Gaetz said those on the political right should support his bill.

�As conservatives, we must understand that states and local communities are best positioned to responsibly regulate the environmental assets within their jurisdictions,� he said.

�This legislation abolishes the EPA effective December 31, 2018, to allow our state and local government partners to implement responsible policies in the interim.

�I ask for your support in eliminating this abusive and costly agency.�

There are going to be an awful lot of important political fights over the next two years, but I don't think it's unreasonable to make this a particularly high priority.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 22:24

VectorSigma: Jan 20, 2004; Transform
and
Freak Out

Billions will die, but what about small businesses!

# ? Feb 2, 2017 01:16

Tree Bucket: Apr 1, 2016; R.I.P.idura leucophrys

VectorSigma posted:

Billions will die, but what about small businesses!

Or to put it another way, "who runs Bartertown?"

# ? Feb 2, 2017 01:37

CommieGIR: Aug 22, 2006; The blue glow is a feature, not a bug; Pillbug

Tree Bucket posted:

Or to put it another way, "who runs Bartertown?"

Between this and Bannon wanting war with China, I call Megaton.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 01:39

Kindest Forums User: Mar 25, 2008; Let me tell you about my opinion about Bernie Sanders and why Donald Trump is his true successor.

You cannot vote Hillary Clinton because she is worse than Trump.

who's gonna take the courageous step and start a company that helps victims of climate disaster. let's start pitching this to investor. lots of money to be made. lots of lives to be saved.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 02:02

SSJ_naruto_2003: Oct 12, 2012

How would they make money off of this

# ? Feb 2, 2017 02:05

Kindest Forums User: Mar 25, 2008; Let me tell you about my opinion about Bernie Sanders and why Donald Trump is his true successor.

You cannot vote Hillary Clinton because she is worse than Trump.

disaster relief. disaster prepardness. buying/developing in areas less likely to be affected.
that's what makes capitalism so great, you get to be creative.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 02:12

BattleMoose: Jun 16, 2010

Minge Binge posted:

who's gonna take the courageous step and start a company that helps victims of climate disaster. let's start pitching this to investor. lots of money to be made. lots of lives to be saved.

Your target market has no money to pay for your services. Your business model is dead on arrival. :/ Don't confuse this for a lack of sympathy or compassion. Also don't know if you are trying to be humorous or ironic? I just can't tell the difference between satirical or real news anymore. /curls up in a corner in despair and tears

# ? Feb 2, 2017 03:44

Rated PG-34: Jul 1, 2004

BattleMoose posted:

Your target market has no money to pay for your services. Your business model is dead on arrival. :/ Don't confuse this for a lack of sympathy or compassion. Also don't know if you are trying to be humorous or ironic? I just can't tell the difference between satirical or real news anymore. /curls up in a corner in despair and tears

That's why you get the govt to foot the bill and deliver the bare minimum. Get better at capitalism.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 04:09

Conspiratiorist: Nov 12, 2015; 17th Separate Kryvyi Rih Tank Brigade named after Konstantin Pestushko
Look to my coming on the first light of the ~~fifth~~ ~~sixth~~ some day

Rated PG-34 posted:

That's why you get the govt to foot the bill and deliver the bare minimum. Get better at capitalism.

But that just increases taxes for people who don't need it or don't want it.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 04:11

Rated PG-34: Jul 1, 2004

Conspiratiorist posted:

But that just increases taxes for people who don't need it or don't want it.

No need to increase taxes. You just borrow money from capitalists to fund the relief and kick the can down the road. Also you can cut money to social services bc who needs that stuff anyway

# ? Feb 2, 2017 04:14

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# ? May 15, 2024 06:36

BattleMoose: Jun 16, 2010

Rated PG-34 posted:

You just borrow money from capitalists to fund the relief and kick the can down the road. Also you can cut money to social services bc who needs that stuff anyway

Good luck with that...

# ? Feb 2, 2017 04:21

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Climate Change: Post up your Phd. dissertation, coward

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