A Buttery Pastry posted:

Where are ecoterrorists

Rastor posted:

[Politicians] are hoping to commercialize methane hydrate-extracting technology between 2023 and 2027.

Potato Salad posted:

Discendo Vox posted:

Question, thread: I've vaguely heard things about rare earth metals being a constraining factor in solar panel manufacturing and development. Are there any good sources folks can point me to on that argument, whether it's legit or not?

Discendo Vox posted:

Question, thread: I've vaguely heard things about rare earth metals being a constraining factor in solar panel manufacturing and development. Are there any good sources folks can point me to on that argument, whether it's legit or not?

Rastor posted:

Good news, everyone! A new source of fossil fuels is being unlocked - methane hydrates!

Accretionist posted:

It makes sense that there'd have been people hearing about the clathrate gun hypothesis thinking, "Wow, that sounds very carbon dense!"

golden bubble posted:

The US, South Africa, and Brazil used the be the main producers of rare earth metals, but China undercut everyone else. China does not have a majority of rare earth reserves, but almost zero other sites are profitable at Chinese prices.

http://geology.com/articles/rare-earth-elements/
https://www.energy.gov/maps/estimated-rare-earth-reserves-and-deposits

Huzanko posted:

How accurate is this timeline, from 2008, still? http://www.livescience.com/1433-timeline-earth-precarious-future.html

quote:

the sheer size of the plantations for staying at or below 2°C of warming would cause devastating environmental consequences.

Rime posted:

Most of the stuff under the 2100 header is already occurring today.

Huzanko posted:

Man, this thread really makes all the others entirely pointless.

Rastor posted:

Also if anyone says "don't worry we can just plant some more trees to soak up the CO2",

https://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/press-releases/climate-stabilization-planting-trees-cannot-replace-cutting-co2-emissions

Ol Standard Retard posted:

this is the way climate, public health and environmental scientists usually feel about life.

It's inspiring to some because it's literally a race against time / certain doom which is galvanizing. But too many others end up on the despairing side, it's remarkable that we don't hear more about depression and suicide within the community.

Huzanko posted:

I assume directly fighting those problems is somewhat cathartic. More cathartic than standing by and being unable to do anything - anything that has an actual impact - about it like the rest of us.

Triangle Shirt Factotum posted:

There was also some noises a few years back about the DoD subsidizing the mines out in California/Nevada for strategic purposes.

Rare earths, ironically, aren't very rare, but the higher grade ores are. We could possibly extract them from mine tailings of other mining operations in some cases, but yeah, Chinese prices make that unprofitable.

Ol Standard Retard posted:

to preempt this inevitable discussion: although systemic/policy/governmental level action is absolutely necessary, literally every meaningful change in history has started with people doing things individually, then collectively, in order to influence perception and create the dynamics and social pressure necessary for said actions to filter up to policy level changes. The individual is so atomized in western society (and saturated by information) that one person's capacity to Be Aware of the problem far outstrips their capacity to Do Things about the problem, but that's OK. It's not that Doing Things has become harder necessarily, it's that Being Aware has become much easier.

buying less poo poo, being mindful of and working to minimize your carbon footprint, and joining/supporting local groups financially are all Meaningful.

call to action posted:

I decided to ramp back my retirement savings to just the amount my employer matches and spend the rest on a vehicle to explore the forests around my home that probably won't exist in 20 years due to widespread wildfires, thanks thread

Huzanko posted:

I assume directly fighting those problems is somewhat cathartic. More cathartic than standing by and being unable to do anything - anything that has an actual impact - about it like the rest of us.

Huzanko posted:

I assume directly fighting those problems is somewhat cathartic. More cathartic than standing by and being unable to do anything - anything that has an actual impact - about it like the rest of us.

Paradoxish posted:

There's a lot you can do! Real change has to come from the top down, but you can help make that top down change happen by involving yourself in environmental or political groups. And just because your individual consumption habits don't matter by themselves, you can still be more mindful of those habits and try to convince others to follow your example.

The importance of individual vs. collective action for climate activism is really pretty similar to politics in general. Your one single vote doesn't matter at all, but how people vote in aggregate does. If you can get out there and influence enough people then you can make a meaningful difference, however small it might be.

Minge Binge posted:

I'm just trying to imagine a scenario where saving for retirement is a good idea for young people. And... I just can't... Things are going to be so drastically different by 2060 that you should probably avoid something that relies on a healthy and growing economy.

Minge Binge posted:

The cool thing about trying to do something about climate change is that you'll become a healthier and better person as a consequence! ditching the car to walk or bike, Getting involved with local agriculture (either buy starting a garden yourself, or working with a co-op or something), helping out at things like bike/car/tool shares, downsizing your life, being happy with what you have around you (friends, family, the park, the beach, the forest, the mountains, the river). All this is dope stuff that will help you become better person with a deep and meaningful connection to the community around you. You don't know an apocalyptic event to do good things, but since we happen to be going through an apocalyptic level event, use it as a motivator! Maybe things won't end up so bad. Maybe there's some sort of positive feedback that balances it all out. maybe we figure out the science fiction needed to stop it all. Maybe we do get to live long and healthy lives. And if you did take action, you get to live a long and healthy live as a better person! How superb is that!

ChairMaster posted:

Hahaha oh my god we had no idea what was coming in 2008. That's hilarious, good find.

Huzanko posted:

I'm not arguing against people doing what they can and also becoming better people.

I am saying that every piece of climate change news basically says we're going to be living in Fury Road inside of 50 years and, oh, by the way, the Japanese want to find and burn all the methane and speed it all up.

It makes it very difficult to just go to work and get through the day, especially if you are lucky enough to have people you care about.

Huzanko posted:

If it's not hopeless, that's great, but if we have 10 years to do anything about this, it is very much hopeless. I don't know enough about the situation to know what's true and what's hyperbole.

Huzanko posted:

I'm not arguing against people doing what they can and also becoming better people.

I am saying that every piece of climate change news basically says we're going to be living in Fury Road inside of 50 years and, oh, by the way, the Japanese want to find and burn all the methane and speed it all up.

It makes it very difficult to just go to work and get through the day, especially if you are lucky enough to have people you care about.

Minge Binge posted:

newsflash bud. but there's millions of people living today in fury road squalor conditions right now! And it's been like that for a very long time. And it has nothing to do with climate change. I'm sure it sucks thinking about a future that involves a lot less comfort for yourself, but maybe do those people that never experienced a single moment of luxury a favor and quit being such a loving sad sack and go do something.

Discendo Vox posted:

Question, thread: I've vaguely heard things about rare earth metals being a constraining factor in solar panel manufacturing and development. Are there any good sources folks can point me to on that argument, whether it's legit or not?

Paradoxish posted:

I mean, I guess you have to define what you consider "hopeless" to mean. Civilization isn't going to collapse and (assuming you live in the US or another first world country) we're not going to be living in some kind of unrecognizable hellscape in thirty years. The people who suggest that we're going to be living in a Mad Max future are just looking for an excuse to pretend that nothing they do matters.