One counterexample I would like to point out is the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare seems to have made that program another one of the ‘third rail’ policies alongside Social Security and Medicare

I think ocean iron fertilization has some promise to it, and it has the benefit of being able to be experimented with at a small scale and subsequently scaled up responsibly to measure effects. Aerosols are kind of a one and done solution, and if for any reason its suspended, their is a boomerang effect that drives warming even higher

Its definitely the plot of termination shock

Yeah, I think its useful to continue trialing out the technology and see if it can hold up to snuff. But at the same time banking on this idea as our only approach to decarbonizing protein (which is what the beef industry would prefer) is short sighted, imo

Are there any mechanisms where landlords can be driven to adopt the alternatives that homeowners are utilizing?

It is a good sign that in some countries where leasing is still open, oil companies are buying a lot fewer permits

There’s this idea called World Systems theory, that divides the world into core and peripheral countries, with the core countries extracting resources (natural, financial, or labor) and sends pollution back. This is maintained by military and/or economic power. That’s the framework where this would be considered colonial. Personally, I prefer the term neocolonial

I mean for a lot of things there just aren’t any real options. Lots of software packages are no longer available without a subscription. Heck, I’ve been looking for an app to guide me through evening stretches and I can’t find anything that’s just a single purchase.

Yeah, I think given current trajectories somewhere between RCP 3.4 and 4.5, with emissions peaking around 2050. Given technological and political headwinds, I just can’t see emissions peaking in 2080 or 2100 with growth rates already slowing globally and peaking in North America and Europe

Who wouldve thought hosting COP in a petrostate would’ve led to a conflict of interest!?

I do think insects as an ingredient in other foods, such as crackers, could be a more successful approach in increasing adoption. Taboos will be quite hard to change tho, I agree

Choosing more appropriate crops for specific environments is so important. The State departments VACS initiative is a good start to promoting more resilient crops for Africa.

https://foodtank.com/news/2024/01/vacs-is-going-back-to-basics-for-a-climate-resilient-future/

Some bills republicans are spending their legislative energy on: Liberty in Laundry Act, Refrigerator Freedom Act, Stop Unaffordable Laundry Standards (SUDS) Act.

I especially feel for those who work in government. When the Trump admin placed restrictions on the use of certain terminology, it must really be hard to balance ones need for employment and doing good work and remaining true to scientific principles.

For sure. I think trying to preserve these tools is a bit of a waste of time. But extending their lifespan is always a win in my book

When the damage is presented in spreadsheets and charts its easy to ignore the cost, especially for those pushing the piles of money around.

Nuclear could be useful in applications that need a high energy load on-site, like steel, cement, and nitrogen production

That’s a great point, I didn’t consider the tech tree that leads to bikes also makes cars more likely :/

I definitely recommend looking into some of Dr. Fowlers history, he’s such a cool person and his work with Crop Trust was so cool.

In 2008, the most likely projections had us around 4.5 degrees of warming. So, there is progress. Insufficient progress, we need to double down, but progress nonetheless