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As climate 'net-zero' plans grow, so do concerns from scientists

4 Comments
By Patrick GALEY

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-we can change behaviour right here and now.

Whose jobs, livelihoods and careers do you want to take away? Who doesn't get to heat their home in the winter? Because that is what the activist demands amount to. No politician can implement that without being voted out of power.

The COP conferences and bizarre net-zero pledges are really just window dressing. The real work is being done by governments in the exploitation of Covid responses. It is the only politically, economically and culturally acceptable way of doing it.

Unfortunately, there is a flaw in this plan. Much of what we need to protect is in the developing world. The pandemic has cut off tourism and engagement, gutting developing countries of the cash they need to support their people and protect their vulnerable ecosystems. In response, those ecosystems will be cannibalised for resources. That's why we lost more of the Amazon than ever last year, when Western nations were extolling a reduction in emissions from an expiring airline industry. Simply giving money to developing world governments will not work, as they are too corrupt.

Processes are changing, globally, but doing nothing is not a solution, and neither is forcing everyone to revert back to a pre-industrial lifestyle. We need to change, but we need to do it in a smarter way than either the politicians or the activists suggest. We need to maximise engagement and resources across borders, not hide behind them, scoring points against others. As a species, we share or we die.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The human race is in a speeding car, heading to go over a high cliff.

There are no plans to stop the car, or to turn it away from the cliff. At best, we are studying plans to slow the car down, giving us a little longer before crashing.

As environmental conditions get worse and worse, the public outcry for action may become loud enough to force meaningful action. What we do not know is how bad things will get before we do things that can can achieve green house gas net-zero emissions.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Interesting how all this climate talk is about reducing emission, cutting carbon and blah, blah, blah. No one has yet to broach or discuss the true problem to this issue.

Too many humans. We will never be able to solve these issue with constant growth. It's pretty simple, the more people there are the more garbage, waste and pollution there will be.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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