
While the planet burns our politicians fiddle - wil_wheat_on
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-while-the-planet-burns-our-politicians-fiddle/
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Zealotux
This is the main reason I'm more than skeptical of our ability to even limit
the effects of climate change in a foreseeable future, I'll admit it's a
cynical view, but even if tomorrow every world leaders agreed that climate is
indeed our top priority it'd still be a challenge to tackle it. Instead of
that we have endless debates, as if we had time for partisanship, and short-
sighted "patching" solutions.

I've been told repetitively that I'm wrong to "believe" in climate change, I
hope I am, at that point: being wrong is our only way for salvation.

~~~
sebazzz
In the end everything comes down on money, especially in the USA where the
election system depends so much on the candidates getting enough (mostly
corporate) donations (or friendly bribing, however you want to call it).

~~~
candiodari
And in China, which is supposedly different, the situation is 100x worse ...

But thanks for the comment ... It clearly illustrates that plenty of pro-
global-warming people don't care about global warming except as a way to get
their will done on other issues, in this case campaign financing.

~~~
wool_gather
What do you mean by "pro-global-warming"? People who want global warming to
happen? Or people who don't deny its existence?

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watmough
We are already suffering from severe austerity after the collapse in 2008. Pay
for the bottom 70% of people in the Western World falls further and further
behind.

The present political mess, including in the US and in the UK, and across
Europe is clear fall-out from these problems.

In this context, imposing further high-taxes to restrict energy use is
political suicide, and simply won't happen.

In the longer-term, moving to wind and solar will help, especially as energy
storage technologies improve. Countries such as Spain and Portugal are showing
us the way in this respect.

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root_axis
It's not just politicians; the citizenry does not really care and many are
openly hostile to the idea of taking firm steps to reduce emissions since that
has an economic cost and they view the economic cost as a bigger threat than
whatever impact emissions have on the environment.

~~~
gthaman
The citizenry in the USA (im assuming you are being specific to) are a good
deal worse off than in the 1950s in regard to household families and being
overtly manipulated and jerked around in regards to the political process with
whatever little time they have to engage with it.

The governments (its actors, known or unknown) are the ones with considerable
resources and power consolidated in a few hands and intelligence agencies
leaders who write books about deceiving their own people saying "we'll know
our job is complete when everything the american people believe is a lie".

USA is mired in military action in 76 countries that we know of - USA was at
war for every single day of all 8 years of Obama's presidencies - Drone
Strikes, Mass Heroin overdoses, San Francisco homeless & human feces poop
map's but we finally got those plastic straws replaced with good old american
democracy and know how.

What a contrast. What prioritizing.

With every passing day, more and more people are starting to realize it's not
ineptitude, it's deceit. And the more heed paid to the government, the more
reliance on and guidance from the government - the worse.

~~~
root_axis
You sound like you have an axe to grind. What's your point? Obama waged wars,
thus it makes sense that people dismiss the fact that emissions are destroying
the environment?

 _> the more heed paid to the government, the more reliance on and guidance
from the government - the worse_

What does this even mean? Are you ideologically opposed to mandating seat
belts and fire codes and that kind of thing or are you only talking about
climate change when you say "the more heed paid to the government, the more
reliance on and guidance from the government - the worse."?

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decebalus1
Does this article violate HN terms or something? It got flagged in less than
an hour and most comments are downvoted.

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mhneu
Not sure but it’s important to remember that silence on issues like climate
change benefits the status quo- the companies that wish to keep up the current
situation. Avoiding conversations like this is the same as taking a side - the
companies’ side. Too bad it’s not discussed more.

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sebazzz
This makes you think that maybe not individual humans, but a human society is
destined to cause enough damage to eventually eradicate itself.

The problems we cause "take too long" to become an problem in the influencial
lifetime of the most powerful people in our society, so it is always the
problem of someone else until it is too late.

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zackmorris
I live in Boise, ID and this is the worst smoke I've seen in my lifetime. I
fully agree that global climate change is a huge problem and that politicians
are doing little to stop it. Most seem to be making it worse.

Is there a technology-based solution to this? I don't know, but maybe
technology could be used to improve the tragedy of the commons issues that are
wrecking the planet. Please unflag this post.

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geoka9
I'm in Vancouver and it's pretty terrible. It's the 3rd summer in a row and
this one is by far the worst.

+1 Please unflag this post.

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Analemma_
The air quality index in Seattle is 185 right now, which is unheard of; I
could barely see the sun yesterday. Last year there was extreme air pollution
due to wildfire smoke for the first time that I can remember, and I thought
then maybe it was a anomalous event, but now that it's twice in two years it's
probably time to think of this as the new normal.

And as much as I want to blame politicians as an easy target, it's still a
democracy and they are ultimately just reflecting the views of the public. The
Seattle Times is running stories on the wildfire smoke, and their comment
section is depressingly filled to the brim with nonsense like "ACTUALLY this
is because the environmentalists clear out underbrush and create more forest
fires, CHECKMATE LIBRULZ". We're going to sink under the waves still screaming
culture war nonsense with our last breaths.

~~~
nostromo
Most scientists agree that the uptick in serious fires in the west is
primarily from decades of bad forrest management, not climate change.

Climate change obviously plays a role, but it's not the primary driver.

I think some activist groups and the media are purposefully muddying the water
on this issue.

[http://mjr.jour.umt.edu/how-journalists-fan-the-flames-of-
wi...](http://mjr.jour.umt.edu/how-journalists-fan-the-flames-of-wildfire-in-
the-west/)

[http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/western-washington-
smo...](http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2018/08/western-washington-smoke-
darkest-before.html)

~~~
quacked
I agree that from what most scientists are saying, that sounds like the
availability of fuel; but could climate change be responsible for the
unusually hot and dry conditions?

~~~
Bertio
Climate change is responsible for the increase in temperatures which lead to
an increase in lightening. Climate change is also responsible for the wet
conditions in the spring creating additional fuel later in the summer.

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mdekkers
funny, the poor guy believes politicians can actually make these kinds of
changes. As long as polluting is more profitable than not polluting, our
corporate overlords will keep pumping that shit into the air. And as a general
populace, we all _think_ something should be done, as long as it doesn't
affect us.

~~~
sremani
Its not just about corporations. If the sinners are a dozen of "them", the
solutions are easy. If you have good standard of living in a middle/lower
income country or if you are not homeless in a developed country, You Sir! are
responsible for a lot, than you are willing to accept.

