Climate conference unsatisfying

[orathaic]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50799905

With no serious moves, and decisions deferred, the climate conference has concluded. Any thoughts?

[Octavious]

Did you expect anything else?

[orathaic]

Is it not worth discussing?

[MajorMitchell]

I'm not at all well informed about that climate change conference to feel comfortable with making comments about it, I would be interested in a discussion about the pushback against efforts to implement effective reductions of green house gas(es) emissions.
The push back is, I think, in large part driven by the actions of powerful vested interests, eg the fossil fuel industries and those who control those industries, (eg the billionaire Koch family in the USA) and their puppets in politics and the media.
In Australia we're having record heat waves & devestating bush fires yet the Conservative Federal Government are in my opinion, a bunch of useless cork brained clowns or a bunch of dissembling, disingenuous Machiavellian rats. For example, the purported 26% reduction in green house gas (es) emissions by Australia to meet our "Paris commitment" will be achieved by using "carry over credits", NOT by actual reductions in emissions. A much used (imho, pathetic) excuse is that our proportion of greenhouse gas(es) emissions are a tiny part of total global emissions, and whilst this is true (India, China, the USA are the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases) on a per capita basis we Australians are big energy users and big green house gas emitters.
Australia is a huge exporter of coal and despite the obvious problems with CO2 emissions from coal use globally we're rather stupidly going to develop more, new, bigger coal mines in the Carmichael basin (Adani, the alleged tax dodging & environmental​ standards non compliant "good corporate citizen") and probably going to allow oil exploration drilling in the Great Australian Bight (Equinor, the Norwegian oil company that says it listens but is clearly ignoring significant and widespread community opposition.. also another "good corporate citizen".
I'm not opposed to Capitalism, but I'm a realist who understands that Capitalism unfettered by effective Government regulations will sell people into slavery, send children down coal mines, use sweat shop labour to produce fancy sports shoes with a swoosh etc and have the ethics and morality of an unscrupulous, selfish cannibal.

[Randomizer]

Even with three years of Trump rolling back coal regulations and support, the US coal industry is facing more bankruptcies and closings. There is hope that the free market does recognize some things aren't worth it.

However unregulated capitalism will cheerfully let the world be destroyed for the profit of a few.

[flash2015]

Even with three years of Trump rolling back coal regulations and support, the US coal industry is facing more bankruptcies and closings. There is hope that the free market does recognize some things aren't worth it.

However unregulated capitalism will cheerfully let the world be destroyed for the profit of a few.

Not to worry. The Trump regime is taking it to the next level. The FERC are actively changing regulation to raise the price of electricity from renewables to reduce their advantage. As a bonus they are making it impossible for states that don't like this to opt-out:

https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/ferc- ... -under-bus

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/12 ... -and-coal/

[Jamiet99uk]

Even with three years of Trump rolling back coal regulations and support, the US coal industry is facing more bankruptcies and closings. There is hope that the free market does recognize some things aren't worth it.

However unregulated capitalism will cheerfully let the world be destroyed for the profit of a few.

Not to worry. The Trump regime is taking it to the next level. The FERC are actively changing regulation to raise the price of electricity from renewables to reduce their advantage. As a bonus they are making it impossible for states that don't like this to opt-out:

https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/ferc- ... -under-bus

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/12 ... -and-coal/

Fucking disgusting. I hope he dies soon.

[MajorMitchell]

I'm hoping for a different outcome, the big fall and fraud & criminal prosecutions​ & a lengthy imprisonment

[Jamiet99uk]

I'm hoping for a different outcome, the big fall and fraud & criminal prosecutions​ & a lengthy imprisonment

I'd love to see that too. I fear it's unlikely.

[orathaic]

I wonder if he loses the election, will the next President's justice department investigate him for crimes committed during his presidency... Something that very likely hasn't happened yet.

[Octavious]

I wonder if he loses the election, will the next President's justice department investigate him for crimes committed during his presidency... Something that very likely hasn't happened yet.

It seems a precedent that most Presidents would want to avoid creating, as more often than not you are replaced by someone from the other side.

I see that Jamie has been the very embodiment of the Christmas spirit in this thread. Someone clearly got a lump of coal from Father Christmas this year

[Jamiet99uk]

I wonder if he loses the election, will the next President's justice department investigate him for crimes committed during his presidency... Something that very likely hasn't happened yet.

It seems a precedent that most Presidents would want to avoid creating, as more often than not you are replaced by someone from the other side.

I see that Jamie has been the very embodiment of the Christmas spirit in this thread. Someone clearly got a lump of coal from Father Christmas this year

Trump's commitment to coal, one of the worst, dirtiest forms of energy, is one of the problems. He is wilfully, wantonly pursuing policies known to cause vast environmental damage. He is causing, and will cause, damage to our world, some of which may not be reversible. In an age when the problems caused by CO2 emissions are well understood, this is criminal, evil, and deeply selfish. Terms which describe Trump well. His death, the sooner the better, would be a good thing, a positive event for humanity.

[Jamiet99uk]

NB: As for Christmas, I got 200 points from Zultar, and a soldering iron from my mother. Make of that what you will.