| Time |
Event |
| 5:17a |
Similarities between Elon Musk and the bullshitter
Identifying similarities between Elon Musk and the bullshitter. |
| 5:17a |
Climate scientists shocked by rate of extreme weather
Even climate scientists who already knew extreme weather was going
to become a problem have been nonetheless shocked by how fast and
furiously that problem is now growing. |
| 5:17a |
Cop27 wifi blocking human rights websites
*Cop27 wifi in Egypt blocks human rights and key news websites.*
It blocks VPNs as well. The article does not say whether it blocks Tor.
It appears this is nothing special; such censorship is standard in
Egypt. Participants in the conference will at least have the chance
to learn how repressive Egypt is. |
| 5:17a |
Iran criticized for giving Putin drones
An important religious figure in Iran has criticized the government
for giving Putin drones which he is using against civilians and
civilian infrastructure, saying that this contradicts the moral rules
of Islam.
Given the level of repression in Iran, I always feel surprise when I
am reminded that some questions can be openly debated there, and some
government policies criticized. |
| 5:17a |
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| 5:17a |
Disappearance of summer sea ice
Summer sea ice will inevitably disappear in a few decades. That will
make polar oceans absorb a lot more sunlight, and that in turn will
speed the melting of ice on land. Even if we curb global heating in general,
this will raise sea level several meters and inundate many of the world's
major cities.
*"There’s nothing we can do about that now, we’ve just screwed up and
let the system warm too much already,"* |
| 5:17a |
Abortion clinic on wheels
*An abortion clinic on wheels: Planned Parenthood in Illinois to reduce travel
times for patients in red states by bringing abortion care [closer] to them.*
One crucial need, not yet addressed in general, is to spare abortion
patients the requirement to stay overnight near the clinic. That can
be very expensive: in addition to the cost of a room, there is the
cost of missing an additional day of work. |
| 5:17a |
UK nurses vote to strike
*Nurses across UK vote to strike in first ever national action.* |
| 5:17a |
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| 5:17a |
Liability for damage already done by burning fossil fuel
Cop27 will discuss whether part of the world should be liable for
damage already done by burning fossil fuel.
I suggest that we make fossil fuel companies liable. With that big
debt, they won't be worth much in money. So let's nationalize them
and buy them out, paying what their shares are worth at that time.
The US has done this many times, in times of crisis, as described in
the article linked above. We should not listen when planet roasters
claim this is unthinkable now.
Whatever is left of those companies after fossil fuels have been
mostly replaced by renewable energy, it could be safe to sell off
to private owners. |
| 5:17a |
Foreign-owned farms using water to feed cattle overseas
*Wells are running dry in drought-weary Southwest as foreign-owned farms
guzzle water to feed cattle overseas.*
It's illegal to sell the water itself, so farmers grow crops that need
lots of water, such as alfalfa, and sell the crops. The result is to
drain the aquifers.
When money talks, plutocratist politicians say, "Yes sir." If the
people of Arizona want to stop this practice, they should elect
progressive Democrats. |
| 5:17a |
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| 5:17a |
Prohibiting abortion does harm to Americans' prosperity
It can be effective for campaigns to show that prohibiting abortion does
harm to Americans' prosperity as well as to human rights.
I personally can't understand the thinking of people who might base their
decisions about abortion rights on this. But if it convinces people,
that's good.
Legalizing abortion may also save your children's lives. Population growth
exacerbates global heating, so more population growth is likely to make global disaster worse and thus reduce the number of humans that survive it, as well
as reducing the level of technology they can hold on to. |
| 5:17a |
Pledges to protect rainforests
Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
pledge to work together to protect their rain forests.
The whole world depends on those forests they are all threatened.
The concept of "the OPEC of rainforests" seems like a misguided
analogy to me, because oil and rainforests are not very similar in how
they relate to the world. Rainforests provide an important service by
living. By contrast, oil underground does nothing to the world;
extracting it makes it harmful.
If we could make more rainforest, that would be good.
If we could make more underground petroleum deposits, that
would be disaster. |
| 5:17a |
Protections for reporters could be twisted or replaced
Attorney General Garland's policies to protect reporters from prosecution
for their journalism are a big improvement, but an authoritarian president
could twist them or simply replace them. |
| 5:17a |
Providing one-third of the world's french fries
One potato corporation claims to provide 1/3 of the world's french fries.
We should not allow a company to thus dominate a market — we need laws to
prevent it.
I also wonder whether that 1/3 includes any of the really good fries,
which are made in Belgium. |
| 5:17a |
Putin forces kidnapping people
The Putin forces are kidnapping adults and children in Kherson and
taking them to places further away from Ukraine's army, or to unknown
locations.
The Putin forces are also torturing and murdering some people.
Perhaps they selectively do this to those who formerly were in the
Ukrainian army or police. This has been seen in the east. |
| 5:17a |
Increasing discussion between the US and Russia
Here is a proposal for increased diplomatic discussion between the US
and Russia which is worth considering.
Agreement on the proposed areas could encourage Putin's withdrawal
from Ukraine, and would in any case make the world a better place.
The proposal carefully avoids undermining Ukraine's fight to repel the
invasion. |
| 5:17a |
Climate activists block private jets
*Climate activists storm Amsterdam airport and block private jets.*
This tactic makes a lot of sense, and is far better than gluing oneself
to the glass protective cover over a painting.
First, because neither those jets, nor the private jet terminals, are
precious. Expensive, yes, but that's not the same thing as precious.
Second, because the jets emit lots of CO2.
Third, because the people who fly in them and will be inconvenienced
by the protest are rich, and are probably significantly to blame for
the world's inadequate efforts for climate defense.
I used to fly more than most people Americans, back before Covid-19.
Nonetheless, my overall global heating footprint is modest, because of
my conscious decision to avoid the action that, for most people, adds
the most: having children. One child produces many times as much
greenhouse gas as all the flights I will take in my life. |
| 5:17a |
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