Tumgik
#green new deal
politijohn · 14 days
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Source
Begging everyone to stop asking this rhetorical question and, instead, demand our elected officials do something about it
10K notes · View notes
radicalurbanista · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
April 6, 2022
LAPD show up in riot gear to a climate protest against JPMorgan Chase to arrest 4 climate scientists.
LAPD receives $8,000,000 of public money a day.
Tumblr media
51K notes · View notes
reality-detective · 4 months
Text
"Every single prediction they've ever made has been wrong." Geologist, Prof. Ian Plimer, blows the UN's "human-induced climate change" propaganda completely out of the water.
"They still haven't, after 30 years, shown us that human emissions [of CO2] drive global warming." "There's been a relentless campaign of propaganda for 30 years, and the basics haven't been shown." 🤔
577 notes · View notes
liberalsarecool · 8 months
Text
Tumblr media
Restore the Green New Deal promise of public land and water use. Colonizers have taken and exploited too much for too long.
555 notes · View notes
arthropooda · 11 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
478 notes · View notes
sordidamok · 7 days
Text
61 notes · View notes
odinsblog · 1 month
Text
I think the thing that's important for us to remember is that cost volatility is actually all about fossil fuel dependency.
The more that we are dependent on fossil fuels, it means the more we are dependent on global events. As we saw with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as we see with the choices that come out of the UAE, as well as many other regions of the world, oil and gas development and drilling in Latin America, as well as in the United States. The more dependent we are on oil and gas, the more crazy our prices are going to be, and the more up and down our prices are going to be. And the fact that, for example, we have not developed electric or alternative energy vehicles earlier is one of the reasons why we pay such close attention to gas prices to begin with.
And we would not be as sensitive to the changes in energy costs if we weren't so fossil fuel dependent.
And Donald Trump knows that.
The oil and gas industry knows that.
And that is why they finance huge parts of lobbying our government in order to keep the country entirely dependent on fossil fuels.
Now, if you prefer gas cars and gas stoves, you're free to make that choice.
But what we haven't had is accessible and broad choices for something else. EVs have been in development, but for a very long time, they've been financially inaccessible to a lot of people in this country. The Inflation Reduction Act helped change that. We got huge tax breaks for both new and used EVs. If you're trying to buy one off your neighbor or whatever that may be, as well as many other things that are accessible, whether it's induction stoves, heat pumps for one's home, et cetera. But the oil and gas industry is deploying all of their political and special interest money towards one central goal, which is to keep virtually every American completely dependent on their product.
And Donald Trump is very closely aligned with them.
And not only that, but the larger point is that it's not a coincidence that his authoritarian tactics are tied to fossil fuels.
This is a global phenomenon.
And what we are seeing is authoritarianism is very, very closely linked with oil and gas interests around the world.
That's Putin, that's Trump. That's folks like Bolsonaro. That's a lot of the political instability we see out of Saudi Arabia, the UAE.
And I believe that it is not a coincidence, because you have one central industry that has a clear vested, both political and financial interest, and an authoritarian…that is also increasingly becoming politically unpopular, by the way, because the vast majority of Americans believe that the U.S. should start winding down our subsidization of the fossil fuel industry. They want to see clean energy alternatives available to them and financially accessible to them. And they understand that it's just more volatile to be so chained to fossil fuels.
And so the only way that you can really empower both financially a political sect, is through the fossil fuel industry, the oil and gas industry.
The Koch brothers are an oil and gas dynasty who had such large influence on our political system. They come from an oil and gas dynasty, or rather, came. One of them has passed, there's that, but then you see that link crossing across the world, and the ascent of authoritarianism, paired with the fact that every single one of them is very closely aligned to the fossil fuel industry.
And the ascent of the fossil fuel industry is not a coincidence. It's not a mistake.
And in fact, the democratization of our energy system, which is a means of production that has been privatized and concentrated into the hands of the very few, the democratization of our energy system means that people have the potential. We're doing this in Puerto Rico. When you have a battery pack on your house, when the power goes out, you're not as dependent on a central system. You have a backup reserve in case of an emergency, you can give energy to your neighbor.
This is what the democratization of our energy system looks like.
This is also what a fairer economic system that is less volatile for everyday people looks like as well.
And that is a direct threat to authoritarianism.
It's a direct threat to the extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of the very few.
But it also represents a shift for the betterment of mankind and our democracy.
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, noting the link between the fossil fuel industry and authoritarian regimes
60 notes · View notes
prole-log · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media
153 notes · View notes
Text
As the American sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein recognized, capitalism fuels economic growth through shifting the cost of that development onto the Global South. So long as this externalization of costs runs smoothly, those of us living in the Global North can enjoy a rich lifestyle and avoid suffering the consequences of environmental crises. This is how we’ve been able to avoid thinking seriously about the true cost of our expansive lifestyles for so long.
[...]
The dilemma is this: As the economy grows, the range of human economic activity grows too, which means that the volume of resource and energy consumption will also grow, making it difficult to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This is a historical tendency. In other words, even green economic growth may cause increases in carbon emissions and resource use in direct proportion to its success because economic growth is historically accompanied by more frequent consumption of bigger commodities, including ones in wasteful and carbon-intensive industries. This in turn will necessitate more and more dramatic increases in efficiency, but there is an insurmountable physical limit to the improvement of technological efficiency. This is the Growth Trap, a major pitfall awaiting capitalism as it attempts to establish a zero-carbon economy. The question is, can this trap be avoided? Unfortunately, escaping this trap is unlikely. Sustaining a growth rate of 2–3 percent for the GDP would necessitate the immediate reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent every year to hit the 1.5° C target. If we leave it to the market, the likelihood of achieving a yearly reduction rate as dramatic as 10 percent or more is very low.
[...]
Make no mistake: Green New Deal–style governmental platforms enabling large-scale investment into remaking nations at a fundamental level are indispensable in the struggle to combat climate change. It’s undeniable that we must make the transition to solar energy, electric vehicles, and the like. Public transportation systems must be expanded and made free to all, bicycle lanes must be built, public housing fitted with solar panels must be created—these sorts of works projects, driven by public spending, are all vital. But these things are not enough. It might sound counterintuitive, but the goal of any Green New Deal should not be economic growth but rather the slowing down of the economy. Measures to stop climate change cannot double as ways to further economic growth. Indeed, the less such measures aim to grow the economy, the higher the possibility they’ll work.
79 notes · View notes
loremoth · 2 years
Quote
Solarpunk without the abolition of capitalism is just greenwashed Cyberpunk.
684 notes · View notes
saywhat-politics · 11 months
Text
Sean Hannity on Thursday returned to attacking the Green New Deal, the sweeping resolution endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) that aims to curb America’s dependence on fossil fuels and make the country carbon-neutral.
The Fox News personality reeled off a long list of what he described as “radical initiatives” included in the proposals, including increased family and medical leave, more vacation time, universal health care and free college.
Critics on Twitter thought the ideas were actually pretty good.
76 notes · View notes
politijohn · 2 months
Text
Tumblr media
Source
Tumblr media
Source
4K notes · View notes
wolf-grimoire · 6 months
Text
ASH TREE EXTINCTION
Emerald ash borer beetles are destroying North American ash tree populations. In a matter of a couple decades, the bugs have reduced ash numbers to a fraction of what they were. “Functional” extinction, meaning extinct outside of human intervention, is imminent for the ash trees of the upper Midwest—and soon, for ash trees everywhere. For a couple hundred bucks a pop, ash trees can be inoculated against the bugs—meaning, with the proper funding and man power, they could be saved. However, the state isn’t even considering the option. Some restrictions have been put in place to minimize the spread of the beetle, but it’s apparent local governments have no intention of shifting efforts from slowing the extinction to an attempt to save the North American ash tree.
It's a shame, considering the spending habits and rhetoric of such a nihilistic government. Every week, millions of dollars are vomited up from the state’s coffers to fund vague corporate-washed “sustainability” initiatives. Most of it serves as little but market bucks to give the state or its private cronies an environmentally friendly sheen. Meanwhile hundreds of millions more are gobbled up in subsidies for massive energy companies who continue to profit from fossil fuels. New cobalt and rare earth mining operations receive federal greenlights in the name of a supposedly “sustainable” EV industry. The sustainability industry, claiming to be saviors of the earth and its critters, is quite literally letting a whole species of tree die off despite a clear path to success—at a fraction of the fraction of the cost spent to spread “awareness” about things like biodiversity loss. In 2022 alone, the Biden administration set aside something like 44 billion to “tackle the climate crisis”.
Tumblr media
In comparison, the state of Minnesota has set aside something like 2 to 3 million to protect ash trees from emerald borers, apparently through “community forestry activities on public lands”. The same bureaucrats coughing up 3 million to stop the very real extinction of our ash trees are expected to hurl up 17.5 billion for all those beautifully vague “sustainability” initiatives.
I’d have to guess a great deal of these initiatives include the creation of new financial opportunities for these bureaucrats in ways that killing emerald borers and inoculating ash trees just can’t. If the black ash or mountain ash controlled a share of the energy market and had a small army of lobbyists on their payroll, they might be lucky enough to be made the poster child of the great climate crisis, lucky enough to receive even a shred of the publicity that Greta Thunberg or the countless pretty teenagers crowding the “climate crisis” get all the time.
Every now and then, the environmentalists throw actual Wilderness a bone. Probably by accident. A glacier, usually. Glaciers and polar bears—even then, some pretty teenager is always there to devour the microphone.
New generations are growing up with peers suffering from “climate anxiety” and uncles and aunts dying from “climate related” causes. Millions of Americans will call themselves environmentalists without having spent a night in wilderness, some without having ever really seen the stars. This is how multinational corporations will seize the new markets of the 21st century, developing more wilderness and farmlands than ever before, as American consumers convince themselves their Tesla is atonement enough.
48 notes · View notes
reality-detective · 6 months
Text
Think About It 🤔
556 notes · View notes
berniesrevolution · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media
Editor’s Note: This article, republished from the Daily Yonder, is part of a series of photo essays created for the American Creed ​“Citizen Power” multi-platform documentary initiative exploring American idealism and community leadership from a range of young adult perspectives.
Jonathan Blair lives, works, and studies at Alice Lloyd College, in Eastern Kentucky. He coordinates a work-study crew of about 60 people, mostly first-generation college students from rural Appalachia. Blair and two of his crew members — Jacob Frazier and Carlos Villanueva — document their connection to blue-collar work in and around the Appalachian coal industry, and they reflect on their hopes for the region.
Explore more of Jonathan Blair’s story here.
My grandfathers on both sides were coal miners. My father is a mechanic for one of the railroads that transport coal. Basically, ever since our family has been in these hills, the coal business has put food on our table, and that’s the case for most families in our region. Even if it’s not why they came here, it kind of became what they did, because that was what paid, and you’re going to do whatever it takes.
Survival is a big aspect of Appalachian culture. For a long time, coal meant survival, but there was never a sense of stability because the coal business is like a light switch: It’s either ​“on” or ​“off.” And when that switch was off, a lot of people, like my grandpa, would find manufacturing jobs elsewhere, in Ohio and other places. And whenever the coal business picked back up, they would come back, because this is home. Today, you look around and you can see the mountaintops have been removed to extract the coal from them, and much of the coal that was deep in the ground is gone. The coal business is a phantom, a shadow of what it used to be. We can’t rely on it coming back to what it once was.
Tumblr media
(My stepdad Charles Hampton was in the Marines, but he got injured. He used to work for a drilling company but now he’s retired. He also used to be a truck driver but he got injured there too.)
For Appalachians, other than faith in God and the love of our families, coal has been what we have always leaned on. Now we are having to take a step back and look away in order to move on to the future. Like diamonds, coal takes millions of years to form, so there won’t be much forming in our lifetimes. In fact, it could be exhausted by the end of our lifetimes.
I know very few people my age who go into the industry. The generations before us have warned that no matter how good the money is right now, no matter how sweet of a deal they’ll cut you to get you to work, it’s not gonna last. It can’t last. Right now, the price of coal is up but we’ve seen what happens when the price goes down and industry packs up and leaves.
There is no plan B in places like this. A major concern for my generation is finding that plan B right here in the only place we’ve ever known, because these mountains are home. And it truly is beautiful.
Tumblr media
(My grandfather and his co-worker, underground about two miles.)
Tumblr media
(The culture in Appalachia is rich in faith. Ever since I can remember, I was in the House of God listening to my grandfather preach. I asked him to turn to any passage of scripture, and he turned to Luke 15:11 (the story of the Prodigal son).)
Tumblr media
(Coal Miners go to work never knowing what the day will hold. One day my grandfather sacrificed his arm while cleaning a belt head. “I would go back in a heartbeat,” he said. Even though the work took something from him, his heart still has a passion for the industry.)
The Appalachian culture has deep roots because, much like the rest of America, this is a land of immigrants who made this their home. People of many backgrounds, colors, and creeds were brought together here to build the railroads and pull the coal out of the ground. Over time, bonds formed through our shared labor and sacrifice.
There’s a saying around these parts that goes, ​“All blood isn’t family and all family isn’t blood.” Coal workers often left their loved ones behind for the opportunities in this region, and although those opportunities have dwindled, many of them formed new families and remain committed to these mountains. That’s how we ended up with this rich culture.
Tumblr media
(Although the family has been spread across the region because of work and other aspects of life, when we are able to gather the sense of joy never seems to falter. As I have grown older, I have witnessed these bonds grow, even as the distance between us becomes greater. It becomes more bittersweet each time.)
While Appalachians have always wanted to maintain a life and community here, the same can’t be said for the industry we’ve welcomed into this region. You can drive through these mountains and find ghost towns like after the gold rush, abandoned places that were once home to so many people.
A sense of distrust exists between the Appalachian people and outsiders — whether that’s big business or the government. This distrust is deeply rooted and generational because New England businessmen came into the area and ripped a great deal of the coal out of our mountains. When the prices were low enough for them not to bother anymore, they went back home. When it was time for war, the federal government would come into our region and recruit young men, leaving behind suspicion and fear of exploitation among locals. It’s difficult to erase those scars of generational distrust. Many Appalachians fear that solutions presented by new industries or the government will only repeat the exploitation of the past. When you can see the end of the coal industry, it’s frightening. But there are solutions. Fear has to be countered with knowledge and power.
(Continue Reading)
88 notes · View notes
highprogressive · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media
Guys is this true
137 notes · View notes