this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2024
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Climate - truthful information about climate, related activism and politics.

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Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.

As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades: Graph of temperature as observed with significant warming, and simulated without added greenhouse gases and other anthropogentic changes, which shows no significant warming

How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world: IPCC AR6 Figure 2 - Thee bar charts: first chart: how much each gas has warmed the world.  About 1C of total warming.  Second chart:  about 1.5C of total warming from well-mixed greenhouse gases, offset by 0.4C of cooling from aerosols and negligible influence from changes to solar output, volcanoes, and internal variability.  Third chart: about 1.25C of warming from CO2, 0.5C from methane, and a bunch more in small quantities from other gases.  About 0.5C of cooling with large error bars from SO2.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

What?

I am criticizing that the project is 10 years behind schedule and that there are very few comparable initiatives to expand passenger rail.

Instead of prioritizing work on proven solutions, funding is going to fringe science fair projects. Elon Musk literally got government permission and funds to dig a subway tunnel for electric cars.

Even if the CAHSR project is completed, it will likely be expected to run as a for-profit enterprise like Amtrak, making ticket prices unaffordable for many commuters.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Elon Musk literally got government permission and funds to dig a subway tunnel for electric cars.

Fair enough, but afaik the California government didn’t give him money for that.

project is 10 years behind schedule

I mean it’s the first system of its kind in the country and it’s being built in a state full of NIMBYs. Many of the delays were caused by lawsuits and environmental review like here, here, here, and here.

making ticket prices unaffordable for many commuters.

The latest estimates from 2019 (page 22) the ticket cost will be 100 dollars from San Francisco to la. Which would put the per km cost at a very competitive 13 cents.

there are very few comparable initiatives to expand passenger rail.

What does that have to do with California?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

the California government didn’t give him money for that

Right, but Las Vegas did and still is. It's more about how so many people in power were duped into believing it was ever a reasonable method of transportation. It would be dishonest to call it anything other than a publicity stunt / tourist attraction for SV tech bros.

I mean it’s the first system of its kind in the country and it’s being built in a state full of NIMBYs

Acquisitions through eminent domain have been used for far more nefarious purposes in the past.

the ticket cost will be 100 dollars from San Francisco to LA

I would be pleasantly surprised if that comes to be reality, though the cost of the project keeps rising and business school drop outs are going to demand costs be recouped through higher ticket prices.