this post was submitted on 03 Mar 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.

Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:

Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago

This should include gas cars too which are ungodly inefficient

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Thanks a lot for linking the source!

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Cool, now do the same chart but instead of energy use time.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Time us is so heavily dependent on location you cant standardize the data effectively

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Time efficiency in a modern urban area optimized for public transport and non-motorized transport modes compared to time efficiency in current typical urban areas, which are focused on individual motorized transport modes with severe lack of public transport:

[Fancy chart: first case left, second case right]

[Good] [Bad]

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

That's nice, but in my town at least driving to work takes half the time of taking the direct bus and that's with half the roads in the town being closed to private vehicles. To walk to work I have to walk for 2 hours without breaks down to the bridge and back up the other side or cycle for 50 minutes (at -10°C) this is compared to a 10 minute drive through the tunnel.

I genuinely wouldn't mind taking the bus if my kids daycare was open longer.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Keep in mind that although an electric bike might use more energy input than a regular road bike, it uses a much cleaner type of fuel. Even the most dirty coal power plant in the world has a significantly lower CO2 output per watt hour than the food you are eating to power a bicycle. Even if you are vegan

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

We should probably just stop eating.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Wrong.

Coal power has a CO2 intensity of ~1 g / Wh (source: IEA)

A plant based diet has a CO2 intensity of ~1 g / Wh (source: ourworldindata)

Production CO2 intensity of a bicycle is also lower than an e-bike.

Pedaling under your own power also has health benefits, which the e-bike rider would need to do additional exercise to achieve, thus increasing their total CO2 intensity further.

In short, sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up about shit you clearly don't understand.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

EBikes are awesome. I live in a hilly area where riding is tough. EBikes allows people of all ages and abilities to get out. Even with the assistance you still burn calories... as long as it's assisted peddling and not the illegal bikes I see delivery guys riding.

I ride road bikes but when I get older and less capable I'll certainly invest in an ebike.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I don't begrudge the deliverers their powered bikes, they have a tough enough gig and it's one less car. I do wish e-scooters would stop going fast among foot traffic though. My kid moves pretty unpredictably, and has had near misses in pedestrian areas

[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago (9 children)

Yeah, micro mobility is great on paper when you’re young and live in an accessible city with flat topography. Years ago I became (and still am) a bicycle commuter and I am ENTIRELY SICK OF IT. I want a fucking car. I am tired of biking in the rain and the snow and the cold. It fucking sucks.

Also If I didnt have the ability to purchase an e-bike recently I’d be fucked with the terrain of the place I am currently stuck living (and even that doesn’t quite cover the situation).

Also I am tired of minor injuries compounding year over year due to the simple fact that I am using my body as both the engine and support structure to move myself, vehicle and cargo around just to live.

It was fun 10 years ago but now I’m just like give me a fucking cargo van.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I've been telling everyone how most people don't need a car in a big enough city (I'm in Europe), and how much more efficient (PROPER) public transport is.

...And then I get the work commute metro trains where stupid/inconsiderate/disgusting people still get on the packed train despite being sick, keep standing in my kidney and sneeze/cough at others (without a mask, of course) and sniff their nose all the way. Every single time when that happens I dream about having my own car where I don't have to deal with this (or an idiot blasting TikTok from their speakers, being drunk+loud, smelly, etc.).

I still won't have a car, but man, sometimes the right decision isn't the easiest.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (4 children)

No amount of urban planning can solve a 300 year old city built in a 10,000 year old hilly mess of a glacial valley.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Had a neighbour in his 80, had multiple leg operations and he still used to take a daily bike ride to keep fit. Not to mention that even if bike commutes suck, they improve your mental health considerably, even if you go in the rain/cold.

And most importantly of all, those who can take the bike cover those who can't. So please enjoy your car ride, but take the bike when you can.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Sounds like it should keep you fit.

What kind of injuries?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Yeah but what about if a person is a massive hambeast? Ain’t no cycles going nowhere under that strain.

Or what if they are a massive douchenozzle chud fuckwit?!? It would emasculate them to not have the largest most unnecessary truck possible?!?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

I feel seen

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