Topic: Stop Calling it Climate Change. Start Calling it Global Warming.

[8ullfrog]

https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2022/10/expert-identifies-what-caused-a-massive-die-off-of-alaskas-snow-crabs.html

Enough with the pandering. People who would complain about the term "Global Warming" would gladly see us dead.

And honestly, it's looking like it will happen in our lifetime.

The planet will survive, but will we?

[goldshirt*9]

The Earth is over populated,S every now and again Mother Earth throws something at us to depopulate a few million or so.
Trouble is we are very good at preventing this.
Agent Smith stated
"“I´d like to share a revelation that I´ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species, and I realized that you’re not actually mammals.

Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment, but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed. The only way can survive is to spread to another area.

There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus.

Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You’re a plague and we… are the cure.”

[smokester]

I'm interested to see if the U.K has the extremely high temperatures we've seen on the last handful of years. This May has the  lowest, high temperature (that just sounds wrong) for the last 7or 8 years.

My point is that I'm really in line with this thread and that climate change isn't solely to do with warming, and that a lot of new regulation I have to deal with is probably overkill.

We have the leakiest homes in Europe  (relating to heat) but we now have a new set of regulations to do with "overheating". Maybe "lowest high" isn't that stupid after all.

[8ullfrog]

My state has emissions goals that are fully divorced from reality. They are attempting to ram things through by making driving inconvenient if not impossible. Bike lanes in residential neighborhoods have resulted in traffic nightmares, and more and more an entire anti-car movement becomes more popular.
One particular favorite they have is that we should shut down arteries and turn them into open air markets. One wonders how the products in this roadless society would be delivered. Presumably during the dark hours to avoid offending sensibilities.

Whats worse, they're bless'ed annoying about it. In our area there has been a big push for public transit. People who do not want to utilize public transit avoid it like a plague, which would be funny if there were not periodic TB exposure warnings about public transit.

I stupidly got into one such argument where a user said that "People around the world utilize public transit with no problems."
I replied that we have a current WORK STOPPAGE in public transportation in our city, and that bus drivers are driving routes approximately when they feel like it. That's per MTS, not just some anti-union claptrap. It's official guidance. They suggest "alternate transit plans."

I asked if those qualified as problems.

The user confidently restated exactly that.

I did not reply.

[6pairsofshoes]

There really is a concerted effort to get people to stop using cars here.  Diverters to prevent through vehicular traffic, restricted parking, intrusive bike lanes on major traffic arteries (when there was already a comprehensive system of "bicycle boulevards" in place) have rendered some commercial districts so unfriendly that some motorists go out of their way to avoid them.  I am one. 

I will drive blocks out of my way to avoid traversing these "enlightened" efforts to force people out of their cars.  I rarely use public transit because it's generally inconvenient.  I'll take the subway to the city and back, but the bus system in my area is kind of silly, since I can walk or bike most places and any other destination would literally take hours instead of the 20 minute car ride because of the need to transfer between multiple bus lines.  I drive when I need to go places that would otherwise take hours via public transit or when I have to buy groceries in quantities.  Otherwise, I can walk to most shops.  But I'm lucky in that regard.

[6pairsofshoes]

What works (or may possibly work) in the megalopolises of the coasts is unworkable in the red flyover states.

Most rural areas used to have village centers that had passenger rail transportation, but that declined after WW2, so that now, if you don't have a car, you're out of luck.  I feel for the elderly who can no longer drive, since the commercial centers have also been emptied out by big box retail chains that located on the periphery.  So even if you could live in a small town, the likelihood that you could walk to the grocers or to obtain services is pretty slim.
 It's really a failed system in so many ways and it's an ecological disaster in slow progress.  Cheap electric cars might help a little but this system has been set in place and pretty much continues.  Otherwise, you have to hope you can order everything delivered via amazon or Instacart, should they deliver in those areas.

[8ullfrog]

It doesn't work in the coastal areas, but they're ramming it through anyway.

[6pairsofshoes]

To get to Los Angeles from Northern California, the quickest route is through the central valley on Route 5.  This goes past several commercial feedlots for cattle, most memorably, through Coalinga.  There are sad steers standing around in large spaces devoid of grass or any natural vegetation.  You can smell the stench of their bodily waste for many miles.  We close the car windows and ensure that the air is circulating internally in the car until we are well past the area.  Ick. 

I suspect these animals are fed corn (not the grass or hay natural to such ruminants) and antibiotics, and it gives one pause, or at least should, for consuming any mass produced beef.  I believe the methane emissions from these practices are pretty substantial.  I have no idea if poultry production produces similar results.

[smokester]

....Bike lanes in residential neighborhoods have resulted in traffic nightmares, and more and more an entire anti-car movement becomes more popular....

This system was rolled out around about COVID time and is now pretty much the  status quo:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8718471/Fury-pop-cycle-lanes-set-33-million-scheme-London-moving-lie-empty.html

[8ullfrog]

It was worse than that.

Imagine that, but the bike lane serpentines across the road like ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and drivers are just supposed to "proceed with caution"
https://www.kpbs.org/news/local/2022/04/08/after-backlash-san-diego-backs-off-advisory-bike-lanes

My bad, they were to "Yield to bikes".

They made them tear it out, and the bikies called them all redneck fascists.

Also, the S serpent bike lane was neon green.

On the street I used to live on they jammed a roundabout nobody approved, and then had to pay massive amounts of money to rip it out because they literally did it without approval.

The residents were livid.

[smokester]

That does look pretty scary.

If you look at the article I posted, by far the most ridiculous situation is that of Park Lane. It is the only option crossing that part of central London and to reduce most of it to 1 lane for all traffic barring buses, while creating double that size lane for cyclists, is just both catastrophically inconvenient and asking for trouble. Now, drivers bottle neck when approaching the single lane and then just cut in on each other setting rise to one violent exchange after another. 

[smokester]

Park Lane is also very expensive in Monopoly.

If you pick the car as your piece, there's little chance you'll ever land on it.

[8ullfrog]

I'd say it's the same bit of theater.

They wrote legislation that cuts their own throats and tout it as an envrionmental goal.

I remember you posting the planting boxes they put across roads during covid, since people would not be able to openly protest such cowpoo.

The bike lane cartel in my neck of the woods constantly say that their plans are publicly filed. In the underground restroom, behind the beware the leopard sign.

[6pairsofshoes]

The "advisory bike lanes" in San Diego seem to be the stupidest and most dangerous I've seen.  Most places around here insert a bike lane when there's space between the rows of parked cars and the main vehicular lanes.  Result?  People double park and leave flashers on while they zip inside for short errands, forcing bikes into the main lane.

My favorite?  Pairs of bicyclists who like to occupy the full traffic lane when there's no bike lane and ride slower than the speed limit causing long lines of cars driving slower than they would like.  This is not to say auto drivers are angels.  In CA, unlike other parts of the U.S., there is a clear courtesy where one yields to the driver who arrived first at a 4 way stop.  I was waiting at one yesterday only to see another driver just show up and  blast through the intersection without stopping.  I have often see bicyclists treat stop signs as mere "suggestions," too.   But, I digress.

It's clear that there are few efforts to obtain public approval before instituting these changes.  I like 8ully's suggestion of where the plans are published.  That must be it, based on the endless rants on fora like NextDoor, letters to the editor in local papers, etc.

[8ullfrog]

You know I stole that, right?