Climate Change

[Trackhead]

there is nothing more ruthless, misanthropic or powerful than the oil/fossil fuel industry ....

.

Wrong. Health insurance providers, but that’s another thread

[uglymoney]

It's only from a position of naive privilege that somebody could think we need to hold fossil fuel companies "accountable" for climate change when in fact we owe them a huge debt of gratitude for what they have provided to us.

This is such a gross oversimplification. We don't owe them shit. They provide a commodity at market price which has been hugely profitable for them. Markets, which don't take into account the secondary costs of using massive amounts of petroleum, have been incredibly successful at providing a reliable supply of oil.

This wealth has not been evenly shared, like with most extraction business, it results in a concentration of wealth, which then leads assholes trying to protect the goose that laid the golden egg...at all cost. These costs, including visceral attacks on democracy and the very free markets that make oil plentiful, have been devastating, and this is but the beginning of the hell that awaits.

Oil the commodity has been crucial, absolutely.

And, yes, it is time to move on. Made nearly impossible by the entrenched wealth created by this slippery elixir we all rely on.

We can be thankful for oil, for the brilliance of markets that incentivized its extraction. But also recognize that letting oil markets and the oligarchs it has created run free, without a check down on the reality of our perilous situation, is an absolute prescription for disaster.

[neufox47]

Sure fossil fuels were needed for 300 years. But now they need to be phased down to a bear minimum.

Based on xyz’s logic the Tabasco companies and polluters should have been immune to plaintiffs damages because the government allowed it to happen.


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[BCMtnHound]

Based on xyz’s logic the Tabasco company should have been immune to plaintiffs damages because the government allowed it

The blame belongs with a lobby from the Clamato group. The masses demand their Caesars!

[Bunion 2020]

Hey now, don't fuck with my McIlhenny.

[Core Shot]

Chicks for free is a myth tool; you always pay, one way or another.

But money for nuthin is the “federal” reserve motto

[Bunion 2020]

.

Nuclear scientists were able to replicate fusion ignition at least three times this year, marking a significant leap forward in the race to solve the climate crisis, according to a report this month by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Ignition, a reaction that releases more energy than it consumes, was first achieved by a team at the California laboratory last December. Never before successfully created, it has been chased by researchers for more than a decade and could one day prove to be the key to near-limitless quantities of clean energy. First, though, they had to prove they could do it again. The LLNL report notes that three implosion experiments this year—one in July and two in October—were able to yield a net gain, proving the National Ignition Facility’s ability to create “fusion energy at multi-megajoule levels.” Richard Town, a scientist who leads the LLNL’s inertial-confinement fusion science program, told Nature that he was “feeling pretty good” about the results. “I think we should all be proud of the achievement.”

Baby steps.

[Bunion 2020]

Wind power set to overtake coal generation capacity in Montana
When construction wraps on two eastern Montana wind farms, the state will have more megawatts of ‘nameplate’ capacity in wind than coal.
by Amanda Eggert 12.22.2023

Montana has long been an energy exporter, sending power generated with Montana-based resources to markets in other states. Between its snowmelt-fed rivers, plentiful coal reserves and abundant wind, the state has ample energy resources to power utilities here and elsewhere.

Since Units 3 and 4 of the Colstrip power plant came online in the mid-1980s, coal has comfortably claimed the state’s No. 2 spot behind hydroelectric power for generating capacity. But in recent years, wind has been on the rise as coal-fired facilities shutter and investment in Montana’s sizable wind resource — the state is ranked the No. 2 in the nation for wind potential — accelerates.

According to an MTFP analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, “nameplate” wind generation capacity is likely to outstrip “nameplate” coal capacity when the Clearwater Wind East and Clearwater Wind II projects under construction east of Billings are complete.

Glenn McGrath, a senior analyst with the EIA, said in an interview that the rise of wind and decline of coal nationally are largely a function of economics. Coal plants are “getting chased out of the market” by cheaper resources, he said — namely combined-cycle natural gas plants and renewable energy sources like solar and wind.

And NWE continues to try and buy more coal generating capacity over the objections of its consumers.

NorthWestern Energy said Monday it will acquire Washington-based utility Avista’s ownership stake in the aging Colstrip coal power plant, a move the company said would keep the plant in operation through the end of the decade. NorthWestern, Montana’s dominant power utility, has been trying for several years to expand its stake in Colstrip, which is owned in part by Washington- and Oregon-based companies that have been planning a 2025 exit in the face of their states’ climate action targets. John Hines, NorthWestern’s vice president of energy supply and government affairs, announced the acquisition Monday evening at a legislative reception organized by the company and others on behalf of the community of Colstrip, the southeast Montana town where the plant is a major employer. “We have entered into an agreement with Avista where we’re going to be acquiring all their shares, output in units three and four,” Hines said to cheers from a crowd of lawmakers, lobbyists, state officials and others who filled the ballroom of Helena’s Great Northern Hotel. The agreement, Hines said, was signed this week and will bring NorthWestern’s stake in Colstrip to a total of 444 megawatts as of Jan. 1, 2026.

MEIC Policy and Legislative Affairs Director Anne Hedges said in an interview that NorthWestern is investing in “last-century’s energy system” while other utility companies invest in storage technology that can even out the peaks and troughs associated with renewable wind and solar generators. She added that the acquisition could leave NorthWestern customers on the hook for plant repairs that can cost tens of millions of dollars.

ETA:

Recently NorthWestern Energy (with the Public Service Commission’s blessing) gave its Montana captive ratepayers a 28% rate increase, and NWE has even more “to give” its ratepayers in the future. Sometime in 2024, NWE ratepayers will also get to pay for the $275 million, methane gas power plant currently under construction in Laurel.

NWE’s ratepayers in Montana, (and everyone else downwind) will also be getting polluted air from the 175-megawatt methane power plant which NWE has admitted will emit 49.4 tons of formaldehyde pollution; 103.8 tons of particulate matter; 14.1 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 165.4 tons of volatile organic compounds into the air we breathe. All these hazardous air pollutants, are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, and are not going to be healthy for anyone to breathe. It will be especially bad for those people living in Yellowstone County, where there are three refineries already negatively impacting air quality and people’s lungs.

But wait. NWE has even more to give – when the 18 reciprocating internal combustion engines are running, it will sound like the equivalent of 54 locomotives coming down the tracks. All this “giving” from NWE should do wonders for people’s hearing and property values in Laurel and Yellowstone County.

NWE’s spokeswoman was quoted recently saying “reliable energy service, especially during the winter, is critical for our customers’ lives.” I think most of NWE’s customers would agree what is absolutely critical to their lives is clean, healthy air to breathe, and a healthy planet that isn’t overheating from methane gas pollution. There are cleaner ways (and just as reliable) to generate electricity.

The Laurel Methane Gas Power Plant is going to poison our air, negatively impact people’s health, and add to the climate crisis. And, NWE’s ratepayers are going to get to pay for that poisoned air each-and-every month for more than 30 years — in addition to the recent 28% rate increase. They may also get to pay more medical bills each month. However, due to a big tax relief “gift” for industrial taxpayers from the 2023 legislature, NWE gets to pay $36 million of dollars less in property taxes this year.

To add insult to injury, NWE is constructing the Laurel power plant without the proper zoning permit, and there is also a court case brought before the Montana Supreme Court by the Montana Environmental Information Center and the Sierra Club trying to stop the methane power plant from becoming operational because greenhouse gases were not considered in the DEQ air quality permit – all 770,000+ tons per year of greenhouse gases. Recently, the “climate kids” from the Held vs. Montana trial filed an amicus brief in support of this case. We all have to hope that the Montana Supreme Court upholds every Montanan’s constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, and Montana’s constitution will protect us all from NWE’s methane gas monstrosity in Laurel from ever becoming operational.

By the way, just north of Billings on Alkali Creek is the MTSun Solar Farm, a recently constructed 80-megawatt solar farm which emits no harmful pollutants as it generates electricity. NWE could have constructed the equivalent of slightly more than two MTSun solar farms (with battery backup) near Laurel to provide reliable electricity with no air pollutants. It chose not to. One can’t help but wonder why not, at a time when renewable energy now makes up 80% of new electricity generation capacity? Do you think it was for NWE’s profits at the expense of the health of people and planet?

[Bunion 2020]

Sounds promising.

https://dailymontanan.com/2024/01/02...thermal-power/

Lawmakers in some states have been laying the groundwork to add geothermal power to the electrical grid and pump underground heat into buildings. Now, a technological breakthrough could dramatically expand those ambitions — and perhaps unleash a new wave of policies to tap into geothermal sources.

Last month, a company announced the successful demonstration in the West of a new drilling technique that it says will greatly expand where geothermal plants could be built. And in the Eastern half of the country, where geothermal’s potential is mostly as a heating and cooling source, a community recently broke ground on the first utility-run thermal energy network.

Some officials say those advances show great promise. A handful of states approved laws this year and others are considering measures that would provide money and regulations to help the industry.

“There have been enormous technological breakthroughs in geothermal,” Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said in an interview with Stateline. “More geographic areas are now eligible and capable of producing inexpensive geothermal energy. You’re seeing more and more states addressing geothermal opportunities with the urgency that Colorado is.”

In the West, some states see geothermal power plants as a crucial source of “always-on” clean electricity — a resilient energy supply to bolster grids supplied by wind and solar.

At the same time, some lawmakers in Eastern states believe networks of underground heat could replace gas-powered furnaces for many neighborhoods, campuses and commercial buildings.

In both cases, supporters believe the transition to geothermal could draw on the drilling and pipeline construction expertise of oil and gas workers.

Still, it will take a lot to expand geothermal power. Exploratory drilling is expensive and uncertain, and industry leaders say government backing is required to make that initial phase manageable for companies.

Meanwhile, the drilling technique of injecting water to fracture rock has proven controversial in oil and gas operations. While geothermal projects don’t use the same chemicals that have been linked to groundwater pollution, other concerns — such as increased seismic activity — could challenge new proposals.

[frorider]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A jury on Thursday awarded $1 million to climate scientist Michael Mann who sued a pair of conservative writers 12 years ago after they compared his depictions of global warming to a convicted child molester.

Mann, a professor of climate science at the University of Pennsylvania, rose to fame for a graph first published in 1998 in the journal Nature that was dubbed the “hockey stick” for its dramatic illustration of a warming planet.

The work brought Mann wide exposure but also many skeptics, including the two writers Mann took to court for comments that he said affected his career and reputation in the U.S. and internationally.

“It feels great,” Mann said Thursday after the six-person jury delivered its verdict. ”It’s a good day for us, it’s a good day for science.”

….,

[frorider]

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...nt-study-finds

AMOC has declined 15% since 1950 and is in its weakest state in more than a millennium, according to previous research that prompted speculation about an approaching collapse.

I’m surprised at how low general awareness there is of AMOC shifts & possible impacts.

[skaredshtles]

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...nt-study-finds



I’m surprised at how low general awareness there is of AMOC shifts & possible impacts.

I've been vaguely aware of it for awhile now... I think this is the part that keeps in sorta flying under the radar:

"they said it was not yet possible to predict how soon that would happen."

But perhaps it's more because we're kinda dumb, speaking generally.

[PB]

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...nt-study-finds



I’m surprised at how low general awareness there is of AMOC shifts & possible impacts.

Didn't you ever watch The Day After Tomorrow?!?!?!

[Trackhead]

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...nt-study-finds



I’m surprised at how low general awareness there is of AMOC shifts & possible impacts.

“Until now there has been no consensus about how severe this will be. One study last year….”

The problem when a headline is based on one study and lack of consensus. Now every major news outlet publishes the same headline as if it’s 100% certain and scientific consensus, which is not the case. Drives me nuts when the media hops on and distorts one study as if it’s scientific consensus.

[xyz]

“Until now there has been no consensus about how severe this will be. One study last year….”

The problem when a headline is based on one study and lack of consensus. Now every major news outlet publishes the same headline as if it’s 100% certain and scientific consensus, which is not the case. Drives me nuts when the media hops on and distorts one study as if it’s scientific consensus.

Another day with another scary headline. We are numb to it all now. Most people have a hundred other problems in front of climate change anyway.

It’s pretty much a dead issue at this point, like it or not. No meaningful transition is coming in time. 2030 will come and go with more empty promises broken.

Billionaires, politicians celebrities telling us to stop our lives while they private jet it up. It’s ridiculous. China ramping up coal plants, airports busier than ever.

No cares enough to make any sacrifices beyond online virtue signalling.

It’s time to move on. Adaptation makes more sense now.

Edit: auto correct corrected. [emoji867]

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Another day with another scary headline. We are numb to it all now. Most people have a hundred other problems in front of climate change anyway.

It’s pretty much a dead issue at this point, like it or not. No meaningful transition is coming in time. 2030 will come and go with more empty promises broken.

Billionaires, politicians celebrities telling us to stop our lives while they private jet it up. It’s ridiculous. China ramping up coal plants, airports busier than ever.

No cares enough to make any sacrifices beyond online virtue signalling.

It’s time to move on. Adoption makes more sense now.

Nobody is adopting you moron


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[Scooter65]

did you mean "adaptation"?
...what do you mean by "adoption". we shouldn't be procreating?

[mcski]

I think he meant adopting new arrivals from the huge waves of migration these changes will cause soon enough

[old goat]

By adoption, or adaptation --I'm thinking Americans all move to BC. We'll see how xyz thinks about adaptation then.

[BCMtnHound]

By adoption, or adaptation --I'm thinking Americans all move to BC. We'll see how xyz thinks about adaptation then.

Just the wealthy and lucky will make it in time. I find most N.Americans tend to behave like the frog in the pot of water slowly coming to a boil on the stove.

[old goat]

Just the wealthy and armed will make it in time. I find most N.Americans tend to behave like the frog in the pot of water slowly coming to a boil on the stove.

fify
by the way I don't disagree with xyz that the lack of serious action makes the future look bleak. But I think the prospect for adapting is just as bleak, if not more so. So even if things seem hopeless we have to try. And hope that big brains and tool making never evolve again. Not sure how I feel about opposable thumbs.

[xyz]

By adoption, or adaptation --I'm thinking Americans all move to BC. We'll see how xyz thinks about adaptation then.

I’ll adopt you. You’ll love my right wing survival bunker. Fox News 24/7 with floor to ceiling trump posters.

[Supermoon]

I’ll adopt you. You’ll love my right wing survival bunker. Fox News 24/7 with floor to ceiling trump posters.

Honestly, I’d rather die with my friends than survive with those types of people

[neufox47]

xyz is advocating against any change or action. To xyz, change is only palatable if it passes the purest of purity tests. Any one involved in change must have the carbon footprint of a Middle Ages monk, the change must not cause any inconvenience or disruption to how things currently are and lastly it must not involve any governmental funding or regulation.


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[old goat]

xyz is advocating against any change or action. To xyz, change is only palatable if it passes the purest of purity tests. Any one involved in change must have the carbon footprint of a Middle Ages monk, the change must not cause any inconvenience or disruption to how things currently are and lastly it must not involve any governmental funding or regulation.


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I think what he's really saying is that if all we have is individual action the situation is hopeless. Which it is. And that government isn't doing anything, which it isn't. So what's the point. I would say that the most important thing we can do is force govt to act, much more important than buying an electric car or forgoing air travel. But collective action is a hard concept for a lot of North Americans to grasp.