Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin offer remarkable insights into what the new IPCC report means and the implications for action, on both the political and financial front, that its findings entail.
The report highlights the failure of “political will.” Fair enough. If we care enough about decent survival to act decisively, we should take a close look at this concept and what it means for existing societies; or better, for societies we have some hope of attaining within the constraints of the time span for necessary action. We must, in short, have a clear understanding of the institutional structures within which political will can have concrete consequences.
The Biden proposal would indeed have been “landmark legislation” had it been enacted. While insufficient in light of the emergency we face, it would have been a long step forward. It was cut down step-by-step by 100 percent Republican opposition to anything that might address the most severe crisis of human history — and infringe on their passionate service to extreme wealth and corporate power.
Returning to the IRA, one basic component is an array of devices to induce the fossil fuel industry and financial institutions that support it to. The devices are mainly bribery and subsidy, including the gift of federal lands to exploit for oil extraction for decades to come, long after we pass tipping points for irreversible climate destruction.
The highest principle of our institutional structures also reveals their intrinsic lunacy. It is as if the Mexican government were to appeal to the drug cartels to reduce their mass slaughter by offering them some bribes and payments. Many have expressed puzzlement that CEOs of fossil fuel companies and the banks that lend to them can consciously sacrifice their grandchildren to amassing even more wealth than what already surpasses the dreams of avarice. They can offer a convincing answer:
I mentioned one component of the IRA: gifts and subsidies to the malefactors to induce them to act more nicely. There is a second component: industrial policy, a radical departure from professed neoliberal doctrine. In this case, substantial subsidies to private power to restore a domestic chip industry.
Bob, what are your own thoughts on the new IPCC report? Can “net zero” carbon dioxide emissions be reached across all sectors before mid-century? If so, where do we start, and how? But before you answer this part of the question, does “net zero” mean zero emissions? To be sure, is there such a thing as “net zero” or “zero carbon?”For 2022, total global carbon dioxide emissions reached 40.5 billion tons. Of this total, 36.
What are carbon capture technologies? To date, there is exactly one, and only one, such technology that has been proven to be effective and safe. That is to plant trees. More specifically, I am referring to afforestation — i.e., increasing forest cover or density in previously non-forested or deforested areas. Reforestation, the more commonly used term, is one component of afforestation. Afforestation works for the simple reason that living trees absorb CO2.
Let’s now return to the first part of your question: whether net zero emissions are achievable by 2050 when we allow that afforestation can, at most, extract 5 to 10 percent of the current level of emissions from burning fossil fuels? In other words, is it possible to effectively eliminate fossil fuel consumption throughout the global economy by 2050? The short answer is, yes.
Noam, what Bob just said about the transition to a green economy sounds very logical to me, but as the new IPCC report clearly states, such action entails not merely access to major sources of funding and technology but also coordination at all levels of governance, consensus among diverse interests, and of course, international cooperation. Obviously, humanity has in front of it a herculean task.
If we look over history, we see vast differences in what accords with human nature. Behavior that was considered normal in the past arouses horror today. That’s true even of the recent past. A dramatic illustration of the range of options that accord with basic human nature is Germany. In the 1920s, it represented the peak of Western civilization in the arts and sciences, and was also regarded as a model of democracy. A decade later it descended to the depths of depravity.
There were promising steps to bring together the agrarian and industrial popular classes. As throughout American history, these efforts were crushed by state and private power. American society is unusual among industrial societies in the power of the masters of the economy and their high level of class consciousness, a feature of American exceptionalism among industrial democracies that has many ramifications.
Argentina Últimas Noticias, Argentina Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
How to make your community livable for you now and in the years ahead | CNNWalkability, access to medical care, outdoor spaces and a variety of housing options all can make a big impact on healthy aging, experts say. And it's worth everyone getting invested in making their communities more age friendly.
Leer más »
PM Update: Strong wind gusts to surge through region; power outages possiblePM Update: Strong wind gusts to surge westward through region; power outages possible until midnight
Leer más »
While Gary Sánchez provides depth, SF Giants’ ‘best possible outcome’ already exists in organizationDespite signing two-time All-Star Gary Sánchez, “nothing would be more impactful for the San Francisco Giants than Joey (Bart) being a great major-league catcher,” manager Gabe Kapler s…
Leer más »
AccuWeather: Severe Thunderstorms, Tornado Possible TonightA Tornado Warning has been issued in Ocean County, New Jersey -- go to 6abc for a full list of counties in Pa, NJ, and De under a Tornado Warning
Leer más »
National Weather Service investigates possible tornado in South JerseyInvestigators are surveying damage from a swath of strong winds that tore through the adjoining towns of Cinnaminson and Delran just off the Delaware River.
Leer más »