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@chimoaus said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
We are already the wealthiest generation in terms of "Money", "Assests" than any other other period in history. Does this make us happy? Not by figures showing depression, anxiety and suicide climbing.
Just on this - being happy is nothing more than a fleeting emotion and doesn't sustain us in any way, particularly when we go through hard times. The problem many people have is a lack of meaning in their lives. There are ample ways to live a meaningful life, but it does require you to take some responsibility for something. I don't think we are doing a good job teaching our youth the importance of having meaning in your life; but that's a topic for another thread.
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@No-Quarter said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@chimoaus said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
We are already the wealthiest generation in terms of "Money", "Assests" than any other other period in history. Does this make us happy? Not by figures showing depression, anxiety and suicide climbing.
Just on this - being happy is nothing more than a fleeting emotion and doesn't sustain us in any way, particularly when we go through hard times. The problem many people have is a lack of meaning in their lives. There are ample ways to live a meaningful life, but it does require you to take some responsibility for something. I don't think we are teaching our to youth the importance of having meaning in your life; but that's a topic for another thread.
People who say money can't buy happiness haven't flown long haul in economy.
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@antipodean AFTER flying long haul in Business.
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I don't tend to buy in to a lot of these arguments but a couple of your points triggered me.
@chimoaus said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
We are already the wealthiest generation in terms of "Money", "Assests" than any other other period in history. Does this make us happy? Not by figures showing depression, anxiety and suicide climbing.
See I don't buy that. Try not having wealth, and by tgat I mean the ability to provide yourself and your family the needs as defined by Maslow and see how happy you are.
We have enough wealth, what we need to do is redistribute that and focus on the well being of every species on the planet.
I don't get how giving away stuff to people who don't contribute empowers people. You've kind of lost me here
I just think the capitalist system has driven us to over-consumption and placed our focus too heavily on money, assets and stuff. This is often at the expense of social connections to other people, family, creative pursuits etc.
I'd argue the capitalist system has gicen us the wealth to indukge in other people, family, creative pursuits etc.
Why do we need to work 40-50 hours a week for 47 years so we can then spend time with family and do what we want. Why can we not work less now
Because if people aren't working there is no wealth for us to afford to spend time with family and do what we want now. Who generates the food and clothing and pays for the shelter we need? I'm genuinely confused by your argument.
and spend time with those that matter and do things we enjoy. The answer is we believe we need "Stuff" to be happy and the system drives us to consume.
Stuff we need:
- shelter
- food
- clothing
All cost money. Where does that come from?
Everything else us nice, makes us feel good, and if we work hard we earn thise luxuries.
As for noticing impacts of climate change, maybe NZ is insulated somewhat but I can assure you Australia is not. We have had arguably the worst start to the fire season ever and parts of the country are experiencing catastrophic fire danger for the first time. Towns are running out of water, rivers are drying and fish are dying. The drought is ongoing and impacting many. We are experiencing massive flooding events, coastal erosion, coastal bleaching and many species are in threat of extinction. We had 8 days over 40 degrees at my place in one month which is a record.
So us the answer not finding ways for society to benefit as a whole? Find a way to make fighting climate change benefit people, rather than punish tham?
I believe we as humans are largely responsible for this mess, If we choose to do nothing and hope technology saves us then I fear for our kids and grandkids because we will be leaving them one hell of a mess.
But hoping punishing people for working hard is an answer?
I haven't got to @Baron-Silas-Greenback 's reply (or replies) as yet, but I await with baited breath. I suspect he's put it rather more bluntly than me, but I believe the answer to climaye change, and it is a problem in my opinion, is finding a way where people will vdnefit, rather than making them suffer.
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@Siam said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
Are we dead set sure that these bushfires are caused neatly and certainly by climate change?
Seems to me that fires in Aus have been a permanent thing. Now, the human habitats affected by fires has increased for sure, but did the climate cause these fires?
Looks all a bit like recency bias.
Happy to be wrong, (Christ happy to learn anything authentic about climate change!)
It's the severity and time of year.
It's bushfire season in Qld. Late spring is when it's dry and warm. But we've (apparently) never had a State of Emergency declared. We have now across 49 odd Councils. Unprecedented.
It is NOT bushfire season in NSW. It doesn't get bushfirey till late Jan into Feb.
And the new "catastrophic" level of fire risk is down to weather patterns not experienced until recent years.
It's not right this time of year.
My personal opinion is that climate change has something to do with it.
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@booboo said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
My personal opinion is that climate change has something to do with it.
That's a widely held sentiment and given the IPCC reports, extremely difficult to argue against. There's a difference between exacerbated and caused, not that it really matters much in the final analysis.
Ultimately Australia needs to better determine its land management, building codes and zoning. Without wishing ill on anyone, I can't help but point out if you build in or next to a forest, what do you expect to happen?
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@NTA said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@antipodean AFTER flying long haul in Business.
You can never go back. Ruined for life - especially if you happen to be 6"5.
On money, wealth and happiness, there was a survey done a few years ago. Somewhere around Aus $100k was the magic number. Less than that was not a comfortable living to raise a family, etc. More than that didn't increase happiness by any great extent. Take from that what you will.
On the fires - both of these would appear to be modern phenomena (or not well documented in the past is more likely). Lightning should be associated with a Cumulonimbus which will have rain.
the risk of ignitions from dry-lightning (i.e., lightning that occurs without significant rainfall)
extreme pyroconvection (including thunderstorm development in a fire plume)
Self igniting and sustaining fires are pretty scary.
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@NTA said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@antipodean AFTER flying long haul in Business.
That's where the damage started for me, Qantas upgraded me and I've never been able to go back. Much to the wallet's dismay.
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@jegga said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
Read that some time ago and it's a frightening read.
Decades ago I lived near the Blue Mountains and bad fires would start kilometres in front of the major fire started by embers carried by winds created from the ferocity of the fire itself. Didn't help having eucalypts everywhere which could explode. That sort of thing makes containment near impossible.
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@antipodean said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@NTA said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@antipodean AFTER flying long haul in Business.
That's where the damage started for me, Qantas upgraded me and I've never been able to go back. Much to the wallet's dismay.
I keep telling the wife we should grab an upgrade, but she has some bullshit concern over leaving the kids in economy
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@NTA said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@antipodean said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@NTA said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@antipodean AFTER flying long haul in Business.
That's where the damage started for me, Qantas upgraded me and I've never been able to go back. Much to the wallet's dismay.
I keep telling the wife we should grab an upgrade, but she has some bullshit concern over leaving the kids in economy
Yours are teenagers aren't they? You might want to mention that you're not flying in a C5 Galaxy, so the helicopter parenting can't come aboard - it won't fit.
If she gives you the silent treatment, you wouldn't be able to notice in business anyway.
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@antipodean said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@NTA said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@antipodean said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@NTA said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
@antipodean AFTER flying long haul in Business.
That's where the damage started for me, Qantas upgraded me and I've never been able to go back. Much to the wallet's dismay.
I keep telling the wife we should grab an upgrade, but she has some bullshit concern over leaving the kids in economy
Yours are teenagers aren't they? You might want to mention that you're not flying in a C5 Galaxy, so the helicopter parenting can't come aboard - it won't fit.
If she gives you the silent treatment, you wouldn't be able to notice in business anyway.
Silent treatment is not a punishment
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@antipodean said in Climate Change #3 & Other Environmental Issues:
Yours are teenagers aren't they?
Lad 15 & lass 12. So basically adults if I was allowed to raise them the right way
You might want to mention that you're not flying in a C5 Galaxy, so the helicopter parenting can't come aboard - it won't fit.
That's good - I will use that at my peril.
If she gives you the silent treatment, you wouldn't be able to notice in business anyway.
The puzzling bit: on our trip to Fiji last year, I offered to upgrade her seat to Business class on our way to Fiji, as we'd been going through a bit of shit with her family and I thought she needed to relax* - no dice.
*Subtext: go drink wine in Business and get toey for our arrival at the hotel
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Interesting to look at the areas involved in the NSW mid/north coast fires, compared to the area of the Greater Sydney basin:
Nothing happened in the basin at this point, but here in Western Sydney the wind is just picking up and temp is almost 34C as we approach midday. A few aircraft getting around.
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Genuine concern that Coffs Harbour could be wiped from the map. Red in the image below is predicted fire path today.
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Climate Change