Hey-oh.. Way to go, Australia..
There's been a chat going on, in Australian social media, i.e., FB, concerning global warming. One argument is that climate change does not start fires. Others take an opposing view. And they are right.
First of all, if you really understand cause and effect, you will know that there is really no such thing: it is all correlation and multifactoral! Even if you light a match and place it in some brush, that is still correlation - of course not in the legal or moral sense, but in the statistical and quantum sense. But, I am not interested in exploring all that right now. Suffice it to say that the concept of, "causation," is always open for further question and study.
Does global warming cause hurricanes? Well, we now know it causes hurricanes to become larger and more powerful, because there is more energy in the environment. Isn't that a kind of cause? What about the many mini-hurricanes that are not measured? Are they not being spired by rising heat? And, loe and behold, will not the day come soon when there flower yet more hurricanes per season, simply because of the back-load? Is that not causation?
As far as fires go: Global warming, with more energy and water in the atmosphere, clearly leads to more thunderstorms, and more intense thunderstorms. That means more lightning - i.e., lightning which can spark wildfires, yes? Is this not causation - of wildfires?
We all know that people get antsy and nuts when the heat goes up and the humidity goes down. That includes a lot of climate-denier idiots, who might get it in their heads to run out into the woods and start fires. Is that not causation?
There are a lot of rags lying around in piles, some of which have gasoline fumes in them. There are a lot of piles of hay and compost; there are a lot of grain bins; there are a lot of piles of unmanaged dry bush just sitting around, waiting for the right temperature to make them spontaneously combust. Without those rising temps, and dry droughts, they would not have been a problem. But, with global warming, they like to combust, and burn other things. That is causation!
Less water is available to relieve fires, to relieve crops, to relieve the bush - to relieve towns. What is going to happen in temps of 115F and no water? FIRE! It boggles my mind to no end that comfortable gamers, in the safety of their dens, argue such things as, "Climate change does not start fires," when this is mainly academic, and unrealistic. The reality is that fires are coming, and global warming is real. What else do you need to know before you call for action?!
So - this social media chatter is just the latest nonsense which has made me rather dubious of Australia's maturity, as of late. I think we all know, by now, that the administration has been in denial, and then paying lip service, and all-in-all just dragging its feet. That is plain enough. It is obvious there will be a change in government because of this, if not protests in the streets, eventually, hopefully. But, there are many Australian towns now dependent on the coal industry, and there are strong coal and petro forces lobbying the right not to be regulated.
And a lot of that coal goes to China. Well, Australia, do you recall that great fear you had, in the middle of the last century, of a, "great yellow tide," overtaking your independence? Pfffft, that was all racism, right? No. China is now a global power, and it is meaning to make you dependent, economically, which means socially. It has nothing to do with racism. (Great for China to finally start closing its own coal plants - but it still expects Australia to ship coal to it??) So, needless to say, I am very disappointed in Australia, which was once a very progressive country. A very independent and proud country. How can it keep talking itself into allowing this arrangement to proceed?
Wouldn't it be ironic if the wildfires became so severe that they set fire to all the coal fields, as well? Don't laugh. That's kinda what's happening to the permafrost in the Arctic.
In fair dinkum, I know that these environmental changes are a lot for any of us to handle. I really do have forgiveness in my heart for people suffering, or confronting, or denying these changes in Australia, or in Sudan, or in South Africa, or in Brazil, and all around the world. But, if we go on thinking that WW2 was the worst that could have happened to our species, and all the rest is smooth sailing, then well, we're in for a rude awakening. It's a sad, sad story going on here. This is only the beginning. Things are going to get a lot, lot worse.
I do have hope for Australia. I think it will one day shoot to the forefront of the environmental movement. It is just going to have to go through a few changes for the present.
But, I do see some kind of weird kind of denial going on there. It reminds me a lot of American denial on the right, or in earlier times, albeit a lot less arrogant or imperialist. It is a kind of, "go with the flow," sort of denial. Let the chips fall where they may. Well, you can't fight city hall. And, "why try educating people on global warming if they're never going to learn?" Oh, really? Look what has been happening in Hong Kong. People KEEP TRYING and TRYING. Don't leave it to the deniers to make your decisions for you. Am I right?
It is kind of resignation laced with an personal optimism similar to the 1960's in the USA, when it was young and naive.
So, anyway, here is a great example of someone/s in Australia who sports that kind of denial - and we have referenced this before - ('topum' is an Australian) - https://topum.livejournal.com/483382.html
Finally, I was listening to the BBC, interviewing an important person in Australia - a person in authority, fighting the fires - and this is what he said:
"Well, this isn't anything any different than what we've seen in the past."
Ha! Are you KIDDING ME? Wake up! Move this along. Something big has got to happen down there. Something big has been going on in so many other countries around the globe - I really think the time is coming for Australia. There is my hope again.
I've been wanting to move back to Tasmania, before I die. It is the most temperate forested part of Australia. But now, the fires are even beginning there. The whole thing just breaks my heart. Everything about it.
First of all, if you really understand cause and effect, you will know that there is really no such thing: it is all correlation and multifactoral! Even if you light a match and place it in some brush, that is still correlation - of course not in the legal or moral sense, but in the statistical and quantum sense. But, I am not interested in exploring all that right now. Suffice it to say that the concept of, "causation," is always open for further question and study.
Does global warming cause hurricanes? Well, we now know it causes hurricanes to become larger and more powerful, because there is more energy in the environment. Isn't that a kind of cause? What about the many mini-hurricanes that are not measured? Are they not being spired by rising heat? And, loe and behold, will not the day come soon when there flower yet more hurricanes per season, simply because of the back-load? Is that not causation?
As far as fires go: Global warming, with more energy and water in the atmosphere, clearly leads to more thunderstorms, and more intense thunderstorms. That means more lightning - i.e., lightning which can spark wildfires, yes? Is this not causation - of wildfires?
We all know that people get antsy and nuts when the heat goes up and the humidity goes down. That includes a lot of climate-denier idiots, who might get it in their heads to run out into the woods and start fires. Is that not causation?
There are a lot of rags lying around in piles, some of which have gasoline fumes in them. There are a lot of piles of hay and compost; there are a lot of grain bins; there are a lot of piles of unmanaged dry bush just sitting around, waiting for the right temperature to make them spontaneously combust. Without those rising temps, and dry droughts, they would not have been a problem. But, with global warming, they like to combust, and burn other things. That is causation!
Less water is available to relieve fires, to relieve crops, to relieve the bush - to relieve towns. What is going to happen in temps of 115F and no water? FIRE! It boggles my mind to no end that comfortable gamers, in the safety of their dens, argue such things as, "Climate change does not start fires," when this is mainly academic, and unrealistic. The reality is that fires are coming, and global warming is real. What else do you need to know before you call for action?!
So - this social media chatter is just the latest nonsense which has made me rather dubious of Australia's maturity, as of late. I think we all know, by now, that the administration has been in denial, and then paying lip service, and all-in-all just dragging its feet. That is plain enough. It is obvious there will be a change in government because of this, if not protests in the streets, eventually, hopefully. But, there are many Australian towns now dependent on the coal industry, and there are strong coal and petro forces lobbying the right not to be regulated.
And a lot of that coal goes to China. Well, Australia, do you recall that great fear you had, in the middle of the last century, of a, "great yellow tide," overtaking your independence? Pfffft, that was all racism, right? No. China is now a global power, and it is meaning to make you dependent, economically, which means socially. It has nothing to do with racism. (Great for China to finally start closing its own coal plants - but it still expects Australia to ship coal to it??) So, needless to say, I am very disappointed in Australia, which was once a very progressive country. A very independent and proud country. How can it keep talking itself into allowing this arrangement to proceed?
Wouldn't it be ironic if the wildfires became so severe that they set fire to all the coal fields, as well? Don't laugh. That's kinda what's happening to the permafrost in the Arctic.
In fair dinkum, I know that these environmental changes are a lot for any of us to handle. I really do have forgiveness in my heart for people suffering, or confronting, or denying these changes in Australia, or in Sudan, or in South Africa, or in Brazil, and all around the world. But, if we go on thinking that WW2 was the worst that could have happened to our species, and all the rest is smooth sailing, then well, we're in for a rude awakening. It's a sad, sad story going on here. This is only the beginning. Things are going to get a lot, lot worse.
I do have hope for Australia. I think it will one day shoot to the forefront of the environmental movement. It is just going to have to go through a few changes for the present.
But, I do see some kind of weird kind of denial going on there. It reminds me a lot of American denial on the right, or in earlier times, albeit a lot less arrogant or imperialist. It is a kind of, "go with the flow," sort of denial. Let the chips fall where they may. Well, you can't fight city hall. And, "why try educating people on global warming if they're never going to learn?" Oh, really? Look what has been happening in Hong Kong. People KEEP TRYING and TRYING. Don't leave it to the deniers to make your decisions for you. Am I right?
It is kind of resignation laced with an personal optimism similar to the 1960's in the USA, when it was young and naive.
So, anyway, here is a great example of someone/s in Australia who sports that kind of denial - and we have referenced this before - ('topum' is an Australian) - https://topum.livejournal.com/483382.html
Finally, I was listening to the BBC, interviewing an important person in Australia - a person in authority, fighting the fires - and this is what he said:
"Well, this isn't anything any different than what we've seen in the past."
Ha! Are you KIDDING ME? Wake up! Move this along. Something big has got to happen down there. Something big has been going on in so many other countries around the globe - I really think the time is coming for Australia. There is my hope again.
I've been wanting to move back to Tasmania, before I die. It is the most temperate forested part of Australia. But now, the fires are even beginning there. The whole thing just breaks my heart. Everything about it.