WTF Climate Change News

[Innula Zenovka]

Well, one of the often repeated current smoke screens many naysayers nowadays are using is that efforts to combat climate change mean nothing and are in vain since China's emissions are so big. And unless China does something, we could just move on like always.

In reality, if you can trust this guy here, China means business and really takes matter seriously.

https://nitter.net/KyleTrainEmoji/status/1680246994072133632#m

If you look at the per capita figures, China produces about the same amount of CO2 per capita as do higher-emitting EU27 countries, while the US produces about twice that (Canada and Russia produce even more per capita, as do many much smaller countries), while India produces far less per capita.

But my point is that, in a situation where, because of the size of the various countries, their populations, economies and climates, China produces 32.93% of the world's CO2 emissions and the USA 12.55%, whatever their governments do or don't do to reduce their emissions is going to have more effect than whatever is done by the EU as whole (7.33%) or by other individual governments.

(I found some more up-to-date figures: EDGAR - The Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research )

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Govi]

We already know how much humanity will be shown by the Abbot regime in Texas. I hope Abbot surprises us and makes us apologize profusely.

 

[Free]

Holy crap. From last week's SW heat barrage.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

 

[Beebo Brink]

Sunak's family firm signs billion-dollar deal with BP (thelondoneconomic.com)

Sunak’s family firm signed a billion-dollar deal with BP before PM opened new North Sea licences
The CEO of one of Infosys' other major clients, Shell, also joined Rishi Sunak's new business council two weeks ago.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Sunak's family firm signs billion-dollar deal with BP (thelondoneconomic.com)

To be accurate, the firm in question is Infosys, which his father-in-law founded and in which his wife has a substantial shareholding.

Much as I dislike Rishi Sunak and his government, I'm not at all sure that the connection with Infosys played any important role in the highly contentious decision (even within his own party) about the oil and gas drilling licences.

 

[Caete]

 

[detrius]

That video channel is essentially two guys obsessing over China's imminent collapse.

It's just "China bad" over and over again. They don't look credible to me.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

One look at the breathless headline and I googled up a real news site, wondering why the entire destruction of a city of 21 million wasn't more newsworthy.

 

[Soen Eber]

That video channel is essentially two guys obsessing over China's imminent collapse.

It's just "China bad" over and over again. They don't look credible to me.

They lived in China for several years (less than a decade, when it was open) and rode their motorcycles all throughout the country. One is South African, the other I think a Brit. I've been watching them off and on the past 3 or 4 years for their insights, but admitedly they do have and show their bias. Quite soured they are by the changes Xin bought in, understandably, but for the most part love the country and the people. They also hate the corruption, i.e. TOFU dregs for intentionally badly built structures so the contractors and regional leaders can pocket money - but they're also speaking for the average Chinese they've encountered on that one.

There are other YouTube critics on China I won't watch because it's even more blatent (there's a LOT), but these two at least had their feet on the ground, and not just for a two week vacation/"investigation".

EDIT: rewritten for better word flow

 

[Govi]

Oh, yes. Those two have even fooled the New York Times. /sarcasm.

Eleven Dead and 27 Missing, as Heavy Rains Batter Beijing

Landslides and flash flooding have threatened outer districts of the city, and more than 52,000 residents were evacuated from their homes, the authorities said.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Oh, yes. Those two have even fooled the New York Times. /sarcasm.

Eleven Dead and 27 Missing, as Heavy Rains Batter Beijing

Landslides and flash flooding have threatened outer districts of the city, and more than 52,000 residents were evacuated from their homes, the authorities said.

www.nytimes.com

Not quite the same as the city being "destroyed," though.

 

[Govi]

Not quite the same as the city being "destroyed," though.

I watched their video, in which their tone was much like the NYT story with some editorializing. I forgot their headline which was sensational hyperbole.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Vermont’s flood-wracked capital city ponders a rebuild with one eye on climate change | AP News

“I think most people in this area were very concerned about climate change, but we also were a little pretty much thought we were a little safer here because we had not really suffered the drastic events that some other parts of the country have,” said Rob Kasow, co-owner of Bear Pond Books. “But I think now we’ve been a little disabused of the notion that Vermont is safe from climate change.”

Oregon Cherry Harvest, Thrashed by Climate Change, Needs Emergency Aid, GOP Rep Says (wweek.com)

Oregon’s cherry harvest, one of the state’s biggest sources of agricultural income, is in dire straits because of climate change this year, and growers need emergency relief, says the state representative from Hood River, a cherry mecca.

Rep. Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) wrote to Gov. Tina Kotek on July 31, asking her for disaster funds to aid cherry farmers in his district and across the state.

“As you know, the sweet cherry industry in Oregon plays a vital role in our state’s agricultural sector and contributes significantly to the economy,” Helfrich wrote to Kotek. “Unfortunately, our cherry producers have been facing severe hardships due to unprecedented and adverse weather conditions in Oregon such as ice storms, excessive heat, and wildfire smoke impacts caused by a warming climate.”

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Putting this here because one of the major reasons gas prices have been escalating lately is climate-driven.

3 reasons gas prices are climbing again - NewsBreak

Drivers once again are feeling a pinch when fueling their vehicles, with the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. jumping to $3.82 a gallon, up nearly 30 cents from a month ago. Even though prices are climbing everywhere, the steepest increases are in Midwestern states...

share.newsbreak.com

Seems kind of ironic that fossil fuel production is adversely affected by the climate changes it is creating.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Seems kind of ironic that fossil fuel production is adversely affected by the climate changes it is creating.

Gotta have that exponential share growth so everyone's 401Ks hopefully don't collapse during their retirement year!

Side rant. The conversation is even hard to have in a world so propagandized that if you suggest 'This aspect of capitalism is headed to disaster' you get a mob of people with McCarthy Tourettes rushing to write paragraphs on why communism is bad and will never work.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Capitalism -- as we're currently practicing it -- is such an obvious Ponzi scheme. But yeah, no one wants to hear that.

 

[Noodles]

Gotta have that exponential share growth so everyone's 401Ks hopefully don't collapse during their retirement year!

Side rant. The conversation is even hard to have in a world so propagandized that if you suggest 'This aspect of capitalism is headed to disaster' you get a mob of people with McCarthy Tourettes rushing to write paragraphs on why communism is bad and will never work.

Arguments about regulating the stock market always end up being about how "regular people" have their 401k in the stock market.

I am not an expert, but this page suggests 401ks are worh about 8 trillion.

401(k) Plan Research: FAQs | Investment Company Institute

Frequently Asked Questions About 401(k) Plan Research How large are 401(k)s?

www.ici.org

This page suggests the stock market is worth about 46 trillion.

Total Market Value of the U.S. Stock Market

As of January 1, 2026, the total market capitalization of the U.S. stock market stands at $69.0 trillion ($68,963,152.8 million). U.S. stocks added almost $7 trillion in market value throughout 202…

siblisresearch.com

Granted, the dates are a couple of years off, but my point still stands that, 401k is 15-20% of the stock market.

When trying to find these numbers (again, because I have looked them up before) I came across some forum of investment monkeys wondering how much of the stock market was 401k and they were assuming 50-60%.

Most of the market is basically rich assholes and companies and probably plenty of funny money voodoo bull shit like puts and futures and whatever (I dunno, I admit I only have surfsce knowledge of this) and crap where its investing with non existent money.

Basically, the Ponzi bull shit Beebo mentioned.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Never had

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Never had

www.smbc-comics.com