"The Dog in the Car Effect," David Pogue says should replace The Greenhouse Effect to get People tune into major climate change concern!
The Salisbury Forum has many talks online and will have the one from Feb. 5th, 2021 with David Pogue up in a few days. His recent book on Climate Change is now available (with signed copies at Oblong Books in Millerton NY.) The presentation is a webinar but some tech issues come up about 10 minutes in. Here are some notes from the first part. Ideally he could have prepared one of those in advance and sent that to have a good test run (good idea for all speakers in the future, knowing life and climate chaos happens...)
Carbon dioxide levels have never gone up so high and fast as they have since the 1850s with the coal and industrial era. The buildup of CO-2, 150 million tons spewed into the air daily, is making things more severe..Hotter and colder, droughts and wild fires are part of systemic climate effects. Tornado alley is moving east, the beaches are getting smaller. There are many ripple effects throughout people and animal sectors. There's 'climate chaos' and 'global weirding' not just 'global warming.' Forests are being destroyed by beetles. There is a rise in the occurrence of kidney stones.
David shared that 2020 had milestones for the US and the world. The hottest temp was 130 degrees in Death Valley CA. CT, DE and RI comprise the land mass equivalent of the fires in CA and out West. Hazy skies were created in the East. Similar problems occured even in Siberia. The most hurricanes were also recorded beyond 26. The trapped heat (93% of it) goes into the oceans. That impacts the weather systems, so will be around for quite a while. The water cycle of evaporation, condensation and precipitation are effected by having far more water evaporating, raining down and causing flooding. Nebraska had 2/3 of the 'bread basket' communities flooded.
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 killed 1800 people. Storm surges...the wind pushes a mound of water onto the shore and the sea floor rising also adds to that. During Katrina the storm surge was 28 feet tall. NYC was flooded badly during Hurricane Sandy. The hurricanes are coming closer together and may be expected every five years. Many weather catastophes since the 1980s are a growing concern.
(I had to take a five minute break... but hope to fill in from the replay in a few days...)
So David Pogue is talking about how regular people can live. Lake Mead is down 117 feet, about 1/3rd the regular level. He suggests people live above the 42nd parallel in the rust belt in the Great Lakes area. Those areas have culture and fresh water.Climate havens would include the cost of living and basics. In Cleaveland the cost of living is better than CT. Madison WI is ranking up there for good health and nice culture with five lakes. In Burlington VT, there are also a lot of pluses with milder winters. It is on Lake Champlain. Buffalo on Lake Erie is another good pick. Cheap land and good medical care.
He shares ideas about Where to Invest since there will be a lot of change. People of color and in poor communities are adversely affected even moreso than most by climate change. Investing in green clean energy can be a win-win. Energy stocks have not performed well. Exxon and Sunoco has been going down whereas clean energy is going up (one going up 60%.) US Solar is going up along with wind. No more coal plants are going to be built in the US. Even the KY Coal Museum has solar panels on it. Sustainable power use surpassed other energy use for the first time last year. The Wind Energy is going up but the investments are not performing as well. The utility companies is a good place to invest because they will be more profitable supposedly.
The world will need more clean water will be worth investing in. Farm equipment (John Deere and Navastar), electric cars wll be on the rise, with gas cars being phased out by 2035. Electric cars can go fast quickly (and are fun to drive.) Some states give rebates. The electric cars have 1/100th of the moving parts as a regular car. General Motors will be switching over to electric cars since many countries are headed toward electric. Consider the four companies that make the car batteries of the components of the cars. Lithium ion batteries power the cars so investing in those mining companies makes sense.
David Pogue said it is important to consider insuring oneself to protect from the natural storms, floods and disasters. Your home owner's insurance does not cover flood damage. Hurrincane Andrew in Florida made a huge impact on that area. The national flood insurance program was instituted and covers the damage. The measurements of what one is qualifed for 'risk rating' will be changed in the 2.0 new rates. There may be some who have to pay much and others will see their rates drop. With insurance, the companies can drop many people (such as in CA) and possibly pull out of the state. Insurance companies make profits but only if they are in business.
Some basic tips David gives in his chapter "Ready for Anything" is to download the Emergency app from the Red Cross. If any disaster comes your way, you will get early warning for Any Kind of Disaster (a chemical disaster, or a natural disaster.) Making a 'Go Bag' with a set of supplies for a few days by the front door, cash and ID can be handy. Evacuation routes and plans are important to know whether for a rare event or a more chronic concern. Having good drinking water (potable water) is important. Unfortunately many towns and cities can have polluted water from too much rain. Hot water heaters have fresh water. If there's a problem, then turn off the intake valve at the top. Home water tanks from Home Depot etc can store water a long time if safely inputted and maintained. Gray water is used for washing dishes. Rain barrels, pool or hot tubs can be helpful to have around.
If there are power failures, solutions include getting a portable gas generator ($250), and inverter or standby generator are other options. With no power, no heat, no internet can be scary. Maybe getting a small generator can suffice and be economical. A hand-cranked generator can charge a phone and iPad etc. Cell phones go out because cell towers are powered by electricity.
Pick safe places to meet with family, friends or others in your buddy circles or neighbors, and post that in a clear place (maybe make copies and put in the go bag along with a contact set of people to call in twon or out of town
Meanwhile it's important to be aware that the ticks spreading Lyme Disease and other concerns are marching northward. CDC reports that 90% of people don't even know they have Lyme Disease.
While 30K cases are reported, likely there are 300K cases. Most ticks don't carry Lyme, they can't fly or jump. They stand on the ground and grab onto a person. Using DEET on you and your clothers is what he recommends if going outside. Ticks do not live if the humidity is under 80%. Putting your clothes in the dryer after a hike will kill them. Also check carefully to get them off of you within 48 hours. Important to remove a tick by gragging it by the head and pulling it straight out. TickEncounter.org is a place that collects ticks and researches trends.
Social unrest can come with climate disaster such as with Hurricane Katrina. Authority and social structure can break down with sudden loss of secure systems. The Gun Question is raised in his book. If authoriyhas broken down, lighting is a good option to deter dangerous people. A tactical flashlight can be blinding and an effective deterrent.
Finding Hope is the final chapter. US agency websites have scrubbed climate change terms in the past, but is now being addressed more honestly. Natural gas emits less gas than coal. half of the coutnry joined with the Paris Accord with a group called We Are Still In. Many cities are doing much better. Now corporations are joining forces to '100 percent renewable' because the public, the investors who don't want to have climate
and the employees are all pressuring them. Amazon.com did not have a climate plan and thousands pressured Jeff Bezos to do something. 100K electric vans were bought, 10 million was invested in being a good climate citizen corporate body. Being carbon neutral means replacing their carbon footprint with tree planting and other efforts to offset their impact.
Two main reasons to prepare with the basics of clean water, a go back and sense of team with your family and others for safety and basic provisions, you'll feel ready and you'll feel better. The definieion of the despair is about feeling helpless. The world scene can be repaired. Keystone XL Pipeline has been stopped at this time. Decarbonization will get there. Lots to prepare for along the way.
Here's the chat from the talk: 7 of the 10 most flooded states are not on the coast but are inland. They are getting flooded with no place for the water to go. A drought hardens the ground but then gets flooded. Overcrowding and building on low land along the coast in Florida and other places is 'asking for it' in ways. The notion of 'The New Deal' (trillions of dollars is a reset for the problems at hand') to invest in deterring the inevitable...and giving more people hope.
Thank you for joining us tonight.
please support us at https://www.salisburyforum.org/
From Ellen
Hi, Forb some reason i don’t see the tools for muting my voice and video on this screen. Can you please guide me?
From J
Hi Ellen! No need. It is a webinar.
Thanks!
From Tech Support to Everyone: 07:31 PM
It a webinar, no need to mute.
its
From Me to Everyone: 07:33 PM
Welcoming Notes Summary: All the previous videos are on the website. There is an email list as well. The next talk is announced there. All contributions are much appreciated.
(Cont'd) Q and A is at the end via chat. David Pogue has also done work on Broadway and writing. How to Prepare for Climate Change is his book which will be at Oblong Books next week (signed copies!) Wilbur his cat will be joining David.
From Tech Support to Everyone: 07:41 PM
looks like zoom is acting up.
From Me to Everyone: 07:47 PM
Hi, I have an intro to permaculture that all ages can enjoy for free on my Livfully.org blog. Just google 'Turtle Garden Permaculture Game'. Happy to network. Maybe we can have more ways to connect on the Forum FB page or my public FB page, Livfully or Catherine Palmer Paton. Thanks to all showing up here and helping others tune in...
I'm taking notes on to share on my blog as well...Livfully.org
From Me to Everyone: 08:41 PM
Kidney stones can be linked to dehydration particularly with climate change creating more heat and droughts. Important to prevent poor health and be tuned into the added challenges of climate change on our biology.
From Tony W. to Everyone: 08:41 PM
First... Thanks for coming. what about Geothermal Energy to produce the warmth needed in our home from underneath the ground?
From Me to Everyone: 08:44 PM
Another aspect of Livfully.org is summarizing a lot of things for more people to feel tuned into things early on, locally and in effective networks.
There's also the Turtle Garden Circle of Friends to enhance the natural social networks with more of a community enriching aspect and learning together about ways to be safe, health and prepared for life in general and what's next in one's life and area...
From Tony W. to Everyone: 08:46 PM
also cell towers need a self contained enclosure to relay our cell signals, wherever they may be.. why don't they place solar panels on top, to have back up batteries inside, for emergency purposes? in case of an emergency
From H.S.
Why would SAT scores go down? Aside from Covid-19 now is it because of social instability?
From Me to Everyone: 08:46 PM
Even with summer or winter storms, more people would do well to not travel or make a better effort to stay indoors and not venture on roads due to falling branches and so on. Just sharing since that's been a challenge for some. Best to have extra supplies and not be on the roads more than necessary since many are unsafe drivers (speeding, passing and so forth, so fewer trips and such makes sense...)
From Me to Everyone: 08:57 PM
100 page free appendix on the Simon and Schuster website... the number one thing we need to do to reduce our carbon footprint. 1/3rd of the earth is cattle grazing ground. Cowspiracy is a documentary about the high input of resources and outputs methane in the hundreds of thousands of tons... Reducing red meat consumption would be a big win
Doing the protein flip is to eat less meat in a meal (small pieces.) List vegetarian meals among the other offerings on a menu to help more people opt for that. The US is reducing the meat consumption by 10% but the Chinese and India inputs has been going up (but may level off if gov't guidelines are implemented.) Documentary Kiss the Ground. Agriculture, transportation and manufacturing are each 1/3rd of the causes of climate change.
A/C is a big problem since the heat from indoors is blown outdoors and creates a heat island. Poorer communities are hurt even more. There can be designs for homes to handle climate (high ceilings, porches and more agricultural hacks.)
Unfortunately in some cities such as Chicago overflow rain creates sewage coming up through toilets.
But many approaches to mitigate that such as underground cisterns, using water barrels and other approaches are being used. NY is putting in berms and parks 'a big U' with trees and plants (using nature to help in the big cities.)There's Brooklyn Permaculture offerings..
There's a 72 hour Permaculture Basics course offered, some online as well. I took one with about 30 people over a decade ago so have been doing what I can to share that info.
There are many PC networks and activists joining together such as from 350.org with Bill McKibben.
*If you're small business doesn't reopen after 6 days of an emergency event, then you may be toast... There is insurance to get to provide for short term disasters. You can make a deal to join in with another business. Have go-bags for your employees. Whose job is it to secure your business and check that everyone is out of the building. Run drills and get more in sync with the options and needs.
PS I posted this on the Northwest Corner Chatter and Freespeech Northwest Corner...with the following introduction...by me, Catherine Palmer Paton.
Just heard this talk and took notes. See more on SalisburyForum.org about David Pogue and his newly released book to Prepare for Climate Change sooner rather than later and with others in your family, neighborhood, work place and area! Thanks for doing your part to live with kindness and to be smart about practical matters and teach a few others some basic readiness skills too (or lend a hand as may be appropriate with a call, a street or neighborly phone chain or contact person or email check in etc...)
Thanks especially to all volunteers and rescue folks. Preventing harm and learning to take it easy even in times of stress (breathe, focus, be as calm and clear as possible with emergency go-to bag, place to gather and so on is a big plus to feeling more in control...
Remember clean water, a few plastic garbage bags and a change of clothes etc to stay dry and even have supply kits 'at the ready for people who may arrive up from the city or another area...an idea I've had for a while but would like to see more people plan ahead town by town as much as possible. Nice there's not an urgent problem here but 2020 showed us that out West with fires or on the coast or other places inland that flood, sometimes there's not much time to 'clear out' and get to a safer location.
Many people in NYC are told to learn of evacuation routes...and an app from the Red Cross which is free to download can alert one to any kind of crisis, natural or manmade. Hopefully this kind of wisdom could spread to all households regarding that compadre of climate change, domestic abuse...and offer victims ways to exit safely with their children and pets (not a given usually but some legislation is being considered along those lines so maybe those advocated could talk with the climate advocates and vice versa and get people up to speed on practical and reasonable guidelines and steps to take and for kids and women to learn early and often in life, and nice guys too....) Now here's the talk of the night..
