It’s very nice, and it’s a good thing to see it can work. But it’s not enough. And of course the US is about to see if we can back away from isolation.
It looks like after all the abuse our species has heaped on our home planet, the Earth Goddess — Mother Nature, Gaia, whatever you want to call her — is striking back.
But there are some silver linings:
Pollution down. Traffic down. Crime down. Telemarketing down. Junk mail down. Fossil fuel consumption down. No school shootings. With increased hand washing, social distancing and ending the archaic custom of hand shaking, illness and deaths from a lot of other diseases will also be greatly reduced.
Without competing man-made noise from traffic and industry, the songs of bird and other sounds of nature can once again be heard.
Certainly, a total shutdown cannot continue indefinitely. The time will come to re-open (and is already beginning, prematurely I fear, in many areas — but thank you, Georgia, Texas, Florida and others, for using YOUR states as guinea pig lab rats so the smart states don’t have to put our people at risk as we continue safe practices). Certainly not everything is sustainable on a permanent basis, but a lot is.
But hopefully on the other side of this, people will find that they liked working from home, no long commute, companies saved money on facilities, no expensive travel to meetings and conferences that could be Zoomed… Hopefully many of the changes will remain permanent.
And Mother Nature — the Earth Goddess — is going to show us that the Green New Deal, which our leaders said couldn’t be done when we had to scale back to protect the future generations, is suddenly possible after all.
Maybe this shutdown, and the fear of world wide pandemic of stupidity could make some folks wake up and pass some laws and regulations to give the planet some CPR? BTW on a regional basis “anthropogenic climate change” was observed in the ‘50s and regulations in Britain and around the Med led to improvements. NIXON signed laws and regulations to bring cleaner air and water to the US.
Now, Bonespurs and company are reversing those regulations, yes, from NIXON not Obama, and trying to kill us for profit. Screw posterity.
Unfortunately, it’s just a brief relief…. people will be going back to driving their gas guzzling SUVs and gigantic “pick-ups” all over hell’s brown acre just as soon as they can…. but there are electric vehicle head lights at the end of the tunnel…. and solar cells and wind generators…. doncha feel sorry for MBS and the oil industry?
A temporary reprieve for Mother Earth, I’m sure, as you can see the morons already flocking to reopened shopping malls. (No wonder they have no money set aside for a “rainy day.”) And now, we can’t even use our brought-from-home canvas bags at the grocery store, so I end up bringing home 7 or 8 plastic bags each time I go.
—) The Solar Sytem is a family of planets of different temperaments and personalities. Earth is known among them somewhat derisively as “The Girl With Green Hair.” The others worry about her as their little sister. The siblings Venus and Mars went bad a long time ago, so Earth is fondly pampered — although big brother Jupiter (that bully) has hit her once in while with asteroids from his “slingshot.”
Her blue complexion shows the family resemblance toward her other brothers Uranus and Neptune who, in contrast, are standoffish and cold. She likes being different from the others, and even defends not clearing away her freckles, that she calls “Life.” She thinks they make her look cute.
Father Sol understands and lets her alone in that regard. Asking neighboring stars about this, they concur but advise caution. He may someday discipline her with a few big cleansing flares, but is patient and so far trusts her judgment. She basks in his special fatherly warmth as the center of the Family.
Earth thinks the other planets could learn the lesson from her that, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn / Is just to love and be loved in return.” Her freckles, also known as her “Nature Boys,” have yet to learn that lesson entirely, however. Like all mothers, she worries that they smoke too much, and don’t clean their rooms properly. She warns them occasionally with plagues, but they they are stubborn, too. There are bad influences among them that inevitably make bad situations worse.
“If it ever get too much for you, “ Father Sol says, “I’ll take care of things. A quick dermal burn will do the trick.” Jupiter, too, seems eager to test his aim again. Earth shudders with earthquakes and tsunamis.“Leave my babies alone,” she retorts. “They’re barely out of the cradle. They’re mine and I love them. Someday they’ll grow up. They even have a special day for me now! And they have a saying, ‘Where there’s life, there’s hope.’ Give them time. Someday they’ll make us proud.”
Right.. and this is only part of what would be required to accomplish a lasting effect. Just a guess.. but I don’t think the world is ready to make even this level of change on a permanent basis.
We’re seeing, in real life, how natural processes would recover if mankind’s influences were reduced or eliminated. Interesting but few will pay attention, it will be pedal to the metal when the coronavirus threat is no longer present. Then people will use the excuse that we spent so much on the virus that we can’t afford to battle global warming.
But but but… pollution is GOOD for people! It provides jobs working for polluters. It provides jobs and profits for the healthcare and oil and mortuary industries. It allows a strong DC economy in lobbyists and politician kickbacks. Most importantly, it allows bigger bonuses to rich corporate executives!
Now if only people could learn to separate the global warming nonsense from the real threat posed by pollution.
Or perhaps not. I invite you to look at the rapid and dramatic change in air quality. In just 6-8 weeks particulate pollution is plummeting. At a rate that totally confounds the doomsayers who think we’ve already past the point of no return.
I wonder if the global temperature is falling as well. If the warmist theory is correct then we should see a rapid reaction. None of their models come remotely close to this level of industrial carbon reduction. Given the dramatic reduction of CO2 being generated…..well….I doubt my silly idea will fly with the zealots.
Last night (May 3), in an interview on Fox News, Disaster Pumpkin compared himself to Abraham Lincoln. Well, that’s fair enuf, as far as it goes. Any 2 things — or any 2 people — can be compared. Generally what happens is that apples and oranges are both fruits, but one is red and the other is, um, orange. So …. some similarities and some differences. Or, if you’re feeling judgey, sometimes X is better than Y, sometimes it’s worse.
In this case, I’d really like to see a list of all the human qualities a person could possibly have in which the Velveeta Voldemort could possibly be deemed more impressive than Abraham Lincoln. (I guess we can start with total sheer body mass, but where do we go from there?)
Concretionist almost 4 years ago
It’s very nice, and it’s a good thing to see it can work. But it’s not enough. And of course the US is about to see if we can back away from isolation.
Say What Now‽ Premium Member almost 4 years ago
A very temporary reprieve. The governments and industry didn’t learn a thing and are ready to return to usual business.
DD Wiz Premium Member almost 4 years ago
It looks like after all the abuse our species has heaped on our home planet, the Earth Goddess — Mother Nature, Gaia, whatever you want to call her — is striking back.
But there are some silver linings:
Pollution down. Traffic down. Crime down. Telemarketing down. Junk mail down. Fossil fuel consumption down. No school shootings. With increased hand washing, social distancing and ending the archaic custom of hand shaking, illness and deaths from a lot of other diseases will also be greatly reduced.
Without competing man-made noise from traffic and industry, the songs of bird and other sounds of nature can once again be heard.
Certainly, a total shutdown cannot continue indefinitely. The time will come to re-open (and is already beginning, prematurely I fear, in many areas — but thank you, Georgia, Texas, Florida and others, for using YOUR states as guinea pig lab rats so the smart states don’t have to put our people at risk as we continue safe practices). Certainly not everything is sustainable on a permanent basis, but a lot is.
But hopefully on the other side of this, people will find that they liked working from home, no long commute, companies saved money on facilities, no expensive travel to meetings and conferences that could be Zoomed… Hopefully many of the changes will remain permanent.
And Mother Nature — the Earth Goddess — is going to show us that the Green New Deal, which our leaders said couldn’t be done when we had to scale back to protect the future generations, is suddenly possible after all.
Dtroutma almost 4 years ago
Maybe this shutdown, and the fear of world wide pandemic of stupidity could make some folks wake up and pass some laws and regulations to give the planet some CPR? BTW on a regional basis “anthropogenic climate change” was observed in the ‘50s and regulations in Britain and around the Med led to improvements. NIXON signed laws and regulations to bring cleaner air and water to the US.
Now, Bonespurs and company are reversing those regulations, yes, from NIXON not Obama, and trying to kill us for profit. Screw posterity.
wyneaux almost 4 years ago
Unfortunately, it’s just a brief relief…. people will be going back to driving their gas guzzling SUVs and gigantic “pick-ups” all over hell’s brown acre just as soon as they can…. but there are electric vehicle head lights at the end of the tunnel…. and solar cells and wind generators…. doncha feel sorry for MBS and the oil industry?
Melki Premium Member almost 4 years ago
A temporary reprieve for Mother Earth, I’m sure, as you can see the morons already flocking to reopened shopping malls. (No wonder they have no money set aside for a “rainy day.”) And now, we can’t even use our brought-from-home canvas bags at the grocery store, so I end up bringing home 7 or 8 plastic bags each time I go.
PraiseofFolly almost 4 years ago
—) The Solar Sytem is a family of planets of different temperaments and personalities. Earth is known among them somewhat derisively as “The Girl With Green Hair.” The others worry about her as their little sister. The siblings Venus and Mars went bad a long time ago, so Earth is fondly pampered — although big brother Jupiter (that bully) has hit her once in while with asteroids from his “slingshot.”
Her blue complexion shows the family resemblance toward her other brothers Uranus and Neptune who, in contrast, are standoffish and cold. She likes being different from the others, and even defends not clearing away her freckles, that she calls “Life.” She thinks they make her look cute.
Father Sol understands and lets her alone in that regard. Asking neighboring stars about this, they concur but advise caution. He may someday discipline her with a few big cleansing flares, but is patient and so far trusts her judgment. She basks in his special fatherly warmth as the center of the Family.
Earth thinks the other planets could learn the lesson from her that, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn / Is just to love and be loved in return.” Her freckles, also known as her “Nature Boys,” have yet to learn that lesson entirely, however. Like all mothers, she worries that they smoke too much, and don’t clean their rooms properly. She warns them occasionally with plagues, but they they are stubborn, too. There are bad influences among them that inevitably make bad situations worse.
“If it ever get too much for you, “ Father Sol says, “I’ll take care of things. A quick dermal burn will do the trick.” Jupiter, too, seems eager to test his aim again. Earth shudders with earthquakes and tsunamis.“Leave my babies alone,” she retorts. “They’re barely out of the cradle. They’re mine and I love them. Someday they’ll grow up. They even have a special day for me now! And they have a saying, ‘Where there’s life, there’s hope.’ Give them time. Someday they’ll make us proud.”
Ontman almost 4 years ago
Ignoring or refusing to admit it’s happening?
Masterskrain Premium Member almost 4 years ago
George Carlin put it PERFECTLY… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHgJKrmbYfg
Zebrastripes almost 4 years ago
…it’s great while it lasts, but eventually, it will return…..
Bookworm almost 4 years ago
An interesting, but very unprofitable, by-product. It’ll never sell. /BTS
(BTS = Brilliant Trump Sarcasm.)
William Bednar Premium Member almost 4 years ago
A number of folks are ignoring the Covid-19 pandemic, so why not ignore CO2 pollution too.
Alberta Oil Premium Member almost 4 years ago
Right.. and this is only part of what would be required to accomplish a lasting effect. Just a guess.. but I don’t think the world is ready to make even this level of change on a permanent basis.
mourdac Premium Member almost 4 years ago
We’re seeing, in real life, how natural processes would recover if mankind’s influences were reduced or eliminated. Interesting but few will pay attention, it will be pedal to the metal when the coronavirus threat is no longer present. Then people will use the excuse that we spent so much on the virus that we can’t afford to battle global warming.
Radish the wordsmith almost 4 years ago
Trump undid 50 years of EPA rules. The pollution just pours off of Republicans.
Radish the wordsmith almost 4 years ago
EPA decides to reject the latest science, endanger public health and ignore the law by keeping an outdated fine particle air
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/05/epa-decides-to-reject-the-latest-science-endanger-public-health-and-ignore-the-law-by-keeping-an-outdated-fine-particle-air-pollution-standard/
ferddo almost 4 years ago
But but but… pollution is GOOD for people! It provides jobs working for polluters. It provides jobs and profits for the healthcare and oil and mortuary industries. It allows a strong DC economy in lobbyists and politician kickbacks. Most importantly, it allows bigger bonuses to rich corporate executives!
Andylit Premium Member almost 4 years ago
Now if only people could learn to separate the global warming nonsense from the real threat posed by pollution.
Or perhaps not. I invite you to look at the rapid and dramatic change in air quality. In just 6-8 weeks particulate pollution is plummeting. At a rate that totally confounds the doomsayers who think we’ve already past the point of no return.
I wonder if the global temperature is falling as well. If the warmist theory is correct then we should see a rapid reaction. None of their models come remotely close to this level of industrial carbon reduction. Given the dramatic reduction of CO2 being generated…..well….I doubt my silly idea will fly with the zealots.
Richard S Russell Premium Member almost 4 years ago
Last night (May 3), in an interview on Fox News, Disaster Pumpkin compared himself to Abraham Lincoln. Well, that’s fair enuf, as far as it goes. Any 2 things — or any 2 people — can be compared. Generally what happens is that apples and oranges are both fruits, but one is red and the other is, um, orange. So …. some similarities and some differences. Or, if you’re feeling judgey, sometimes X is better than Y, sometimes it’s worse.
In this case, I’d really like to see a list of all the human qualities a person could possibly have in which the Velveeta Voldemort could possibly be deemed more impressive than Abraham Lincoln. (I guess we can start with total sheer body mass, but where do we go from there?)