JustinRP37

I don’t think I have ever worn pants in August but it feels glorious outside this morning!

Cuba looks like a crooked nose in between two crazy eyes. Too bad it couldn't be some dumb twin names like Hurricane Bert and Ernie.

I hear you there. I don't think politics will solve it. It is a humanity issue. I don't care for politics one way or the other. I just want to live my life, study infectious disease and climate change, and keep my family happy. I would like to think that left, right, center, would all agree that we need to change but nobody will ever agree in the solution. Just like I mentioned bioheat must be a major part for our area. As for the weather, we are in the doldrums right now of boring weather. Wake up, smoke, go to bed, smoke, comfortable temperatures but this has been a tough week of weather. Hoping we push this $hit out of here.

Just so we are clear do we consider climate change politics? If so that says a lot about our forum.

Furnaces and boilers absolutely. I was talking about power generation.

Nuclear will have to play and more important role as a bridge fuel to a sustainable future.

Oil and gas are also in the 35-60% efficiency rate. Oil is lower than gas and coal is the worst at about 33%

I was referring to the whole world. I don’t see anyone not wanting to deplete. 2) and 3) The USA is still responsible for 13-15% of global emissions, and per capita definitely does matter. It shows how efficient a society is or not. The USA alone is responsible for about 25% of global emissions since the start of the Industrial Revolution. It shows that we have made great strides in this area. 4) Yes, I’m aware, but China also manufactures the vast majority of products around the world. Move that elsewhere, and those coal plants are as badly needed. 5) I don’t care much for politics or politicians. They are mostly the scum of the earth. Presidents typically don’t have much power, but Congress tends to set environmental policy and funding. 6 and 7 absolutely agree. That’s why I said we could consider what we are doing geoengineering. 8) I think we will get close. When I was born, we were under 350 ppm. Today, we are at 425. My background is in sustainability, and it is also my favorite course to teach at the university level. I have honestly never faced the level of hostility in my career as we are facing now in higher education. We can hope for a better future, but with cancer rates rising, forever chemicals everywhere, and microplastics linked to infertility and cancer, it is bleak.

For solar? Unfortunately our house doesn’t have good siting for solar being at the base of a hill. We do seek out energy suppliers that supply solar and wind to the grid. And we burn B20 for heat which I wish we could do more.

And we really don't want to find out what first-hand what happens when populations overshoot their carrying capacity. Plenty of examples in the natural world shows it is pain and suffering and in some areas of the world, we are already seeing that.

We do have plenty of options that WILL work. But the problem is the stakeholders that make massive amounts of money off fossil fuels don't want to change until the reserves they have purchased are fully depleted. 90% of the issues is NOT from outside the USA. The USA is still the second-biggest producer of greenhouse gasses with a relatively small population. Our per capita emission is around 14.2 tonnes per person, whereas China is 8.9, and India 1.9. Despite the fact that China is basically the manufacturer for the world (which does need to change). Yes, China has added more coal in the past decade, but it is also producing more and more renewables each year. (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/26/china-breaks-more-records-with-massive-build-up-of-wind-and-solar-power). China is likely at its peak gasoline consumption now as it has massively electrified its vehicle fleet (https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chinas-fuel-demand-may-have-passed-its-peak-iea-says-2025-02-13/). Unfortunately for us, we have a president that does not want to build any wind power or any renewables. (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15l3knp4xyo) (https://ctmirror.org/2025/08/04/trump-administration-cancels-plans-to-develop-new-offshore-wind-projects/). And is also actively trying to destroy any research on greenhouse gasses (https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5453731/nasa-carbon-dioxide-satellite-mission-threatened). The technology exists for us to decarbonize rapidly, and it will not all be from one area. Many say to ban all oil-fired boilers in homes, but the fastest way to decarbonize heat in the Northeast is not getting rid of oil burners but switching them to primarily biofuels. We have the technology, but just like people were wary of electricity back when it was being brought into the house, we are facing a highly anti-science environment right now. Sadly, our present-day life is really reminding me of Idiocracy. People will put profits above all else. Only economists know that growth is infinite on a finite planet. Geoengineering is also highly risky. A miscalculation could be an extinction-level event, although the same can be said for the pathway we are on now. Once global CO2 levels hit 800 ppm, we are likely looking at a dead ocean. We could hit this by 2100 on our current track. The other thing I always tell my students is to look around... All this human development is in the last 200 years for the most part. Our lives have drastically improved, but now it is time to make sure we still have a future. Literally go back just two human generations, and most families in the USA did not have a car for every driving-age person. They may have had 1 for the whole family. We are incredibly lucky to be alive today when, all things being equal, life has never been easier to live (obviously, there are still struggles, but we aren't hunting every day, building fires, salting our meat to keep it longer, etc.). We have refrigerators, HVAC, cars, trains, etc. Now we just need to encourage engineers and scientists to help us build a better, more sustainable future.

I don’t see any of this “cool”. Even today was supposed to be below average by a few degrees, yet most of the area is at or above average by a few degrees for a high. The whole week was supposed to be average to below average and moderated warmer as it got closer. I do remember you calling for a cooler summer too back in April/May, and so far this has been an impressively hot/humid summer most of the summer. Sure, we had a slow start, but it hasn’t been a cool summer. @BxEngineenjoy the cruise. If you are in the Getaway we will be on it next week. Now I expect a major hurricane to send us to Canada because that’s my luck!

The problem with the heat and humidity here in the NYC Metro is we still don't "slow down" as much as places in the tropics. People in the tropics, even in Florida, tend to work on "island time". I still chuckle though with the people that are either forced to wear suits in this heat or they love to feel like a wet dog.

So much smoke today. Got worse heading back home after the game.

First Yankees game in 6 years for me. Good Lord, this team is garbage. And the stadium is 50/50 Yankees/Phillies fans. What has happened to this once-legendary team? Oh, wait, Hal isn’t George. How is Boone still managing this team? It is hot in the sun, though. Thankfully, the humidity isn’t too crazy. There was a lot of smoke up in Patterson this morning.