TO,

Welcome,

QuoteA more realistic approach would be to redesign our living arrangements so there is less need to transport people and materials.

We seem to have convergent evolution going on.  That is my position too.  But we dream.  Dream with green?  Attempts to mitigate with green, green, green is a trip on the river of De-Nile.  Only a fundamental change in living arrangements can make a dent, could matter at all.  I wish it could be more than a dream.  Fundamental change is unpopular.

I support carbon Fee and Divided which is not a tax as you know.  Government gets the proceeds of tax.  Fee and dividend is a redistribution that would encourage natural human self-interest to make needed behavioral change.

QuoteOn the other hand, I kept a foot in both worlds, and continued with my daytime job while researching and preparing for peak oil, which turned out to be far more sensible (and I'm still doing it).

Me too.

As you say: "If you stand on a bridge over a major highway, or stand on a hill overlooking a city at night, you get a visceral sense of the enormity of the problem. How can we possibly convert all those thousands of vehicles passing under the bridge every hour, to net zero? How can we possibly convert all of that city's electric light to net zero?"

It is not in the math.  Often there is talk, and even hard core doomers will make the mistake of portraying overshoot as something that 'will happen' if people don't do something.  Truth is, overshoot is here, and has been for a while.  Now we wait for system delays to kick-in inevitable consequences.  Green thinking is denials' success at not reading the room.  Of not understanding the delay.

The earth does not do things on a timescale humans can relate to.  KMO and others who went off the 'deep end' did not appreciate this.  Net zero is an extreme that errs in the other way.  Net zero is 'throw me in the shallow water before I get too deep'. Net zero wants to put lipstick on a pig.  Extreme fear of the water.  Fear of change.

QuoteI make no distinction between residents or immigrants on the basis of nationality, religion or ethnic origin. I have every sympathy for economic migrants and refugees, and I fully understand why they want to seek a better life elsewhere.

I thought only RE and I thought this way.  What to do about the situation is complicated.

Welcome to the Diner.

* You are only a 'Useless Eater' for a few posts.