this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2024
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solarpunk memes

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[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 83 points 2 months ago (4 children)

I approve of the overall message but indoor farming is kind of insane in the present day. It uses incredible amounts of energy and our scarce building materials to do something we can do much more easily outside.

Long term it might be important but I don’t think it makes sense until we solve the current energy crisis.

[–] Forester@yiffit.net 31 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Initial upfront costs are heavy but you would be saving all of the transport and logistics costs for the lifetime of the facility. Aeroponics are also a lot less resource intense than growing in the dirt.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 13 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Not in energy requirements when the sun is free and electricity and lightbulbs are not.

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[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Especially for some crops, like leafy greens. Having a semi-sterile environment can also mean pesticide-free crops. (Or at least, that's my understanding).

Way less water use and transport costs for a superior (fresher, pesticide-free) product.

It only makes sense for some crops, though. Ain't nobody growing watermelons or carrots in urban vertical farms.

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[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I think it's outweighed by the possibilities of hydroponic farming to reduce overall land (and therefore fossil fuel) use for agriculture.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Do hydroponic plants have fewer nutrients compared to soil grown plants?

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[–] skibidi@lemmy.world 70 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (10 children)

Building out more and more renewables doesn't mean anything if emissions aren't falling - and they aren't. Since 2021, nearly 4 full years, the world has closed less than 1% of active coal power plants.

The buildout of renewables has arrived hand-in-hand with an increase in total energy usage. The energy mix has improved greatly in favor of renewables, tons of CO2 per KWh is way down, unfortunately we just use more KWh so total emissions are still rising.

Everything in the meme is a leading indicator for positive change, which is wonderful, but the actual change needs to materialize on a rather short timetable. Stories about happy first derivatives don't count for much.

[–] ecoenginefutures@slrpnk.net 13 points 2 months ago

From your link it, for me, it seems like emissions are platooning, similar to a technological S curve. Even if China and India are growing exponentially, reduction in other countries are enough to slow down the process significantly (specially if you zoom in in the last 10 years).

It’s very hard to predict change, but I suspect the deprecation of solutions that emit lots of emissions is about to skyrocket.

[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

We might already have reached peak carbon emissions. There's also the thing where renewables are so much cheaper that it's in most countries best self interest to build renewables.

The thing the world is doing now is more energy but the cheapest one is electricity so more electricity. The duck curve is an energy storage opportunity that's being taken advantage of more and more. Things are heading in the right direction but it's not fast enough.

The next emissions on the chopping block are household heating and cement and low-med industrial heat with more advanced heat pumps or heat pumps set up in series.

I've decided to become cautiously optimistic recently the more I learn about how science is advancing the renewables despite governments sometimes being in the way.

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[–] burgersc12@mander.xyz 51 points 2 months ago (7 children)

Is it defeatist to face the facts that we have released more carbon in 2023 than any other year? Is it defeatist to realize not only are we polluting non-stop, we are also destroying the oceans, we are destroying ecosystems and we are destroying ourselves at a rate that we can't control? That a majority of people are content living their lives this way if it means they don't have to make the hard choice of having and using less? We're already well past 1°C and are not going to slowdown it seems until its too late.

[–] MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 27 points 2 months ago (3 children)

CO2 emissions of the world excluding China have declined. Chinas emissions did fall in Q2 of this year.

Seriously China has economic trouble, which slows down energy demand growth. The US has run the massive inflation reduction act, which seems to be working somewhat well and Europe was hit hard by the energy crisis reducing emissions in the EU through lower consumption and faster green roll out and Russia as its fossil fuel exports fall. On top of that green technologies like solar panels, wind trubines, electric vehicles, heat pumps and so forth become cheaper all the time. It is certainly possible that we can achieve peak emissions soon.

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[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Whoa, whoa, street-preacher.

No, it's not defeatist to state facts. It's what you do or say immediately after that makes the difference.

Now, we're all feeling the same kinds of stress that would make any of us rattle on like that, and you must know you're not alone or even in the minority with your concern. The majority of people - polls show - want to avoid or to blunt that fate we worry is coming. And with the world swinging a little conservative for a while, it'll be even harder to make the changes now we had to make 20 years ago.

But trust in your fellow person instead of cursing them for indolents when you don't know their situation. If you go off like this at people on the edge of moving from subsistence to again having the opportunity to join you at the protests, you may risk losing them as an ally.

Softly, softly.

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[–] I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

It's like praising all the cabin cars getting repainted with eco-friendly paint while the train has already gone off the cliff and is plunging toward the ground.

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[–] houseofleft@slrpnk.net 34 points 2 months ago

By the power invested in me by, well, nobody whatsoever, can I just take a minute to say, let's all cool down a little in the comments!

There's a lot of arguing against:

  • The idea that acknowledging the tragic reality of climate change makes you defeatist
  • The idea that because we have had some great advantages in green tech we can sit back and let climate change fix itself

I don't see anyone making those arguments here though! Just lots of people concerned about climate change with different skews of how positive/negative we should feel.

Personally, I swing between powerful optimism and waking in terror at 3:00am for the future we're hurtling towards. I'm sure other people are the same, so let's just be friendly to the fact that other people are in different vibes to us.

There are some people working together very well right now to dismantle the climate, so let's all remember that when we're talking with each other.

Peace and love!

[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 27 points 2 months ago (8 children)

I worry that climate defeatism has become a religion, and it will be difficult to separate it from policy discussion going forward.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Things just shifted instantly from "nothing needs to be done" to "nothing can be done."

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[–] PresidentCamacho@lemm.ee 24 points 2 months ago (12 children)

Real question: Most of things listed are consumer level changes only right? Isn't the large majority of global warming being caused by industry emissions?

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[–] Letstakealook@lemm.ee 24 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Acknowledging reality is not the same thing as defeatism or "not doing anything." I'd argue that putting your head in the sand and ignoring news/information you don't like is more damaging and closely related to the majority of the world's efforts over the past 50+ years.

[–] dragonfucker@lemmy.nz 21 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Thinking everything is fine leads to apathy. Thinking there's nothing we can do leads to apathy. The correct thought is that it's bad, but we can fix it.

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[–] ladicius@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Yep.

One could also show the same meme template with stats where every bad development is even accelerating, spikes in co2-rise, record new numbers of consumption and pollution, the Amazon and other carbon sinks getting razed at growing speeds, a lot of carbon sinks turning into carbon emitters, nations voting for extremists who don't care for ecology, glaciers and sea ice melting, all sorts of storms getting stronger and more destructive, the speed with which we are approaching or already have reached tipping points globally and locally...

Yeah, but let's soothe ourselves with... cosmetics? I'm not denying that there's some positive changes but that's like trying to extinguish a house burning to the ground and engulfed in flames with one bucket of water.

My take is: People want to have a better world without changing their lifestyle - simply leave everything as it is and make it in some magical way non destructive and non polluting. EVs are a shining example of that - still ridiculous use of resources, but somehow they are "better".

If you think that way you are part of the problem and part of its denial.

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[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (6 children)

Indoor farming isn't scalable. At least not with the models that are being done now. They work for niche crops, but not staple carb sources like potatoes and grains. They can be profitable, but aren't a catch all solution.

The ocean cleaning projects also don't scale. We should be focused on keeping the trash from getting into it first by switching to recyclable and biodegradable packaging and forcing the fishing industry to switch back to hemp nets.

[–] mlegstrong@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Idk about your first point but The Ocean Cleanup, has been doing great work creating plastic filters for the worlds most polluting river. I understand not creating the waste in the first place would be most efficient but this organization is doing a good job cleaning up the mess.

https://theoceancleanup.com/media-gallery/

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[–] wieson@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I don't think that scalable and profitable are goals of indoor farming. It's done for self sustainability.

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[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Today I was citing The Materialist Conception of History by Plekhanov and noticed that it had a huge spike in downloads this year. Gave me a spark of hope

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Historical materialism which is an analysis of history through the lense of dialectical materialism which is the philosophical and scientific basis for Marxism. Essentially viewing history as a continuous development of the means of production motivated by societal contradictions. The focus is specifically on conflict that arises between the owning classes and the laboring classes of each historical mode of production.

I just smoked so this may not be the best explanation but its the best I got in me rn

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[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why perchance has the interest in a self-sustaining life skyrocketed you think? Could it be because people can barely afford food anymore?

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[–] IMNOTCRAZYINSTITUTION@lemmy.world 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

kind of an ironic choice of template for the message

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago

Disposable diaper use is going down, and a decreasing proportion is getting landfilled.

[–] LengAwaits@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago
[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Don't forget the huge investments by cities to build public and active transit. My city has invested over $1B into rail expansion projects and $500M into BRT. They're currently tearing up half of downtown to widen sidewalks along with building bike lanes and bus lines. Things are changing more quickly than they seem. My city also advocated for a state law that was passed to fund passenger rail between 2 large nearby cities

[–] Mandy@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (3 children)

To be fair, as much as we should highlight the good news.
I wouldnt say It is defeatism to say there is a hell of a lot more bad stuff going, we should highlight the good stuff while recognizing we have a ways to go.

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[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 11 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Indoor farming is really exclusive for just a few produce tbh. Majority of vegie/fruits can't be realistically indoor farmed.

At least i got my lettuce.

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[–] openrain502r@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

my mind rapidly shifts from defeatism to optimism practically every week

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[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

I was on a road trip this weekend, and we had to clean the windshield 5 times. So it looks like the bugs are making a comeback thanks to restrictions on Monsanto products.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 months ago

This is what I’m banking on, things get bad but that would motivate us more and it would become easier and easier to address.

Having said that, I think degrowth is the correct way; the above is risky but better than doom and gloom.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago
[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

It certainly hasn't defeated MY adoption expectations, and don't even talk to me about stock share prices for anything involving solar.

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[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

One day I will die, and sooner than I wish. Maybe some effects of climate change will do me in. At least nobody can say I haven't done what I could to stop it. It's what I do for a living.

[–] bcoffy@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Also the US is at about 40% carbon free energy production (renewables + nuclear), which is pretty swag.

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