DL Open Thread: Saturday, October 2, 2021
Can’t We Just Trade Manchin For Murkowski? Not saying she’d be a ‘better’ D, but I doubt she’d revel in the role of gumming up the works like that fucking hillbilly.
The ‘Least Bad’ Ways To Cool The Planet? Carbon Removal. Social Geoengineering. Or Both. Doesn’t fill me with confidence. But well worth reading:
To cool the planet in this century, humans must either remove carbon from the air or use solar geoengineering, a temporary measure that may reduce peak temperatures, extreme storms and other climatic changes. Humans might make the planet Earth more reflective by adding tiny sulfuric acid droplets to the stratosphere from aircraft, whitening low-level clouds over the ocean by spraying sea salt into the air or by other interventions.
Which is better? Carbon removal is doubtless the safest path to permanent cooling, but solar geoengineering may well be able to cool the world this century with fewer environmental impacts and less social and economic disruption. Yet no one knows, because the question is not being asked. Geoengineering research budgets are minuscule, and much of the work is accomplished after hours by scientists acting outside their institutions’ priorities.
Potty-Training Cows: Dumbest Way To Cool The Planet? Trying to decide whether the writer is trolling us. I’m leaning towards yes.
Native Americans Demand Representation In Redistricting Process. Why? Because Rethugs generally split up their communities, making their voices less powerful.
Delaware Legislation Strengthening Primary Health Care Signed Into Law. A collaborative effort led by Sen. Brian Townsend and Rep. David Bentz. Have I mentioned lately how much we’re gonna miss Rep. Bentz, who is retiring?
A Great Delawarean Receives National Award. Her name is Toni Storm. You should get to know her. Her work helping the homeless deserves recognition.
RIP: Bob Maxwell. He was one of the good guys in politics. Unfailingly positive, and genuinely kind to everybody. He made a difference.
What do you want to talk about?
If you follow the links in that cow emissions article, you’ll find the researchers are absolutely serious. The problem, it seems, isn’t the methane in cow farts, but the nitrous oxide in their urine, so they’re trying to train the animals early in life to pee in a specially colored “moo loo.”
Will it do a lot to curb greenhouse gas emissions? Nitrous oxide in cattle urine source contributes 1.5% of the total emission load, and you’re not going to get every cow in the world, so not a whole lot. But if successful it would probably help the beef and dairy industries to stave off regulation by showing a good-faith effort to reduce.