The piece is all about documenting vaccinations worldwide, and the assumption that people should be encouraged to travel is a given.
We're barraged with articles about climate change, full of demands that we cut back on all sorts of things, but here we are, already traveling much less. Why don't we assume that's a good thing — a wonderful accomplishment — and speak only of restraining ourselves from getting back to the pre-pandemic practice of blithely jetting about the planet?
I'm glad to see that the comments at the NYT are full of this opinion:
"With climate change increasingly being shown to be an existential threat, we should NOT be trying to "jump start" any additional travel whatsoever. It's time to set priorities, and then act like they are a priorities. I know the argument for more travel is related to the economy, as always. The earth cannot support economic growth forever," "Unleashing worldwide travel is exactly the wrong idea in the era of Climate Crisis. The argument that travel is essential to healthy economies is similarly wrong headed. The cost of forever climate emergencies is incalculable by today’s standards," "My immediate reaction to the headline - confirmed in the essay - is that this is completely wrong-headed. Less travel is a good thing, not a bad thing - good for the planet, good for individuals. Yes it is hard on places that depend on tourism ... but eliminating coal-fired plants is hard on places that depend on coal mining. Some necessary travel will resume and some pleasure travel will resume, but if there is less, it will be good for the world as a whole," etc. etc.
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60 comments:
Let me introduce you to Fen's Law......
CAGW is the biggest scam in the history of the world.
I had my little run in with a solar developer in Saunders County, Nebraska. This scam is all about the federal income tax credit.
One of the lead guys at the Development companies is Phil Deutch. A real Master of the Universe. Amherst, Stanford Law, Wall Street and now federal income tax credit grifter. Now he's all excited about hydrogen. More free federal money.
OPPD is a 2,700MW utility in Nebraska. China is building nearly 3,000 gigawatts of coal-fired power plants right now. Scam.
Ann and Meade are always welcome to drive to Omaha for a visit!
There will always be plenty of Refugee Travel.
With climate change increasingly being shown to be an existential threat, we should NOT be trying to "jump start" any additional travel whatsoever.
Existential threat? Increasingly being shown? Neither are remotely true.
Why are you glad to see that the comments are full of this opinion?
"The earth cannot support economic growth forever"
Stupid liberal. Those climate change initiatives and all the other leftie slop you demand- those things don't pay for themselves you know.
They tell me to follow the science, then I follow the science and the science says severe weather isn't becoming more severe or more frequent, and the science doesn't predict the Al Gore Armageddon scenarios the politicians are pushing.
Imma gonna believe the science and tell these people to go to hell...
Operation Save Joe is in full swing.
Since the all the COVID mandates I'm scared to travel with all those other passengers and bitchy stewardesses. I no longer take a commercial flight, I now fly private- my own jet parked next to Bono's and Leonardo's and John Kerry's on the tarmac! I'm a player!
As always, ignore the words, look to the behaviour. There aren’t 10 people on planet earth who believe humans are having a dangerous effect on the climate. Every one of those “don’t travel for the climate!” types on that comment thread were regular flyers before COVID and they will be regular flyers after COVID. Though they’d love for everyone else to stay home so the museums aren’t so crowded.
Lovely not to have all the climate change warriors crowding the best venues. More power to them, and by all means, encourage them to stay home. What's not to like?
Re CAGW: France is hamstringing itself trying to lower CO2. Most 'developed' countries are.
China's building coal fired plants.
Our 'political elite' are constantly exhorting us to do less, consume less, generate less CO2 - while they buy waterfront property.
Islands in the Pacific? They're EXPANDING. https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/08/31/new-study-62-km%c2%b2-6-net-expansion-in-100s-of-pacific-indian-ocean-island-shorelines-from-2000-2017/
Dave Begley's correct - CAGW IS a scam, and Al Gore's been milking it for the last 20 years.
"With climate change increasingly being shown to be an existential threat, we should NOT be trying to "jump start" any additional travel whatsoever."
"Climate change"? Heh. Either young or insincere. Remember "Global cooling"? Does "Global warming" ring a bell? Yeah, right- that's so "20th century", isn't it? Nearly prehistory, nowadays.
"It's time to set priorities, and then act like they are a priorities."
Who's stopping you?
"I know the argument for more travel is related to the economy, as always."
People concerned about how they're going to support themselves are a problem? Okay then. Lead the way, give up your source of income. All of it. Show everybody how it's done.
"The earth cannot support economic growth forever,"
Nobody has ever said it could.
>>Less travel is a good thing, not a bad thing - good for the planet, good for individuals.<<
The planet part of that statement is patently debatable.
The individual part is simply dogmatic. Unless there is something to substantively support that claim - and that would be interesting to see.
This is great news...all of you rubes can stay home and fret over climate change, global warming, the next ice age...whatever.
Me and my wife will travel in relative peace and luxury, and if things go well it will be cheaper too.
No more lines at the museums. No more $300 tickets to the plays. No more $500/night rooms in big cities.
Sounds wonderful...thanks for staying home!
Climate change matters, does it? OK, then I won't travel anywhere by plane for 5,000 years. How about you, Ann? We should be pretty damn chilled out by then and the world may be begging for more carbon emissions.
What a series of misguided syllogisms and plain old ignorance it takes to get to fears of "climate-change" aka "warming" aka "lotsa storms" aka "not enough storms."
No lefty really believes in reducing energy consumption. Think about immigration. The average Central American family has modest desires. Dad wants a stronger burro; mom wants one of those solar ovens the missionary kids bring down every summer;junior wants a couple of his own comic books. Five years after arriving in Texas (and later moving to Madison) dad is shopping for a 4WD SUV, mom is looking for a five burner stainless stove and junior needs a PlayStation.
More Americans, more stuff!
How about I travel because I want to and it doesn't get any more philosophocal than that?
Or "Because," he explained.
Read "False Alarm," Bjorn Lomborg's take-down of climate-change panic.
He's of the opinion that carbon-caused warming is real, but not nearly the big deal that those in the "panic-business" (politicians, media) make it out to be. He argues for cost-benefit analysis to be applied to all steps taken to reduce carbon emissions, and by doing that analysis, shows that most of them (like California's zero-net-carbon by 2035 goal) have enormous costs that are way out of line with the barely-measurable benefits.
The one thing that will protect people the most from climate-change damage is an increase in wealth. Wealthy countries like Holland can live comfortably at or below sea-level, but impoverished countries like Bangladesh suffer enormously with that same condition.
And as to travel-by-air, let's start with eliminating private jets, shall we? Even for the "vaccinated, sophisticated crowd" of elites that gets invited to Obama's bash. Once that's been done, come back and we'll talk about the coach-class crowd, okay? But do private jets, first.
All you true AGW true believers can dress in sack cloth and ashes and flagellate and deprive yourselves if it makes you feel better. I won't me joining in those festivities. Won't have time because I'll be too busy traveling, but I do appreciate those of you who make the airplanes as little less croweded.
Climate refugee travel is on foot, therefore sustainably green. This is the next immigration grift coming for a red state near you. Tucker's onnit.
Nothing we do can offset what China and India do, even presuming the panic model is valid.
The people that say they are concerned about climate change are the least likely to modify their behavior.
The people that say they are concerned about white privilege are wealthy whites. They could give away all their money and possessions to help level the effects of Systemic Racism.
But it’s much easier to excoriate middle income and poor whites as the ones who are causing Climate Change and Perpetuating White Supremacy.
And of course the BLM Millionaires like Kendi play along.
Fucking Con Artists
D'em lefties need their trips to Greece and Italy dammit...
Always a fun revisit:
http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/Publications/PDF_Papers/Crichton2003.pdf
$54 billion in Covid relief for US airlines. No doubt billions more for airports. And now, the airlines are understaffed and keep people on hold for hours, according to today's WSJ.
Covid came to America on airlines. The next pandemic will, as well. And you can't refundably reschedule a flight because you are sick.
This is how I know AGW is not a real worry for the leadership class: SFO will be underwater if the sea level rises, but it is being expanded and rebuilt constantly rather than being abandoned.
If the Greens were serious they would shut down a fuel pipeline to a major airport.
What a terrible industry!
I read the Daily Mail regularly (UK newspaper) and it's always full of celebrities jetting around the world, showing up in exotic or not so exotic places. Yesterday, for example, I looked at an article with people like Helen Mirren and Vin Diesel in Venice for the Dolce & Gabbana Fashion Show.
I don't know where Helen and Vin come out on the whole climate change thing but I think it's pretty clear that people with money are generally going wherever they want whenever they want. As long as that it true, I refuse to believe that the rest of us are supposed to be making sacrifices.
Climate change was such a threat the Glacier National Park was going to become Bare Peak National Park. The National Park Service posted signs telling visitors that the glaciers would be gone by 2020. They had to take the signs down in 2019 when the glaciers didn't get the memo about melting.
There have been five warmer periods (Optimum, Minoan, Roman Empire, Medieval) in the historical past, warmer than today. Each successive warmer period has been cooler than the previous one. In each of these warm periods the CO2 concentration was the same as in 1850, the supposed baseline for CO2 concentration. The Michael Mann "hockey stick" graph eliminated the inconvenient fact that these warm periods existed. NOAA and NASA are known for "correcting" the historic temperature records to make it seem that we're on a runaway temperature train.
The recent temperature trend is down; the sunspot predictions are trending towards a quiet sun with more clouds and less solar radiation. So, don't throw out your long underwear, you'll going to need it.
Just how are we supposed to jet around the planet if not “blithely”?
If you’re not pushing for the development and sale of as many fission plants as possible to the developing world, you don’t really believe that climate change is a significant global problem. That also means pushing to loosen regulations that make nuclear power more expensive.
Travel is small potatoes.
If you don't believe human activity is causing a measurable impact on the climate then your travel considerations don't include climate change impacts.
If you do believe human activity is substantively impacting climate change the odds are you don't take it in to consideration when you plan to travel.
"We're barraged with articles about climate change, full of demands that we cut back on all sorts of things"
Silly Rabbit! cut backs, are for OTHER PEOPLE! Other people need to buy Fuel Efficent Cars
WE can use Private Jets!
It's Just Like Covid.... BAD Things done by BAD People, are BAD; GOOD People Rock!!!
Not believing the climate change scam has done wonders for my mental health, just like the Covid-19 scare (which is not on the same level as CC, don't misunderstand me).
When anyone asks me what I'm doing about either, I say, "Exactly what the comfy class has taught me. Go maskless and fly my private plane to Switzerland."
Humans building coal-fired plants, nuclear plants, skyscrapers, jumbo jets...all of these are just as natural as a beaver building a damn.
When those concerned with Global Warming publish their plan, budget, dates and source of funds for solving the problem, they can start implementation. Until then it's all talk. And talk is cheap.
Do you really want to be THE PERSON who caused the entire globe to burst into flames and incinerate every person on the planet because you wanted to take a trip to see the family for Thanksgiving? Or even decided to drive to the grocery store instead of walking or taking government-approved and operated public transit?
Do you really want to be the one that pushes this delicate situation over the edge???
My wife and I are sketching out a possible trip to Paris (the one in France) and points east next spring. She is already registered for an event, and assuming we are allowed to travel with any degree of freedom, we intend to.
Maybe rent a car and make 150-200 mile hops every few days, ending in Budapest.
Good for us, good for Europe, good for Western Civilization.
I have yet to meet a mathematician who is any good and who respects the modeling that drives climate “science.” In any field mathematical models are created so that one can reason about a phenomenon and make predictions. But all of the reasoning and — especially! —all of the predictions must be viewed with extreme skepticism unles and until the model has been validated. What has the model predicted and how well did the predictions match the observed reality? And that’s where anthropogenic climate change fails utterly. Predictions — frightening predictions — have been made since 1987. What’s come true? Did we encounter runaway warming in the 90s? Or in the next decade? Or the twenty-teens? Or were they all blown predictions? Over and over again we MUST act right this GOD-DAMNED minute or we’re ALL GONNA DIE!!! ten years out. Bullshit.
The only prediction that’s come true is that the proposed “remedies” for climate change will help the rich get richer while the working poor and middle class pay the price of the liberals’ gullibility.
Googel Street View has made me much less interested in travel. Whenever I hear of an interesting place, I wander around it via Street View. Then I feel like I have seen it. Actually going there doesn't give you that much more feeling for the place because you just walk around and look at things mostly.
"I'm glad to see that the comments at the NYT are full of this opinion"
I'm sorry to see Althouse glad to see such comments. It bodes ill for any rational policy dealing with global warming.
"With climate change increasingly being shown to be an existential threat, we should NOT be trying to "jump start" any additional travel whatsoever."
Already covered above, of course, but on most topics Althouse herself would question the premises: being shown how? existential threat for whom? who's to say who should travel or not? etc. etc. Let's hope it's just confirmation bias about her travel aversion.
It cracks me up! Of course readers of the NYT and London Times and LA Times think a possible half a degree warming over the next century is an existential threat. That’s the narrative the elites sell in those same party organs. That having bought the bs they make decisions on it that devalue the elites investment well, what sweeter outcome.
I was kind of scared of Kungflu in February and March but by April 2020 I had realized what a scam it was. I decided that if I ignored it, it would ignore me. I wear a mask when required. wash my hands at least daily, use sanitizer if I think of it and otherwise live my life normally. I started traveling again in June and racked up enough miles in 20 to get silver status on United. So far this year, I've blown past Silver and am 2-3 segments away from gold.
Other than needing to wear a mask at all times and being threatened, not me specifically but the whole plane, with never being allowed to fly again if the stewardess needs to remind me to pull my mask up, I see no difference between now and then.
Planes are as full as they ever were. Often every seat taken. There may be a reduction in the number of flights but I have not noticed it, still plenty of options to get where I want to go.
I wonder if everyone else is doing it wrong? I've always flown a lot and sure, have occasional problems. But in general I've not had any issues with flying. Mainly United but sometimes American or Jet Blue.
And I almost never fly anything but coach though I do get upgraded to business once or twice ever 10 segments or so. It's nice but not enough nicer that I am willing to pay for it nor ask my clients to.
Prices are low, I just booked a flight to Las Vegas for the end of the month to attend a trade show. Total price, San Juan Las Vegas via Houston was $108 (one way) by the time I purchased the extended legroom, I was at about $220 which still seems dirt cheap. A month out and about 75% of all the seats in back were already taken both to Houston and to Houston-LV.
Kung Flu has been good to me. If I do nothing else for money for the rest of the year, I will still gross more in 21 than in any 2 of my best years since 85 combined. That includes raising my day rate 25% and refusing to travel for less than 5 days.
I have no idea what is going on but I am loving it.
John Henry
Here's something guaranteed to give you a headache; it certainly gives me one. My sibling is a professor of grievance studies in the CalState system. Prior to Covid-19, she flew to the UK on a regular basis to study the Extinction Rebellion group in the UK. If you have not heard of them - they are a radical group all about drawing attention to....(drum roll please): global warming. She can't wait to start boarding planes AGAIN to fly to the UK to study this group. LOL I should "out" her to them as part of the problem.
Seems to me most air travelers jet around complaining about airlines.
Poor Scott Adams claims he had a panic attack traveling to Greece in ultra 1st class...because of mask requirement.
David Begley,
OPPD is a 2,700MW utility in Nebraska. China is building nearly 3,000 gigawatts of coal-fired power plants right now.
OPPD is probably natural gas, right?
2,770MW is 2.77 Gigawatts. In other words, China is building almost a thousand OPPDs.
If OPPD tried to generate using solar power, they would need 2,770MW X 5 acres/MW or almost 14,000 acres (22 square miles) of solar panels, under which nothing will grow.
But it's worse than that:
Because solar panels have a capacity factor of about 20%, you would need about 100 square miles of panels to give the output of a trio of large coal plants taking up a hundred acres or so total.
Who here is willing to give up 100 square miles of plants, wildlife, crops and other living thing for a sterile unreliable solar power system whose only real benefit is virtue signalling?
John Henry
Blogger Narr said..."My wife and I are sketching out a possible trip to Paris (the one in France) and points east next spring. She is already registered for an event, and assuming we are allowed to travel with any degree of freedom, we intend to."
My wife and I registered for a star party in Australia (NSW) next spring. It seems unlikely we'll be allowed to travel. They're going freaking nuts down under. The Aussies aren't who I thought they were.
So, does this mean that if I am not concerned about climate change (2 degrees F since the end of the Little Ice Age in 1860), I should feel free to travel?
I post this from Switzerland. It is beautiful. And the cheese...
"Who here is willing to give up 100 square miles of plants, wildlife, crops and other living thing for a sterile unreliable solar power system whose only real benefit is virtue signalling?"
Econuts everywhere, just as long as the 100 square miles of plants, wildlife, crops and other living things aren't theirs, they don't have to pay for it and the system isn't built next door to them. Other than that, let 'er rip!
If there were a consensus on what to do about climate change, we would have done it.
As there is no consensus (other than agree to reduce CO2 emissions, never mind how), it's a cinch we won't do a damn thing about it. Which might be a good thing. Given how Our Leaders have screwed up the pandemic they might just make the climate problem worse.
'Poor Scott Adams claims he had a panic attack traveling to Greece in ultra 1st class...because of mask requirement.'
In the past he's talked about having what sounds like severe asthma issues, so even in first class that would actually be tough.
'The Aussies aren't who I thought they were.'
They always struck me as a bunch of tough guys...like Charles Bronson with cool accents. Turns out they're more like Paul Lynde...
It sounds as though getting everyone vaccinated is gonna contribute to climate change. We need to settle this with a death match between Anthony Fauci and John F'ing Kerry.
My wife and I registered for a star party in Australia (NSW) next spring. It seems unlikely we'll be allowed to travel. They're going freaking nuts down under. The Aussies aren't who I thought they were.
Been on a scheduled caravan trip through the outback for two years. Canceled twice. Because, you know, 6 Yanks rolling around in the wide open spaces will bring about calamitous Covid outbreaks in Aus. 2023 they tell me.... sure, sure. Unless someone sneezes between now and then.
As to the character of Australians, a friend points out that although many Ozzies are the descendants of convicts, many descend from prison guards. The founders of Australia were disciples of Jeremy Bentham, not followers of the Enlightenment. No unalienable rights, no life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Rather, the greatest good for the greatest number and to hell with the minority and the dissenters. Bentham wrote a vicious critique of the US Declaration of Independence.
We are seeing the fruit of that line of political philosophy.
China can lower its carbon footprint by waiting for the US to get to carbon zero, then taking over the country.
It will be the national equivalent of buying carbon offsets.
Thanos killed half the universe to ease overcrowding but spared himself.
All these people commenting at the NYT imagine other people will be traveling much less while they themselves skip an occasional visit to the in-laws.
John Henry @ 8:40: “… Who here is willing to give up 100 square miles of plants, wildlife, crops and other living thing for a sterile unreliable solar power system whose only real benefit is virtue signalling?”
But it’s even worse than you sketch it to be, because the sun don’t shine at night. Your solar panel farm is utterly useless half the time, and only delivers its rated capacity from about 10 AM to 2 PM on clear summer days. So you will need some monster storage batteries to make up the difference even on good days, and a multiple of that to cover winter, cloudy and other periods. But it will all be worth it, because those panels will never break or weaken, never be affected by snow or dust accumulation, never fly apart due to wind storms or tornadoes. …I mean, Nebraska has no tornadoes, right?
This assumes you believe that climate change is caused by human activity.
Oz was never high on my list of destinations, but I too have been surprised at the cowardice--I can't think of a better term--the Aussies have shown recently.
And the Kiwis are just as bad, or worse.
Since 2010 I’ve been teaching in China and have taken advantage of that to travel around Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Those were wonderful experiences and I long for the return of easy international travel. That day can’t come soon enough. I don’t give a hoot about the alleged impact of travel on climate.
Virtual reality was supposed to eliminate the need to travel, but then (despite the massive hype) it flopped.
Even though there's a lot to like about a tropical forest without bugs (or at least one with only virtual ones).
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