Guardian: Immediate fossil fuel phaseout could arrest climate change

The Guardian:

Climate change could be kept in check if a phaseout of all fossil fuel infrastructure were to begin immediately, according to research.

It shows that meeting the internationally agreed aspiration of keeping global warming to less than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels is still possible. The scientists say it is therefore the choices being made by global society, not physics, which is the obstacle to meeting the goal.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/15/immediate-fossil-fuel-phaseout-could-arrest-climate-change-study

The study says we’ve got a 64% shot at keeping the global climate at a sustainable level to avoid mass extinction and desertification if we replace everything in the “fossil fuel infrastructure” – things like cars, airplanes, power plants, and factories – with “sustainable alternatives” at the end of their useful lifespans as we replace them.

But are we really, seriously going to do that? Doubtful.

Oh, look, Tomi Lahren said something stupid…

I’m not linking directly to her tweet (“raising a child genderless is child abuse”) because I’m not about to give her the traffic, but it is totally surprising how every single time there’s a new indictment, Lahren manages to say something new and stupid.

The biggest buyers of Venezuelan oil

So, tell me again how supporting a coup against Maduro is for the sake of the Venezuelan people? This, right here, is bald-faced US imperialism. Dude’s not even trying to pretend otherwise. (What a total and utter surprise.)

This time it’s different?

US has backed right-wing coups up and down Latin America for 100+ years. Not one was about democracy. All have been to enrich the global elite. But we’re supposed to believe this time in Venezuela – which has the world’s largest oil reserves – is different?

The signs could not be clearer…

It’s looking more and more like we’re headed toward a proxy war in Venezuela – or a ground war, if the neocons have their way.

This should be deeply disturbing to any American Leftist.
The signs could not be clearer.
Are @SenSanders and @AOC going to use their position to say/do something about it?

https://twitter.com/BlackSocialists/status/108895811934090035

See this report, over at Politico, on Abrams appointment as special envoy for Venezuela:

Elliott Abrams, a controversial neoconservative figure who was entangled in the Iran-Contra affair, has been named as a Trump administration special envoy overseeing policy toward Venezuela, which has been rocked by a leadership crisis.

Abrams’ appointment, announced Friday by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is something of a surprise — President Donald Trump nixed his 2017 bid to be deputy secretary of State after learning that Abrams had criticized him.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/25/elliott-abrams-envoy-venezuela-1128562?fbclid=IwAR3ihpfpl1AwuL5Yp-NPOAEDY8eD_hghIWwFbv8wp5BnblxCjg79h_k9VNc

Reopening the Federal Government

While I’m glad we’re finally seeing an end to some of this idiocy, and of course I’m glad that federal employees who’ve gone without pay for more than a month may finally be getting some relief, a couple of things:

  • A three-week continuing resolution isn’t very long – and I’m sure we’ll be back to the same tantrum from Cheetolini as soon as it expires. (I doubt very seriously that anyone will ever get through to the President that what he’s doing is hurting people. He doesn’t care.)
  • While it’s good that a fast-tracked bill to ensure back pay is part of the package, don’t forget that seven Republicans voted against the original legislation that first passed the House on the eleventh. (See: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/424942-the-7-republicans-who-voted-against-back-pay-for-furloughed-government-workers)

And the debt ceiling and the next budget will have to pass Congress, and get signed by the President soon enough. He still has plenty of opportunities to do this all again.

I genuinely fear that this is all far from over.

A Democratic Senate aide said the Congressional Research Office told Collins’ office the agencies should be able to process paychecks within a few days after the continuing resolution is signed. That will include backpay.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-agreed-to-reopen-the-government-for-3-weeks-heres-what-comes-next/