@W_Lucht@mstdn.social
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

W_Lucht

@W_Lucht@mstdn.social

⭕ Earth system scientist; in Germany, EU - here not in official function. 💫
Verification link: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3398-8575

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W_Lucht, to random
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After having been in danger of losing his life, the first of the hunger strikers for climate in Berlin has decided to now end his hunger strike, in hospital, in a critical state, and not die. I support this personal decision and am relieved it was made.

And no, we're NOT on track.
And yes, public and politics are still NOT awake.
We need to work hard - building coalitions, finding solutions - arguing wherever we stand.

stux, to random
@stux@mstdn.social avatar

Weird that we can't explain a few kubic meters heavy radioactive waste from the NL each year but somehow we can justify pumping our Atmosphere full with toxics each day with our burning engines

"Oehhh all things radioactive are soo scary, we can't setup our grandkids with that" is what they say

But apparently they are totally fine with ruining the climate and expel toxic next where you breath

Until we have something better like fusion we should stick with fission also, but what do I know!🤷

W_Lucht,
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

@stux @wiredfire
The thing is that the need for continuous operation and powerful market actors (investment of billions) actually tends to crowd out more flexible decentralised energy such as the renewables - apart from being the most expensive (and uninsurable) form of electric energy, it therefore undermines the needed dynamics to truly renewable, decentral energy. Imo, the popular meme of green hypocracy doesn't hold up well to scrutiny.

(In other words: Fedi is better than billionaire.)

W_Lucht, to random
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

Johan Rockström at the Tyler Prize conversation.
Some (remembered) quotes from his contribution:

"Temperature heating to 2.7°C is nothing but disaster."

"Some overshoot of 1.5°C is inevitable now - but we can still and should hold that line in the longer term - and that is possible only if we return Earth's biosphere to within safe boundaries."

"One of the biggest mistakes we made when going to the Paris Agreement on Climate was to bet on voluntary contributions being sufficient."

W_Lucht, to random
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Today: Our director Johan Rockström will receive the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement "for his pioneering work on the Planetary Boundaries framework".

There will be a conversation, an award ceremony and a luncheon at Potsdam University in his honour.

It's been a privilege to work with Johan since we first met in 2009 - and since he came to PIK in 2018.

The Tyler Prize was established in 1973.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Prize_for_Environmental_Achievement

W_Lucht, to random
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

In the style of autocrats everywhere, Trnmp is playing the judicial system. While one side proceeds with impartiality and decency, the other misses no opportunity to lie, obstruct and delay. Yesterday, an entourage of Republicans united to attack the criminal trial of Trnmp in NY.

The rule of law depends on people not supporting such attacks on a free society. But too many do, it seems.

Democracy needs to be able to vigorously defend against strongmen with autocratic, oligarchic minds.

1/2

W_Lucht,
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

Where things stand:

Case on election subversion on indefinite hold as appeals court will hear arguments for disqualifying the judge.

Case on Jan 6 insurrection on indefinite hold as Supreme Court is slow to consider the outrageous claim that a president can never ever be tried for anything done in office.

Case on illegal possession of secret documents postponed indefinitely by a judge "due to complexity".

Case on hush money fraud: pending - but it's the weakest of the cases.

2/2

W_Lucht, to random
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

The current issue of liberal The New Republic magazine in the US has this cover today - "American Fascism. What it would look like".

They warn: "... anyone transported back to 1932 Germany could very, very easily have explained away Herr Hitler’s excesses and been persuaded that his critics were going overboard".

And ask: "Yes, That’s Right: American Fascism. Why waste time debating the extent of Trump’s fascism when we ought to be fighting it instead?"

https://newrepublic.com/

W_Lucht, to random
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

Last week the university course I teach was on the topic of: "What does it mean - for politics - to be in the Anthropocene!?"

But in light of the recent developments it had to be renamed, of course: "Are we in the Anthropocene? And if not, where are we? Or are we?"

Thanks, geologists.
(For nothing, actually.)
But we had a really good discussion of the complexities and issues involved.

Today's topic was: How and why are transformative environmental policies legitimate in a democratic state?

W_Lucht, to random
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Just found my first of the year.
Some things I never get tired of 😀.

W_Lucht, to random
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"I went back to warn them, but they already knew and didn't seem to care."

W_Lucht, to random
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Thread on the hunger strike for climate action in Berlin and my reaction to being mentioned in today's press release by the group.

For the past 61 days, a climate activist, Wolfgang Metzeler-Kick, has been on ("wet") hunger strike in central Berlin. He was subsequently joined by now three others. One activist's medical condition is reported to be critical now. The public has not taken very much notice.

Reports are that he is determined to die, if need be.

1/n

https://hungern-bis-ihr-ehrlich-seid.de/

W_Lucht,
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

The group's demand is for the German chancellor to publicly declare climate heating to be an existential challenge that needs action.

Today, a large group of "Scientists for Future" published a statement. It states that the factual analysis regarding the urgency of the situation with respect to climate heating is, overall, in accordance with the findings of science.

We share the activist's concerns.
I signed, as did many others.

2/n

https://de.scientists4future.org/stellungnahme-s4f-klimaforderungen-hungerstreikende/

W_Lucht,
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Today, the group released a press statement mentioning me by name as "supporting their action".

I'd like to say clearly and unequivocally that I share their concern and analysis in its essence, but I do NOT support their action, namely a continuation of their hunger strike.

Not only can a democratic government not allow itself to be extorted in this manner - this is not how democracy works.

What is more, I am engaged in the protection of Earth to safeguard life. All life.

3/n

W_Lucht,
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In the statement I signed with other scientists, we also formulate something the group's press release neglects to mention: With much respect for their determination and in full acknowledgement of the magnitude of the action needed, we do not support that a hunger strike is the right, appropriate form of action. We call on them to not endanger their lives and health - i.e. to end their action before it is too late, and convert it to something else.

4/n

W_Lucht,
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

I am very concerned. Reports are that there is a determination to see this through. Someone called it "announced political suicide".

For a statement by the chancellor that he's highly unlikely to give? We need activists for climate protection - all of them, alive.

Someone claimed that with this stance, we're just sitting at our desks and pacifying our conscience. Far from it: it is exercising my conscience.

5/n

W_Lucht,
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

Also, there are many avenues to advance action against the ecological destabilisation of Earth. Urgency, yes. Extortion through threatened death - is NOT something I can support.

I understand the potential symbolic power of their physical action - sacrificing the ultimate own to try and wake up society to the common good. But I cannot and will not support death. I call on the hunger strikers to end their course of self-destruction and re-engage.

6/n

W_Lucht,
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

When does the inalienable right of a person to choose their own fate end - and the responsibility of society, even of supporters, begin - to intervene, if at all possible, in order to save lives?

And yes: the group's factual statements require attention by everybody.

We're not on course.
Action is urgent.

7/end

W_Lucht,
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PPS: a day and two iterations later, the group has updated its press statement to now correctly reflect our statement.

So back to what we share: our deep concern about the magnitude of the emerging climate crisis, the degree of public complacency about it, the lack of political commitment to required action. We know about what's developing, but we hesitate to take the warnings seriously.

W_Lucht, to random
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A week has passed already since our online event on as a "Strategy of the Enough".

We were about 340 participants all told, with many prominent actors and engaged citizens participating. Feedback was very positive. Thank you to all who joined!

is a deeply meaningful challenge. It is urgently necessary for making social democracy ecological and achieving more justice. It is not an affront to our values but an expression of our values.

An illustrative graphic of injustice on a global scale: 10% of humans cause half of all household-related CO2 emissions, the least-emitting half of humanity less than 8%. Also, material consumption rises with wealth not just a bit, but multifold. The environmental crisis is due to the consuming to rich.

W_Lucht, to random
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‼️ Today is 🇩🇪's widely reported "overshoot day" - and it's true: we overuse natural resources, substantially. Six of nine planetary boundaries are transgressed, some by a lot. This endangers planetary stability, as numerous indicators with strongly negative trends show.

But what most don't know (but @christianschwaegerl investigated and highlighted last year) are some important shortcomings of this popular metric ...

(1/2)

W_Lucht,
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

Namely: the overshoot mostly reflects how much forest we'd need to compensate our CO2 emissions (see figure; minus ocean uptake). Fair enough - though nobody suggests this is how to combat climate heating. But what is more: according to this accounting, with all demands not CO2 we'd still be well within the limits. That reveals methodological weaknesses: the computation does not include damages to ecological networks, habitat degradation, pollution, excess nitrogen, water withdrawals ...

(2/2)

W_Lucht,
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PS: This illustrates we still urgently need a systematic, more comprehensive assessment of the human destabilisation of Earth beyond climate, with a focus on biosphere integrity. Much of Earth system science and Earth system policy is still geocentric - but we need to be biocentric (including anthropocentric approaches).

Starting later this year, we plan to publish annual "Planetary Health Checks" building on the planetary boundaries framework. We're currently ramping up the team.

W_Lucht, to random
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It's absurd: The G7 declare their intent to end coal by 2035 (too late, but ...)

And the head of my coal-producing state of Brandenburg, a social democrat, declares - and is cited with this nonsense in the news media - that there is no factual basis for this date, he's opposed.

Never heard of the CO2 budget? That every ton of CO2 matters? Of not being on track?

He says he cares for the people - in the coal regions. All the young and future people of Earth obviously aren't his concern.

W_Lucht, to random
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This is not the Europe I want to belong to.
This is not the Europe of the Enlightenment and the Common Good.

Even here in Germany it's being discussed as "a model". We're the rich part of the world - what do you expect to happen? That we don't face our obligations to justice and humanity?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/apr/28/home-office-to-detain-asylum-seekers-across-uk-in-shock-rwanda-operation

W_Lucht, to random
@W_Lucht@mstdn.social avatar

The German parliament has decided to "update" the German Climate Law, as proposed by the government.

It's a case of ignoring scientific advice in the name of political expediency.

👉 It is not good to diffuse responsibility for effective CO2 reduction policies by making sectoral reduction objectives less binding.

👉 Requiring stringent action only when targets are being missed for two years in projections opens opportunities for green washing.

(1/2)

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