Isn’t this just great? A leap aboard the climate change bandwagon following the earthquakes in California:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””](Ridgecrest, CA) The second in a series of devastating earthquakes hit Southern California on Friday night, one of the largest in the area’s history, causing 1,800 people to lose power. As usually happens in the case of such high magnitude earthquakes, the second of these has produced more than 1,400 smaller quakes and destroyed homes as a result of electrical fires. Scientists have made fresh connections between fracking and earthquakes, but the greater necessity is for action from California’s administration to limit the climate impacts of future disasters.[/perfectpullquote] [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]350.org executive director May Boeve made the following statement: “Our thoughts are with communities in Southern California who are facing these terrifying earthquakes, with the potential of more to come. California has for the last few years faced the catastrophic effects of climate change more than ever before in the form of severe wildfires. These earthquakes will cause even further devastation to communities already trying to recover from losses. We call on Governor Newsom, the State of California, and the Federal Government to act immediately to ensure that Californians are safe from further destruction. Furthermore, we call on California to set an example for the rest of the country by taking bold action necessary to limit climate destruction.”[/perfectpullquote]There is pretty much no fracking in California. So that’s not a concern. And 350.org obviously failed to read the Stern Review. Which points out that if other things are going to kill us anyway then we have to worry less, not more, about climate change. That’s what actually gives us a positive discount rate – than an asteroid might wipe us out a la dinosaurs at which point who the hell cares about CO2?
Oh, and earthquakes aren’t caused by climate change either.
But don’t you just love the monomania? And the opportunism?
“Kern County, if counted as a separate state, would be a top 5 oil producer for the United States. Kern County produces 75% of California’s petroleum and 50% natural gas. In 2015, the Kern County government approved the large oil corporation’s request for a different method of extraction. This new method is fracking, and the method poses a risk to all Kern County residents.” http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2016/ph240/palma2/
To the best of my knowledge, wild fires are caused by the human dislike of wild fires. Any minor conflagration is vigorously suppressed, until finally the fire prevention organisation is overwhelmed and an enormous blaze ensues.
The aboriginals had a more sensible approach. They regularly burned off their territory, allowing nice fresh grass to replace the scrub. Any animal that stumbled out of the smoke was promptly whacked on the head and eaten.