HACC: General Climate Change


+ Actions for individuals


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Started 29 Dec 2019 / Day 3 @35C3
Break out group session.

(This pad is here for everybody to add relevant informations and facts on climate change and strategies to adopt in order to make the needed change NOW !)
If you have any question or need help to use it, please contact pau@totalism.org




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Add things to this document !!!
    general infos,
    practical advices,
    relevant links,
    scientific studies,
    tools you use,
    [...]

<------------------------------------------------(new) add below this line





-
GROUP @35C3
:
    Stephanie, UN expert on climate change, works with carbon markets (putting a price on CO2)
    Pauline, etextiles and CHT hackbase collaborator
    Maria, carbon footprint app
    Justine, healthcare
    Max, programmer, lives in a commune
    Vedran, hackerspace in Zagreb, considering something climate change
    Torsten, app dev, 
    Till, 
    Matthias, designing smart and green cities
    Niels, 
    Stephan, PDH in math, believes a big challenge is to get people to care more
    Lars, Computer Scientist; Energy Systems, IT-Sec, etc. (lars@larsipulami.de)
    Raphael, mechanical engineer, interessted in science, measurment techniques, data representiation,
    Jürgen
    Harry, Web Dev, looking for opportunities to contribute 
    
<--------- add yourself here if we missed you




*** NOTIONS

Fundamentals explained by Stephanie


Temperature increase

We count the average increase in degrees since the industrial area.
    Start at ~ year 1850
    + 0,9 degrees. 

Debate about 1,5°C or 2°C :
    * is political for one part
    * is seen as the line between "normal" and "catastrophic" climate change.
    * we need to keep the increase below 2°C
The assumption is this is a tipping point, for example Greenland melts, and the main ocean currents stop. 
The whole world system will be out of sync. 

This treshold is not set in a very scientific way:
    * Since humans exist, the ossilations the planet has seen, are about 4°C
    * so we take the middle of it
    * it also happens to be the point where our predicting models break.

In politics the numbers matter:
    * for small Islands an increase of 0,5°C it is the difference of a draught every year or 3 years.



-----discussion-----

* Stephan: the last ice age was just 5°C colder. 

* Till: is this as existential threat?
    Stephanie does not think so directly.
    BUT climate change is also a disturbance to society:
        * where people live
        * where food comes from etc.
   Lars points out that extintion events are not unknown in the earth's history. Recommended read "The Ends of the World" by Peter Brannen, entertaining in a morbid way



Climate change seen as a multiplier

The more climate change, the bigger the problem becomes

Pessimistic perspective on the loss of ressources that will create:
    * violence, wars
    * have a huge societal imlpact
    * destroy the system we know

Max; has a more pessimistic opinion:
    * because there are other tipping points where species can't move anymore
    * Like a tree that blossoms, the seeds land in a different climate zone... 



Emissions origins

33% global emissions from deforestation / land use
- land use because you can create fertilisers and they use greenhouse gasses
10%, related to special inustrial gases (not Co2)
50% energy, 
- electricity
- transportation
-heating



Greenhouse gases (6 of them)

CO2 (burning trees+fossil fuels), 
Methane (extraction of fossil fuels, lifestock emissions),
N2O, 
HFCx, 
Perfluorcarbons, 
NF3



Is living in cities less impactful ?

Consider transportation, access to ressources, sharing infrastructures...



"Civilization as problem"

"only ever since humans moved from Africa they created an impact on Earth"





*** WHAT TO DO

What are the most impactful measures you can do in your private life? 


AIM

Reduce greenhouse gases


IN GENERAL

Measure, reduce, offset


GUIDELINES

Create awareness, fight for it
Put your vote where your mouth is
Live sustainably



IN PRACTICE


    * Measure your own CO2 footprint

BECOME AWARE OF YOUR IMPACT TO CHANGE HABITS

how ?
what tools to use ?


    * Financial investment is needed

THIS CHANGE (and the situation) IS NOT FOR FREE:
    we have to be willing to pay for the consequences
    or to pay for the necesary changes

Costs are on individuals for an impact at a greater scale of the society.
It will pay back for the collective
    i.e. if we invest in reducing atmospheric pollution as individuals there will be less costs in health to treat lung diseases for the society


    * Change your transportation habits

STOP FLYING !!!
    take trains and boats
- for the next COP in Chile.
- you can work in trains (computer, softwares available, hotspots, ...)

DON'T USE CARS
    yes in cities, how about people in countryside ?
    general change needed with remote working places, better transportation networks...


    * Adopt a vegetarian diet

EATING MEAT IS NOT ECONOMICALLY NOR ECOLOGICALLY EFFICIENT !!!
    no animals = less land for animals, less land used for animals food


    * Consume less

DON'T BUY SO MUCH
REDUCE YOUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION

ie:
    * reuse and upcycle
    * house heating is a huge part for individuals
    * buy used hardware
    * [...]


    * Create / Use green energy

with your own energetic installation
    (controverse on buying new "eco" things...)

by choosing a different supplier


    * Consider not to have children (taboo)

This is a controversial point !!!
It deals with birth control, control of population...




Idea by mathias: "things to do for a sustainable living" website

Mathias: I'm thinking about creating a website with "things to do for a sustainable living". The site has a list of things everyone can do to reduce the CO2 footprint. On the website, users see a long list of things to do, with a filter for "impact on CO2 footprint", "expenses required", "level of complexity", and "area of living" (e. g. energy, transport etc.). 
Things can be added via Github, which is deployed to a website, so everyone can extend it with projects of their own experience.
For this, we need a reasonable number of people that are willing to start a prototype of it. Who would be in? Who knows a similar website we maybe should rather contribute to?


There would be a how to congress more sustainible, for example:
- Drive by train
- Organise driving together in one car
- bring your prepared food in reusable boxes
- eat more vegetables, whole grain and fruits
- sell or give away your old hardware to others
- use hardware as long as possible
- repair and upcycle things