Beating climate change

I went to a meeting of the closest chapter of Citizen's Climate Lobby. They are a one purpose organization, with the goal of getting legislation passed to put a fee (not a tax) on carbon and then to rebate that fee to each citizen at the end of the year. Every year the size of the fee will increase, predictably.

I think it is a good goal, and they are the only people who seem to be doing anything in an organized manner. I felt pretty stupid when I went in and didn't know my legislative district. The brain power in the room was quite considerable- from the political people to the retired scientists. And yet...

The organization is neutral on so many things. Geoengineering. Nuclear power. One person didn't understand why this might hurt the economy when we would be putting back just as much money into the economy as we are taking out.

Because our economy is based upon cheap energy, and renewables do not scale up easily, and nuclear would have a long lag time to build more reactors. There is more to our economy than money.

They also didn't understand why this wouldn't be seen as income distribution by some people. People who use more energy- typically rich people- will pay more. But the dividend will be equal for everyone. Which can be explained by the fact that we all equally suffer from the increasing levels of C02, while those who contribute more to it should pay more. There is an economic principle about internalizing externalities. But you know some people- probably someone rich- will complain that this is income redistribution.

I think it is a good goal, and one of the more libertarian approaches to climate change. People and businesses get to decide how they will react to the increasing price of carbon based fuel. It will likely involve increased energy efficiencies, changes in lifestyle, shifting energy sources, and hopefully finding new energy sources.

I just don't think we have as much time as most Americans think that we do. Which makes me think of my mom- she thinks she has a lot more time than she does. Maybe that is human nature for most people. Maybe my history of depression makes me a bit of a Cassandra.

I think we are ultimately going to have to go to geoengineering of some sort. But we are not there yet.

The waiting game

My mom has pancreatic cancer. When my phone rings while I am at work- and no one I know would normally call my during the day- I momentarily panic. It is usually just a robo caller for some political caller or someone looking to fill an occupational therapy position. But for a moment I imagine that my mom is in the hospital, has deteriorated. I don't usually think she has died- I think don't think she is that bad yet, I think she has more downhill to go. Although a number of people with pancreatic cancer do die from blood clots- but she is on coumadin for A fib, so I think she will be okay with that.

Today I called her and she was having more pain, despite the increase in pain meds. It is really hard to talk to her on the phone because her hearing isn't that good- and on cell phones it is really bad. I only have a cell phone. I wanted to tell her about two of my patients. One who was an interesting mystery now solved, and one who is an inspiration. But she had so much trouble hearing that I don't think it was the enjoyable distraction that I had hoped it would be.

If I were a better daughter- and had more cash reserves- I would be there. It is hard to be so far away when this is happening. And yet, given the dynamics of her family, it is really hard to be there as well. But I am not willing to quit my job and move, and not in the financial position to do so either.  I have 12 months of family leave that I can take- mostly unpaid. I have 1 month of savings in the bank, thanks to expensive dental surgery that I have had this year. When I get my tax returns I should have another month's worth.

The problem with having 12 months leave and no more is knowing when to take it. But I also have some vacation time- and I am going to go next month.

My mom and my aunt think that this is beatable, that the right alternative doctor, and maybe cannabis oil (now legal in their state), can cure this. If they are right I will write a book! But I don't think so.

The best science fiction I have read in a long time

I am reading "Leviathan Wakes" by James Corey and it is really good- it reminds me why I started reading science fiction as a kid- it makes me think that things are possible. In his world we don't have the stars, but we have the solar system- which my mature self thinks is a lot more probable, but still very optimistic.

I grew up reading science fiction. I loved it. And then I learned about relativity- and I didn't love it so much anymore. If there are other civilizations out there it doesn't really matter, we will never meet them. The distances are too vast and no hyperdrives are going to beat the speed of light.

Even my concern with peak oil and global warming has dampened my enthusiasm for exploration of our solar system. There is too much going on at home and we don't have the resources. NASA's mission should be defending us from comets and asteroids I have told people. And now preventing the Kessler syndrome- a cascading effect of colliding space debri in earth orbit that could wipe out most of our satellites.

But man cannot live on bread alone- or on reality alone in my case. I need my sci fi, I need my version of the future in which we survive the next couple hundred years and make it off of the planet. We make to to Mars and beyond.

If we are going to make it past the next couple of hundred years, we will have to find another source of energy- because we will run out of fossil fuels and because of what they are doing to the planet. Maybe it will be thorium reactors. Maybe it will be fusion. Renewables will not get us there alone. And if we do find new energy- who knows what is possible?

I'd like to be optimistic. I tend not to be.