Post

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

A lot of my policy & political positions are informed by an underlying view that the status quo is carrying us at an accelerating rate toward various intersecting apocalypses, that hopes of changing course are pretty slim, & that the urgency of the situation warrants taking some big risks.

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

Many times in my life I've seen my cohort say something along the lines of, "let's not eat this half-ass shit sandwich, let's hold out for the good & righteous world we want," which sounds good in a speech, but in practice has just led to worse & worse choices, bigger & bigger shit sandwiches.

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

At this point -- though I try not to communicate in this register all the time, as it's exhausting to me & to readers -- I think something close to panic is warranted & that anything with even a hope of knocking us off our current trajectory, even a little bit, is worth desperately clutching.

20 reposts176 likes

David Roberts
@volts.wtf

For obvious reasons "desperate triage/harm reduction" is not a popular or particularly inspiring pursuit. It's not going to fire people up or activate them. It's not going to get normies out to vote or whatever. So I don't talk about it much. But for me at least, it's always there in the background.

Dark Matter Zine
@darkmatterzine.bsky.social

I agree. Australia’s Greens stalled Labor’s social housing policy. Labor’s policy is half assed sh*t on a “go slow” for max publicity with minimum progress intended to put more $$$ in landlord’s hands while we need a return to public housing. Greens wanted more. Take crumbs, shout “WE WANT BETTER”

Dark Matter Zine
@darkmatterzine.bsky.social

and don’t get me started on Labor’s recent “we will kill koala’s habitat unless we can use it as fraudulent carbon off-sets for our billionaire puppet masters” bullsh*t but at least the koalas might have a chance to live.

tatere
@tatere.bsky.social

The problem is that the "emergencies" that the nomenklatura hype up & convince people require these not-great policies to handle are rarely the actual disasters ahead, & frequently aren't real at all. (eg "national debt") Basically we can't trust them. I don't know how we get something better.

Overshot the Carrying Capacity
@overshot.bsky.social

"accelerating rate toward various intersecting apocalypses". Yep! "Try not too communicate in the register all the time". yep! "I think something close to panic is warranted". Yep! Wile E. Coyote is off the cliff, but he hasn't looked down yet. Surreal being surrounded by BAU behaviour.

dgglynn
@dgglynn.bsky.social

~$3k is 10kw of panels, and a ~$3K inverter, mounting racks, 2 roof guys and an electrician. Feds pay 50% of hardware, outright. Batteries free, utilities pay 50%. Train, certify crews, standard prices, fed loans. Every roof, in 10 years. 30 years of electricity. Fuck it, just do them all.