benjhm

Curious that the richer (western) countries seem more enthusiastic about taxing the rich ...

It slows down, an effect of cold water from melting ice passing south of greenland, which has a local cooling effect, while the atlantic as a whole gets warmer. Consequence is a greater heat contrast along that front, which may intensify the sequence of low pressures bringing wind and rain, which is what Ireland has just experienced this summer. But the high-resolution models do not show that AMOC stops abruptly, that was a feature of simpler models designed to replicate palaeoclimatic changes at the end of the ice ages, when the amount of ice available to melt was much higher.

I suspect this is true in much of Europe too, although lack a dataset to check it. People underestimate the importance of changing demographics and family structures.

Seems like Germany has a good idea to vary it, to reduce pressure on travel. However we should think bolder still, reimagine the whole timing of the academic year which derived from nineteenth century traditions when children helped plant and gather crops. Now instead we should consider climate change, and July became too hot for comfortable travel in most of continental europe. So it would be better to have long holidays in May-June and maybe September, while also investing in cooling for school buildings (maybe more practical than for small homes).

It's useful to systematically compare the quantitative impact of policies across countries. However the headline does no credit to the analysis. What matters is the fraction of emissions that are reduced, not the fraction of policies. Probably just a few big policies in a few big countries make most of the difference. Many smaller developing countries were recently obliged (by Paris NDC process) to state some kind of policies, but they are still in an early stage of the learning by doing process - which is still valuable.

Aucune réservation obligatoire (hors international) en Belgique, Suisse, Allemagne, Grand-Bretagne ... Cette proposition est ridicule, on pousse les gens au voiture. Et la France avait si bon système de chemin de fer, avant qu'ils ont essayé copier l'aviation.

Ireland has a long coastline but most of it near mountains, so there is fortunately scope to gradually retreat uphill. The large flat part is in the middle - the central Shannon basin is only 35m above sea-level, but unless East Antarctica goes too, that's safe for the moment. As for temperature rise, it's a cool country that may expect relatively little warming, due to the cold blob south of greenland, at least while ice continues melting. So, Ireland may need to prepare for large influx of people escaping heat elsewhere.

It's good ES add this route to the network, and the route fits with their other operations.
However, it's a long way around. I remember when there was a train every night from Brussels to Milano, sometimes extending to Venice, via Namur, Luxembourg, Basel, Bern, Brig. That old straighter route would be more efficient, and reconnect people who currently have no night train south.

Vietnam is such a long-thin country, high quality rail infrastructure really makes sense given such a geography. I hope they connect their network west too, to other south-east asian countries, such network could also help to balance the development negotiations.

Interesting discussion. 'Quit while ahead' sounds obvious with hindsight, but who can say when a peak has been reached during events, and who, in such movements, would have the authority to impose that on others ? What could China learn from other countries ? For example, rapid student-led change in Bangladesh recently.

What better times? They'll be competing with more solar and wind every year (also fewer people).

I think it makes sense. China also has a housing surplus, loads of infrastructure, plenty of educated graduates, and great diversity of climate (therefore resilience to that problem), but will lack young people to help with services. The first generation will feel discrimination (even europeans who've worked there know the laowai feeling) but attitudes could gradually change for their children.