Thread by @JeffAndDonkeys

I'm going to run through screenshots of a conversation I just had with a highly paid climate professional.
He started with the normal climate tweet: "Take action now."
So I asked my usual annoying question. What action?

2. As usual, his response was not what I define as "action", but was, rather, a statement of end point goals.
You can see that he knew I wasn't going to be impressed.
Who on Earth could dispute "phase out GHG emissions?"
I had asked for "how" but he didn't want to discuss that.

3. So. What was my reply?
I still wanted him to name actions. Things people could do, as averse to words to say.
What is an action which furthers this goal? What comes next? Step 1, step 2, first you get the... Nah. We don't do that in the developed world.

4. No sweat. We've got a canned set of plans all laid out, like we have for the past 40 years. No sweat.

5. OK, now we're making progress.
Price on carbon is an action. Or anyway, "Pass legislation to apply a price on carbon in all global economies" would be an action.
I don't see it happening, but at least it's a specific action.
"GHG-free power" is not an action, it's a dream.

6. For instance, we've been building "GHG-free power" for two decades, the outcome of which has been a drastic increase in fossil fuel use and emissions. And it's all publicly documented.

7. Here is another record of recent "GHG-free power" in the current economy.
But back to our conversation.

Anyway - he asked me for my solution, so I told him. He ignored it, as do almost all publicly respectable climate professionals.

9. I went on to address his list.
He said "GHG-free veh" as an action.
That's a noun.
Presumably the action is, "Build, sell, and implement the infrastructure for..." so I addressed that.
This is considered poor form. Magic makes them, STFU.

10. As it happens I had recently addressed the "GHG-free veh" issue recently as well.
These are assumed to be powered by electricity.
OK, where does the electricity come from?
As it happens, Lawrence Livermore National Lab recently told us.

11. When in doubt, accuse the other of nefarious motives. "You sound like a fossil fuel mole..."
He doesn't care what I think. Magic will do it all, all we need is nouns, no verbs necessary.

12. The entire plan is to increase energy throughput, energy demand, and fossil fuel use, drastically, today, because if we increase it fast enough, long enough, we'll reach zero. I don't believe it, and nobody offers a convincing case for it either.

PS. When all else fails, unzip your trousers, pull out your PhD, and wave it around.
There can be no defense.