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Paul Maidowski Profile picture
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21 May, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Is macroeconomics a science? Many of our problems come down to our misuse of economics. Accessible starting point for impactful analysis: @nephologue nephologue.blogspot.com/2018/08/is-mac…
Why this matters: Economics evolved for a growth regime, not for a full world, that approaches biophysical limits to growth. To share + accentuate @KevinClimate's concern: Do the physical climate sciences reflect & address the limitations of economics yet?
Can we learn to use economics in better, more humane ways?

This questions goes beyond natural sciences & engineering: many social scientists, & scholars in the humanities, routinely use sophisticated quantitative & qualitative toolboxes. Let's use them where it matters 🙏
Background + intro: Odum 1973

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Paul Maidowski Profile picture
21 May
Common sense, apparently controversial: 👇 I don’t think scientists should tell us how many children to have—even less than governments should. 1/3
Some scientists promote simplistic, ethically fraught, mainstream economics-based calculations of “CO2 per child”, but this is weak, not very credible research—some would call it neoliberal victim-blaming. It just shows a lack of systems thinking - and it’s not even necessary 2/3
Wondering myself whether I want to have children, so this type of neoliberal hogwash gives me nothing, it just bores me. There are so many ways to ask better questions. 3/3
Read 4 tweets
Paul Maidowski Profile picture
19 May
Dear energy & climate analysts: great example why most of our analyses are pure fantasy, incl. #NetZero. It’s just not possible, full stop. I imagine we will do better with more empathy and international experience.
This is vital: Most social-climate models & the resulting 'analyses' that inform and legitimize politics have turned into mythmaking machines. As @w_knorr warns, it's easy to imagine inhumane ends to this power grab. On the misuse of economics: @SFuntowicz sciencedirect.com/science/articl… Image
How easily experts chime into the naive-regular chants of "what a breakthrough, @IEA acknowledges physics." Great.

Dear all, can we focus on learning critical thinking? No joke, maybe start with Roy Scranton's essay (here talk): What is Thinking Good For?
Read 5 tweets
Paul Maidowski Profile picture
10 May
To see how absurd + damaging the term 'inactivist' is: consider that MM uses it to describe activists (incl. me 🤷‍♂️) who don't support his (!) views, because we feel that he doesn't read the social science literature correctly. Nor even Jevons' paradox: 1/2
Even @michaelemann can't ignore basic thermodynamics: Check out Tim Garrett's decade-long & largely ignored line of research. The dynamics of our planet are not going to budge because some climate people would like them to. Let's be better than this. 🙏esd.copernicus.org/articles/3/1/2… 2/2
This tweet 👆 was just to test how I can interact with MM, who blocked me (I don't mind; indeed grateful for uncluttering my TL), along with many other climate activists working in good faith (many of whom mind & take it personally).

If this helps anyone:
Read 12 tweets
Paul Maidowski Profile picture
9 May
The Gandalf of Climate Change just dropped a 2h video, of "advice to Young People as they face annihilation." Invitation to join me in watching it, and comment / write / process as you see fit. IF you feel like writing a piece or poem and sharing—DMs open:
Thanks @RogerHallamCS21, for taking us & what's ahead seriously, and rising to the occasion. Hi everyone else, what's keeping you all? Don't you get tired of running in foreseeably self-defeating circles?
~First, you don't need to watch this video. If you don't agree or prefer doing something else, that's fine. It's your life.
Read 26 tweets
Paul Maidowski Profile picture
8 May
Running out of variations on the evergreen theme of growth. I have no idea how serious scientists claim there to be social "tipping points" away from growth, with zero empirical evidence. Does anyone assume people & organizations will voluntarily shrink themselves? How? Why? Who? Image
Great quote, too, & research I'm just starting to read up on: @CareyWKing
One genuine parallel between climate & pandemic, as two high-order global problems in which even the experts whose models inform or legitimize policy remain reluctant to rethink: for fear of having to change. nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opi… Image
Read 4 tweets
Paul Maidowski Profile picture
8 May
Why do so few of us dare to speak as clearly as Greta? Part of the picture is that the rate of atmospheric CO2 increase will jump from ~2.5 ppm/year to ~4-6 ppm/year within ~20 years under business as usual, as terrestrial carbon sinks weaken. Obviously not reflected in public 🤷‍♂️
Context: the Arctic shifted into a new (soon sea-ice free) regime. We all know emergency action is necessary to refreeze it. If that's impossible, we're headed for unsurvivable Miocene worlds

We owe people the respect to be ~at least~ honest with them 🙏
Before @ClimateOfGavin or anyone else again trivializes what "Unsurvivable" means: "U" for civilization in its current complexity (= quality of life)

Primitive tribes of humans may well hang on indefinitely, but even this requires extraordinary action now
Read 10 tweets

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