How many candidates are not talking about banning fracking, and why?

[redqueen]

I honestly can't believe this is still a thing. In the UK few conservatives even support it.

A NEW FRACKING LANDSCAPE: REPORT ON RECENT SCIENCE SHOWS OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE OF HARM
03/13/2018

HEALTH PROFESSIONAL GROUPS RAISE ALARM THAT BUILD-OUT OF DRILLING AND FRACKING OPERATIONS IS CREATING A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. EXPERTS AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Elana Simon, Communications Manager, Physicians for Social Responsibility
[e-mail], 202-681-9169

As incontrovertible evidence of harm from fracking mounts and more health professionals raise the alarm, the fracking debate is taking place within an altered landscape. Today, as a growing body of scientific evidence confirms demonstrable health risks and harms from drilling and fracking operations and their attendant infrastructure, calls from the medical community for health-protective policies are growing louder. A new report by two leading health professional organizations—Physicians for Social Responsibility and Concerned Health Professionals of New York—tracks and analyzes the rapidly emerging science that points to the increasing dangers to health, including respiratory disease, cancer risk, and low birth weight and preterm birth, both of which are leading causes of infant death.

This evidence is of grave concern to health professionals, especially given that over 17 million Americans now live within a mile of an active oil or gas well. This population includes over a million young children and a million elderly people, two groups with special vulnerabilities to air pollution and contaminated water. Other studies show harm to infants born to mothers who live near drilling and fracking operations during their pregnancies. If carried out, the Trump administration’s plans to roll back federal regulations and expand fracking on public lands will further exacerbate these harmful impacts.

The new report, the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking, 5th Edition compiles and summarizes an avalanche of recent studies. Of more than 1,300 studies published on the effects of drilling and fracking, more than 90 percent have been published since 2013, and about a quarter were published in 2017 alone.

Several experts are available, upon request, for interviews about the new report and the issue more broadly.

...
https://www.psr.org/blog/2018/03/13/a-new-fracking-landscape-report-on-recent-science-shows-overwhelming-evidence-of-harm/

This is shocking from Steyer.

Link to tweet

[left-of-center2012]

1. Is this the issue that will proper Yang to the lead?

I've been waiting for him to find the one issue that will bring the voters around to him.
I think banning fracking may be it.

I expect we'll soon see a change in his poll numbers.

[redqueen]

2. That's really what you got from this?

Is this all a big joke to you?

Fracking causing rise in methane emissions, study finds
Researchers say boom in shale oil and gas major contributor to climate emergency

The boom in the US shale gas and oil may have ignited a significant global spike in methane emissions blamed for accelerating the pace of the climate crisis, according to research.

Scientists at Cornell University have found the “chemical fingerprints” of the rising global methane levels point to shale oil and shale gas as the probable source.

Methane, levels of which have been increasing sharply since 2008, is a potent greenhouse gas that heats the atmosphere quicker than carbon dioxide.

Researchers at Cornell said the carbon composition of atmospheric methane, or the “weight” of carbon within each methane molecule, was changing too.

...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/14/fracking-causing-rise-in-methane-emissions-study-finds

[OilemFirchen]

8. I would have thought that his super-popular Ross Perot-inspired VAT would have done it.

Even the Magic Christian money grab failed to inspire.

Perhaps you're right. After all, as the OP implies, all of the other candidates love fracking. That gives him a huge leg up.

[PatrickforO]

3. No surprise here.

IF:
- we did not have a capitalist system that operates on primacy of the shareholder, and
- our politicians weren't afraid of losing their bid for reelection if they come out against fracking, and
- we can cast out the bought-and-paid-for pseudo-scientific 'reports' the oil companies come out with to say fracking's safe...

IF we could have our elected officials that supposedly represent us and our interests actually DO that, we would have an energy policy akin to AOC's Green New Deal that would put this country in a leading position in transforming the world to run on renewable energy.

But, so many lobbies. There's a guy on here who sometimes posts that there is enough depleted uranium to supply all of our energy needs for the next hundred years through a fission process.

Colorado has committed to 900,000 plug in cars on the road by 2035, with all the attendant opportunity to build out infrastructure and all the new jobs that will entail, and Xcel, Colorado's energy company, has committed to being 85% carbon free by 2035 and 100% carbon free by 2050.

[redqueen]

4. I just wonder how many Dem voters are aware of how bad it is.

This is about as serious as it gets.

There is no room for error or equivocation

[PatrickforO]

5. I think we've reached a tipping point.

According to a WaPo article dated September 19, 2019 by Brady Dennis, Stephen Mufson and Scott Clement, entitled, "Americans increasingly see climate change as a crisis, poll shows,"

The poll finds that a strong majority of Americans — about 8 in 10 — say that human activity is fueling climate change, and roughly half believe action is urgently needed within the next decade if humanity is to avert its worst effects. Nearly 4 in 10 now say climate change is a “crisis,” up from less than a quarter five years ago.

Here's the link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/americans-increasingly-see-climate-change-as-a-crisis-poll-shows/2019/09/12/74234db0-cd2a-11e9-87fa-8501a456c003_story.html

I'm thinking that 40% of the people seeing it as a 'crisis' is a tipping point. I was reading an article a few months ago - don't remember where - that said over years, this number had been around 7%, which is 'tin foil hat' territory. I think the fires, the sea level rising and the harsher storms have created an awareness that no pseudo-scientific 'report' by some K-street think tank can cast doubt on.

It's like big tobacco. Their lies bought them about 10 years of profits. Plastics is doing the same thing.

And, of course, corporate propaganda is working extremely well around the Medicare for All plans. Warren, my candidate, scares the Wall Street greed-lizards, and thus she scares the 'establishment.' Notice how we're now hearing how she is 'losing support,' 'losing steam.' There are literally millions of dollars lined up against even a public option by those fun health insurance and pharmaceutical lobbies. They are willing to kill 45,000 Americans a year, and keep 40 million Americans from being insured at all, while the rest of us languish with shitty, rationed healthcare with financially crippling copays and coinsurance. Our system sucks.

But this is what happens here in America. If facts come out that might (gasp!) reduce short-term PROFITS, then they just lie. Stall, stall, stall so they can keep those profits up for as long as they can until public pressure forces them to change.

Power NEVER conceded ANYTHING without a fight. The oligarchs have been waging class warfare against working people since 1935 when they swore to overturn the New Deal. This so-called 'free market' capitalist utopia we're now 'enjoying' SUCKS.

[Kaleva]

6. It does appear that few though are doing much to prepare for climate change.

People may say it's a crisis but go about their lives like everything is fine. No worries!

[PatrickforO]

7. I've been thinking about this a lot.

I drive a mid-sized SUV that came off the line in 2004. It uses premium unleaded gasoline and gets around 18 miles per gallon.

I live in a house that is powered by electricity and natural gas, and drive to work on roads made with asphalt, a petroleum product.

When I remember, I use canvas grocery bags, because plastic is petroleum based. I've quit drinking anything out of plastic bottles, but most of the products you buy at the supermarket are encased in plastic. To their credit, Kroger is now selling its half and half in cardboard cartons (with plastic spout) rather than plastic bottles, but still, plastic is ubiquitous.

I primarily eat meat, vegetables and fruit, but also have bread because...bread. I drink coffee. I TRIED to be a vegan. I really did, but I just cannot do it. I admire those who can, but man, it got to the point where I was dreading nourishing myself with that stuff. No offense to vegans - I admire you, but it isn't for me.

I wear clothing that is probably made in sweatshops and shop at Kroger because I support unions. I stay away from Walmart for the same reason, and do shop at Costco, which treats its own employees well, but bargains so hard with suppliers they have to cut their labor costs (the REAL capitalist trickle down).

I shop at Amazon and have a prime membership, but have found you really have to shop on Amazon because sometimes the products they send aren't quite the same quality as you would buy in a store.

So why the soliloquy?

Because without a strong policy direction and public funding, we will continue in America to make up around 5% of the world's population, yet consume 24% of the world's energy. It's just unsustainable. And yet, as individuals we have some ability to conserve, but it is way too little, and the very nature of our society and our economy forces waste.

I mean, I am proud of my state because Governor Polis really is issuing policies that will reduce Colorado's carbon footprint. Many states are moving forward in this vein, but some are not. Industrial cities in China and India are so polluted people can barely breathe. There's plastic waste at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, for God's sake.

I was talking with a friend yesterday about these things. It may be the human species will not survive because of capitalism. It really may. We simply have not grown up yet. We have not been able to get rid of greed, and our whole culture has been seduced by lust for power and wealth. So the few are continually ripping off the many and the political dialog in the US is debated within a very narrow range, with the Democrats being left of center and the Republicans being right of center in this narrow range of debate.

We have not grown up and realized we can organize ourselves around human need and not greed, and be good stewards of this planet instead of raping it. We could actually have an earth where everyone has enough and we consciously lower our birth rates so that population levels out and then decreases.

Are we mature enough for the tasks that must be accomplished? Or will we go into that dark place in natural history filled with has beens? Species that had their shot and were selected by evolution for extinction.

Because make no mistake: this earth will abide. Mother nature will be fine if we go extinct. In fact, we are the ONLY species of which it can be said that if we go extinct, all other forms of life on this planet would be better off.

[Kaleva]

9. I think the human race will survive Mother Nature's market correction

The effects of climate change will not be uniform throughout the world. Some places will become more suited for human habitation.

As I've stated in several other posts, I do something about adapting to the predicted effects of climate change in the area where I live most every day. It could be several hours or just a few minutes of my time most each day but it's a constant effort. I don't foresee a complete economic and social collapse where I live but there probably will be shortages in food supply and interruptions in services such as village water, electricity, heating gas, and gasoline. My efforts are geared towards being able to ride out such interruptions and shortages. Even if they last for weeks at a time.