In the news

Herne Hill… there goes the neighbourhood.

A friend who lives on the purported road says that the reports of his purchase may have been over stated.

We shall see...

Yup, in order to be a millionaires, get other to pay, even can’t be arsed to get his bike fixed in Camberwell.

Still wanting to be mates with him we support his diesel fuelled wood burning agenda against..... the canals becoming commercialised or something?

Ive actually got nothing against canal boat people, they just need to be better informed about how many people die due to breathing in wood smoke, and find an affordable alternative. Needs law change and something like the subsidised solar panels the tories fucked off.

I have a few mates who live on the boats, mostly manual labourers who want to live cheaply and simply. In a crowded city with a market fucked by buy to let investors who can blame them.

Bit late, but apparently the Jack Reacher author never visited the US which is why they didn't think it was odd that the dude starts all his adventures by walking along the freeway.

Where are we on the shit pile?

Hi sorry for the rant. what makes campers worse than regular cars is carrying all the weight of cookers, showers, water tanks etc etc. Larger vehicles just have more impact. Using existing infrastructure and accommodation is much less impactful than taking it all with you, plus you boost local economies. But then maybe your camper just carries people, and you have a large family. I would simply suggest, travel light, leave nothing behind, use the train when you can, which it sounds like you probably try to do anyway.

Yay!
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/sep/02/shawlands-glasgow-school-bike-bus-traffic-stopping-tech

That's really smart: not so much the tech, but the idea of the "bus".

Did he also write this?

"Goldfinger..."

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That's cheered me up after a grotty day :D

I get why, but it makes me a bit sad no world leaders showed up to Gorbachev's funeral.

you have a large family

Order of magnitude bigger eco-crime than driving a camper I would say (unless you aren't in a wealthy country)

The lack of a state funeral and erasing him from history is very..... Soviet?

Given that the people in the hypothetical holiday family already exist, I dont see the worth in shaming parents for their children, and effectively shaming people for existing. It's not productive, and bit of a nasty road to go down. Populations naturally stabilise in richer countries.

It's better for as many people as possible to fill up a vehicle to capacity, carry only what they need, than for groups of twos and threes to take a huge heavy thing fitted out like a small house.

It's better for as many people as possible to fill up a vehicle to capacity

The apogee of this is, of course, a train.

It's not productive

Somehow we have to discourage people in wealthy countries from deciding to have that third child. Economic disincentives don't work and are regressive, so how else do you propose to achieve it without cultural norms?

As I am reading the post above there’s a woman on the radio complaining about not getting enough govt aid. She has six children all under ten years old.

This^

Not sure what your point is here, as in the UK the average number of children per woman is <2 and lower than that for Europe as a whole. Increases in population are mainly driven by longer life expectancies and immigration.

Most wealthy countries actually have a fertility issue from an economic perspective, as current birth rates are unsustainable given the likely costs in the future to care for older generations.

Somehow we have to discourage people in wealthy countries from deciding to have that third child

Do we?
It's not like everyone is doing it

Do we? It's not like everyone is doing it

Maybe I'm a bit pessimistic, but I think the only way we can avoid real climate catastrophe is some combination of (i) reduce the carbon intensity of "Western" lifestyles and (ii) reduce the growth rate in the number of people living those lifestyles.

Given that during our lifetimes we will see massive climate-driven displacement of people, largely into Western countries, the planet just doesn't have that much spare capacity for loads of Western kids.

I hope I'm wrong.

I'm painfully aware of this. I'm hoping to mitigate the impact of mine by driving slowly, converting to LPG, burning bioLPG when available, wintering somewhere south and not using heating, doing all exploring by bike and only driving in order to relocate to a different area, compostable toilet, solar shower, biodegradable soap/shampoo, washing up done by licking, solar recharging of electronics. I wonder how the impact will compare with being in a flat in London? Maybe it all comes down to the mileage....I suppose the fuel is a much bigger factor than everything else put together. I might get 30 mpg if I'm careful. But the whole project seems very far-fetched, because my ME/CFS has made me almost inert. The van has been in a field for a year.

washing up done by licking

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It is sad. Maybe we could have a remembrance do for him in London next year. Everyone to draw a birthmark on their forehead and sing some Red Army Choir numbers https://youtu.be/-CZ74m28I3E

I'm painfully aware of this.

That's positive– the drivers of the ferry loads of trucks, pick-ups and motor homes roaring round Arran and Mull on my last two cycle trips, mostly with 2 people per vehicle, are utterly oblivious. What's wrong with a small car and a tent or a Bnb? I actually think well managed glamping pods , bell tents and shepherds huts are a good thing for mitigating this trend. And I don't get the desire to park up and sleep anywhere; if it's empty of people and quiet, your vehicle is ruining it for everyone else and, more importantly, for the wildlife.

I think catastrophe is certain, because the heating seems to be happening faster than the accepted predictions, e.g. this recent news https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/29/major-sea-level-rise-caused-by-melting-of-greenland-ice-cap-is-now-inevitable-27cm-climate So maybe the numbers of Western kids will be offset by mass famine in the Southern hemisphere. Plus lots of old people dying a bit early because of heatwaves. And a few drownings. Poisonings because of no clean water. And possibly a worldwide decrease in life expectancy because of long term effects of Covid. From the FT the other day: "The growing evidence that Covid-19 is leaving people sicker....Covid generated a kind of epidemiological aftershock by leaving people susceptible to a huge range of other conditions, threatening global health systems already struggling with insufficient resources and ageing populations." https://archive.ph/TfLS6