GM laying off 15% of workers and shutting down 5 plants due to trump tariffs

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
Australia’s climate policy has further deteriorated in the past year, as it focusses on propping up the coal industry and ditches efforts to reduce emissions, ignoring the record uptake of solar PV and storage and other climate action at state level. The Australian government has turned its back on global climate action by dismissing the findings of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C and announcing it would no longer provide funds to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Australia’s emissions from fossil fuels and industry continue to rise and, based on the most recent quarterly inventory, are now 6% above 2005 levels and increasing at around 1% since 2014. Under current polices these emissions are headed for an increase of 9% above 2005 levels by 2030, rather than the 15–17% decrease in these emissions required to meet Australia’s Paris Agreement target. This means Australia’s emissions are set to far outpace its “Insufficient” 2030 target.


The government has abandoned any policy efforts to achieve emissions reductions in the energy and transport sectors. Instead, its plans to underwrite a new coal power plant are completely inconsistent with the need to phase out coal globally by 2050 and in OECD countries by 2030. If all other countries were to follow Australia’s current policy trajectory that we rate “Highly Insufficient”, warming could reach over 3°C and up to 4°C.
https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/australia/

It's a good thing you don't have any salmon to worry about. Your great barrier reef is dying but hey you still have that hydro power. Why then is your country building new coal fired plants?
Same reason your country is still mining it ...... short sightedness and stupidity. I don’t think anybody here is waving the patriotic flag in regards to their countries climate initiatives.
 

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
Australia’s climate policy has further deteriorated in the past year, as it focusses on propping up the coal industry and ditches efforts to reduce emissions, ignoring the record uptake of solar PV and storage and other climate action at state level. The Australian government has turned its back on global climate action by dismissing the findings of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C and announcing it would no longer provide funds to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

Australia’s emissions from fossil fuels and industry continue to rise and, based on the most recent quarterly inventory, are now 6% above 2005 levels and increasing at around 1% since 2014. Under current polices these emissions are headed for an increase of 9% above 2005 levels by 2030, rather than the 15–17% decrease in these emissions required to meet Australia’s Paris Agreement target. This means Australia’s emissions are set to far outpace its “Insufficient” 2030 target.


The government has abandoned any policy efforts to achieve emissions reductions in the energy and transport sectors. Instead, its plans to underwrite a new coal power plant are completely inconsistent with the need to phase out coal globally by 2050 and in OECD countries by 2030. If all other countries were to follow Australia’s current policy trajectory that we rate “Highly Insufficient”, warming could reach over 3°C and up to 4°C.
https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/australia/

It's a good thing you don't have any salmon to worry about. Your great barrier reef is dying but hey you still have that hydro power. Why then is your country building new coal fired plants?
Yes the country has gone the typical conservative route. I believe I mentioned that earlier.
I mentioned my STATE's power and interest free loans..... Which happens to be an island and feeds power back to the mainland (which we shouldn't be doing IMO as it means running our dams down over summer).
Not sure on why your so argumentative for..
Hydro power is pretty much carbon neutral and 100% renewable. Doesn't tend to blow up and contaminate large tracks of land either...
One of the benefits of the hydro schemes is we have all these lakes that we now fill with trout. We now have a huge tourist industry just with that and are holding the world fly fishing championships next year. An island the size of England with only 500,000 people means tourism is a key income earner.
"The ability to switch off its fossil fuel power and rely instead on hydro, wind and solar means that Tasmania has gone from having the most expensive electricity in the country, to the cheapest."
Don't worry about the Paris accord our little state is doing its own thing when and as it can and doing it well- with no fan fare. But hate away.
 
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Fogdog

Well-Known Member
Yes the country has gone the typical conservative route. I believe I mentioned that earlier.
I mentioned my STATE's power and interest free loans..... Which happens to be an island and feeds power back to the mainland (which we shouldn't be doing IMO as it means running our dams down over summer).
Not sure on why your so argumentative for..
Hydro power is pretty much carbon neutral and 100% renewable. Doesn't tend to blow up and contaminate large tracks of land either...
One of the benefits of the hydro schemes is we have all these lakes that we now fill with trout. We now have a huge tourist industry just with that and are holding the world fly fishing championships next year. An island the size of England with only 500,000 people means tourism is a key income earner.
"The ability to switch off its fossil fuel power and rely instead on hydro, wind and solar means that Tasmania has gone from having the most expensive electricity in the country, to the cheapest."
Don't worry about the Paris accord our little state is doing its own thing when and as it can and doing it well- with no fan fare. But hate away.
Sorry about being snarky about your posts, I do think you are an OK person.

Hydro power in my neck of the woods is a bane to our environment. Just saying, a while ago people were talking about how great it is like you are.
 

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
Sorry about being snarky about your posts, I do think you are an OK person.

Hydro power in my neck of the woods is a bane to our environment. Just saying, a while ago people were talking about how great it is like you are.
Not one single alternative will fit everybody. Like solar here compared to Canada. We have a largish wind farm on the north west tip of our island (plus a couple others)- its a good spot for it close enough to the roaring 40's. Looks ugly though from a distance. (granted not many people would ever see it).
https://www.woolnorthwind.com.au/
We are trialling wave and tidal (and have been for years) but with not much success. Maintenance and reliability issues are a problem. Hydro has been consistently good albeit with the changed environments they produce. But if our little state can dabble in ideas then Im sure larger richer states can find what works for them.
 

Fogdog

Well-Known Member
Not one single alternative will fit everybody. Like solar here compared to Canada. We have a largish wind farm on the north west tip of our island (plus a couple others)- its a good spot for it close enough to the roaring 40's. Looks ugly though from a distance. (granted not many people would ever see it).
https://www.woolnorthwind.com.au/
We are trialling wave and tidal (and have been for years) but with not much success. Maintenance and reliability issues are a problem. Hydro has been consistently good albeit with the changed environments they produce. But if our little state can dabble in ideas then Im sure larger richer states can find what works for them.
When the Hells Canyon Dam was built, it shut down the Snake River to fish runs, It ended wild salmon runs for a thousand miles upstream across three states. Sub species of salmon that had been around for tens if not hundreds of thousands of years went extinct. Sorry but I can't say anything nice about that.

Tasmania is a nice place and I hope your country can manage to grow while keeping it nice.
 

Lucky Luke

Well-Known Member
When the Hells Canyon Dam was built, it shut down the Snake River to fish runs, It ended wild salmon runs for a thousand miles upstream across three states. Sub species of salmon that had been around for tens if not hundreds of thousands of years went extinct. Sorry but I can't say anything nice about that.

Tasmania is a nice place and I hope your country can manage to grow while keeping it nice.
yea, u cannot interrupt fish runs. We don't have a native fish that goes that far upstream.
O we will, 40% of it is protected.
https://natureneedshalf.org/discovery-center/case-study/tasmania/

"By creating a reserve network that protects 45% of its total land area, 7.7% of its marine coastal environment, and 45% of its forests, Tasmania has established a steadfast commitment to conserving the state’s incredible landscape and biodiversity. And, with the development of the Forest Agreement of 2012 to provide for the protection of an additional 500,000 hectares of the state’s native forests, Tasmania is demonstrating its continued dedication to expanding the amount of area to be protected for wild nature."

People come and spend money here because we do...
 
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Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
Sorry about being snarky about your posts, I do think you are an OK person.

Hydro power in my neck of the woods is a bane to our environment. Just saying, a while ago people were talking about how great it is like you are.
Yup you really do seem to be getting a bit riled up over all this, first time I’ve been accused of following the fossil fuel agenda, and having a closed mind, I’m probably the most opened minded 60ish year old you’ll meet lol. I get that your pissed about the whole situation, so am I. You seem to think everything that has been offered here is offered as a complete solution and that is not the case. Hydro dams have caused some pretty major disasters here but it’s mostly the indigenous that have suffered so it’s kind of a “who gives a fuck” mentality. After the land is flooded the water body that is created is typically contaminated with heavy metals that were present but inert in the soil. I fish in the far north and the fish have eating restrictions, that’s ok for me as I eat them once a year, not as a staple, which is criminal. Wind farms here (we have three close by) are devastating the bird population, and causing issues with low frequency noise to the population close by. I could keep going because nothing and I do mean nothing has zero negative impact. My “thing” is not rebates but I do think it helps even lower income peoples to have more access to energy savings for their home. But yes it still cost money, more than a lot can even hope to utilize, I get it. The one big issue as I see it is the impact that oil has had on economies and the need to maintain that so goverment turns a blind i to it. Fracking has made the US close to a net exporter as opposed to an importer just a short while ago. Back to the subject at hand, GM. Tariffs are as a rule just stupid and cause more harm than good but there are many things that have contributed to the closing of plants. The first thing that should be done is demand repayment of all goverment monies given to them, but that will never happen, who signed that deal???? They might think about building a better product, that may help a bit :(. No one wants their sedans because there kind of crappy compared to Toyota, Honda, etc. :(. Sorry for the rant, I get rambley when I wake and bake :(.
 

Fogdog

Well-Known Member
Yup you really do seem to be getting a bit riled up over all this, first time I’ve been accused of following the fossil fuel agenda, and having a closed mind, I’m probably the most opened minded 60ish year old you’ll meet lol. I get that your pissed about the whole situation, so am I. You seem to think everything that has been offered here is offered as a complete solution and that is not the case. Hydro dams have caused some pretty major disasters here but it’s mostly the indigenous that have suffered so it’s kind of a “who gives a fuck” mentality. After the land is flooded the water body that is created is typically contaminated with heavy metals that were present but inert in the soil. I fish in the far north and the fish have eating restrictions, that’s ok for me as I eat them once a year, not as a staple, which is criminal. Wind farms here (we have three close by) are devastating the bird population, and causing issues with low frequency noise to the population close by. I could keep going because nothing and I do mean nothing has zero negative impact. My “thing” is not rebates but I do think it helps even lower income peoples to have more access to energy savings for their home. But yes it still cost money, more than a lot can even hope to utilize, I get it. The one big issue as I see it is the impact that oil has had on economies and the need to maintain that so goverment turns a blind i to it. Fracking has made the US close to a net exporter as opposed to an importer just a short while ago. Back to the subject at hand, GM. Tariffs are as a rule just stupid and cause more harm than good but there are many things that have contributed to the closing of plants. The first thing that should be done is demand repayment of all goverment monies given to them, but that will never happen, who signed that deal???? They might think about building a better product, that may help a bit :(. No one wants their sedans because there kind of crappy compared to Toyota, Honda, etc. :(. Sorry for the rant, I get rambley when I wake and bake :(.
I think I've said enough. Sorry about pushing your buttons and making false accusations. I'm going to go back and think and read some more.

One thing that can be said about the Trump era is a lot of people like me are becoming less complacent.
 

doublejj

Well-Known Member
Elon Musk has been invited to hire Ohio auto workers by Republican Ohio Governor....Tesla the savior is born....Merry Christmas Ohio:hug:

Tesla’s mission of accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy is starting to take form. Faced with competitive, disruptive, zero-emissions vehicles like the Model 3, legacy carmakers such as GM are now taking on a more EV-friendly approach. As the established companies go through these transitions, though, there are bound to be casualties. For GM, some of these casualties are the Lordstown plant’s employees. For these seasoned workers, the possible arrival of Tesla might very well be what they need to ensure that the auto industry remains alive in the state for years to come.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-elon-musk-invitation-hire-gm-workers-ohio-governor-john-kasich/
 

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
I think I've said enough. Sorry about pushing your buttons and making false accusations. I'm going to go back and think and read some more.

One thing that can be said about the Trump era is a lot of people like me are becoming less complacent.
All good!!!
 

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
I've always thought wind farms looked cool. I've never understood why people find them ugly.
Well I do know that here they kill an amazing amount of birds (a flyway) and the low frequency noise does seem to affect some. Not sure why offshore is not more desirable here :(.
 
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