Progress Report-I (Form 10) - Poly-Net: Fill & Download for Free

[Image still from My Big Fat Greek Wedding]As one of the people whose ancestors were swinging from trees while the ancient Greeks were writing books on philosophy, I feel an immense amount of admiration for their accomplishments. It is quite dumbfounding how this curious culture and civilization in the span of only two or three generations could produce a Xenophanes, a Euripides, and a Thucydides in addition to a whole bunch of other household names, each a genius of sorts.One could write an encyclopedia set on the legacy of ancient Greece. I can’t do that as I have neither the time nor the focus (nor the scholarship). But I’d like to hit some of the high points:1. The ability to express ideas abstractlyWhile Plato’s Theory of Forms or the various ideas about the composition of the earth in terms of things like fire and water never did anything for me, the ability to think abstractly is in some ways is the foundation for much else. Interestingly, the ancient Babylonians discovered what we now call Pythagoras’ theorem. We know this because we see many calculations, repeated one after the other (perhaps as school exercises) on their clay tablets. But as far as we can see, the Babylonians never expressed the theorem abstractly like the ancient Greeks did.2. Drama and the ability to recognize the humanity of others, including people not at the top of the social structure: women, foreigners, slaves, and enemies.On the subject of enemies, the earliest play we have today, Aeschylus’ Persians, sympathetically portrays the Persian enemies of Greece as a great civilization, though prone to the same hubris that the Greek tragic heroes were. This play won the equivalent of an Academy Award in Athens in 472 BCE, and was produced a mere half-dozen years after the last war between Persia and the mainland Greeks had concluded! O movie 300, you are a movie deeply unworthy of the magnanimity, chivalry, and intelligence of the ancient Greeks!About seventy years later, in the comedic play Frogs, the playwright Aristophanes allows the historical character and playwright Euripides to claim that it was he (i.e. Euripides) who broke new ground by using characters from all walks of life consistently throughout his plays:My characters were kept at work right through to the finale;The prince, the pauper, young or old—no one could dilly-dally;Servants and masters, women, men, were equally loquacious…It’s the democratic way!Interestingly, this play Frogs is an outstanding and incredibly early example of literary criticism as it contrasts the style and the content of the works of the late Aeschylus and the late Euripides in a kind of “cage match” format; in the play, each of them got to argue which of them wrote the better plays before the god of the dead, and the winner was to be released from Hades! Meanwhile, Aristophanes himself had his women in another play, Lysistrata, go on a sex strike to protest war. Interestingly, modern adaptations of classical Greek drama continue to be performed around the world today.3. Meditations on loveShakespeare borrowed his Romeo and Juliet from Sophocles’ characters Haemon and Antigone, who were the star-cross’d lovers of ancient Thebes in a famous play dating to 442 BCE. Moving over to philosophy, the pre-Socratic philosopher Empedocles taught that the universe was like a pendulum swinging between the principles of love and strife (which in an American context I always imagine to be the Democrats and the Republicans, respectively). Both Plato and Xenophon gave us a wonderful Symposium dialogue focused on the question of the meaning and content of love. Some decades later, the “new comedy” playwright Menander invented the precursor of today’s Rom-Com’s.4. An emphasis on the Rule of LawIn Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon, the ruler of Thebes, refuses to acknowledge the law that it was important to bury the dead; when he has Antigone sealed in a tomb as punishment for her ceremonial burial of her brother (an enemy of the state), he pays the ultimate price, losing his wife and son to suicide, thus prompting his repentance and new insight into himself and his motives. (A good illustration of the ancient Greek moral “suffer and learn.”) But the basic principle, that the ruler is not above the law, continues to be of vital importance today.5. Discourse on powerThe historian Thucydides (died about 400 BCE) records the diplomatic argument between Imperial Athens and the tiny island of Melos. In a passage famously known as the “Melian Dialogue,” Athens is recorded as having given Melos an ultimatum: join us against the Spartans, or we will destroy your city. The Melians responded that they would not, and asked to be left alone. The Athenians—to their shame—basically told them: “in today’s world, the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” As it happened, Melos was sacked by Athens and its population either killed or enslaved. But it was an Athenian historian who recorded this act of hubris and cruelty honestly, and from a narrative view, the fate of Melos could be said to have foreshadowed Athens’ own humiliation some years later at the hands of the Spartans. Today, when we speak of the “might is right” doctrine disapprovingly, we are showing that we have learned from one of the worst excesses of Athens—just as some of the Athenians themselves did.6. LanguageLike Tolkien’s elves, the Greeks taught how to speak: which words to use, and the way to best combine them to make an utterance persuasive or memorable. As far as etymology goes, every word ending in -graphy (writing), -ology (the study of) -cracy (rule), -archy (also rule) and so many more come from Greek words. The very words “Spartan” and “laconic” come from regions of ancient Greece known for their, well, spartan conditions and laconic inhabitants. It’s not quite as Gus Portokalos humorously and proudly says in My Big Fat Greek Wedding…Give me a word, any word, and I show you how the root of that word is Grrreek!…but there is no denying that a huge amount of English vocabulary is derived from Greek roots.7. Curiosity about how other people livedHerodotus (died about 425 BCE), the historian of the Greco-Persian War, was widely traveled and had an immense interest in pretty much anyone and everything anywhere in the world. He tells a wonderful story about how a Persian king summoned two groups of people.When Darius was king [of Persia], he summoned the Greeks who were at his court and asked them how much money it would take to get them to eat the bodies of their deceased fathers. They replied that nothing would make them do so. Darius then summoned some Indians, called Kallatiai, whose custom it is to eat their dead parents, and asked them—in the presence of the Greeks, who had an interpreter to explain the Kallatiai’s words—how much money it would take to convince them to cremate their deceased fathers [as was the Greek custom]. The Kallatiai exclaimed that he should not even mention such an abomination. Custom dictates such things, and it seems to me that [the poet] Pindar got it quite right when he said that custom is king.“Custom is king.” That is not a nihilistic observation about morality being relative, but rather a humble acknowledgement that what is “normal” in one culture is abnormal in another. In a word: we shouldn’t be so judgmental, and so quick to assume that our way is the only way. Meanwhile, the curiosity that the ancient Greek writers exhibited so much was rediscovered in Europe at the end of the Medieval Ages, thus ushering in the Renaissance and some time later the Enlightenment.8. The beginning of ScienceMany of the the pre-Socratic philosophers were interested in what we would today call science. This willingness to explore the world as a system of predictable laws rather than as the product of a god would go on for centuries, culminating in the career of Eratosthenes (died c. 194 BCE), who calculated the circumference of the Earth, the tilt of the Earth’s axis, and the distance of the Earth from the sun—all with remarkable accuracy. Meanwhile, a few centuries earlier, Hippocrates left for physicians the oath that bears his name; Euclid left a textbook on geometry that has been in continuous circulation; Aristotle became a father-figure for zoology; Archimedes figured out how to use water and volume to verify if a king’s crown was pure gold; and Plato was said to have invented a sort of water-based alarm clock. The ancient Greeks had central heating, cranes, and the ability to move water uphill without carrying it in buckets. And intriguingly, the pre-Socratic philosopher Democritus, and his “grand-student” Epicurus, believed that all things were made up of minute particles which they termed atoms.9. An enlightened view of religion and God, and the beginnings of Philosophy.Listen to the philosophical humility inherent in the Sophist Protagoras’s rather dry musings:Concerning the gods, I am not in a position to know either that they exist, or that they do not exist; for there are many obstacles to such knowledge, notably the intrinsic obscurity of the subject and the shortness of human life.On this subject, Xenophanes, a pre-Socratic philosopher, is my hero. Listen to him use poetry to explore philosophy of religion:And the clear truth no man has seen nor will anyoneknow concerning the gods and about all the things of which I speak;for even if he should actually manage to say what is the case,nevertheless he himself does not know it; but belief is found over all.And:Not at first did the gods reveal all things to mortals,but in time, by inquiring, they [i.e. humans] made better discoveries.And:But mortals think that gods are born,and have clothes and speech and shape like their own.And most beautifully:But if cows and horses or lions had handsand drew with their hands and made the things men make,then horses would draw the forms of gods like horses,cows like cows,and each would make their bodiessimilar in shape to his own.And then of course we have the Sisyphus fragment, which is variously attributed to Critias or to Euripides, which argues that religion was created by humans to make sure that other humans were behaving themselves when no one was watching them!And all of that is in addition to the way Euripides absolutely destroys the very possibility of the Olympian gods in plays like Heracles, as when he makes makes Hercules’ human father-figure, Amphitryon say things in prayer to Zeus like:Either you are a stupid sort of god or you have no sense of justice.And this was just one of many pointed barbs aimed at the idea that the Olympian gods could be logically possible. One of the reasons why we no longer have to worry about being burned at the stake for heresy, or for denying that someone’s idea of God is true is thanks to the fall of the position of religion and the church—and that fall was made possible by the hard work of the ancient Greeks and their Renaissance heirs.10. The beginnings of EpistemologySo much could be said here, but consider the Sophist Gorgias of Leontini, who is said by Sextus Empiricus to have stated that:Firstly, that nothing exists; secondly, that even if anything exists it is inapprehensible by man; thirdly, that even if anything is apprehensible, yet certainly it is inexpressible and incommunicable to one’s neighbour.This seems a strikingly modern thing to say, but Gorgias died by 375 BCE.11. Early HumanismProtagoras remains famous today for an early utterance that places humans (as opposed to say, gods), at the center of things. He is reported to have written it down in an essay that is no longer preserved to us, but Plato has probably reproduced it accurately:Man is the measure of all things, of those which are, that they are, and of those which are not, that they are not.I will have more to say about this doctrine in the next section.The ancient Greeks had much to be proud of, not least the fact that they were human! But being human, as we all know, means that we are both divine successes, and tragic failures. Consider the gorgeous, memorable passage known as the “Ode to Man” in Sophocles’ play Antigone:Numberless are the world’s wonders, but noneMore wonderful than man; the stormgray seaYields to his prows, the huge crests bear him high;Earth, holy and inexhaustible, is gravenWith the shining furrows where his plows have goneYear after year, the timeless labor of stallions.The lightboned birds and beasts that cling to cover,The lithe fish lighting their reaches of dim water,All are taken, tamed in the net of his mind;The lion on the hill, the wild horse windy-manedResign to him; and his blunt yoke has brokenThe sultry shoulders of the mountain bull.Words also, and thought as rapid as air,He fashions to his good use; statecraft is his,And his the skill that deflects the arrows of snow,The spears of winter rain: from every windHe has made himself secure—from all but one:In the late wind of death he cannot stand.O clear intelligence, force beyond all measure!O fate of man, working both good and evil!When the laws are kept, how proudly his city stands!When the laws are broken, what of his city then?Never may the anarchic man find rest at my hearth,Never be it said that my thoughts are his thoughts.The context of this passage is quite interesting, since it concerns the Theban leader Creon’s command that no one bury the body of state enemy Polynieces—in violation of Greek law that had widespread acceptance throughout the land: namely, that dead bodies must be buried. The “Ode to Man” is recited by the chorus, and the anarchic man could be interpreted as referring to anyone who defies Creon’s order (which would result in a death sentence); but it also could refer to Creon himself, who was disobeying established law with his immoral edict. Creon’s hubris was his downfall as he lost both wife and son to suicide as a direct result of his actions. But are we much smarter today? We can pump millions of barrels of oil from the ground, and we can send people half-way across the planet in only a matter of hours, but we must worry about how to stop the climate change that we have created from destroying our way of life and our species (and many others).12. Truth is subjectiveProtagoras’ famous phrase known as “man the measure” was actually part of a larger argument he made, an argument about truth and subjectivity that is preserved in Plato’s dialogue Theaetetus:Socrates: So, does [Protagoras] mean this: that however each thing appears to me to be, that is how it is for me, and likewise, each thing is how it appears to you; and, you and I are both men?Theaetetus: that is what he means….Plato goes on have Socrates and Theaetetus say that when one person is feeling chilly, the weather is chilly for him, while another person is feeling hot, so the weather for him is hot. Protagoras thus acquired a reputation for espousing a doctrine of relativity, although he did agree that some things were more “beneficial” than others even if people disagreed about whether or not they were “true.” In this way, he anticipated Postmodern theory by only about 2,500 years!. Perhaps we should call it Premodern theory!13. An awareness of the power of rhetoricThere are so many examples, but the great Sophist Antiphon has a wonderful pair of tetralogies: sets of law speeches written down as examples for students to study. I will discuss the first tetralogy here. Basically, a scenario is discussed in which man has been murdered, but his slave is found still alive, and just before he dies, he says that the murderer was the defendant, a man who had been an enemy of the murdered man and who had engaged in a legal battle with him that was still unresolved. The prosecution opens with a speech, then the defense does the same. And then the prosecution closes its case, and the defense does the same. When the prosecutor speaks, you as a reader are sure the defendant is absolutely guilty. But when the defense speaks, you are quite certain he must be innocent! Modern TV shows often play with notions like this, a favourite of mine being the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “A Matter of Perspective,” in which the Enterprises’s first officer William Riker is accused of murder.14. History and historiographyHerodotus, as has already mentioned, wrote the premiere history of the wars between mainland Greece and Persia and despite its faults, it is an invaluable resource for scholars today—and a good read. Herodotus wrote without making brash value judgments, or using good vs. evil tropes, or viciously slandering the enemy, or depicting them as monsters (300, I’m talking about you!). Nevertheless, he tended to believe much of what he was told as traditional knowledge or as hearsay, and he was always a bit of a sucker for a good yarn. Thucydides, who came after him, felt that this was not an exact enough approach to take to history writing, and so he wrote his History of the Peloponnesian War with a more rigorous set of research methods:Having now given the result of my inquiries into early times, I grant that there will be a difficulty in believing every particular detail. The way that most men deal with traditions, even traditions of their own country, is to receive them all alike as they are delivered, without applying any critical test whatsoever.He goes on:And with reference to the narrative of events, far from permitting myself to derive it from the first source that came to hand, I did not even trust my own impressions, but it rests partly on what I saw myself, partly on what others saw for me, the accuracy of the report being always tried by the most severe and detailed tests possible…. My conclusions have cost me some labor from the want of coincidence between accounts of the same occurrences by different eyewitnesses, arising sometimes from imperfect memory, sometimes from undue partiality for one side or the other. The absence of romance in my history will, I fear, detract somewhat from its interest; but if it be judged useful by those inquirers who desire an exact knowledge of the past as an aid to the understanding of the future, which in the course of human things must resemble if it does not reflect it, I shall be content. In fine, I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.Bless, you, Thucydides! Your precise methods have indeed stood the test of time, and your premise about how the existing power of Sparta feared the rising power of Athens, leading to a great war between the two, still occupies those in the highest offices of the nuclear superpowers of the US and China nearly two and a half millennia later; the “problem” is named after you and in your honour: the “Thucydides Trap.”15. A willingness to reinterpret mythAll the great playwrights from Aeschylus to Euripides would take existing myths, and completely reinterpret them in their dramas. The sophists Prodicus and Gorgias would do the same. There was a sense that the myths were literary works rather than gospel truth, which meant that not a single ancient Greek before the rise of Christianity fought a war over what we would now call religious fundamentalism.16. A distinct lack of homophobia.This was a problematic area for the Greeks because they allowed boys to be associated sexually with adult men, but, they did have one thing correct: they were not homophobic. Not only were there celebrated sexual relations between men, and not only did the concept of love and friendship enter the two Symposia mentioned above, but they also had the powerful, passionate, and exquisite lyric poetry of Sappho of Lesbos, from whom we derive the words “sapphic” and “Lesbian.” Note that Sappho was highly regarded in her own time. It took more than two thousand years before she would be highly regarded again, a fact reflected in the modern 10 Euro silver coin shown above.17. The practice of democracy and the study of different forms of government.Ancient Athens, like some, but not all ancient Greek cities, was a democracy of a very direct sort. There were referenda and laws that were voted on. Sparta, meanwhile, was an oligarchy presided over by two kings. Many other cities were headed by figures called tyrants (many of them benevolent). Since an ancient Greek city-state was called a polis, the discussion of the government of the polis led to our own use of the word politics.18. Access to courts and trial by juriesThe ancient Athenians liked nothing more than to sue each other and to accuse each other of crimes, and they had what we would consider a very modern—for the time—system to do it with. Witnesses were called, evidence weighed, and a publicly-paid, randomly-chosen jury decided verdicts. Ties favoured the defendant in a tradition supposedly going back to a mythical case Aeschylus dealt with in his play “Eumenides.” (The case involved one Orestes, who was commanded by Apollo to avenge his father’s death by killing his murderer: the victim’s wife and the mother of Orestes. Athena, the presider over the trial, cast a vote herself and said before the votes were counted that the defendant was to win any tie.)19. Classic architectureThe classical structure par excellence has always been the Parthenon, a simple, dignified post-and-lintel structure with a triangular pediment and repeating columns, and famed sculptural friezes (now known as the Elgin Marbles, and stored controversially in the British Museum). When someone says “classical Greece,” this is probably the first image, even the first thought, that comes to mind. Considered the perfect building in antiquity, the structure still awes today, even in ruin, and has inspired countless works of architecture from the distant past to even the present. You probably knew that, but what you may not have known is that the forms of the horses in the the Elgin Marbles gave rise to the classic design of the Knight in Staunton-pattern chess sets over one hundred years ago. I simply can’t resist a beautiful image of these chessmen:20. The early use of coinageThe first very crude, almost unrecognizable coinage was invented in Lydia in what is now Turkey, and was based on electrum, a gold and silver alloy. Very quickly, the Greeks in many cities came to have their own coinage on which they put their characteristic designs. The most famous currency in the Mediterranean of the day was the Athenian Owl, best known today in the tetradrachm denomination whose two sides are shown above (c. 440 to 404 BCE). This coin had two incredibly striking (pardon the pun!) designs. The obverse featured the head of the Greek goddess Athena, in a plumed helmet, while the reverse featured her associated owl, a spray of olive twigs, denoting her mythical gift of olives to Athens, and the letters A-TH-E denoting that the coinage was produced by the Athenian city authorities. The Athenian Owl went on to become the US Dollar of its day, with widespread acceptance in exchanges throughout the Mediterranean. This is the coin that gave rise to our own tradition of coins as having a “heads” side with a monarch or other famous political person, and a “tails” side which featured another important design (in this case, an owl with a literal tail.)Now it might be protested that other societies also achieved some of these things. For example, ancient India also had very advanced philosophical and scientific ideas, and so did the Chinese. Unfortunately, at the present I have very little knowledge of those areas, but if I did, as a human being, I would be proud of those achievements, also. (And I must say that I have real respect and admiration for philosophical Taoism after reading the wonderful Chuang Tzu.)It might also be argued that Greece, for all its worthy attributes, still tolerated slavery and sexism, still saw many petty and self-destructive wars, and still saw poverty and injustice. And Greece still had many people who did not accept the newfangled ideas about the divine (or lack thereof), preferring to worship the traditional Olympian gods. Of course; the Greeks were human after all.But those things very much exist in our time, too, and we claim the moral high ground here at our peril. Having said that, no society, I would argue, has taken humanity farther in such a short time than the ancient Greeks did over the one hundred years beginning at about 500 BCE (although Eratosthenes, the latest of the “greats” discussed above, died just before 200 BCE).Truly, we stand on the shoulders of giants, and to the extent that we can make progress in philosophy, science, technology, politics, and human rights, it is because we are depending on the work that was done more than two thousand years ago.—UPDATE (April 19, 2020): I had forgotten something quite juicy: the pre-Socratic philosopher Anaximander of Miletus held that humans had evolved from fish. Not bad, not bad at all!

More innovation?There is so much happening right now..where do I start?https://www.tu.no/artikler/danmark-har-gatt-fra-14-kullkraftverk-til-6200-vindmoller-elnettet-fungerer-fortsatt/452258The economic revolution has started. Its personal, corporate, local and global all at once:And most important; The youth , the future of the planet, is aware, awaken and alerted. It’s their future, it’s their right. They care for each other, they care for the world.Greta Thunberg!She is like a bright light. A voice of reason in a time when greed and overconsumption seems to be the default.Greta Thunberg's words speak to larger truths about humanity'Biggest compliment yet': Greta Thunberg welcomes oil chief's 'greatest threat' labelMore on Gretas great movement:Roger Fjellstad Olsen's answer to What do you think about Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old climate activist? Is she a person to admire?Latest:Renewable Energy Now Accounts For A Third Of All Global Power CapacityNearly 200 nations of the world have signed an agreement to actually reduce emissions and more:Paris Agreement: essential elementsThe Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and for the first time brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.The Paris AgreementIf the world meets the objectives of the Paris Agreement, it will cause one million lives to be spared only through less air pollution until 2050. It is one of the findings in a report that World Health Organization presented on climate summit in Poland Wednesday.Health benefits far outweigh the costs of meeting climate change goalshttps://apps.who.int/iris/bitstr...Global warming is the biggest global non partisan issue humanity have faced since the threats of World War 3.It can only be solved with global actions. Does it work?Yes. Like this:Because of global actions we see restoration of ecosystems damaged by acid rain worldwide and we are also about to recover the ozone layer as well.“The acid rain problem in Europe and North America has largely abated because of stronger SO2 and NOx emission controls, such as the U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970, the Canada–United States Air Quality Agreement in 1991, and similar measures in Europe. In the United States the first phase of emission reductions took effect in 1995, and subsequent reductions followed”.What Happened to Acid Rain?"The ongoing recovery of Earth's "ozone hole" is a great example of what humans can do when they work together to solve a global atmospheric problem. We look at the key role one NASA mission has played in this success story."The Atmosphere: Tracking the Ongoing Recovery of Earth's Ozone Hole – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the PlanetAfter Decades Of Global Action, The Ozone Layer Is On The Road To RecoveryAfter Decades Of Global Action, The Ozone Layer Is On The Road To RecoveryIt's been 32 years since the world pledged to fix the ozone layer. And it workedAnd probably to the shock of all climate deniers out there; It was done without the installment of a global socialist illuminati dictatorship out to turn the world into a huge wind park.In a rare — and much-needed — environmental win, a UN report says parts of the ozone layer could be fully healed by the 2030s.Ozone at lower latitudes is not recovering, despite Antarctic ozone hole healingMORE JOBS:US green economy has 10 times more jobs than the fossil fuel industryGlobal green economy could create 24 million jobs by 2030A new report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reveals that solar jobs in the US (and other nations) are expanding quickly. As of November 2016, the American solar industry employed 260,077 workers. This is an increase of 24.5 percent from 2015, with a growth rate that is 17 times fasterthan the United States economy as a whole.NextEra Now More Valuable Than Exxon as Clean Power Eclipses OilJust 10% of fossil fuel subsidy cash 'could pay for green transition'Ending fossil fuel subsidies has long been seen as vital to tackling the climate emergency, with the G20 nations pledging in 2009 to phase them out, but progress has been limited. In May, the UN secretary general, António Guterres, attacked subsidies, saying: “What we are doing is using taxpayers’ money – which means our money – to boost hurricanes, to spread droughts, to melt glaciers, to bleach corals. In one word: to destroy the world.”CHEAPER ENERGY:Renewable Energy Costs Take Another Tumble, Making Fossil Fuels Look More Expensive Than EverThe cost of renewable energy has tumbled even further over the past year, to the point where almost every source of green energy can now compete on cost with oil, coal and gas-fired power plants, according to new data released today.Hydroelectric power is the cheapest source of renewable energy, at an average of $0.05 per kilowatt hour (kWh), but the average cost of developing new power plants based on onshore wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), biomass or geothermal energy is now usually below $0.10/kWh. Not far behind that is offshore wind, which costs close to $0.13/kWh.Smarte materialer kan gi grønn energiboomRenewable Energy Costs Take Another Tumble, Making Fossil Fuels Look More Expensive Than EverEIA forecasts renewables will be fastest growing source of electricity generationThe unsubsidised cost of wind and solar now beats coal as the cheapest form of bulk generation in all major economies except Japan, according to the latest levellised cost of electricity analysis by leading energy analyst BloombergNEF.The latest report says the biggest news comes in the two fastest growing energy markets, China and India, where it notes that “not so long ago coal was king”. Not any more.“In India, best-in-class solar and wind plants are now half the cost of new coal plants,” the report says, and this is despite the recent imposition of import tariffs on solar cells and modules.Unsubsidised wind and solar now cheapest form of bulk energyA harsh new reality is undermining the U.S. coal-fired electricity sector: Cleaner generation by way of utility-scale solar backed with storage is an increasingly cheaper option for utility companies than continuing to operate aging coal plants.IEEFA U.S.: Solar-plus-storage is undermining the economics of existing coal-fired generation - Institute for Energy Economics & Financial AnalysisUnsubsidised wind and solar now cheapest form of bulk energyWorld’s Largest Solar Project Will Also Be Its CheapestRenewable energy will be cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020 - The PenIt's now cheaper to build a new wind farm than to keep a coal plant runningThe global transition to clean energy, explained in 12 chartsTHE END OF PETROLEUM IS GETTING CLOSER:BIOFUELS IS COMING SUPER FAST:Norway sees the biggest investment for Blue Crude yet.Eighteen countries from developed economies have had declining carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels for at least a decade. While every nation is unique, they share some common themes that can show Australia, and the world, a viable path to reducing emissions.One could argue this decline is not particularly meaningful because global fossil fuel emissions continued to grow at 2.2% per year during the same period. However, this group of countries is responsible for 28% of the global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuelsEighteen countries showing the way to carbon zeroMore and more countries are preparing for the end of the Petroleum Age:The Powering Past Coal Alliance is a coalition of national and sub-national governments, businesses and organisations working to advance the transition from unabated coal power generation to clean energy.Powering Past Coal Alliance | Working towards the global phase-out of unabated coal powerSix new Powering Past Coal Alliance members announced at COP24 | Powering Past Coal AllianceClimate deniers in the year 1900:-”What do you mean giving up my horse and cart for this ugly gasolin driven black box on wheels? How am I going to cross the desert in this? There are no gasolin stations in the desert!!! And hardly any roads. My horse dont need roads nor gasolin.”Israel: Israel to stop electricity production from coal by 2030Angela Merkel’s government agreed to support a $60 billion package of climate policies aimed at getting Germany back on track to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Critics say the package "lacks courage" and doesn't go far enough.Germany Unveils $60 Billion Climate PackageGermany - Germany Closes Its Last Black Coal MineGermany Closes Its Last Active Coal Mine, Ending 200-year-old IndustryGermany agrees to end reliance on coal stations by 2038German states want to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2030Renewables overtake coal as Germany's main energy source60% av tysk kraftproduksjon i februar 2020 var fornybar. Brunkull er helt på vei ut, svartkull følger etter. Fornybar er fremtiden.Nettostromerzeugung im Februar zu mehr als 60 Prozent erneuerbar – Braunkohle erreicht TiefststandFornybarrekord i Tyskland: Kullbruken faller kraftigGermany has unveiled a zero-emissions train that only emits waterFrance - France to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040Europe steams towards coal exit - researchMore Offshore Wind For FranceAustralia: Australia’s main grid hits new peak of 41 per cent wind and solarAustralia’s capital city switches to 100% renewable energySouth Australia could reach stunning 87 per cent wind and solar in four yearsCosta Rica Becomes the First Nation to Ban Fossil Fuels - MediumThe Netherlands: Amsterdam to ban petrol and diesel cars and motorbikes by 2030The UK - UK commits to 'net zero' emissions by 2050The UK - Wants production of petrol and diesel cars to end by 2040The UK: Why the City of London is considering a non-electric car banFinland - Finland pledges to become carbon neutral by 2035Norway: Departementet godkjenner utbyggingen av Hywind TampenEquinor, SSE win British contract for largest offshore wind projectNorway - Electric car sales grew by 40% in Norway this yearTesla Model 3 pushes Norway’s EV sales to new record: 58% of new cars are electricNorway is the leading market for electric vehicles and it keeps showing the rest of the world how fast electric vehicle adoption can happen.In 2018, EV sales grew by 40% in Norway and 1 out of 3 vehicles sold in the market was a zero-emission vehicle.Electric cars may already be making gas cars as obsolete as ‘flip phones’, experts sayBuying a gas car today would leave you with a financial "albatross" that has little resale value, warns Wall Street Journal.These companies are leading the fight against climate changePlunging prices for batteries and renewables are driving an electric vehicle (EV) revolution so rapidly that the economics of oil “are now in relentless and irreversible decline.”That’s the startling conclusion of a detailed new analysis for “professional investors” of the economics of EVs versus gasoline cars produced by BNP Paribas, the world’s eighth largest bank by total assets.One of the world’s largest banks thinks the writing is on the wall for the oil industrySalesforce Leads 21 Companies With Plan to Fight Climate Change Through TechnologyWith government on the sidelines, businesses address climate changeCorporations Are Stepping in to Combat Climate Change | JPMorgan Chase & Co.Google to Invest $2 Billion in Wind and Solar EnergyAnalysis: India’s CO2 emissions growth poised to slow sharply in 2019China and India Emerge as Leaders on Climate ChangeWhen China agreed to sign on to the Paris accord, it was not only hailed as a breakthrough in policy coordination, but as a sign that China was getting serious about the enormous size of its carbon footprint and was ready to commit to protecting against the effects of climate change.China and India Emerge as Leaders on Climate Change | The Takeaway | WNYCOne of India’s largest coal-mining states says it will not build new coal power plantsChina Built The World's Biggest Air Purifying Tower And It Works!Bad news for coal: India lands world’s largest, super cheap solar and storage tenderSlik får Kina fart i sol- og vindkraftChina and India are doing a lot to go green:11 countries leading the charge on renewable energy - Climate CouncilThe U.S. Has a Fleet of 300 Electric Buses. China Has 421,000The U.S. Has a Fleet of 300 Electric Buses. China Has 421,000The nine biggest solar power plants in the worldWhy China, and not the US, is the leader in solar powerHow China's giant solar farms are transforming world energyThe Breakneck Rise of China’s Colossus of Electric-Car Batteries | Bloomberg NEFChina builds world's biggest solar farm in journey to become green superpower #GlobalWarningChina Just Exceeded its 2020 Target for Solar InstallationsChina - Beijing’s plan to stop producing petrol and diesel carsChina Meets 2020 Carbon Target Three Years Ahead of ScheduleWind & Solar In China Generating 2× Nuclear Today, Will Be 4× By 2030China pledges to strengthen climate planFull speed ahead for China’s high-speed rail network in 2019Electric Buses Put The Big Hurt On Fossil Fuel CompaniesChina buys one out of every two electric vehicles sold globally6 of 10 Big Electric Car Companies Are in ChinaE-Bikes Already At $1.5 Billion Annual Revenue & Being Fought For GloballyChina’s emissions ‘could peak 10 years earlier than Paris climate pledge’China’s State Grid Envisions Global Wind-and-Sun Power NetworkCan China pick up US slack on climate change?India - India to sell only electric cars by 2030India just cancelled 14 huge coal-fired power stations as solar energy prices hit record lowOne of India’s largest coal-mining states says it will not build new coal power plantsThe Carbon Brief Profile: IndiaUSA: - US on pace for record coal retirements in 2018, IEEFA findsRENEWABLE ENERGY: U.S. readies first wind-powered steel plantUSA: A major U.S. electric utility has finally realized climate change is realityAUSTRALIA: Landmark Australian ruling rejects coal mine over global warmingAustralia Leads Global Renewable Energy RevolutionAustralia could hit 100% renewables sooner than most people think | Nicky IsonThe Netherlands - Confirms plan to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2030Influencers, Articles and ConversationsMIT's conceptual "sun-in-a-box" energy storage system plugs into molten siliconGoing green is getting cheaper and cheaper:Renewable Energy Now Accounts For A Third Of All Global Power CapacitySouth Korea to implement Green New Deal after ruling party election winSolar and wind power cheaper than fossil fuels for the first timeSomething revolutionary has just happened to solar power, and it could change everythingRenewable energy will be cheaper than fossil fuels by 2020 - The PenThis is how coal dies — super cheap renewables (This is how coal dies — super cheap renewables plus battery storage) plus battery storagehttps://www.climaterealityproject.org/sites/climaterealityproject.org/files/Solar_Myths_Updated.pdfAging coal, natural gas and nuclear sites closing as nation shifts to wind, solarAnd Now, the Really Big Coal Plants Begin to CloseIt's now cheaper to build a new wind farm than to keep a coal plant runningHow Electric Cars and Renewables Could Beat Oil6 Myths About Renewable Energy, Busted! (6 Myths About Renewable Energy, Busted!)Many large car producers are already on the same track:This is Toyota's plan to stop making gas and diesel carsTesla & Rivals May Kill The Petrol Car As Early As 2025Tesla's Battery In South Australia Breaks Stranglehold Of Natural Gas IndustryYes, Electric Vehicles Work In Winter — Better Than Gas Cars!Even electric cars powered by the dirtiest electricity emit fewer emissions than diesel cars, says new study - ElectrekVOLVO WILL STOP PRODUCING GAS-ONLY CARS BY 2019Opec faces a mortal threat from electric carsAnd that’s just cars. Flying on Alternative Fuels.Why the age of electric flight is finally upon usThe Dutch Are Readying A Climate Tax On Flying, And The EU May FollowEven Lego is abandoning petroleum:Lego to stop producing petroleum-based plastic bricksMORE AND MORE OIL COMPANIES AGREES ON AGW AND WORKS TO REDUCE GAS EMISSIONS.Its over.Climate change skeptics have outlived their usefulness to the fossil fuel industry.Climate deniers are like those japanese soldiers who was unaware that the war had ended 60 years ago.GCI is a voluntary, CEO-led initiative which aims to lead the industry response to climate change. Launched in 2014, OGCI is currently made up of ten oil and gas companies that pool expert knowledge and collaborate on action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.http://oilandgasclimateinitiativ...BP:Renewable energy sources will be the world’s main source of power within two decades and are establishing a foothold in the global energy system faster than any fuel in history, according to BP.The UK-based oil company said wind, solar and other renewables will account for about 30% of the world’s electricity supplies by 2040, up from 25% in BP’s 2040 estimates last year, and about 10% today.In regions such as Europe, the figure will be as high as 50% by 2040. The speed of growth was without parallel, the company said in its annual energy outlook.Renewable energy will be world's main power source by 2040, says BPRenewable Energy Now Accounts For A Third Of All Global Power CapacityOUR FUTURE ENERGY SYSTEM: THE SMART GRIDWHAT IS A SMART GRID?“A smart grid is a system that can connect (and switch between) a number of energy sources (solar, wind, etc.), at many different sites, to provide a constant flow of electricity to users. It allows us to create a network of electricity production sites that spread over a wide area. So for example, it would allow you to create solar power on the roof of your house, and feed extra power back into the grid. This is part of what makes the grid “smart”: components can “talk” and “listen” to each other, making the supply of electricity much more flexible, reliable, and efficient. With smart grid solutions, we are no longer just passive consumers of energy, but active producers and consumers of clean energy – prosumers!An electricity grid – the system that connects power stations to consumers – can handle large shares of variable renewable energy if it is designed to do so. Adding wind and solar on top of ‘business as usual’ is not how it works. What’s needed is a gradual transformation of the whole energy system to accommodate modern energy production and consumption.Typically the ones who claim that wind and solar will bring trouble to the gridare the old players, who failed to take renewable energy seriously and over-invested in fossil fuel capacities instead. Renewable energy is now eating their profits and making their old business models out-of-date. SourceIn reality, Europe, for example, can switch to 77% renewable electricity by 2030 while maintaining affordable security of supply.” SourceHow three battery types work in grid energy storage systemsWhat is the Smart Grid?NEW TECHNOLOGY IS COMING SUPER FAST:Renewable energy materials are one of the hottest areas of scientific research today. We looked at four advanced materials that are supporting the future of distributed power and helping businesses meet the growing demand for clean energy.http://gereports.ca/four-cutting-edge-materials-shaping-future-renewables/#Google Maps Now Features EV Charging Stations #NewsQuickieThis is how coal dies — super cheap renewables plus battery storage.Look, no lithium! First rechargeable proton battery createdhttps://www.theguardian.com/tech..."Bird-Safe" Wind Turbines May Soon Take FlightUS Military Bases Using Solar, Wind, & Battery Storage For Energy SecurityFalling battery costs to push solar, wind to 50% electricity by 2050New battery could store wind and solar electricity affordably and at room temperatureWater-based battery stores solar and wind energy: What is now a prototype could one day lead to an industrial-grade system to store alternative energy to feed into the electric gridStudy shows how to improve production at wind farmsJapan Discovered a Rare-Earth Mineral Deposit This Year That Can Supply The World For CenturiesCheaper Battery Is Unveiled as a Step to a Carbon-Free Grid24-Hour Solar Energy: Molten Salt Makes It Possible, and Prices Are Falling FastStacking concrete blocks is a surprisingly efficient way to store energyWhat Long Duration Energy Storage Is & Why It Kills CoalTesla's Battery In South Australia Breaks Stranglehold Of Natural Gas IndustryEven electric cars powered by the dirtiest electricity emit fewer emissions than diesel cars, says new study - ElectrekGoogle Maps Now Features EV Charging Stations #NewsQuickiehttps://www.elbil24.no/lading/vil-bygge-n-million-ladestasjoner/71931863?fbclid=IwAR3Qyv-bok6jym8xqOao7DTFxqjkAd25jcS16R1OvbcFSz2QN9GioD9G98Ahttps://www.elbil24.no/lading/vil-bygge-n-million-ladestasjoner/71931863?fbclid=IwAR3Qyv-bok6jym8xqOao7DTFxqjkAd25jcS16R1OvbcFSz2QN9GioD9G98AFive things you can do to fight climate change1. Eat less meat, particularly beef2. Consider your transportation3. Insulate homes4. Reduce, recycle, reuse5. VoteTen simple ways to act on climate changeFive things you can do to fight climate changeClimate change: focusing on how individuals can help is very convenient for corporations“Our only hope is to change the energy and transportation infrastructure of our society — for us to drive electric cars powered by clean energy sources like wind, solar, nuclear and hydropower. We must advocate for clean energy production at all levels — energy that doesn’t emit greenhouses gases — and especially vote in representatives who recognize the the threat of global warming and will do something about it at the state and national level.”David Appell's answer to What causes global warming to start? And how do we control it?Why should I sacrifice when big companies are to blame for climate change?The Five Stages of Climate OptimismIn recent years the costs of wind and solar energy have declined substantially. Today renewable technologies are the most economical solution for new capacity in a growing number of countries and regions, and are typically the most economic solution for new grid-connected capacity where good resources are available.• Citigroup: The age of renewable energy is beginning. Increasingly cost competitive with coal, gas and nuclear in the US. Source• HSBC: Wind energy is now cost competitive with new-build coal capacity in India. Solar to reach parity around 2016-18. Source• Deutsche Bank: solar now competitive without subsidies in at least 19 markets globally. In 2014 prices to decline further. Source• Unsubsidised renewable energy is now cheaper than electricity from new coal and gas fired power plants in Australia. SourceRENEWABLE ENERGY BENEFITS:1. reduction and ultimate elimination of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the energy sector;2. reductions in air and water pollution, water use and land degradation;3. reduction in respiratory diseases and cancers from pollution;4. energy security for as long as human civilization exists;5.a cap on energy costs, because most RE sources have no fuel costs;6.more local jobs, per unit of energy generated, than fossil or nuclear power;7. no risk of causing a nuclear war, or radioactive waste escape, or devastating accident.Why 100% renewable energy is feasible – INSURGE intelligence – MediumSaving the life of 600 000 children every year:WHO says air pollution kills 600,000 children every yearIf we are to reach the 2 C goal, emissions must begin to descend, and then sink rapidly for decades. That this will require a blend of renewable energy, efficiency, carbon capture and CO2 removal from the atmosphere, we can say without taking a strong political standpoint. But the concrete solutions become political. Do we choose to facilitate strong growth in solar power and a global carbon tax that will go beyond the fossil industry? Are we focusing on carbon capture and storage, which can extend the use of oil and gas? Do we have the capacity to do both, which will be even better for the climate, without going beyond the rest of society?Researchers should not take these choices. However, their job is to help understand the consequences of them. The challenge for the dissemination is that the debate debate moves beyond the research front.The scientific method is slow and thoughtful by nature. Are we supposed to say that we would like to have a few decades to consider every single measure? Or should we dare to guide, with the proviso that we speak out of the best of today's knowledge?In my opinion, our social responsibility requires us to do more of the last than we do today.THE BEST REASONS:No more oil spills:Top 10 LARGEST OIL SPILLS IN HISTORYCOAL IS DEAD IN THE WATER:Toxic air, water, soils and workplaces are responsible for the diseases that kill one in every six people around the world, the landmark report found, and the true total could be millions higher because the impact of many pollutants are poorly understood. The deaths attributed to pollution are triple those from Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined. The vast majority of the pollution deaths occur in poorer nations and in some, such as India, Chad and Madagascar, pollution causes a quarter of all deaths. The international researchers said this burden is a hugely expensive drag on developing economies.https://thinkprogress.org/lamber...https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2020/04/20/oxford-university-passes-motion-banning-investment-in-fossil-fuels/Exxon's market value has crumbled by $184 billionJust 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, study saysNearly half of world’s coal plants run at a loss, study findsThe Other Reason to Shift away from Coal: Air Pollution That Kills Thousands Every YearCoal Power Plants Face $7.3 Billion Losses in Europe in 2019How Britain ended its coal addictionJP Morgan economists warn climate crisis is threat to human raceAmerica's largest private coal miner files for bankruptcyEleven coal companies have filed for bankruptcy since Trump took officeShutdown of US coal power facilities saved over 26,000 lives, study findsTrump isn't saving coalTrump’s New Pollution Rules Still Won’t Save the Coal IndustryCoal Is Dead No Matter What Trump SaysThe coal miners themselves are going to solar and wind:“Coal is over. Forget coal,” said Jimmy Simpkins, who worked as a coalminer in the area for 29 years. “It can never be back to what it was in our heyday. It can’t happen. That coal is not there to mine.”“It’s a racket. Miners are being robbed every day,” said Bethel Brock, who was a coalminer for 32 years in Wise, Virginia. Between 1968 to 2014, an estimated 76,000 coalminers died of black lung disease. He fought coal companies for 14 years to secure his own black lung benefits after he was diagnosed.'Coal is over': the miners rooting for the Green New DealIn rural Colorado, the kids of coal miners learn to install solar panelsWyoming could lead US green energy push with wind power | DW | 24.01.2021Chevron Is Installing Solar Panels — To Produce Oil More CheaplySunnier times ahead for coal workers in renewables, tech | Powering Past Coal Alliance“There's never any debate about Einstein's theory of special relativity. They never question the revolution wrought by electronics. They revel in high-speed travel. And when it comes to health, they demand the latest and the very best.But with climate — or more specifically electricity generation — they blanch at the idea of moving much beyond 1776, the year James Watt improved Thomas Newcomen's steam engine.Setting fire to coal and boiling up a big pot of water so the steam can turn a machine is apparently the pinnacle of modern electricity generation and a point beyond which we shouldn't venture, regardless of cost.”Biden pauses onshore and offshore drilling leases, orders subsidy reviews (worldoil.com)The future of coal has already been decided in boardrooms around the globeGlobal fossil fuel subsidies totaled $544 billion in 2012, compared to only $101 billion for renewables. The International Monetary Fund estimates fossil fuel subsidies for 2015 to be $5.3 trillion - an amount equal to 6.5% of global GDP. More than 40% of this represents subsidies for coal, the most environmentally damaging of all fossil fuels. Although not good news on its face, the disproportionate funding for fossil fuels represents a tremendous opportunity to shift funding to renewable energy without an overall increase in costs.Global Subsidies - Fossil Fuels vs. Renewables — Environmental GraphitiGreen energy feels the heat as subsidies go to fossil fuelsHow Big Oil Clings to Billions in Government Giveawayshttps://www.motherjones.com/poli...Fossil fuel subsidies are a staggering $5 tn per yearA new study finds 6.5% of global GDP goes to subsidizing dirty fossil fuelsThe International Monetary Fund estimates fossil fuel subsidies for 2015 to be $5.3 trillion - an amount equal to 6.5% of global GDP.https://www.theguardian.com/envi...https://www.sciencedirect.com/sc...Over the past century, the federal government has pumped more than $470 billion into the oil and gas industry in the form of generous, never-expiring tax breaks. Once intended to jump-start struggling domestic drillers, these incentives have become a tidy bonus for some of the world’s most profitable companies.Taxpayers currently subsidize the oil industry by as much as $4.8 billion a year, with about half of that going to the big five oil companies—ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips—which get an average tax break of $3.34 on every barrel of domestic crude they produce. With Washington looking under the couch cushions for sources of new revenue, oil prices topping $100 a barrel, and the world feeling the heat from its dependence on fossil fuels, there’s been a renewed push to close these decades-old loopholes. But history suggests that Big Oil won’t let go of its perks without a brawl.https://www.sciencedirect.com/sc...A new paper published in Climatic Change estimates that when we account for the pollution costs associated with our energy sources, gasoline costs an extra $3.80 per gallon, diesel an additional $4.80 per gallon, coal a further 24 cents per kilowatt-hour, and natural gas another 11 cents per kilowatt-hour that we don’t see in our fuel or energy bills.https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-ene...The United States has spent more subsidizing fossil fuels in recent years than it has on defense spending, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund.The IMF found that direct and indirect subsidies for coal, oil and gas in the U.S. reached $649 billion in 2015. Pentagon spending that same year was $599 billion.Study: U.S. Fossil Fuel Subsidies Exceed Pentagon SpendingIMF Survey : Counting the Cost of Energy SubsidiesWhy are taxpayers subsidising the oil and gas companies that jeopardise our future?Instead of hoping market forces solve the climate crisis, the government needs to stop giving tax breaks to pollutersWhy are taxpayers subsidising the oil and gas companies that jeopardise our future? | Clive LewisThe economic costs of air pollution from fossil fuels are estimated at US$2.9 trillion in 2018, or 3.3% of global GDP, far exceeding the likely costs of rapid reductions in fossil fuel use. An estimated 4.5 million people died in 2018 due to exposure to air pollution from fossil fuels. On average, each death was associated with a loss of 19 years of life. ● Fossil fuel PM2.5 pollution was responsible for 1.8 billion days of work absence, 4 million new cases of child asthma and 2 million preterm births, among other health impacts that affect healthcare costs, economic productivity and welfare.De økonomiske kostnadene ved luftforurensning fra fossile brensler anslås til 2,9 billion dollar i 2018, eller 3,3% av verdens BNP, som langt overstiger de sannsynlige kostnadene for raske reduksjoner i fossilt brensel bruk.● Anslagsvis 4,5 millioner mennesker døde i 2018 på grunn av eksponering for luftforurensning fra fossil brensel. I gjennomsnitt var hvert dødsfall assosiert med et tap på 19 år i livet.● Forurensning av fossilt brensel PM2.5 var ansvarlig for 1,8 milliarder dager fravær, 4 millioner nye tilfeller av barneastma og 2 millioner for tidlige fødsler, blant andre helsemessige påvirkninger av helsetjenester, økonomisk produktivitet og velferd.https://energyandcleanair.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Cost-of-fossil-fuels-briefing.pdfUnited States Spend Ten Times More On Fossil Fuel Subsidies Than EducationThe fossil fuel lobby has actively worked in many countries to protect their subsidies and avoid the imposition of carbon taxes. Doing so protects their profits.US spent on these subsidies in 2015 is more than the country’s defense budget and 10 times the federal spending for educationUnited States Spend Ten Times More On Fossil Fuel Subsidies Than EducationNo wonder then:Trump Administration Rebrands Fossil Fuels As "Molecules Of U.S. FreedomWe want a cleaner world and the end of all the socialist subsidies for oil and coal:Roger Fjellstad Olsen's answer to How can we combat climate change?Roger Fjellstad Olsen's answer to How will we ever truly battle global warming when going green is only afforded by the wealthy?BONUS:What simple truths in your opinion Liberals "get" that Republicans simply don't seem to understand?In no particular order:“Voluntary charity” doesn’t work. We’ve tried it in the past — it’s like trying to fight a forest fire with a water gun that only works when it wants to, not when you need it to.The existence of public social safety nets is a win-win-win for the poor, middle class, and the rich. The cost in taxpayer dollars is more than offset by the benefits.Tax cuts are only beneficial when taxes are absurdly high. The US is far, far beyond the point where further tax cuts will benefit the country.Taxing the extremely wealthy at higher rates than the rest of the country is morally justified and pragmatically desirable.What’s good for corporate profit margins isn’t necessarily good for the country as a whole. There are other priorities which need to come first.Building on #5, protecting the environment is both a moral imperative and an economic benefit. Our natural environment is an enormous source of health and wealth. Keeping it safe and healthy at all costs is infinitely more important than keeping the oil and gas industries profitable.Building on #5, what’s good for stakeholders and business owners isn’t necessarily good for workers or consumers. The interests of all of these parties need to be factored into economic policy.Politics is about compromise and tradeoffs. No one can have everything they want.“Free” markets are more of an ideal than a reality. Real-world markets have all sorts of inherent imperfections and imbalances which necessitate government intervention.Government regulation of businesses is not axiomatically bad. Some businesses don’t like it, but that’s not important.If you can’t take it, you shouldn’t be dishing it out. You can’t spend 30+ years whining about how “political correctness” is “stifling” you, and then get your knickerbockers in a bunch when liberals/Democrats/progressives insult you in return.Words matter. They can inspire people to heroism or incite them to violence. Politically-motivated violence doesn’t happen overnight. It’s normalized, slowly, word by word and mindset by mindset. The politically-motivated violence we have seen recently in this country didn’t come from nowhere — it is the culmination of a President and a GOP which has been verbally assaulting political opponents and pushing already-unhinged followers over the edge. Certain forms of rhetoric send subtle signals to neo-Nazis, anti-Semites, and white supremacists that the time has come to act.The Republican Party of Trump is not “conservative.” The only true conservatives in your community have denounced your party.Christopher Anderson's answer to What simple truths in your opinion Liberals "get" that Republicans simply don't seem to understand?

I’ve been following Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on and off for roughly a decade.In theory - Yes, sometimes, with limits. (And his marketing is probably exaggerating, but he’s not doing anything that other mathematicians are not doing, he just sells it really well).He’s been doing this stuff since the 80’s. But I guess it took a TED talk and a Book for people to really take notice.Tiffany Washburn’s answer is essentially correct. Let me attempt to add value.He famously was one of the earlier academics to successfully apply game theory to political science; and everybody laughed at him until he proved to be right (He predicted an unlikely candidate would win an Iranian election in the 1980’s; and 2 years later proved to be right, reportedly surprising the political science community). That when the Poly Sci Quantitative vs Qualitative culture wars began.He consequently started selling his services to the government.His models are supposed to be rational choice driven game theory models that are heavily data dependent.The famous CIA quote is that a good CIA analyst can tell you a what political party should win the next election with about 80 percent accuracy. BBdM could then interview the CIA analyst, populate the variables, do the math, and give you a NAME that was right 90% of the time. Technically BBdM adds precision to existing accuracy.Good analysis give you accuracy. BBdM adds precision by using good math on top of good behavioral science. If the underlying data points you in the wrong direction, the math probably won’t change that.We know from fundamentals of math that every model he builds would be custom based on available data; using a underlying algorithm that he’s been tweaking and using since the 1980’s.We know from mathematical modeling 101 that the ability to predict the future is limited by available data and known patterns. That has plagued engineers and scientists for centuries.The fundamental assumption in BBdM’s models is they are build on a version of rational choice theory.Rational Choice theory is often applied incorrectly. It states that people usually do what is in their best interests.Rational Choice theory actually means people usually do what they believe is in their best interests (from their own point of view). Important pragmatic semantic.For example - you know people will order Pizza because they like Pizza, but really they should order a salad because it is much healthier.Rational choice is relative to understanding the subject. Hence why it has been misused and easily critiqued in the past.BBdM’s best work tops out at 90% for a few reasons:1 - Incomplete information leads to incomplete mathematical precision and accuracy. I.E. You are vulnerable to Black Swans (what you don’t know).2 - It requires you to accurately read people’s minds - this is where the knowledge of an analyst comes in. If your analysts don’t understand the psychology of the individuals, then they may guess wrong on the rational choice, and the math can’t fix that.3 - It really should be lower than 90%, I’m guessing they only pick battles they know they can win to cheat the metric - a common business practice.Because the model’s are based on rational choice, BBdM can only predict decision making of people or groups of people. And only if you can identify the influencing players of the game, model the interactions of the players, the decisions they will make, and the resultant net result when you add up all the decisions based on rational choice. Basically a giant decision tree matrix.Technically speaking, a good strategist with good data using the right math and the right science should be able to consistently predict the future. This is what good management consultants try to emulate.Scientists and Engineers do it all the time - only they predict physical things where that math and science is very well known - like the a couple engineers that knew the Challenger shuttle would explode and kill those astronauts; but failed to convince management that the numbers were right.If you have any doubt, I know from my business, every Billion Dollar piece of technology (think jets, mines, power plants, bridges, refineries, Sub stations, sky scrapers) is predictively modeled on paper and in computers to make sure it is possible, will work, and to estimate cost and economics long before they spend the billions of dollars to build it (often in the form of an engineering feasibility study).Any situation where you have enough science, measurement, and the appropriate math can be used to effectively predict the future. That’s what operations research has been doing for years. That’s what Gantt logic and Agile Velocity try to do.For example - In WWII German submarines where hard to sink because the went underwater when they saw planes, so it was hard to kill them with aircraft. Operations research analysts ran lots of what we now call data analytics (by hand in the 1940’s), and figured out that if you put bright lights on a bomber, it looks more like the bright blue sky, and an anti submarine bomber could get close enough to kill a submarine before it was spotted and the submarine did a crash dive. The math predicted right that time.Keep in mind BBdM’s math is actually about 30 years old. So many cool things have happened since then.Like complexity theory TED, FRY, Complexity, Systems and StrategyAnd catastrophe theory Ubiquity: Why Catastrophes Happen: Mark Buchanan: 9780609809983: Amazon.com: BooksHow Change HappensSo given all that.Can BBdM - Bruce Beuno de Mesquita Predict the future? Sometimes, if you ask the right kind of questions, and he can find the right input data for the math to work. He specializes in political science and the decision making of large groups. If pressed he may even be able to model and predict a stand alone complex - but that’s kind of obscure and I don’t think anyone is looking for those yet.But Hannah Fry could predict how riots happen in Python a few years ago (not when, but how). Operations research has been making progress in future prediction for many, many decades. And Game theory is pretty old - that’s how Rand sold Mutally Assured Destruction theory and led them to purportedly recommend economic brinkmanship to end the cold war - knowing the expensive weapons being built were unlikely to be used in WWIII. And that worked, the cold war escalated to the point of bankrupting the Soviet Union with military spending. Technically we tricked them into building a military too large.To answer your question - yes, you can use math to predict the future. That is sometimes, if you know the science, the math, and have the right data and analysis. That’s why engineers are correct 98% of the time, and Guys like BBdM are right only 90% of the time, and only if they are careful and only pick questions they know they can answer.Given more time - were are likely to see the rise of something analogous to the psychohistorians of Asimov’s Foundation. Actually if you read that link - We are not that far off from that today.As of 2016? A good Strategist working with a Good mathematician, a Good Data Scientist, a Good Operations Researcher, and a Good Behavioral Scientist should be able to predict accurately, and even maybe precisely the things we understand and know how to measure, but not the things we don’t understand, or can’t measure. And each question would take them months to answer (analyze and model), and even then it is doubtful anyone can ever beat BBdM’s claimed 90% because everybody makes mistakes and has limits.In reality hitting 90% accuracy is crazy hard, unless you get to select your problems. In my experience “complete” models are about 80% precise (you get within 20% of what you expected) and are accurate (pointed in the right place) about 80% of the time. But getting adequate information to make a complete model is rare.I’m guessing that BBdM gets his success by having access to the best experts and data the US Government can provide. Most good teams should be able to replicate BBdM’s results given access to that level of resources. Not easy by any means, but theoretically doable. I’ve seen comparable results in different modeling techniques in business - if you constrain the scope of the model enough, you can enhance your accuracy.The honest take away you can get from BBdM is if you understand what someone thinks or believes in in their own best self interest from their own point of view, 9 out of 10 times you should be able to predict what they will do next. Any Game theorists out there able to confirm or deny that with empirical data?The only claim BBdM has really made is he can mathematically model that rational choice up to scale of decisions made by large populations like nations. Seeing as he’s been on a sole source contract to the US Government doing that for like 20 years or more - I’m guessing he’s been doing it, and his success rate is good enough to keep him on retainer.Interesting and very skeptical article that goes into some details here: Bueno de Mesquita's prediction of Iran's future - it reminds me of 5 mathematicians having 25 opinions on one topic.Thanks and hope it answers the question.