Biden has started using the US Petroleum Reserve to stabilize oil prices, which ideally ought to regulate the rate of oil drilling and maintain a strong incentive to conserve.

This plan will do some good, but I think it will not, by itself, bring about fast enough decarbonization. And it certainly won't prevent busting the carbon budget. We need to accompany it with a carbon tax that will increase yearly on a predefined schedule. However, the Republicans plus Sinema and Manchin block that, for now.

If the public has an incentive to conserve fossil fuels, that doesn't make it practical for people to do so. That requires investment, and most Americans have no money to invest, in this or in anything. We need governments, at whatever level, to make this investment.

Rich countries (and rich businesses) are responsible for most of the greenhouse emissions that have destroyed nearly all of the food growing in Pakistan, as well as a large fraction of its housing. They ought to be held liable.

However, as experience with Covid-19 vaccines shows, rich businesses don't hesitate to drive people to death for their profit, and rich country governments mostly serve those rich businesses. Even when it comes to saving the lives of their own future citizens from the consequences of global heating, those governments are paralyzed.

After seeing the basic plan for Australia's proposed "indigenous voice to Parliament", I think it is ok.

The reticence about stating any specifics made me wonder what it was they did not want to talk about. I was concerned, specifically, that the plan might incorporate racial distinctions into Australians' political rights. Australia did just that for most of the 20th century, to the detriment of the indigenous people, but two such wrongs would not make a right.

I'm relieved that there is none of that in the proposal. So I'm in favor of it. Indigenous Australians suffer from racism and its effects, and this may help them encourage measures to improve the situation.

A number of right-wing Russian bloggers lambaste the Putin forces as a failure.

Why, I wonder, does Putin let them continue to say these things? He has to have a reason. I speculate that it is because they are building support for Putin to declare war and start forcing lots of Russians into fighting it.

Earth is approaching five major climate tipping points.

Research identified 11 more major climate tipping points that are further in the future. If we don't get our act in gear, we will fall over them too.