Climate change is back in the news probably because a new report declared that this is a make-or-break decade to curb global warming. This is what—the seventh time we were told this was a critical decade for climate change. In 2007, these experts said that the Arctic Ice Cap would be gone by 2013. It ended up growing by over 533,000 square miles. And then, they said in the 1970s that global cooling was an existential issue as we undergo periods of glaciation. They were wrong again.
As the environmental Left goes haywire over carbon emissions, everything has been slated for demolition. Beef became a target, but not a new enemy has emerged for these green warriors: pot smokers. Yes, the marijuana business is now problematic to saving Mother Earth (via Politico):
Marijuana has never been more popular in the U.S. — and its carbon emissions have never posed a bigger threat to the climate.
America’s patchwork approach to legalizing weed has helped make cannabis cultivation one of the most energy-intensive crops in the nation. And as states increasingly embrace marijuana, a growing source of greenhouse gases is going essentially unnoticed by climate hawks on Capitol Hill.
Nationally, 80 percent of cannabis is cultivated indoors with sophisticated lighting and environmental controls designed to maximize the plant’s yield. It’s a setup that can consume up to 2,000 watts of electricity per square meter, 40 times what it takes for leafy greens like lettuce, when grown indoors.
"For being such a 'green' industry, there’s some skeletons in the closet," said Kaitlin Urso, an environmental consultant with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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One recent model estimated that Massachusetts’ nascent cannabis industry represented 10 percent of the state’s industrial electricity consumption in 2020. Another study found that growing enough bud for a joint — a gram — consumes as much electricity as driving about 20 miles in a fuel-efficient car. Then there’s the still-vibrant illegal market — where there are no emissions rules whatsoever — that consumes fossil fuels at an even higher rate, often using standalone generators or stealing power from neighbors to fuel their operations.
Pot smokers could be a problem now? Is there any group who aren’t nutty tree-huggers that can just be left alone? No. They will make you care. There are no dodging bullets with this debate. There’s no taking the neutral position, these people will find some way to make to make you miserable. It loves company and the fact that the Left is haranguing about marijuana now just shows that the war isn’t meant to be won. It’s meant to be endless. You all know this. I just find it amusing that the Cheech and Chong slice of America is now being targeted.
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