Full disclosure: I know little or nothing (probably closer to nothing) about sportsball. When setting up to write this, I had to confirm with a colleague that the Super Bowl, which I understand happens on Sunday, was a game of football. My oldest grandson plays basketball, and he is apparently very good, with college scholarships in his future. His mother sends us photos and videos of him playing, which I always watch because he's my boy, but I admittedly have very little idea what's going on. He sure runs and jumps a lot, and I'm very proud of him regardless of not knowing how the game works. The only spectator sport I ever paid attention to was pro rodeo, in part because I grew up around stock, and in part because my second cousin rode bulls.
Now, climate scolds, on the other hand, I know quite a lot about their shenanigans, having read about and commented on them since they were predicting an Ice Age.
Combine those two, and what do you get? A climate scold, in this case, one Douglas McIntyre, who's now complaining about the Super Bowl's (supposedly) massive environmental impact.
Super Bowl LVIII, held in Las Vegas this year, is a nightmare for climate scientists and activists. From jet travel to water use, the game at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, will create a carbon footprint equal to the annual one of hundreds if not thousands of average Americans.
The first effect is energy consumption. Electricity is used to power much of Allegiant Stadium and the businesses near it that will benefit from commercial activity. This ranges from hotels to restaurants to parking areas. It also affects energy consumption by viewers who watch on electricity-powered TVs. OwlESG estimates that “In fact, watching the Super Bowl results in the consumption of over 11 million kilowatt-hours of energy. This amount is comparable to the energy needed to power three entire cities just from the TVs tuned in to watch the game.”
The carbon emissions from flights in and out of Las Vegas airports are also considerable. That included team planes, additional commercial flights, and private jet travel. An analysis of private jets alone shows that about 1,000 will take people to and from the four Las Vegas area airports. Taylor Swift’s private flight from Tokyo, where she is performing, to the game and back to Tokyo will equal the average annual carbon footprint of 14 Americans.
Honestly. Some people just want to suck the joy out of everything.
While I know nothing about sportsball, that in no way means I have anything against it; it's just not something I enjoy personally but I understand that millions do, including members of my own family. Every cat has its own rat, as my grandfather used to say, and the various spectator sports are not only enjoyed by many but also form a significant portion of our economy. I understand that, in the case of the Super Bowl, there's a lot more to it than just the game; it's also the whole show around the game itself.
See Related: Poor Taylor: Forced to Sell the Smaller of Her Private Jets Due to Carbon Embarrassment
I understand the ads are a big deal, too.
If I read correctly, it looks like the Super Bowl has been a going concern for over half a century. It seems to me that it's going to keep right on chugging despite the NFL's "woke" missteps of late because it sure looks like this event draws a lot of viewers. And as for climate scolding over the game, it seems to me - as someone with a modest background in science - that Mr. McIntyre needs to check his premises. To that end, I have a couple of questions:
- OK, so it takes X amount of electricity to power the stadium. How much would it take to power the stadium when it's vacant? What's the delta here between use and non-use? I don't believe for a moment that, when the stadium is empty, someone just flips all the breakers to "OFF" and walks out.
- Carbon emissions of flights? Seriously? While it's noteworthy to call out Taylor Swift's hypocrisy in using her expensive private jet while whining about the carbon emissions of my pickup truck, to make this point, one would have to establish how many flights there are above a normal day in Las Vegas - that info isn't here.
The article goes on in this vein; as I said, attempting to suck all the joy out of an event that millions of people anticipate and plan for all year. In that, I will quote one of my literary heroes, the late, great Robert Heinlein, who through his literary avatar Dr. Jubal Harshaw, stated:
A desire not to butt into other people's business is at least eighty percent of all human 'wisdom'...and the other twenty percent isn't very important.
Climate scolds everywhere should take that to heart.
Mr. McInture concludes:
The Super Bowl has to be one of the least green events worldwide every year.
The post Super Bowl’s Huge Environmental Damage appeared first on Climate Crisis 247.
To those two comments, I can only reply with two corresponding statements: "So what?" And "Mind your own business, you annoying busybody."
