this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2024
600 points (99.2% liked)

Memes

47303 readers
647 users here now

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Cross post 196

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] ReasonablePea@sh.itjust.works 121 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why wait for climate change when you can just pick off chunks and bring them to a desert -__-

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 65 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you look at their current sourcing it's fine. They're not cutting apart glaciers, they're gathering it from parts that have calved and will just melt apart regardless.

Greenland has a right to sell their natural resources as much as anyone else, and the sad thing is this admittedly ludicrous enterprise is more profitable for less environmental damage than most things.

[–] Hubi@feddit.de 92 points 1 year ago (6 children)

The problem is all the carbon that is emitted to transport the ice from Greenland halfway around the world for no other reason than bullshit marketing.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 50 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah but have you considered that this ice is icier than other ice?

[–] Hubi@feddit.de 29 points 1 year ago

Okay now I'm convinced

[–] don@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I prefer Diet Ice. Tastes like regular ice but without the saturated fats and all that sugar.

[–] FlapKap 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Since Greenland Imports a lot and doesn't really have a lot of export, a big part of the trip would be sailed anyway, just with empty containers

[–] Flughoernchen@feddit.de 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

People forget it's not just the shipping itself. First of all, ships just like every other vehicle need more energy to move the heavier they are. Secondly the ice needs to be cooled for most of the trip and portable coolers are real energy guzzlers. So without doing the maths transporting ice from Greenland to Dubai is much more harmful than ships with empty containers on the same way.

[–] tryptaminev@feddit.de 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The first point doesn't hold though. it is always better to have a ship run with cargo than without, in terms of efficiency. Afterall the point of the ship moving is to transport cargo.

For the cooling i am also sceptical. It was common all over Europe to trade with ice cut out of glaciers and frozen lakes until the invention of the cooling pump made electrical fridges a thing. If you store the ice in somewhat well insulated containers, it will cool itself quite decently for long travels. Icecellars were common to hold Ice that was collected in winter and lasted for cooling all throughout the year even in the mediteranian areas.

I also find this business obscene, but i do not see, that it would be more harmful, than sending empty ships around the world.

[–] elDalvini@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago

It is more efficient to have a ship moving with cargo than without, but that doesn't mean there aren't additional emissions. The ratio of profit to effort is just higher because there is some profit as opposed to none. You wouldn't load a ship up with useless mass you can't sell just so you're shipping something.

Your argument is like always running the heater in your car because that way the engine heat is at least used for something. Yes, technically the efficiency goes up because more of the energy in the fuel is harnessed. But that doesn't mean the fuel usage or emissions are any lower, and in the summer the heater doesn't do you any good either.

[–] variants@possumpat.io 8 points 1 year ago

I thought it was only possible because they are using ships that would otherwise be empty on their return trips otherwise they couldn't afford it

[–] GigglyBobble@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago

They'll only do it once though and serve regular ice after that. Or do you think the ice gourmets will notice?

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

International overseas shipping is actually pretty carbon efficient as transport goes.

Hell they're actually pretty down for efficiency improvements in shipping, to the point where people are just straight up talking about bringing back sails because... Well, why not? It's free energy.

It's not necessary but you compare this to crypto or deliberately inefficient vehicle design and it's just not something to get upset about.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] nis 69 points 1 year ago (1 children)

...ice which has never been polluted by any human being.

shows picture of human being polluting said ice

[–] onion@feddit.de 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why is his face so punchable

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 57 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Guess I'll post this again:


I put this in the cross post, bit figure it belongs here, too:

While ridiculous, there's interesting context here.

  • Greenland has little to no economy
  • The ice is mined from ice that has already broken away from the glacier, thus not reducing any more than nature has already
  • Cargo ships bringing frozen food used to leave empty, now that same fuel is used to transport ice back instead of going to waste
  • The founder has always dreamed of a sustainable economy for Greenland
  • He is conflicted about how his work to do this in a sustainable way is being taken

Lots of gray here.


The whole conversation, including how the ships are already there, details on economy, etc, are in this thread: https://lemmy.world/comment/6556590

[–] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago

Thanks, that's an interesting balance.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Jaderick@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

This is going to be how the zombie virus comes about. Someone ingests a million year old virus that becomes infectious and boom, we got new COVID.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

COVID 2: Synaptic Boogaloo

We already had a novel one, so is the next one going to be neo COVID or cyber COVID or what? Or just new COVID, like new Coke?

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

I for one welcome our new puzzle solving robot overlords.

[–] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mmmm it's like playing the lottery but if you win you get to be patient zero for the ancient virus that ends up wiping out humanity.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

That's why I only drink 151 on the rocks.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

Gimme that ✨prehistoric bacteria✨

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago

It's environmentally friendly because they don't waste energy to freeze the water. It's already frozen! /s

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

So while the rest of us are worrying about shrinking glaciers, Dubai is actively ice mining glaciers and shipping them to the middle of the desert so rich people can have fancy cocktails. Out-fucking-standing.

[–] Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

No, this is exported by Greenland.

They're using only chunks that have already separated, transporting it on outgoing cargo ships that are already empty and it becomes one of the few export products for Greenland.

Weird idea, but there are a few redeeming points if you look at the full story.

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Okay, that's a lot less troubling than I expected. Thanks for the clarification.

[–] sqibkw@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I'm cool with it in that state. But my concern here is that while it starts out innocent, if demand increases, it's only a matter of time until they start mining it and chartering more ships to transport it. Especially in an economy like Greenland's.

This same pattern has been followed a thousand times in the past. Lots of instances of abusing our natural resources start out innocently.

[–] SeabassDan@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's okay, I can only imagine the 10,000 year old bacteria those guys are gonna be drinking with that ice when it thaws, it all balances out.

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

*100,000 year old bacteria. It's never infected any human being!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Ironfist@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"Yeah our ice is mined in... uh... Greenland. That will be $200"

"Dumbass"

[–] FabledAepitaph@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Had to ask myself what kind of bars they even had on Dubai. Apparently they don't take the alcohol thing as seriously as I thought.

[–] StarshotJohn@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

It's Dubai bro..

[–] AntonAmo@feddit.de 14 points 1 year ago
[–] don@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

“Yeah, I’m still drinking what used to be piss, but at least it wasn’t human piss. Because ewwies. Right, barkeep?”

Barkeep: (two thumbs up) (how the fuck should I know)

[–] r00ty@kbin.life 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Also barkeep: Looks behind and realises they can't remember which box is the expensive ice.

[–] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Also also barkeep: Remembers they froze some of their piss earlier and lost track of it.

[–] r00ty@kbin.life 2 points 1 year ago

They must keep really hydrated!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] mvirts@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

My bar serves water wayyy older than that.

[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

So this is how the Arctic plague begins

[–] Gabu@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

Look at that punchable face, just waiting to become 3x its current size

[–] _haha_oh_wow_@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Is this the most ridiculous bullshit I will read all day?

I sure hope so, but I doubt it...

[–] pingveno@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

It is not, but only because I read quite a bit of ridiculous bullshit. I'm looking at you, Congressional Republicans.

[–] cheezoid2@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Full of heady goodness

load more comments
view more: next ›