Methane leaks are a byproduct of short sighted designs, and not having the incentives to ensure it doesn't occur, here is another example: in Bitcoin, Mining is seen as a horrible environmental disaster and why POW systems are impractical by those who do not understand the issue its trying to address. This is negating many things, not least of which that most of the network is not just utilizing renewable energy, but its spurring on its growth into areas outside of what exists (see: Peter Thiel's Bitcoin farm running off of Wind in Texas), but the heat generated from the process is thought to be a waste byproduct any many miners prefer to go to Iceland where Geo-thermal can be utilized as well as the cold weather to cool down the miners.

While this is good enough for some, this can be further improved to create other ancillary goods/services, too. Check this Bitcoin farm that sought to utilize the 'wasted byproduct' [1] and there are others who did something similar to try and offset the obvious massive use of energy (they create starter plants without a greenhouse etc...).

This level of recapturing 'waste' solutions should be mandated, and not optional for all Fossil Fuel based energy.

This will at least ensure we stop needlessly over producing the stuff, as we've seen with OPEC trying to do to keep the price of oil from crashing its clear we don't need that much if we introduce WFH solutions permanently to as much as we can, and force the Market to find what is and isn't deemed vital to keep operational using Fossil Fuel while we transition to more renewable based EV models.

> What has changed in the last 15 years?

A lot, Hemp went from being a schedule 1 drug to a 50 state legal crop something that most homes should utilize as it not only is an amazing insulator, which reduces the need for Heating/AC, but also sequestrates carbon as it cures and when its grown.

I also saw the advent of EV re-emerge stronger than ever and has become a now fashion statement and status symbol where it was seen as fringe and impractical. I've spent most of my time in having been involved in the Organic and sustainable movement we've seen a significant amount of people shift towards choosing to eat that way and the idea of farm to table is now catching up with the environmental European standards after the exposure from foodies and shows like Chef's Table and Anthony Bourdain's.

This has also led to business models that rely entirely on re-capturing food loss and reselling them as value added products--my former co-worker was also a farmer and got sent to hang out with Dan Barber in NY and he now has an ice cream and sorbet business that uses fruit/food from vendors that are not being utilized at a significant discount.

> I don't see any progress at all. Emissions just keep rising year after year.

Then you're not paying attention to the progress and are succumbing to the pessimism you've built around the issue; I grew up in SoCal where airplanes had trouble landing because of the amount of smog. In less than a decade of enacting the clean air mandate that went entirely away, it wasn't perfect because of population density, but then when COVID lockdowns were issued it happened again and we saw just quickly things turn around.

What I'm saying is that things are not all doomed, and we live in a remarkable period in Human History where we can collectively actually solve meaningful problems if the will exists.

I'm personally a big proponent of colonizing Mars, mainly because it was in my mind the most effective challenge that could alter Human consciousness to try and see how inhospitable this Universe really is to Life and that we should take care of the Earth. It could also lessen the burden we have on extracting and expending this planet's resources.

Honestly, I think you should try and reach out to your community and volunteer in a community garden to see how you can transform that anxiety and depression you feel (that I often felt, too) into meaningful change you want see in the World.

I see these things as improvements because some of us paid for this to occur with physical/emotional pain, blood, sweat and tears and we've grown from the experience. And to be honest, I think this is a vital part of the Human condition that most lack these days because Life has become some insulating that it gives you one the illusion that they can do an otherwise feckless thing in Society and think they have it all figured out and succumb to depression and anxiety--I felt this way in my early 20s. When the truth is if most of those people were suddenly placed in a rural area without the comforts that Civilization affords us they'd probably be the first die of thirst or starvation.

1: https://bitcoinist.com/canadas-sustainable-bitcoin-mining-us...