According to a National Park Service news release, the 42-year-old Belgian tourist was taking a short walk Saturday in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in 123-degree heat when he either broke or lost his flip-flops, putting his feet into direct contact with the desert ground. The result: third-degree burns.
“The skin was melted off his foot,” said Death Valley National Park Service Ranger Gia Ponce. “The ground can be much hotter — 170, 180 [degrees]. Sometimes up into the 200 range.”
Unable to get out on his own and in extreme pain, the man and his family recruited other park visitors to help; together, the group carried him to the sand dunes parking lot, where park rangers assessed his injuries.
Though they wanted a helicopter to fly him out, helicopters can’t generate enough lift to fly in the heat-thinned air over the hottest parts of Death Valley, officials said. So park rangers summoned an ambulance that took him to higher ground, where it was a cooler 109 degrees and he could then be flown out.
Look mate, if I’m going to work myself to death generating profits for the billionaire class, I’m going to use whatever surplus value I’m allotted to live my life, and that includes travelling the world and seeing as much of it as I can afford to in the time I have.
And anyone who dares question my choice to fly economy to Europe/Asia/Oceana or wherever else I feel like visiting once per year, without first reining in the billionaire class that exploits me flying their private jets all over the world on a near daily basis, has revealed themselves to be a class traitor and my enemy.
Flying economy produces 33% fewer carbon emissions per passenger mile traveled than driving a hybrid vehicle (30mpg) without passengers.
The average American drives 14,500 miles per year in their car (26mpg average). A round trip flight between Seattle and Dresden (the flight this family took) is only 10,000 miles. So that flight produces about 3.3 tons of CO2 for one passenger, which comes out to less than 20% of the total average CO2 emissions per capita, and less than half of what is produced by driving.
Germans drive quite a bit less than Americans too, and produce about half the CO2 per capita than an American, so they’ve more than made up for any travel they do.
And there are people like me that live in the US, but live in dense efficient housing and don’t own cars and take hybrid/electric buses everywhere, so you can fuck off if you think I need to keep sacrificing my happiness while the rich burn the world down. If you live in an house or drive a car, you’re doing more damage to the planet than I am, so maybe take a look in the mirror before you throw a fit about one German family that visited America (and died here) 28 fucking years ago.
If you want people to make sacrifices to save the planet, go after the ruling class. If you come after the working class, expect to get what you deserve as a class traitor.
EDIT: The reason I don’t give a shit about the carbon emissions of the working class, is because the carbon emissions of the working class are just fine. The working class isn’t the problem, the ruling class is: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/co2-emissions-by-income/ <-- The top 10% produces 49% of all CO2 emissions. The bottom 90% produces 51% of all CO2 emissions.
I live a mile from work, converted my farm to biodiesel, got as much solar installed as allowed and heat with firewood. I’m pissed about keyboard warriors who complain about the rich, but don’t do anything but complain online about it.