Live data from Hacker News

Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

nationalobserver.com

51–60 of 522 posts

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#51
post #22

I don't like sensationalism as it clouds the mind with short-lived buzzes. Instead of always trying to alarm people of the big invisible terror lurking in the dark, we should educate people on how to handle the situation. What are the scenarios? What can we do ourselves for those scenarios (not to prevent, but to prepare)? Which cities and countries will be lost at what point in time? How do we protect ourselves? Be…

Is it sensationalism when it's accurately describing something truly sensational?

If both temperature and CO2 levels set new records every single year, then it's stoping sensational - it becomes expected. I'm still hoping to hear solid solutions that will work on a global level, and so far, there aren't any.

As a matter of fact, with the global rise of populism it looks like in some areas, the world is going backwards. Leaked UK government memo says the environmental protections and pollution limits will have to be scaled back for UK to remain competitive after brexit. Trump is actively fighting environment protection. Cutting down of the amazon forest has slowed down in the last 20 years due to huge amount of international pressure, only to accelerate to unprecedented levels now that most of this pressure is gone.

I mean sure, Americans and other wealthy nations buying millions of electric cars is going to help somewhat, but I almost think that the world truly needs to get fucked over this, so that people on every level feel the effects or they won't care. Countries will start caring once they start losing coastal cities, corporations will start caring once global warming destroys their profits. I'm almost certain there is no other way.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#52
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I often wonder what we'll die of. Direct consequence of global warming like flooding, tornado, or heat wave? A worldwide epidemic? Will wealth be relevant in saving us from mass famines? A more indirect way such as massive riots caused by, say, the global disorganization of wealth? A global methane event, bursting out of the oceans, and burning the whole atmosphere? Or simply Trump deciding that global warming can on…

Probably not direct consequences, more indirect ones like riots. And if things get that bad, then maybe erasing half or 75% human activities WOULD be the only way, don't need a Trump to declare that.

Probably not any of that at all.

We will probably die of all the same old boring causes: heart disease, cancer, dementia and Alzheimer's.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#53
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Be constructive, be creative. Ok, solution time. Let's immediately ban everyone who denies that climate change is human made from all positions of power. That implies stripping them of both titles and wealth.

I vote we kill you first. You breathe out CO2, right? EDIT: Nice silent edit there. Let me just quote what you just deleted from your comment "Since they won't probably give in voluntarily and since many of them are already in power, this further implies a violent uprising."

"I vote we kill you first"

If you're going to troll, at least get your science right. Breathing out CO2 adds zero net CO2 to the atmosphere, because it comes from food you ate, which itself came from CO2 in the atmosphere.

The oil and gas that an individual uses to survive, on the other hand, is literally deadly. So you are at the verge of having a point: we could lower CO2 usage by killing people.

However, a much more direct and reasonable fix to the problem is to disincentive the use and production of that particular poison. There are a couple ways to do this, but I'd argue a steep carbon tax, with proceeds used for funding sequestration research and programs, is the most humane solution to the monstrous evil of carbon pollution.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#54
post #37

I don't like sensationalism as it clouds the mind with short-lived buzzes. Instead of always trying to alarm people of the big invisible terror lurking in the dark, we should educate people on how to handle the situation. What are the scenarios? What can we do ourselves for those scenarios (not to prevent, but to prepare)? Which cities and countries will be lost at what point in time? How do we protect ourselves? Be…

>Be constructive, be creative. Ok, solution time. Let's immediately ban everyone who denies that climate change is human made from all positions of power. That implies stripping them of both titles and wealth.

Why bother?

The IPCC, which is the official authority on climate change, says that over the next 200 years sea levels will rise by a meter or 2.

Damaging, for sure. Trillions of dollars in costs. But not exactly world ending.

Thats the scientific consensus. I look at the official statistics that the scientists provide, and I go "meh".

If I had the choice between magically stopping climate change forever, and stopping, I don't know, a single Iraq War (trillions in damages!), I'd have an awful hard time choosing between the 2.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#55

I don't like sensationalism as it clouds the mind with short-lived buzzes. Instead of always trying to alarm people of the big invisible terror lurking in the dark, we should educate people on how to handle the situation. What are the scenarios? What can we do ourselves for those scenarios (not to prevent, but to prepare)? Which cities and countries will be lost at what point in time? How do we protect ourselves? Be…

duck and cover.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#56
post #5
post #2

I am terrified. Should I be?

Buy shares in houseboat companies. Short sell coastal property.

You are likely to loose your shirt short-selling coastal property. For short-selling to be profitable, what you are short-selling should decrease in value, and do so rather quickly. The reason is that in the mean time you are required to reimburse the person you're borrowing the asset from for the revenue he would have had, had he held on to it. In the case of property that is the rental revenue. Time works against you when short-selling.

Home prices in flood-prone areas are still rising (albeit slower than elsewhere) in the US [1]. At some point they will go down, but time your short-selling wrong, and you will loose money.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/24/science/global-warming-co...

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#58
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Be constructive, be creative. Ok, solution time. Let's immediately ban everyone who denies that climate change is human made from all positions of power. That implies stripping them of both titles and wealth.

Why bother? The IPCC, which is the official authority on climate change, says that over the next 200 years sea levels will rise by a meter or 2. Damaging, for sure. Trillions of dollars in costs. But not exactly world ending. Thats the scientific consensus. I look at the official statistics that the scientists provide, and I go "meh". If I had the choice between magically stopping climate change forever, and stopping…

Luckily, those aren't mutually exclusive choices. And climate change potentially causes wars as countries are strapped for resources, so acting to fix climate change is a twofer.

Also: you are understating the cost of climate change. These estimates are tricky to get right, but the IPCC estimates a ballpark figure of 1-4% of GDP for a 4 degrees C increase in global mean temperature. That puts the cost on the order of trillions per year, not in total.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#59
post #24
post #2

I am terrified. Should I be?

I often wonder what we'll die of. Direct consequence of global warming like flooding, tornado, or heat wave? A worldwide epidemic? Will wealth be relevant in saving us from mass famines? A more indirect way such as massive riots caused by, say, the global disorganization of wealth? A global methane event, bursting out of the oceans, and burning the whole atmosphere? Or simply Trump deciding that global warming can on…

If you think global warming has any proven connection to tornadoes, you're most likely to die from being a dribbling fucking retard.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#60
post #24
post #2

I am terrified. Should I be?

I often wonder what we'll die of. Direct consequence of global warming like flooding, tornado, or heat wave? A worldwide epidemic? Will wealth be relevant in saving us from mass famines? A more indirect way such as massive riots caused by, say, the global disorganization of wealth? A global methane event, bursting out of the oceans, and burning the whole atmosphere? Or simply Trump deciding that global warming can on…

Please read up on the scientific consensus.

No respectable scientist believes that a meter or 2 of sea level rise over the next 200 years is going to literally cause the world to end.

Read the science. Go with the facts. Not the fake consequences that no scientist believes is going to happen.

Post reply on HN