Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says • Hacker News Board

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by uhtred » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:35 PM UTC

jniedrauer wrote: post #327

uhtred wrote: post #306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it difficult? If someone is still eating eggs, dairy and fish they are not 95% of the way to being vegan. And cost? What makes you think being vegan is more expensive than eating animal products?

> If someone is still eating eggs, dairy and fish they are not 95% of the way to being vegan. 95% is obviously not a real number, but it's not far off when you actually look at the environmental impact of different foods[0] > And cost? What makes you think being vegan is more expensive than eating animal products? I should specify that being vegan and remaining healthy is more expensive than eating animal products. Y…

If someone is pesco-vegetarian and eating a lot of dairy, especially cheese, and fish, then their environmental footprint would be way higher than someone (a vegan) who is not eating those things. The NY times article you linked shows just that.

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by artur_makly » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:37 PM UTC

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #259

kilroy123 wrote: post #120

I have a theory, and I have no evidence to back this theory up. The increases in anxiety in the general public over the last decade or so is in large part to people knowing we're on an unsustainable path. We're all collectively marching towards the edge of the cliff to jump off together. More people than ever have anxiety because we subconsciously (or consciously) know this. We're unsustainable with how we pollute an…

I also have a theory. Anxiety is increasing because anxiety sells. The right leaning sites raise anxiety about immigrants. Left leaning sites raise anxiety that Trump is on his way to becoming a dictator. Environmental sites raise anxiety about species going extinct. Business sites raise anxiety about increase regulation and taxes. Meanwhile, humans are the best off we have ever been. This is one of the most peaceful…

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by inflatableDodo » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:37 PM UTC

kmlx wrote: post #368

inflatableDodo wrote: post #340

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you can join mazt1 in paintbrushing flowers for the amusement of spectating bees.

the bees should already be considered extinct. and we have drones for this today.

Nope, I give up. Volcano gods for the lot of you.

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by pvaldes » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:39 PM UTC

To put things in context; If we wipe from the planet ALL vascular plants, all flowers and trees and ALL vertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, the full pack, plus SIX major phylums of invertebrates including all molluscs, snails, clams and squids, ALL corals and jellyfishes, ALL starfishes and sea urchins, ALL sponges, ALL flatworms, parasites and free living, and every one tunicate described by science...

... after killing all of those, we would have still to wipe 366.000 extra species to reach one million.

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by iheartpotatoes » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:39 PM UTC

wonderwonder wrote: post #395

kilroy123 wrote: post #120

I have a theory, and I have no evidence to back this theory up. The increases in anxiety in the general public over the last decade or so is in large part to people knowing we're on an unsustainable path. We're all collectively marching towards the edge of the cliff to jump off together. More people than ever have anxiety because we subconsciously (or consciously) know this. We're unsustainable with how we pollute an…

I would argue that the increase in anxiety is due to the growing wealth gap. Compounding that is the fact that those in control are actively working on maintaining that gap and will allow nothing to stand in the way, including the environment. The gap is growing worse and will continue to do so and that relentless pursuit of wealth at the top and the hopelessness of those in the middle is making the environment worse…

I have $2MM in my 401k I can't touch until I'm 59-1/2. I'm in my 40's and I'm worried of being broke when I'm 60. Insane? Probably. It's like no matter how much you have there's always fear. I keep thinking, "Yeah, it's all in funds and could just go poof if the DOW corrects back down to 7,000 because it took 20 years to get to where it is now..." Does the anxiety never end?

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by inflatableDodo » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:42 PM UTC

matz1 wrote: post #350

inflatableDodo wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, I probably went a bit far there. I don't want to throw anyone into an active volcano, not even people who can't see the value of another creature beyond how it benefits themselves, though I must admit, that does increase the temptation. It is good to know where the line is though. Evidently you can suggest enslaving someone for the amusement of bees and they don't even notice, but one little mention of sacrifi…

I didn't suggest enslaving someone. I favor automation to replace bee. Did I suggest sacrificing bee ? Yes

There's no sane response to this. I am veering back in favour of testing the volcano god theory.

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by Wowfunhappy » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:44 PM UTC

rjf72 wrote: post #393

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issues faced by previous generations were temporary. Wars end, new treaties are signed, etc. Climate Change is irreversible if we don't act ahead of time.

How would they know they would be temporary? The Cold War lasted more than 40 years without stopping and no clear way out. People grew up knowing nothing but the Cold War. They had children who knew nothing but the Cold War. Each and every day people woke up realizing there was a very real chance this could be their last one on Earth. And in several instances we came extremely close to that becoming true. For instanc…

> 'Irreversible' is somewhat misleading as used in climate discussion. It's used in the same sense as saying that the above consequences would be irreversible. And in that sense it's completely true. But many people interpret it, as you seem to be implying, to mean impossible to ever reverse. What it really means is that the expected return to a climatic equilibrium, through entirely natural processes, would take a length of time outside the scale of a human lifetime - hundreds to thousands of years. It does not mean permanently irreversible nor does it mean we go full Venus.

I'm not sure what your point is here. Yes, nothing is ever truly permanent—eventually the sun will die and all life on earth will likely go with it. When I say something is "permanent", I think I should have to qualify it with "until the heat death of the universe."

If a million species go extinct, they aren't coming back. The glaciers, once melted, will take millennia to reform.

This is entirely different from a normal geopolitical conflict, which can be ended whenever all sides agree to such. Wars can of course inflict permanent damage (and loss of life), but the time scale is generally of a different order of magnitude.

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by gdubs » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:45 PM UTC

rjf72 wrote: post #284

kilroy123 wrote: post #120

I have a theory, and I have no evidence to back this theory up. The increases in anxiety in the general public over the last decade or so is in large part to people knowing we're on an unsustainable path. We're all collectively marching towards the edge of the cliff to jump off together. More people than ever have anxiety because we subconsciously (or consciously) know this. We're unsustainable with how we pollute an…

There was an absolutely phenomenal piece written recently: "How the news took over reality" [1] It goes into some degree of depth about why it is exactly that ever more people are increasingly feeling every pulse of every issue. And why it's not necessarily a great thing. Consider something. Today, by most metrics, is by far the most stable and safe time that we've ever lived in during humanity's existence. This seem…

This assumes the effects of climate change will be smooth and linear, rather than lurching and dramatic. It also fails to connect the dots between the nuclear annihilation you fear and the politically destabilizing effects of Climate Change.

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by amelius » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:47 PM UTC

dkarbayev wrote: post #279

One thing that I fail to wrap my mind around: aren’t all those corporations executives, politicians, and poachers living on the same planet Earth as all of us? Don’t they ever think that they’re actually destroying our planet and there’s no other place to live? I can imagine that they don’t believe pro-climate change people, but they could simply hire an independent group of researchers, don’t they? And I mean actual…

We live in a winner-takes-all world, or conversely, an eat-or-be-eaten world. Giving in to the environment means your competitor is now one step ahead of you.

This holds for individuals (politicians), companies, and even countries (e.g. US versus China).

Re: Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says

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Post by cs02rm0 » Mon, May 06, 2019, 8:54 PM UTC

glaurung_ wrote: post #36

neuronic wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Don't upgrade your phone. Seriously. The market makes this easy nowadays. Unless your phone is broken/severely outdated there is next to zero benefit to upgrading at this time. Prices for flagships become prohibitive as well. Upgrading phones every 1-2 years is a dead tradition outside of contract incentives, only relevant to hyper enthusiasts (r/android etc...). Even then I am not sure why aside from corporation b…

Two things I look for when replacing a phone: 1. Lineage OS support. (So you actually get security updates) 2. A decent repairability score on iFixit. (So you don't end up with a brick when your battery dies in a few years.) Right now I'm on a OnePlus 2. It will be 4 years old this summer and doesn't seem to have any issues with the newest Android (in the form of Lineage OS), or any apps I use!

I fear it's getting harder to find those two criteria on a new flagship.

I wish Google would sort out a way of ensuring everyone could get stock android updates for a much longer time period.