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Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

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Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#51

Post by RobertRoberts »

danharaj wrote: post #36
RobertRoberts wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Recognizing emotions as part of the problem and solution feels like a big step. I think this is actually the worst thing we can do. Science is facts, cold hard facts. If you want to get rid of the science and focus on emotions, then the solutions to the _real_ problem will get distorted.

> Science is facts, cold hard facts. How do you figure?

How I "feel" about a scientific result is irrelevant to the result. (ie, if I am mad or happy, it doesn't _affect_ the result)

Therefore feelings are irrelevant to both the scientific process and the results found from using it.

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#52

Post by adreamingsoul »

youareawesome wrote: post #15

I've gotten a vasectomy exactly because it's clear that some of the worst outcomes of human-created climate change are inevitable, and I recommend anyone who cares about the environment and the well-being of their potential children to do the same. My only question is what to do when the world actually ends in 10 or so years. I'm thinking of quitting my job in SF and moving to a rural area in northern midwest far fro…

Imo, it’s our kids that will help us to get through this. either directly or indirectly.

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#54

Post by navigatesol »

youareawesome wrote: post #15

I've gotten a vasectomy exactly because it's clear that some of the worst outcomes of human-created climate change are inevitable, and I recommend anyone who cares about the environment and the well-being of their potential children to do the same. My only question is what to do when the world actually ends in 10 or so years. I'm thinking of quitting my job in SF and moving to a rural area in northern midwest far fro…

>Does anybody have a good plan for what to do when the worst disasters occur? Like food shortages?

Don't worry, I'm sure all the farming, gun-toting deplorables that the coastal cities detest will be more than happy to take the city dwellers in....

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#55

Post by throwaway5752 »

RobertRoberts wrote: post #25
alexandercrohde wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. It really touches on the emotional aspects of it, which I think really need to be discussed. When I picture why certain family members have a hard time accepting the reality of global warming, it certainly comes down to difficulty grappling with emotions, not a hard review of the literature. Recognizing emotions as part of the problem and solution feels like a big step.

>Recognizing emotions as part of the problem and solution feels like a big step. I think this is actually the worst thing we can do. Science is facts, cold hard facts. If you want to get rid of the science and focus on emotions, then the solutions to the _real_ problem will get distorted.

I don't want to sound harsh, but you're wrong because you're missing the point, and badly.

The author talks about cancer diagnoses. This is an apt analogy, and there is a huge body of science for helping individuals cope with personal tragedy. Global warming is a global and personal tragedy. People will have their livelihoods ruined, and people will die. People already have, but (since this is a anglophile community) this forum is mostly insulated from developments in North Africa, the Middle East, Central America... how it impacts us is in the nationalistic/xenophobic movements around the resulting human migrations. Acknowledging this will prevent conflict and harm those that cynically try to take advantage of groups of people in vulnerable states through demagoguing.

The science should be cold an unemotional. The policy dictated by the science should be sensitive to the mental health of everyone as they absorb the magnitude of this disaster.

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#56

Post by [deleted] »

danharaj wrote: post #36
RobertRoberts wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Recognizing emotions as part of the problem and solution feels like a big step. I think this is actually the worst thing we can do. Science is facts, cold hard facts. If you want to get rid of the science and focus on emotions, then the solutions to the _real_ problem will get distorted.

> Science is facts, cold hard facts. How do you figure?

[deleted]

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#57

Post by raxxorrax »

daenz wrote: post #9

I'm of the belief that the only thing that will accomplish the goals set out by those who care at the level of the author is actual, literal, worldwide fascism. And I also believe that climate-agnostic entities (who don't care one way or another) will be waiting in the wings opportunistically as people start to call for that fascism.

Instead of fascism you could opt for any ideology that leads to conflict and war that has a gigantic death toll. Fascism isn't really known for sudden deindustrialization and everyone becoming flower hippies though.

But at that point I would opt for letting climate change hit. In the absence of catastrophic events we will need more energy today than we needed yesterday. So either we find a solution to increasing needs or problems will arise.

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#58

Post by toomuchtodo »

OmegaBlight wrote: post #3
throwaway5752 wrote: post #2

This is a really good article. It touches on the global denial, the gross generational inequality of the status quo, and acknowledges the personal mental health difficulty in trying to accept what the human race has done. It's also pragmatic and talks about what's being done. Very worthwhile reading in its entirety.

Do you think we as society are going to change fast enough to combat the challenges we are currently facing? It seems that we are all just repeating past mistakes in a grander scale.

No. We will only change faster once the situation becomes dire (crop failures, heat waves you can’t fight with AC, roads and bridges failing from the heat), and there will be much suffering due to the delay.

Prepare yourself if you can.

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#59

Post by lotsofpulp »

s_y_n_t_a_x wrote: post #34
Mikeb85 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> hold China and India responsible for their wildly outsized levels of pollution once you control for their per capita contribution to humanity China and India contribute 4-10 times less CO2 per capita than the US.

The world doesn't care about per capita.

The people in the world certainly care.

Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss

#60

Post by Reason077 »

daenz wrote: post #9

I'm of the belief that the only thing that will accomplish the goals set out by those who care at the level of the author is actual, literal, worldwide fascism. And I also believe that climate-agnostic entities (who don't care one way or another) will be waiting in the wings opportunistically as people start to call for that fascism.

Hopefully it won’t come down to outright fascism, but the way our democracies work need to change in order to encourage more long term thinking on issues like climate change.

Politicians and voters too often act in short term self-interest rather than long-term economic and environmental interests.

“Give me that tax cut, big pickup truck, and cheap gas! Leave it to our grandchildren to figure out how to survive in the face of catastrophic global heating. Not our problem!”

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