Aren't mass dyings caused by viruses?
Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
21–30 of 236 posts
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#22I've heard smoke inhalation cited as a possible cause for this, but it looks too early for a definitive explanation.
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
The planet may be fine; humanity's place on the planet might not be. That's typically assumed when a human comments about the planet.
It is important to remember this framing, though. So that we remember what we want, and can take the right actions to get there. We want a healthy, happy life for these X humans and to accommodate that we need Y, Z. I don't think everyone understands this, and I also think it is a key to reaching more people with the message - of why we need to make changes to the status quo.
I'm increasingly worried that large segments of the population will not be reached by that message or any message that isn't about direct harm to themselves or their loved ones.
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#24It feels like the earth is dying. I wonder if the human population has longer than 20 years of tolerable existence left on this planet.
But, the region recovered. Similar such natural events, such as Typhoon Maria, have caused massive casualties and damage. Yet, the Earth and humanity have persisted.
I wouldn't worry about anything happening to our planet and our ecosphere, short of a mass extinction event like a huge asteroid striking the Earth. The last one 65 million years ago did some pretty nasty damage, but we now have the technology to detect and divert such objects so hopefully it will not be an issue.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Hel...
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's always a comment like this. How about "The habitability of this planet is dropping like a brick."
Habitability for humans . It's more or less a self-correcting problem
I find it astonishing that so many people can be cavalier about the deaths of millions of people when it comes to environmental destruction in a way that would be totally socially unacceptable if you were talking about targeted killings or genocide.
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#26Whose traveling back in time out there? Thought the portal was only in Germany
[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_(2006_TV_series)
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#27Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#28I have been told on this forum that the men and women working in wildlife conservation are in it for vanity or for self gratification. Relatedly, I have been told on this forum that there is nothing that regular folks can do about climate change. But then events like this happen, and no one reflects on how fatally pessimistic this community can be. Are we ourselves not capable of forecasting the effect of a burning s…
This usually leaves me so depressed.
Yes, I realize all those actions won't suffice, even if we all agree to apply them starting tomorrow. And yes, we need both local and global impact for things to move forward. But I also believe that if everyone starts doing their part : buying less, reducing meat, whatever, it will get discussed more and more and become a concrete part of society much faster.
Guessing OP and I will get downvoted though, which is fine. HN has a fair share of the brightest minds in Tech and related, sometimes I miss a bunch of less pragmatic positivity.
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's always a comment like this. How about "The habitability of this planet is dropping like a brick."
Habitability for humans . It's more or less a self-correcting problem
In some broad, abstract way of looking at things people can say, “well it’s all just star dust and will burn out in a billion years.” But we’re not just destroying our own habitat — we’re destroying countless other species. An entire web of life.
If Earth winds up a giant ocean of jellyfish, then, well - great for the jellyfish. Still a tragedy as far as I’m concerned.
Re: Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
#30“Climate crisis” is starting to become the laziest explanation for why anything unusual happens in this country. Are you telling me these birds never did their migration above forest fires? Tell us why it’s different.