Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

propublica.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 84 posts

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#61

Post by addicted »

gnicholas wrote: post #32
Udik wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> India and parts of Africa have the worst problems. So much so that Africa's population is projected to increase by 1 billion, doubling in the next 30 years. Any environmentalist would like to elucidate us on the consequences of this? Those who are worried about the impact of climate change on water availability or conflicts might want to have a word about the consequences of adding 1 billion people in 30 years in t…

I went to a TED talk at UNGA week a few years ago, and the presenter talked about various things that can be done to limit climate change. At the top of the list was women's education/empowerment. This got a lot of applause from the audience, who were excited to clap for preventing climate change and empowering women at the same time. The presenter did briefly mention the reason that these two laudable goals coincide…

Your presenter is obviously wrong.

The US ans Europe with far smaller populations have significantly greater climate footprints than China and India, for example. And that’s before we adjust for the fact that a lot of China’s footprint is US/European footprint outsourced to China.

Indians having fewer kids will do nothing to reduce the already too large impact of the existing US/European populations.

Also the idea that women empowerment will help with reducing kids is decades old. If your audience was surprised by this, then they are clearly not well versed in any related topics.

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#62

Post by addicted »

Traubenfuchs wrote: post #38

And yet he had children. Having just one child increases your climate footprint beyond your control -even if it's zero otherwise. Besides that, beyond his (outdoor toilet & food) masochism he is a massive hypocrite like EVERY SINGLE person that publicly whines about climate change: Unibody macbook, car, christmas lights, another macbook, iPhone, wait a second... is this a god damn amazon box in the background? Yes it…

The reality is that they can achieve a better footprint by simply packing their bags and moving back to Manhattan.

Livein in an apartment instead of a house with a backyard, and largely using public transport on a daily basis will do far more to reduce their carbon output than the steps they’ve taken.

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#63

Post by hyko »

mbgerring wrote: post #31

Every month I go into The Who Is Hiring thread and Ctrl-F for “climate,” “energy,” and “carbon” and almost never turn anything up. I’ve been part of this community for something like ten years and I know many people on here to be extremely shrewd and intelligent, and yet, over and over again, I see people who don’t understand the scale of climate change at all, nor the scale of the opportunity involved in transitioni…

Climate change is too big an issue to be solved by entrepreneurs. We have to create a business environment where climate solutions can be unambiguous economic winners, which is the job of government.

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#64

Post by hyko »

Traubenfuchs wrote: post #38

And yet he had children. Having just one child increases your climate footprint beyond your control -even if it's zero otherwise. Besides that, beyond his (outdoor toilet & food) masochism he is a massive hypocrite like EVERY SINGLE person that publicly whines about climate change: Unibody macbook, car, christmas lights, another macbook, iPhone, wait a second... is this a god damn amazon box in the background? Yes it…

Having just one child increases your climate footprint beyond your control

Unless they invent a cheap fusion reactor. People don’t just produce pollution; they produce ideas as well.

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#65

Post by blub »

mbgerring wrote: post #31

Every month I go into The Who Is Hiring thread and Ctrl-F for “climate,” “energy,” and “carbon” and almost never turn anything up. I’ve been part of this community for something like ten years and I know many people on here to be extremely shrewd and intelligent, and yet, over and over again, I see people who don’t understand the scale of climate change at all, nor the scale of the opportunity involved in transitioni…

It seems that this attitude bordering on delusion of being able to change the world for the better is a defining feature of entrepreneurs.

I'd say it's the entrepreneurs which are crazier, even if some of them at least succeed at changing the world and only a tiny subset for the better.

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#66

Post by fsflover »

hyko wrote: post #64
Traubenfuchs wrote: post #38

And yet he had children. Having just one child increases your climate footprint beyond your control -even if it's zero otherwise. Besides that, beyond his (outdoor toilet & food) masochism he is a massive hypocrite like EVERY SINGLE person that publicly whines about climate change: Unibody macbook, car, christmas lights, another macbook, iPhone, wait a second... is this a god damn amazon box in the background? Yes it…

Having just one child increases your climate footprint beyond your control Unless they invent a cheap fusion reactor. People don’t just produce pollution; they produce ideas as well.

It will take at least 30 years for a child to invent a fusion reactor. It will be too late.

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#67

Post by MagnumOpus »

addicted wrote: post #61
gnicholas wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went to a TED talk at UNGA week a few years ago, and the presenter talked about various things that can be done to limit climate change. At the top of the list was women's education/empowerment. This got a lot of applause from the audience, who were excited to clap for preventing climate change and empowering women at the same time. The presenter did briefly mention the reason that these two laudable goals coincide…

Your presenter is obviously wrong. The US ans Europe with far smaller populations have significantly greater climate footprints than China and India, for example. And that’s before we adjust for the fact that a lot of China’s footprint is US/European footprint outsourced to China. Indians having fewer kids will do nothing to reduce the already too large impact of the existing US/European populations. Also the idea th…

> The US ans Europe with far smaller populations have significantly greater climate footprints than China

That was true twenty years ago. After two decades of decarbonisation in the west and the opposite in China, China emits far more CO2 than the US and the EU taken together.

And even per capita, China has been emitting more than the EU for the last 5 years or more. (Yes, the US emissions per capita are still ridiculous.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_di...

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#68

Post by fsflover »

morgengold wrote: post #58

Although I have no doubt climate change is happening and bad, I have big problems generating an emotional response that leads to action. Is there any website, that explicitly lists the consequences that will punch me in the face?

I recommend Our Planet series from Netflix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aETNYyrqNYE&list=PL7rb3uMaYm....

Also this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change#Impacts

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#69

Post by Udik »

kumarvvr wrote: post #41
Udik wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> India and parts of Africa have the worst problems. So much so that Africa's population is projected to increase by 1 billion, doubling in the next 30 years. Any environmentalist would like to elucidate us on the consequences of this? Those who are worried about the impact of climate change on water availability or conflicts might want to have a word about the consequences of adding 1 billion people in 30 years in t…

Per-capita pollution in America is the highest in the world. 1 American produces 16.5 tons of CO2 on average, 40 times of that of Uganda, Rwanda, Chad & Somalia combined America has about 330 million people. Convert that into a population normalized for polluting capacity, it's population will be Billions. It's time developed countries take responsibility and lead in tackling climate change. Because they are responsi…

My point is that if you are worried- or tell me to worry- about climate change because of the negative impacts it's going to have on societies (especially the poorest ones) because of how it affects basic resources (water, agricultural yields) causing conflicts and migrations, then you should be much more worried about the direct impacts of a doubling of population in those societies.

Instead you measure the impact of climate change in terms of negative impacts on society, but when you are put in front of something else that has huge, obvious and direct negative effects on those same metrics, then you seem only interested in how it affects climate change!

Ah, and as an aside: sure, one billion more Africans are no problem for the climate, as long as they remain shit poor. I assume you have a plan to ensure that too, in the next thirty years.

Re: The Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Can Imagine. Here’s What Happens If You Try

#70

Post by hyko »

fsflover wrote: post #66
hyko wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having just one child increases your climate footprint beyond your control Unless they invent a cheap fusion reactor. People don’t just produce pollution; they produce ideas as well.

It will take at least 30 years for a child to invent a fusion reactor. It will be too late.

Says who? The need for clean and plentiful energy supplies will likely be greater in 2051 than 2021. It’s not like we’re going to turn them down because ‘it’s too late’.

Besides, a child prodigy could probably come up with a design in something like 10-20 years!

Post reply on HN