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Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

bbc.com

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Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#42
post #34

> Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity' What almost alarms me more than the thought of a climate apocalypse is that I don't think this (a UN report) is going to have any effect on the opinions of 40% of the public who see climate change as some kind of job destroying conspiracy. Nothing short of Florida disappearing under the sea is going to make any difference, perhaps we (as a species) don't deserv…

It seems fairly obvious that climate change is going to be solved before the bigger existential risks we face, which are for the most part unknowable or largely ignored. There are a lot of people working on climate change now, it's well established in the public's mind, and there are many incentives in place to accelerate solutions.

there are many incentives in place to accelerate solutions

I don't believe this to be true. If you look at the incentives currently in place they're well short of what could be considered the minimum recommendations of any of the previous reports.

This is not an indicator of a world that takes climate change seriously:

[Saudi oil giant Aramco sees profits soar by almost 300%] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58141607

Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#43
post #34

> Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity' What almost alarms me more than the thought of a climate apocalypse is that I don't think this (a UN report) is going to have any effect on the opinions of 40% of the public who see climate change as some kind of job destroying conspiracy. Nothing short of Florida disappearing under the sea is going to make any difference, perhaps we (as a species) don't deserv…

It seems fairly obvious that climate change is going to be solved before the bigger existential risks we face, which are for the most part unknowable or largely ignored. There are a lot of people working on climate change now, it's well established in the public's mind, and there are many incentives in place to accelerate solutions.

I presume this is missing a /s ?

Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#44

So now we can get rid of fast fashion, mandate reusability for products, reintroduce basic woodworking, metalcrafting and sewing/repair work in school and with that get rid of a huge chunk of the needless shipping? Or are we still going to go after individuals eating traditional food while thought leaders fly across the globe in private jets (no kidding) telling us we need to change our diet? PS: I'm already a enthus…

> cost cutting Do you mind elaborating more on this? Is it just a matter of consuming less == fewer costs?

Also buy higher quality products, ideally used instead of cheaper products new.

Repairing instead of throwing away.

Avoiding unnecessary consumption, choosing what I prioritize.

Edit, another: Thinking smart wrt transport, haven't used car to get to work since maybe 10 years ago.

Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#45
post #19

If some things "are irreversible on timescales of centuries to millennia" then really just going carbon neutral etc. sounds like a pretty weak approach as it would create costs now and large benefits only far in the future. Maybe this really needs geoengineering (and more spending on mitigation)?

Has any means of geoengineering been demonstrated as feasable? Given our track record, it would probably be best for us to scale back our consumption while promoting re-forestation. Nature can likely heal itself far better than our wildest geoengineering ambitions.

Yes, but it doesn’t mean carbon capture. The Netherlands cannot exist without geoengineering and more and more places are going to have to be building dikes and sea walls as flooding becomes a problem. Desalination would become more and more prevalent as we are dealing with droughts and we will likely have to engineer forests to be more resilient to forest fires by creating more and more clearings and other barriers to serve as firebreaks as well as planting new forests that may be less inducive to forest fires.

Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#46

> Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity' What almost alarms me more than the thought of a climate apocalypse is that I don't think this (a UN report) is going to have any effect on the opinions of 40% of the public who see climate change as some kind of job destroying conspiracy. Nothing short of Florida disappearing under the sea is going to make any difference, perhaps we (as a species) don't deserv…

Are these simulations public? Can I run see and run the code? Are all aspects taken into account that can affect the outcome, such as, Earth's magnetic field strength, activity of the Sun, shifting of magnetic poles?

Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#47
> But there is new hope that deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures.

How is this possible when you have water vapor in a positive feedback loop, which is a far more potent, prevalent ghg that increases with any rise in temperature.

"Water vapor reduction" has to be part of the message at this stage, not just carbon reduction.

Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#48
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has any means of geoengineering been demonstrated as feasable? Given our track record, it would probably be best for us to scale back our consumption while promoting re-forestation. Nature can likely heal itself far better than our wildest geoengineering ambitions.

Clearly feasible, as demonstrated by anthropogenic climate change. Going back to a different life style is an option, but will be strongly opposed by a lot of people (and not without justification). Planet was much hotter, much colder etc. So as a species we need to learn to cope and tackle this anyway, why not start now?

> Clearly feasible, as demonstrated by anthropogenic climate change.

No that only shows we can change the climate, not engineer it to best suit humanity.

Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

#50
post #40

If some things "are irreversible on timescales of centuries to millennia" then really just going carbon neutral etc. sounds like a pretty weak approach as it would create costs now and large benefits only far in the future. Maybe this really needs geoengineering (and more spending on mitigation)?

Mitigation spending will happen anyway, the focus rightfully should be on minimizing the need for mitigation. By all accounts mitigation costs more than carbon reduction, it is just spent later on. I suppose it all comes down to how much of the problem our generation wants to kick down the road. As for geoengineering. If you mean adding particles to cool the atmosphere, then this is a mitigation strategy (it doesn’t…

Not sure I understand your mitigation point: If it is already too hot in some areas or flooding gets extreme, people living there would probably want mitigation now, not later. And if this just happens in ten years, also need to start thinking about mitigation now.
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