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Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
51–60 of 62 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Either we change how we live or we’re fucked. And from what I’ve seen, people don’t mind being fucked tomorrow as long as they’re OK today. Even better if they can be OK-ish tomorrow as long as somebody else gets fucked worse. Do you really truly believe that there’s going to be a magic climate change solution that allows the developed world to continue living the way it has?
There is a 'magic climate change solution' it's called 'Nuclear Energy'. We can cleanly provide for our energy needs for the next 10000 years no problem. It just requires conscientious and organized behaviour on our part. Obviously there are questions as to how well, as a human race, we are organized ... but we can 100% do it, right now. We just have to get a long and act responsibly.
> We just have to get along and act responsibly
This is the magic climate change solution. You're yada-yada'ing over the part that is going to be all but impossible.
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is a 'magic climate change solution' it's called 'Nuclear Energy'. We can cleanly provide for our energy needs for the next 10000 years no problem. It just requires conscientious and organized behaviour on our part. Obviously there are questions as to how well, as a human race, we are organized ... but we can 100% do it, right now. We just have to get a long and act responsibly.
> We just have to get along and act responsibly This is the magic climate change solution. You're yada-yada'ing over the part that is going to be all but impossible.
I'm not yada-yada-ing.
We already have huge networks of Nuclear reactors.
France is 85% Nuclear.
The entire Western world could be within a decade.
Do you think we've retrograded and lost our ability to 'do stuff'?
Maybe politically, but not materially.
We know exactly what to do and there are no material barriers to fairly widespread Nuclear Adoption, it just takes a bit of political will.
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
You must be young? You do remember when France is 85% Nuclear and they built out their entire national infrastructure very quickly. Or as part of 'cultural memory'? I'm too young, but I remember people talking about it. We could literally build those identical, 1960's style designs if we absolutely had to. Of course, we'd build something a little more modern, even just a little more modern Canadian CANDU reactors wou…
> You must be young? I wish. > You do remember when France is 85% Nuclear and they built out their entire national infrastructure very quickly. No, I don't remember it; I was a long way away and young. I still don't speak French. Yes, it's a bit sad that we can no longer do what a bunch of French bureaucrats with their 30-hour work weeks and 8-week vacances could do in the 1970s--even when we're desperate.
We could do it immediately.
We could literally copy their not-very-good designs if we had to.
Those plants are still effective and operational and provide a major economy with 85% (!!!) of their electricity.
They build them quickly and it's worked out fine.
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#55Firstly, audit your emissions and make some changes for the easy wins. You can make large savings without committing to 0 children, 0 meat, 0 petrol cars. Next, act horizontally: help other reduce their emissions. Repeat. Stay ahead of the curve to avoid hypocrisy. As a technologist, you have lots of options to help horizontally. Technology will play a role in mitigating climate change, and it's not ready yet. * Prof…
I love this approach and think you're totally right:
> Err towards action over picking the perfect project.
Lots of really cool ideas here. Thanks for posting all of them - I really appreciate it :)
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
> We just have to get along and act responsibly This is the magic climate change solution. You're yada-yada'ing over the part that is going to be all but impossible.
I'm not yada-yada-ing. We already have huge networks of Nuclear reactors. France is 85% Nuclear. The entire Western world could be within a decade. Do you think we've retrograded and lost our ability to 'do stuff'? Maybe politically, but not materially. We know exactly what to do and there are no material barriers to fairly widespread Nuclear Adoption, it just takes a bit of political will.
> The entire Western world could be within a decade.
The political capital and will to accomplish what you're describing is absolutely enormous. That's the hard part.
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
> We just have to get along and act responsibly This is the magic climate change solution. You're yada-yada'ing over the part that is going to be all but impossible.
I'm not yada-yada-ing. We already have huge networks of Nuclear reactors. France is 85% Nuclear. The entire Western world could be within a decade. Do you think we've retrograded and lost our ability to 'do stuff'? Maybe politically, but not materially. We know exactly what to do and there are no material barriers to fairly widespread Nuclear Adoption, it just takes a bit of political will.
> The entire Western world could be within a decade.
It could be, but it's unlikely to be. People in Germany and Japan are quite opposed. In the US, it doesn't make economic sense. Not going to make it to 85% of the western world without those countries on board, even if you don't consider Japan to be in the west.
Regardless of the merits, people don't want these generators near them, and there's not a lot of site options that are close to transmission lines and other important needs, but not close to people.
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#58I faced the same question and ended joining a climate-tech company (www.carbometrix.com). There are plenty of tech jobs in the climate tech, you can read Climate Tech VC newsletter - they have a good job board. DM me if you want to discuss the subject.
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#59Firstly, audit your emissions and make some changes for the easy wins. You can make large savings without committing to 0 children, 0 meat, 0 petrol cars. Next, act horizontally: help other reduce their emissions. Repeat. Stay ahead of the curve to avoid hypocrisy. As a technologist, you have lots of options to help horizontally. Technology will play a role in mitigating climate change, and it's not ready yet. * Prof…
If one moves towards net zero emissions as my country is doing it doesn't matter how much energy you consume.
This wierd self flagellation is not necessary. Nor will it have any appreciable impact on global climate
Re: Ask HN: How can I, a programmer, help with the fight against climate change?
#60Firstly, audit your emissions and make some changes for the easy wins. You can make large savings without committing to 0 children, 0 meat, 0 petrol cars. Next, act horizontally: help other reduce their emissions. Repeat. Stay ahead of the curve to avoid hypocrisy. As a technologist, you have lots of options to help horizontally. Technology will play a role in mitigating climate change, and it's not ready yet. * Prof…
If one moves towards net zero emissions as my country is doing it doesn't matter how much energy you consume. This wierd self flagellation is not necessary. Nor will it have any appreciable impact on global climate
> If one moves towards net zero emissions as my country is doing it doesn't matter how much energy you consume.
No citations or justification?
Looks like you're from the UK.
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_mackay_a_reality_check_on_re... is a talk by the UK's (ex) chief science advisor on climate change discussing that demand for energy will have to drop a lot, based on the energy sources that the UK can use.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/15/food-str... was a recent UK gov report suggesting dropping meat consumption, or self flagellation as you might call it.
Climate change is being solved, but requires effort across various disciplines.