Live data from Hacker News

It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

noaa.gov

301–310 of 578 posts

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#301
post #273

Shouldn't climate change have both negative and positive effects? For example, people don't want to live in the Rust Belt because the winters are too cold. Could the region's economic viability increase if winters get milder? In some places, climate change makes things worse for growing crops, makes people need to move out, or increases the probability of disasters. Everyone is talking about this. In other places, cl…

If the ocean temperature gets warm enough, it's hard to say what the climate will be in the rust belt. Basically, the natural circulation of water that cycles cold and warm water might stop -- leaving some places extremely cold.

The "AMOC" might stop, in other words. Maybe not? Let's hope. But is it worth the risk of pushing things so far that we might just find out?

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#302
post #8

Who still believes global warming does not exist? I am currently listening to audiobook of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (1998). It has a paragraph on global warming and trying to convince POTUS it is real. And POTUS not wanting to act on it because it would be too large economic drag on US. This book is almost quarter of century old.

I want to know what percentage of people overlap between anti-vaxxers, flat-earthers and climate deniers. Are they largely the same group or do we actually have disparate groups that think science is somehow just another religion?

Practically no one is a flat earther. Anti-vaxxers - maybe 2% of population. Again, not significant. Anti-mRNA - higher, maybe 20% with a portion of those just waiting to see.

Climate deniers - Depends how you define them.

I've been called that but my position is that it is happening, some of it is attributable to human activity, but it is not happening at a rate that we won't be able to adapt to.

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#303
Imagine an asteroid would be on trajectory to collide with earth in (say) 2025.

Possible order of hypothetical events:

1. Scientist discover the asteroid. Calculate risk of collision.

2. Asteroid comes closer, probability of impact is calculated as high.

3. People will start saying that we cannot let our economy be controlled by the specter of an asteroid.

4. The asteroid becomes visible. You can see it with your bare eyes.

5. Still people start claiming it's fake news: The scientists are lying, it's a great conspiracy, it's all just to control us all.

6. Destroying or diverting the asteroid is estimated to be so expensive that it will change our way of life.

7. Anti-Asteroid-Action demonstrations would start all over the planet, to protest any expensive actions against the asteroid.

8. News outlets will be asked to be keep the bias out of their reporting, because they would support "asteroid believers".

9. Countries will create treaties to stop the impact by 2030, or perhaps delay it to 2040.

10. Scientists report new data. Impact is certain. Models about consequences are increasingly accurate and dire.

11. These scientists are labeled as alarmists.

12. The rich countries refuse to take the financial burden, because they feel it's unfair.

13. Impact is now a few weeks away. Nothing happened. Nobody did anything.

Update: Layout and spelling.

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the deniers I know have shifted from it doesn't exist to either its not man made and just a natural cycle or it may actually be a good thing because plants like CO2 and warmth...

There is a severely underestimated group of religious people who think that only God controls the weather, His reasons for what he does with it are not for you to evaluate, and that saying that humans can change the weather is blasphemy. It's easy to make fun of, but the most direct experience that people have of a God who controls the universe would be the weather. These people need to be approached theologically; s…

> There is a severely underestimated group of religious people who think that only God controls the weather

There are also millions of ultra-fundamentalists who believe that we are presently living in the "end times" and in some cases doing things to attempt to bring about the end of civilization and final parts of the book of Revelations as quickly as possible. Or they simply don't care about environmental matters because they actually believe civilization and human life on earth will cease to exist in the next 50 years.

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#305

Reducing carbon emissions is no longer enough. Carbon removal is the only hope. YC is funding startups in this space: http://carbon.ycombinator.com/

Are there any publicly-traded companies/etfs/funds/prediction markets/whatever that a retail investor can invest in if they believe that carbon removal technology will play a significant role in the future?

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#306
post #83

Ok global warming is happening we know it for a long time. But is there a place somewhere that explain how could the world works without emitting too much co2, or any gaz which are problematic. How do we replace cars ? trucks ? how many people on earth is possible ? Can we have plane ? Boat ? How do we produce clothes, how do we have electricity at night ... I'm not asking to have a plan for everything, because this…

high level there's a two pronged path:

* Clean electricity generation (solar, wind, hydro with some sort of grid storage/distribution mechanism to handle when sun isn't shining/wind isn't blowing) and

* Electrification (EVs, non-gas heating)

> Can we have planes

Yes, at some point. Electric planes are being explored but have difficulties with battery weight. Another possibility is green hydrogen or perhaps some other yet-undiscovered energy source. Planes account for a relatively low percentage of global emissions (maybe 2% right now?) so this is not a priority

> Boats?

Yes -- electric pleasure crafts exist already. For long haul/shipping I'm not totally sure what's being worked on, but it certainly will be possible

> Clothing

Another space I'm not super familiar with. Again, it's important to remember that we need to focus on the heavy hitters, which currently are dirty electricity production (ie coal plants) and transportation (gas-powered cars)

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#307
post #8

Who still believes global warming does not exist? I am currently listening to audiobook of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (1998). It has a paragraph on global warming and trying to convince POTUS it is real. And POTUS not wanting to act on it because it would be too large economic drag on US. This book is almost quarter of century old.

Cosmos, both the book and the series, debuted in 1980. In it, Sagan warned of greenhouse effects

Al Gore was holding congressional hearings on climate change when he was first elected to Congress. In 1976. Environmental issues were the focus of his efforts during his Vice Presidency. From 1993 to 2001.

So. We're actually closer to 50 years.

It's not like we were not warned.

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#308

From Wikipedia: The climate of the Jurassic was generally warmer than that of present, by around 5 °C to 10 °C, with atmospheric carbon dioxide likely four times higher. Forests likely grew near the poles...

...and mammals were all 3" or smaller. Not a world we'd want to live in.

To be fair, mammals just appeared around that time, so no wonder.

Re: It’s official: July was Earth’s hottest month on record

#310
post #8

Who still believes global warming does not exist? I am currently listening to audiobook of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (1998). It has a paragraph on global warming and trying to convince POTUS it is real. And POTUS not wanting to act on it because it would be too large economic drag on US. This book is almost quarter of century old.

Most of the deniers I know have shifted from it doesn't exist to either its not man made and just a natural cycle or it may actually be a good thing because plants like CO2 and warmth...

If only we were a plant
Post reply on HN