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Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

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Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#111

Post by daxfohl »

pl-94 wrote: post #80

I know you'll hate what I say, but us, engineers, we are basically useless for the climate change. Maybe just harmful. We are trained to build a carbon intensive world. Our tools, our philosophy and our expectation require ssomehow more clusters hidden on a fancy new cloud architecture. Our optimization will be not compensated by the rebound effect. Personally, I am totally a part of it. My neural networks require 64…

I feel like I agree. And the dumb thing is that all our work does is make it more efficient for everyone to go about wrecking up our planet.

I mean, we think of PCs, internet, tech, as the start of a new revolution of efficiency, which sounds like a good thing. But this just makes consumerism so much easier: products are there when you want them to be, you can make hundreds of impulse purchases a day without leaving your home, etc., which is the demand source of all these problems.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#112

Post by bluedevil2k »

throwacherry wrote: post #107
bluedevil2k wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is SUCH a stupid comment, man. Not having a kid will do absolutely NOTHING to change long term climate change. You’re falling for the PR and lies of the big carbon producing industries that make you believe that you, as an individual, have any impact on climate change at all. You don’t. Sorry if that hurts your “I can change the world” attitude. Adopting a child is totally different than having your own kid(s) a…

1800: 1 billion people 2021: 8 billion 2050: 10 billion Resources are finite. The world is not only ours, what about the animals and plants? Are we giving them enough space to thrive? Killing them will kill us, and our children too. What PR and lies have you fallen for, to say individual actions don't matter? Actions have consequences. Each action is a vote. One vote doesn't matter, a lot of votes do. What are you vo…

Dow Jones in 1906: 14

Dow Jones in 2022: 34,000

Maybe the Dow Jones is causing climate change!

Countries participating in the Olympics in 1896: 27

Countries participating in the Olympic in 2021: 197

No wait, the Olympics are what’s causing climate change!

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#113

Post by itake »

bluedevil2k wrote: post #103
toomuchtodo wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The data shows children don't necessarily make life more fulfilling. https://ifstudies.org/blog/does-having-children-make-people-... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5222535/ https://www.pnas.org/content/111/4/1328

I was framing it in the “I want to have a kid but won’t because I want to help stop climate change”. Those people will be un-fulfilled because their individual action will not have any effect on climate change, but would affect their life tremendously.

"I want to ___, but I won't because ____"

You can fill in the blanks with anything and still have a fulfilled life.

I want to be a billion, but I won't because I'm poor.

I want to travel to 100 countries, but I won't because climate change and lack of time.

I want to eat steak every night, but I won't because climate change and impact to my health.

These compromises don't make me unable to have a fulfilling life.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#114

Post by daxfohl »

Petition for reducing the national debt. As I see it, this money eventually gets turned into carbon in some way or other. This means you may need to let go of some special interests, no matter which side you're on.

But additionally I'd say it's something that conservatives and liberals can agree on. We'll disagree on what to cut, but I think lots of people see the national debt as a problem. To make any dent in this whole thing we'll need support from both sides. It's no help to communicate in an echo chamber.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#115

Post by foundron »

bluedevil2k wrote: post #112
throwacherry wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1800: 1 billion people 2021: 8 billion 2050: 10 billion Resources are finite. The world is not only ours, what about the animals and plants? Are we giving them enough space to thrive? Killing them will kill us, and our children too. What PR and lies have you fallen for, to say individual actions don't matter? Actions have consequences. Each action is a vote. One vote doesn't matter, a lot of votes do. What are you vo…

Dow Jones in 1906: 14 Dow Jones in 2022: 34,000 Maybe the Dow Jones is causing climate change! Countries participating in the Olympics in 1896: 27 Countries participating in the Olympic in 2021: 197 No wait, the Olympics are what’s causing climate change!

Oh wow you're right! Fossil-fueled industrialisation and athletes jetting around to participate in sporting events have released more carbon into the air, contributing to climate change! This is such an eye-opening insight!

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#116

Post by jazzyjackson »

quinndexter wrote: post #95
jazzyjackson wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> how does that happen except at an individual level I can see changing subsidies around to make meat more expensive as a matter of public policy being more effective at changing individual behavior than trying to convince them on moral grounds.

And I can see making meat a luxury item only attainable by the wealthy having... unintended consequences.

It's not like meat was always cheap, it probably does more harm than good from a public health standpoint. In countries without subsidized steak people just have a different diet, use the meat for flavor, not calories.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#117

Post by AzzieElbab »

andrewljohnson wrote: post #9

Ignore the crunchy comments saying don't eat meat, don't have kids, and don't drive. You have no impact as a consumer or influencer. What you can do is: * a) find someone working on climate change, and help write software for them part-time as a volunteer * b) brainstorm an idea for a site/app, and build it yourself (and of course post it to HN) * c) quit your job, join an organization focused on climate change, and…

10 to 1 the person you will be helping will get you to develop software that tells everyone not to eat meat and not to have kids. There are very few serious people in climate science.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#118

Post by anm89 »

foundron wrote: post #71
anm89 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True but nobody wants to hear it. Hell of a lot more effective than punishing yourself to reduce global meat consumption by .00000001% . Or just come to terms with the fact that for good or bad you just don't matter and try to live your life without doing unnecessary excessive harm.

It is not punishing to stop eating animals. It may seem that way if you're not used to it, but it is a fulfilling and healthy way to live with compassion for our planet and fellow living beings; who have consciousness, personality, love for their families and desire to live just like us. Yes it is not effective if you're the only one in the world doing it, but it has always been about convincing others to drastically…

I respect people who choose not to eat meat. It doesn't affect me at all. To me it would certainly be punishing myself though.

But you aren't going to convince me that it's fixing any problem.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#119

Post by bluedevil2k »

itake wrote: post #113
bluedevil2k wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was framing it in the “I want to have a kid but won’t because I want to help stop climate change”. Those people will be un-fulfilled because their individual action will not have any effect on climate change, but would affect their life tremendously.

"I want to ___, but I won't because ____" You can fill in the blanks with anything and still have a fulfilled life. I want to be a billion, but I won't because I'm poor. I want to travel to 100 countries, but I won't because climate change and lack of time. I want to eat steak every night, but I won't because climate change and impact to my health. These compromises don't make me unable to have a fulfilling life.

If you want to visit 100 countries and don't, then part of you is unfulfilled. Otherwise you didn't really want to do that. And go ahead and visit them...you traveling to 100 countries won't stop the climate crisis one iota, and would actually probably help it by spreading your money around the world where people can put it to better use.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do to actively fight climate change?

#120

Post by andrewljohnson »

AzzieElbab wrote: post #117
andrewljohnson wrote: post #9

Ignore the crunchy comments saying don't eat meat, don't have kids, and don't drive. You have no impact as a consumer or influencer. What you can do is: * a) find someone working on climate change, and help write software for them part-time as a volunteer * b) brainstorm an idea for a site/app, and build it yourself (and of course post it to HN) * c) quit your job, join an organization focused on climate change, and…

10 to 1 the person you will be helping will get you to develop software that tells everyone not to eat meat and not to have kids. There are very few serious people in climate science.

Getting people not to eat heavy-carbon-usage-meat at scale might be impactful... like found a lab meat company or something.

I just don't think being a vegetarian has impact... it's something you do to keep consistent with your worldview or morality, not to mitigate climate change.

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