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

ESA – Climate from Space

cfs.climate.esa.int

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–26 of 26 posts

Re: ESA – Climate from Space

#21

Post by newman555 »

earthscienceman wrote: post #20
newman555 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how frustrating it is for you to do what you do and know what you know? I only know the “common” knowledge about climate change and it makes me angry every time I think about what we know and where we’re still heading.

I'm fairly early in my career (read: youngish). And, truthfully, I'm very much having an existential crisis. I often wonder what the worth in studying the climate is. After all, we already have an extremely detailed understanding of the basics. Does refining our estimate of melt and other such issues, reducing the error bars, really contribute anything more to society? I'm not sure. It feels fruitless. But I recently…

thanks for replying. and I like the quote :-)

Re: ESA – Climate from Space

#22

Post by RobertoG »

BurningFrog wrote: post #13
gpa wrote: post #6

Perfect data visualization of the current environmental and climate challenges that is open to anyone. The current environmental issues we face are portrayed with "Data layers" and discussed with "Stories" beneath. Stories like this should reach mass media to raise public awareness. Before we can focus on the (final) outer space (frontier), we must first fix our inner (terrestrial) space (ship) with a priority. Or no…

> Before we can focus on the (final) outer space (frontier), we must first fix our inner (terrestrial) space (ship) with a priority. The idea that humanity can only do one thing at a time is both widespread, and absolutely bonkers! We're 7 billion different people!

More like 8 billion (next year).

Re: ESA – Climate from Space

#23

Post by epgui »

atoav wrote: post #15
BurningFrog wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Before we can focus on the (final) outer space (frontier), we must first fix our inner (terrestrial) space (ship) with a priority. The idea that humanity can only do one thing at a time is both widespread, and absolutely bonkers! We're 7 billion different people!

> We're 7 billion different people! Consider that it might in fact be harder to get 7 billion different people to do one thing than having them do 7 billion different things. If we can't manage to exist in balance with this perfectly fine planet we evolved on, what makes you think we are even prepared in the slightest to do so with a new planet which would very likely be the equivalent of playing earth in hardcore mo…

> Consider that it might in fact be harder to get 7 billion different people to do one thing than having them do 7 billion different things.

I don’t think that is the case: getting people to focus on fewer things is hard, while getting 7 billion people to focus on 700 million things is the status quo.

Re: ESA – Climate from Space

#24

Post by FooHentai »

earthscienceman wrote: post #20
newman555 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how frustrating it is for you to do what you do and know what you know? I only know the “common” knowledge about climate change and it makes me angry every time I think about what we know and where we’re still heading.

I'm fairly early in my career (read: youngish). And, truthfully, I'm very much having an existential crisis. I often wonder what the worth in studying the climate is. After all, we already have an extremely detailed understanding of the basics. Does refining our estimate of melt and other such issues, reducing the error bars, really contribute anything more to society? I'm not sure. It feels fruitless. But I recently…

>And, truthfully, I'm very much having an existential crisis. I often wonder what the worth in studying the climate is. After all, we already have an extremely detailed understanding of the basics.

This same line of thought is what turned me away from pursuing a degree/career in climate science. It feels like an area where you can make significant contributions to the analysis of impacts and gain greater understanding of the future direction things will take (and the rate), it'll be akin to shuffling deckchairs on the titanic in terms of being able to actually effect any meaningful change; since I was frustrated in my current career with a sense of futility I realized the move into climate would not be satisfying, as much as the topic was of interest.

Similarly with working in industry 'tackling' climate change. Pinning hope on technological advancements are (IMO) fundamentally flawed. Plus much of 'green' industry where the majority of jobs are to be fund amount to a thin veneer of PR for organizations that are significantly exacerbating the issue.

As an aside, how much stock do you put in the notion that the first Blue-Ocean Event will significantly ramp up the rate of change being felt globally?

Re: ESA – Climate from Space

#25

Post by ehnto »

Grim-444 wrote: post #17
ehnto wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counterpoint, if we can't make earth work, how are we expecting to make another planet work? It will be inconceivably harder to turn Mars into something hospitable than it would be to remedy our current planet. We have the science and knowledge we need to make drastic changes here, we are just disorganized and unwilling.

You're creating a false dichotomy that either we're staying on earth or trying to colonize mars, ignoring other options such as having a more capable presence in orbit for doing things like asteroid mining, which would supply the resources that the poster you're responding to mentioned.

No you are assuming I am against space exploration, I am not. I didn't create that dichotomy, the OP was suggesting earth is no longer suitable. To me at least they were implying colonization is our way forward. If anything my reply was more in line with what you are suggesting, fix our planet with what we have around us. Maybe that includes mining asteroids, space based research, maybe even power generation or transfer, living quarters supplied by the earth.

What I was saying was more of a challenge to our competence, if we can't pull off making earth work, with it's vast resources, and existing infrastructure, how could we move from earth in a meaningful way?

One example, OP suggests we have no room. We have heaps of room, it's just not arible or hospitable. Guess where else isn't arable or hospitable? Every other planet in our solar system! So they gave up on earth in their mind, in favour of somewhere even less hospitable

Re: ESA – Climate from Space

#26

Post by atoav »

epgui wrote: post #23
atoav wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We're 7 billion different people! Consider that it might in fact be harder to get 7 billion different people to do one thing than having them do 7 billion different things. If we can't manage to exist in balance with this perfectly fine planet we evolved on, what makes you think we are even prepared in the slightest to do so with a new planet which would very likely be the equivalent of playing earth in hardcore mo…

> Consider that it might in fact be harder to get 7 billion different people to do one thing than having them do 7 billion different things. I don’t think that is the case: getting people to focus on fewer things is hard, while getting 7 billion people to focus on 700 million things is the status quo.

Which is what I said?
Post reply on HN