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Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

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Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#91

Post by Timon3 »

nostrademons wrote: post #75
ryandrake wrote: post #11

Every time there's an article about climate change, it's always about how we're "close to the point of no return." It's felt like the Truck Almost Hitting The Pole GIF[1] for like 10 years now. Has anything actually gone past the point of no return? I'll almost be relieved when we're officially inevitably fucked... at least these "nearly there!" articles won't keep popping up. 1: https://tenor.com/view/truck-crash-te…

We already are officially inevitably fucked. If you corner a climate scientist in private and point out the real implications of their work, they might even admit it. The problem is you can't admit that we're officially inevitably fucked in public. If you did that, funding for climate science and climate mitigation would dry up, because there's nothing we can realistically do about it. Trust in governments would evap…

It's not quite this binary. Yes, we're fucked. But the less we do, the worse we're fucked. It's better to have a glimmer of hope and use that to unfuck what you can.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#92

Post by dleslie »

BurningFrog wrote: post #82
neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

The truth is that whatever you or I do personally has no effect at all globally on this. That's also true of hundreds of global and international problems. The best approach is to accept that which you cannot change.

That's really not true, and we have the largest experiment on collective behaviour in history to show this. COVID lockdowns had an _enormous_ impact on carbon emissions.

Everyone should fight to WFH, even if you hate it, because the benefit to reducing carbon emissions is known and significant.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#93

Post by anonyfox »

And still here we are, and no one yet has found an effective argument that convinces people that: yes, this climate catastrophe is real, on track to happen, and within our lifetime.

We, as humanity, know what causes it, why it happens, what can be done to stop it, and even a few things to revert parts of it. The knowledge is there. Scientists proved things. Engineers built stuff.

The literally only thing is that we are currently unable to stop this madness because of a lack of… motivation to do so.

There are numerous reasonings why this is the case, from inequality to geopolitics over profitmaximization up to straight out lying and denial. Many indeed have a point somewhere. It’s just that it doesn’t matter if they have a point - the global problem must be stopped, now.

Maybe… while many of us here on HN are busy prompt engineering AIs… could we use that momentum to craft arguments for every single person not willing to act for humanity?

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#94

Post by dleslie »

khaki54 wrote: post #27
neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

The best thing you can do in continue to innovate and build more efficient things. We can use that technology to stop wasting resources, stop pushing negative externalities to the environment, and rapidly bring the entirety of the planet out of abject poverty where they are more concerned about where dinner is coming from than their environment, local or global.

The most important innovation is behavioural: if we collectively stop travelling by ICE to a remote office, we can meaningfully and significantly reduce global emissions.

WFH isn't just a pandemic response measure, it's a climate change measure. We should all fight to WFH, even if we hate it, to reduce carbon emissions.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#95

Post by snozolli »

imwithstoopid wrote: post #57
snozolli wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

sorry no biking, rubber is an industrial process...you walk everywhere just like great grampa did This is ridiculous. If petroleum were used solely to produce bicycle tires and things like seals for appliances, the world would be unimaginably 'greener'. That entire list is just disingenuous, defeatist nonsense.

Nope. Get the best minds in the world together and ask for an action plan for salvaging climate within two generations...100% chance it will be some variation of "live like its 1880"

Get the best minds in the world together and ask them and they'll say you're talking out your ass.

See how useless that argument is?

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#96

Post by pferde »

foobarian wrote: post #19
nomel wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For reference, high tide where I am is ~20ft. Winter storms bring it up another 20. This will definitely require moving inland, but definitely not a “thanks for all the fish” scenario.

Yeah if anything you’ll have more access to fish now! sob

Not really, fish will die out soon after plankton goes, which won't be long...

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#97

Post by travisporter »

earthscienceman wrote: post #81
nostrademons wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We already are officially inevitably fucked. If you corner a climate scientist in private and point out the real implications of their work, they might even admit it. The problem is you can't admit that we're officially inevitably fucked in public. If you did that, funding for climate science and climate mitigation would dry up, because there's nothing we can realistically do about it. Trust in governments would evap…

I am a climate scientist that studies Greenland, can confirm: we're (not-even-inevitably but currently) fucked.

But it can get worse right? I mean before we become Venus

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#98

Post by andrewstuart »

The truth is the human race can do nothing about the pending environmental disaster.

Nothing has worked on a scale large enough to make any difference.

Greed and nationalism and small mindedness and selfishness and war prevent humanity from addressing its fate.

It's going to be nasty future for those who survive and this period will simply be the time in history in which humanity knew and did nothing.

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#99

Post by andrewstuart »

ryandrake wrote: post #11

Every time there's an article about climate change, it's always about how we're "close to the point of no return." It's felt like the Truck Almost Hitting The Pole GIF[1] for like 10 years now. Has anything actually gone past the point of no return? I'll almost be relieved when we're officially inevitably fucked... at least these "nearly there!" articles won't keep popping up. 1: https://tenor.com/view/truck-crash-te…

Have you missed the events of the past few years?

The droughts, the floods, the fires?

Re: Greenland ice sheet is close to a melting point of no return

#100

Post by globular-toast »

neerd wrote: post #10

Does anyone have suggestions for how an individual can feel like they’re actually doing something. I already make donations to organizations that advocate for climate activism, vote at local and national level for candidates what support climate action, and in my own live I try to be conscious about the environment impacts or my lifestyle and purchases. Despite all that I still feel like I'm changing nothing. I still…

Not having children is the best thing you can do.
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