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

I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

youtube.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

431–440 of 884 posts

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#431

Post by layer8 »

jdthedisciple wrote: post #369
layer8 wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The majority of Earth's population would like to have that standard of living and strives for it.

There is a difference between striving for basic amenities like clean water, healthy food etc, and the luxury of ordering vanities off Amazon every other day.. Not everyone desires the latter, yet it appears to be the much more environmentally impactful one at least at scale..

I would argue that the majority of people do want conveniences like the latter example you give. The "American Dream", if you will.

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#432

Post by paulcole »

jhoechtl wrote: post #249
pk-protect-ai wrote: post #145

I no longer worry. I'm extremely pessimistic about the impending climate change. I believe Sabine isn't pessimistic enough about what to anticipate. Consider the tundra methane emissions and the explosive release of methane-hydrates from the oceans, along with water vapor, a potent greenhouse gas. The disaster looming over all ecosystems (a mass extinction event) that will happen in decades and the doom-phase could l…

I am glad that I survived oil outage, sour rain, the Ozone hole, mass famine because of overpopulation. All in a lifetime. I must have had sheer luck.

Also you’re in what, likely the top 10-20% of the wealthiest people on Earth?

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#433

Post by jmfldn »

CalRobert wrote: post #208
vasco wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think extreme doomers like this create a shitty world to live in where you're surrounded by people that adopted an extreme "nothing matters the world is doomed soon" perspective that is depressing.

Ok, but are they wrong?

They might be wrong. And since they might be, and we have a chance to mitigate things somewhat, doom is not a useful response. It is paralysing.

Imagine fighting a war. If you and your fellow troops believe you will definitely lose, what happens to morale and the outcome? Morale collapses and you create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The situation is serious but extreme doom predictions are the outlier in all credible models.

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#434

Post by mensetmanusman »

dieortin wrote: post #417
hiAndrewQuinn wrote: post #328

I never worried particularly much about climate change, but just to hedge my bets for my kids I moved to northern Europe. For the most part it's just equated to milder (= bearable) Winters and nicer summers up here. I guess we also spend a fair bit on moving to renewables up here - Finland achieved energy self sufficiency last year thanks to a good combination of nuclear + solar + hydro. If I were an ideologue in eit…

Electricity prices did not go negative because of nuclear.

In a way, yes they did.

If your energy infrastructure has a significant amount of nuclear, and your solar power is over-producing during the day, it is cheaper to have negative energy prices than to shut down the nuclear plant.

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#435

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

hiAndrewQuinn wrote: post #328

I never worried particularly much about climate change, but just to hedge my bets for my kids I moved to northern Europe. For the most part it's just equated to milder (= bearable) Winters and nicer summers up here. I guess we also spend a fair bit on moving to renewables up here - Finland achieved energy self sufficiency last year thanks to a good combination of nuclear + solar + hydro. If I were an ideologue in eit…

Finland has a nasty neighbor.

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#436

Post by paulcole »

vasco wrote: post #170
pk-protect-ai wrote: post #145

I no longer worry. I'm extremely pessimistic about the impending climate change. I believe Sabine isn't pessimistic enough about what to anticipate. Consider the tundra methane emissions and the explosive release of methane-hydrates from the oceans, along with water vapor, a potent greenhouse gas. The disaster looming over all ecosystems (a mass extinction event) that will happen in decades and the doom-phase could l…

I think extreme doomers like this create a shitty world to live in where you're surrounded by people that adopted an extreme "nothing matters the world is doomed soon" perspective that is depressing.

It’s funny how tech bros pretend to be ultra-rational about anything they like to think about and “oh just look on the bright side” on the things that makes them a little sad.

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#437

Post by acidioxide »

lozenge wrote: post #246
guyomes wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I believe that overpopulation is the root of the sustainability crisis This has been studied long time ago by scientists such as Alfred Sauvy [1], who concluded that overpopulation is not the cause of sustainability crisis, and that greenhouse gas is the major cause. In particular, limiting the growth of population has few impact on the production of greenhouse gas, whereas changing the means of energy production a…

Sustainable means different things to different people. In a simulator, could you have 12 billion people with their needs met, living fulfilled lives and continuing into the far future? Yes. Is there a political and practical way to reach that state? No. "One study estimates it would take just over 5 Earths to support the human population if everyone’s consumption patterns were similar to the average American." Any U…

We don't need another tax to make another commodity available only to the richest, but a change in culture that above all prioritizes consumption.

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#438

Post by sgt101 »

ephemeral-life wrote: post #283
sgt101 wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From my observations the current rightwing meme is that women in rich countries haven't had sufficient numbers of children and measures to drive increased population should be put in place. This is congruent with removing women's bodily autonomy, banning abortion and banning or restricting birth control of all types.

I have never in my life seen or heard anyone advocating for less use of birth control. This might be an N=1 scenario, but my bullshit'o-meter is tingling a bit. The people I know on the right have nothing against birth control. They are just against abortion exept for exceptional circuimstances, because by that point the relevant parties had their chance with birth control. To them, abortion shouldn't be an escape ha…

Err - have you heard of a fella called "His Holiness The Pope"? Here is a recent summary of remarks made recently [1].

'On the subject of birth control, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception).”

St. Paul VI issued Humanae Vitae, the landmark encyclical reaffirming Church teaching against contraception, on July 25, 1968.

In the encyclical, Paul VI warned of serious social consequences if the widespread use of contraceptives became accepted. He predicted that it would lead to infidelity, the lowering of morality, a loss of respect for women, and the belief that humans have “unlimited dominion” over the body.'

Now, mainstream Catholics are relatively moderate in terms of many modern political positions, but I hope that the fact of approximately 1bn people adopting and affirming this position establishes that my assertion isn't bullshit. Beyond Catholics I think that the "true right" (someone help me please) have many folks (often with undercuts, wild eyes and tattoo's that they regret only because if they are discovered they will disqualify them from public life) who have far stronger views. To find out about these people (I will restrain myself from more powerful descriptions of them) please investigate the "tradwife" [3] and "incel" [2] movements.

[1]https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251920/pope-francis-...

[2] https://theconversation.com/incel-violence-is-a-form-of-extr...

[3] https://jezebel.com/trad-wife-wellness-influencers-are-tryin...

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#439

Post by flir »

_y5hn wrote: post #307
flir wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a good chance that the sudden bump in sea surface temperature is a consequence of us cleaning up marine diesel. Which is at least interesting, because it suggests we were doing geoengineering without even knowing it. (Random thought: what's the sulphur content of automotive diesel? I know it's cleaner, but there are so many more cars than boats. Could we see another sea surface temperature bump as we phase ou…

It could be that (removing sulphur from shipping fuel): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/01/shipping... It could be the underwater Tonga volcano erruption, which put alot of water into the atmosphere. Water is also a GHG. https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/tonga-er... It could be El Nino part of the ENSO-cycle in addition. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/08/1181086972/el-nino-has-offici..…

No useful comment, except to say I thought that was a great response. Thoughtful and detailed despite being an extended "it's complicated". My ignorance feels much better informed ;)

Re: I used to not worry about climate change. Now I do [video]

#440

Post by baq »

goatlover wrote: post #344
ChatGTP wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the world has a way of finding its equilibrium. Which might mean the end of complex life forms like humans. The world does not equal civilisation.

What warming scenario on Earth would lead to the end of complex life forms? You realize that humans colonized most of the planet thousands of years ago with stone-aged technology, survived ice ages, lived in all sorts of climates? That the dinosaurs evolved on a world far warmer than we're likely to see? Complex life forms didn't all go extinct back then.

A snowball earth with a thin band of warm enough weather in the tropics is easier to survive on than an earth with 6 months of warm spring to tropical weather and 6 months of pitch black winter darkness.
Post reply on HN