Live data from Hacker News

Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

resilience.org

201–210 of 356 posts

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is not the only solution though. There are several choices we can make, but only we choose not to. Simplifying everything to just nuclear power is nonsense.

Except nuclear is the safest, cleanest form of energy we have and it's also zero-carbon and renewable. We know it would solve the problem and we really don't know what else would so why not?

I, and many other, know what you are saying but the community is not aware of any of this. After the serious incidents people are still not turning their faces to the nuclear. Teaching is not a right word to use in this situation, however I think the governments should do whatever they can do. Fo example, the social media accounts of Department of Energy, Us doing good for a while.

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TL;DR the sun is expected to continue brightening, and that's likely to cause the end the carbonate-silicate cycle in a few hundred million years, which will mean the end of photosynthesis soon (for geological values of "soon") after that starts to grind to a halt. The end of photosynthesis means the end of large, complex life-forms on earth, permanently, forever, never to return. This means that the practical end of…

Personally I think you are underestimating evolution - we can fix carbon in other ways, but I agree life will be dramatically different.

It isn't the poster who's developed this theory. It's a matter of chemistry. It's possible life could persist, but we don't know of chemical processes that would make it possible, so we shouldn't expect that it can.

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not sure it is arrogant. Arrogant would be saying we have some divine right or special capacity that places us at the center of this. I think we’ve gotten incredibly lucky in the last 600 years or so and have stumbled our way into a viable exit strategy for life on our planet. We don’t necessarily deserve this role. I think I’m well aligned that keeping life alive for the next few thousand years is absolutely nec…

Oh, I certainly disagree with people who put the environment above humans. But usually I just discount such people - they "are not serious people." > my friends adopt a “humans were a mistake” mindset over the past decade. This is an edgy take that I see increasingly adopted by young people in cities. Generally I try to recenter around "okay, if humans are a mistake, who would you like to kill first?" People find it…

It's just stupid Nihilism in an attempt to seem cool. It's putting lipstick on the pig of just sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the problem. There's a lot of money in ignoring the problem, so a lot of pressure by certain groups to do so.

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#204
post #3

I’m not sure what’s the point of focusing on 1.5C anymore. I think the writing on the wall is pretty clear that we’re going to double that at least. Barring any miracle in carbon sequestration technology anyway. I hope we get a miracle.

Our kids, who will shoulder far more of the effects of this than us, didn't get to choose this. This is their inheritance, generations of neglect for the environment and rampant profiteering culminating in a climate catastrophe.

Our kids will also inherit all of the amazing technologies and scientific advances that were developed as a result of cheap, abundant energy. It is a tradeoff and climate change is a solvable problem.

It’s easy and comforting to spout predictions of the apocalypse, but realistically speaking, things will be okay.

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#205
post #9

One eye-opening fact I recently learned is that fossil fuel infrastructure being built today is expected to have a three-decade lifespan, after completion of its construction. So every time you hear about a new pipeline, drilling project, or refinery being built you know that the people sitting in the rooms authorizing billions of dollars being allocated to the project all believe it will safely be operating and prod…

> One eye-opening fact I recently learned is that fossil fuel infrastructure being built today is expected to have a three-decade lifespan

Same thing goes for innovation. For instance, the first nuclear power plants are from the 50s. 70 years later nuclear energy powers only 10% of electricity in the world (and electricity provides only a fraction of our energy needs).

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#206

For all of the shellacking the fossil fuel industry gets (rightfully so), they have signalled several times that they are willing to transition to lower productions and higher prices and even into green energy. In 2016 oil companies spent the least amount on oil discovery in over 70 years ! It was only after extreme political pressure that oil companies were basically forced into re-expanding capacity again. The mark…

If we're not at peak oil, we're close to it.

[deleted]

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How about we aim for an achievable goal instead. What’s the point of setting ourselves up for failure? That’s part of effective goal setting. Anything else is fantasy and counterproductive.

I think most of us would be fine with an "achievable goal" but that's not really what you asked for or proposed in your first comment and most of the people who say something like "I’m not sure what’s the point of focusing on 1.5C anymore" aren't offering new goals as much as they are throwing up their hands and essentially saying "oh well, what are you going to do". I'm not saying you think that way but that's the p…

An achievable goal is exactly what I’m asking for. That’s part of effective goal setting. Anything else is fantasy and counterproductive.

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Our kids, who will shoulder far more of the effects of this than us, didn't get to choose this. This is their inheritance, generations of neglect for the environment and rampant profiteering culminating in a climate catastrophe.

I'm not having kids - I'm already shouldering all the terrible decisions of my parents and their parents.

[flagged]

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#209
post #12

Does anyone have recommendations for good reading on this subject? What this means for combustion engines as a whole? I am trying to imagine where the push for clean energy will lead. I am fully on team green but I think the switch happened too late. I feel like there is a future where you have a large percent of the population (at least in the US) where EVs are too expensive to afford the monthly payment/up front pa…

IMO What we're consistently failing to see is that necessity is the mother of invention. Mankind has summoned seemingly unfathomable ingenuity and effort in response to dire need. It seems it will be Gen Alpha/Beta who will have their "ww2 moment" but in response to existential threat from Environmental and second order societal collapse. Likely changes will include mass adoption of nuclear (potentially including Fus…

>It clearly wont be the end of mankind, just mankind as we currently experience it.

Cold comfort if the new experience will be an economic crash and global food shortage. And you're assuming that, once things are terrible enough that political and economic powers can no longer ignore climate change, there will still be available solutions to have something better than a life of war and hunger.

Cities have fallen to disasters throughout history (easy example is Pompeii). Cultures vanish. The only reason anyone's still around to talk about it is because natural disasters, wars, and human errors have largely been localized. Climate change won't be.

Re: Shell admits 1.5C climate goal means immediate end to fossil fuel growth

#210
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is low hanging fruit to get every country in the world to agree to outlaw private jet travel!? How ridiculous. The US can't even pass basic legislation to stop schools from getting shot up once a week, but this is low hanging fruit??? Ok...

Yes, it's a fair bit easier than that mess.

It is easier than passing laws that are economic carrots to promote electrifying cars and building new green energy sources of power?

No. It clearly isn't and will just become a culture war issue that doesn't even matter.

Post reply on HN