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YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
31–40 of 43 posts
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#32IMO, looking for a high tech solution to a low tech problem is a dead end (possibly in the literal sense!) This is a human behavior problem. Consume less; ie growth at all costs is not a long term strategy for the planet. Don't define your happiness with things. I was reviewing the US tariff lists and was thinking, what if all these items were just completely unavailable forever? I couldn't find any examples in the l…
>The size of the “global middle class” will increase from 1.8 billion in 2009 to 3.2 billion by 2020 and 4.9 billion by 2030. The bulk of this growth will come from Asia: by 2030 Asia will represent 66% of the global middle-class population and 59% of middle-class consumption, compared to 28% and 23%, respectively in 2009, according to the figure below http://oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/3681/An_emerg... H…
Your comment contains one of the root causes of our problems but states it as a given and focuses on the consequences instead.
Population explosion is badly overlooked when looking at climate/environmental issues.
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#33Isn't the YC business model 1. get lots of users 2. sell user data when you start running out of money and realize your business model doesn't work? Not sure how this would apply to actual issues like climate change...
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#34FFS. The apotheosis of disaster capitalism. Fiddling while Rome burns while demanding a hefty appearance fee.
I agree that we're all kind of watching ourselves die a slow death, but at least they're putting their money where their mouth is. What do you think a reasonable thing for them to do is? Even if yc divested from every company they have a stake in and donated it to climate efforts, would that make a dent?
> What do you think a reasonable thing for them to do is?
I have a hard enough time figuring out what a reasonable thing for me to do is. Deconstruction is always the easy part. One thing we can be certain of at this stage is that 'startup' culture with its emphasis on catastrophic global entropy increase (ie. so-called 'economic growth') is a road to nowhere good.
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree that we're all kind of watching ourselves die a slow death, but at least they're putting their money where their mouth is. What do you think a reasonable thing for them to do is? Even if yc divested from every company they have a stake in and donated it to climate efforts, would that make a dent?
> What do you think a reasonable thing for them to do is? I have a hard enough time figuring out what a reasonable thing for me to do is. Deconstruction is always the easy part. One thing we can be certain of at this stage is that 'startup' culture with its emphasis on catastrophic global entropy increase (ie. so-called 'economic growth') is a road to nowhere good.
You can go carbon-neutral yourself. It’s not cheap, but it keeps getting cheaper over time. Then eliminate meat from your diet and reduce your plastic waste.
If everyone did that, the biggest problems would be solved. So that’s a reasonable thing for you to do.
Don’t fall for the learned helplessness encouraged by fossil fuel companies.
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#36The climate issues referred to in the title are possibly related to this Request for Startups, Carbon Removal Technologies: http://carbon.ycombinator.com/
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#37IMO, looking for a high tech solution to a low tech problem is a dead end (possibly in the literal sense!) This is a human behavior problem. Consume less; ie growth at all costs is not a long term strategy for the planet. Don't define your happiness with things. I was reviewing the US tariff lists and was thinking, what if all these items were just completely unavailable forever? I couldn't find any examples in the l…
I agree that we shouldn't chase magical high tech solutions, but not for your reasons. We don't need high tech solutions, because we already have all necessary technology. It's just a matter of political will at this point. Wind, solar, batteries , electric cars, power-to-gas, home insulation, heat pumps; all this exists already. We just need to build a shitton of turbines and panels.
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The size of the “global middle class” will increase from 1.8 billion in 2009 to 3.2 billion by 2020 and 4.9 billion by 2030. The bulk of this growth will come from Asia: by 2030 Asia will represent 66% of the global middle-class population and 59% of middle-class consumption, compared to 28% and 23%, respectively in 2009, according to the figure below http://oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/3681/An_emerg... H…
I don't think it matters what anyone thinks. The reality will hit the poor hardest. Those of us who ignore the root causes, continue the same behaviors and expect different results, and look for some magical solution are culpable. I sincerely hope you are right and there is some wonderful tech solution to this. Meanwhile I am not buying land 90m from current sea levels.
It will hit the poor even harder if they dont have cheap reliable energy to grow more wealthy and secure themselves against the climate. Its always been a problem.
Re: YC Office Hours for Startups Tackling Climate Issues
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
> What do you think a reasonable thing for them to do is? I have a hard enough time figuring out what a reasonable thing for me to do is. Deconstruction is always the easy part. One thing we can be certain of at this stage is that 'startup' culture with its emphasis on catastrophic global entropy increase (ie. so-called 'economic growth') is a road to nowhere good.
You can go carbon-neutral yourself. It’s not cheap, but it keeps getting cheaper over time. Then eliminate meat from your diet and reduce your plastic waste. If everyone did that, the biggest problems would be solved. So that’s a reasonable thing for you to do. Don’t fall for the learned helplessness encouraged by fossil fuel companies.
> If everyone did that, the biggest problems would be solved
Any solution to a problem that starts 'If everyone did ...' is the deadest of expired ducks.
Global ecosystem collapse is a systems issue of vast complexity. While we need at a minimum to (1) take down capitalism and (2) explore social and 'economic' (scare quotes intended) alternatives, no-one really knows how to do these things. They're certainly far beyond my capacities to contemplate. This has little to do with 'fossil fuel companies'.