Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards • Hacker News Board

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#351

Post by ptaipale » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 1:51 PM UTC

tgjsrkghruksd wrote: post #174

flashmob wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right. Household CO2 emissions are nothing compared to commercial / transport. Just look at airlines. As a random example, Qantas Airlines, in the 2015 financial year, burned $3.9 billion AUD worth fuel! (About $3 billion in USD). Source: page 15 of their annual report: http://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/corporateGovernanc...

Actually, you are be sorely wrong. Aviation is ~2% of human CO2 emission, and 12% of transport CO2 emission, versus 74% from roads. Judging from the streets and highways, most of that 74% is coming from household vehicles, and most of the rest is pretty much driven by household consumption.

The numbers seem to be very unreliable, though. Over here (Finland), reputable sources (such as WWF and State Statistics Center) give drastically different numbers for aviation emissions.

A reason could be that in some statistics, only domestic flights are included, and international aviation belongs to no one's statistics.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#352

Post by adrianN » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 1:55 PM UTC

vitro wrote: post #300

adrianN wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Humanity as a species won't end due to climate change. That's a ridiculous assertion. Full scale nuclear war probably couldn't wipe us out completely. Global warming can't either. Billions might die, but humanity will survive almost certainly.

If there is no air to breathe?

Nuclear power plant + hydrolysis: Oxygen for a couple of millennia.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

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Post by jonstewart » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:00 PM UTC

d_theorist wrote: post #279

mikelyons wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't trees the ultimate carbon-capture devices? They are solar powered, turn co2 into building materials, and require very little maintenance.

Not really. There's something called the "Forest Carbon Cycle". Forests do not statically capture carbon long term. They are constantly taking carbon in but also releasing it through the death of trees and through the soil. Trees can temporarily capture carbon, but ultimately it will be released again unless they are burned. They also take up a lot of space. [EDIT] I should probably clarify that I have nothing agains…

I would love to see engineered wood, like Cross-laminated timber, replace concrete as a structural building material.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#354

Post by adrianN » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:01 PM UTC

mindcrime wrote: post #276

imgabe wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trade-off: Humanity as a species ends. Which gadget do you feel is worth that?

Humanity as a species is going to end no matter what we do. Or do you have a solution for the heat death of the universe?

Let's solve our problems in the order they're likely to happen ;)

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

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Post by jbattle » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:02 PM UTC

PeterisP wrote: post #326

pizza wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, who needs nation-states when they're submerged under water and their populations decimated?

You'd obviously need to involve the first world countries for a meaningful impact on consumption. Please name a single first world nation-state that would be either submerged under water or have their population decimated (i.e. an expected casualty rate of 10%). I believe that even Netherlands would stay above water by continued investment and extension of their current water control practices. For the first world, a…

Do you really think the first world it going to just stand by and watch 100's of millions of people in places like Bangladesh just die?

No - the little bit of upset the west is feeling absorbing Syrian refugees should be a wake-up call that we can't just wall ourselves off from other peoples' problems.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

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Post by jbattle » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:03 PM UTC

rimliu wrote: post #153

codebolt wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, we should tackle the biggest sources first. And meat production in particular is one of the biggest contributors. Scale back the subsidies for these types of farms and replace them instead with taxes. Consumers will change their habits once they are faced with the "real" cost of meat.

Ok, meat calories will need to be replaced with something. Or are we going to eat grass?

let them eat cake!

Seriously though - I suspect the majority of american calories already comes from a grass (corn & derived products)

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

#357

Post by Detect » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:04 PM UTC

retrac98 wrote: post #137

How does animal agriculture affect this? Are there any authorities on the subject on HN? Everything I've heard suggests the greenhouse gas emissions in support of animal agriculture far outstrip those of pretty much anything else, but nobody seems to really talk about it. Pre-empting a couple of replies here - I already don't eat meat, and yes I've seen "Cowspiracy". :)

Animal ag can both be a carbon sink and a carbon source depending on management. Ruminant animals play an important role in grassland ecosystems for nutrient cycling, which can affect the carbon cycle and potentially sequester carbon in soil. Whether we eat the animals is another question. Check out Carbon Farming or Holistic Management for more details.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

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Post by badosu » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:08 PM UTC

adrianN wrote: post #227

qplex wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except here what you label as "pseudo spiritual" is actually the more realistic, scientific and moral way of seeing things. The iPhones and Supermarkets are of the dream reality. A world without consequences, where the Foxconn Factory Workers (or the mines of Congo) do not exist.

Foxconn factory workers have a lower suicide rate than the average Chinese.

I wonder why... (http://www.dailytech.com/Foxconn+Installs+AntiSuicide+Nets+a...)

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

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Post by virmundi » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:11 PM UTC

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #202

spangry wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CO2 levels is just one of a myriad of indicators that are off the scale now. By lifestyle I mean supermarkets and restaurants and iPhones and planes ... all the stuff that we're so proud of as a society. Scale relative to what, or when? I mean, yeah, we are certainly 'off the scale' for supermarkets, iPhones and planes compared to, say, the ancient Romans. But in fairness, they've got us well and truly beat on the ig…

Yet the reality is self-actualisation / spirituality are as out of reach for many now as they were years ago when we were 'poorer'.

Self-actualization and spirituality seldom go hand in hand with wealth. Poor people have improved spirituality than wealthier people. Wealth draws your focus away from those things onto pleasures like sleeping around, or owning the latest i-device because it's the latest. Hence Jesus saying it's easier to thread a fishing line through a needle than for a wealthy person to find the Kingdom of Heaven.

Re: Atmospheric CO2 levels accelerate upwards

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Post by tehwalrus » Tue, Apr 11, 2017, 2:13 PM UTC

caf wrote: post #329

Touche wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fix the leaks or find another ship (planet).

Now who's got the rose-coloured glasses on? Thinking that organising a worldwide migration to another planet is going to be a practical option is as absurd as thinking that moving back to a pre-industrial society is.

To be honest, I'm not convinced anyone will try until a mass extinction is underway anyway, in which case you're only migrating your quota of humans for the rocket's load before the volcanic ash density hits 11 (or whatever).

"May you live in interesting times."