Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'

Post by wickedsickeune » Mon, Aug 09, 2021, 1:49 PM UTC

kumarvvr wrote: post #488

bko wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Believe it or not, western countries have reduced carbon emissions over the last ~15 years, in both absolute and per capita terms (despite a growing population). The only countries that are growing their carbon emissions are developing countries; mainly China, India and Russia. China is particularly troubling since they make up 28% of all emissions (US is 15%) and they have both a growing population and growing emiss…

> The only countries that are growing their carbon emissions are developing countries; mainly China, India and Russia Developed nations have polluted the planet for decades, with highest rates of energy consumption per capita. They have failed to build systems and processess that enables sustainable living. They have lived their excess and now lecture the world that their "90% of emissions are from consumption" One g…

Post by bhupy » Mon, Aug 09, 2021, 1:54 PM UTC

agent327 wrote: post #505

bko wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Believe it or not, western countries have reduced carbon emissions over the last ~15 years, in both absolute and per capita terms (despite a growing population). The only countries that are growing their carbon emissions are developing countries; mainly China, India and Russia. China is particularly troubling since they make up 28% of all emissions (US is 15%) and they have both a growing population and growing emiss…

The West lowered their CO2 production by moving all manufacturing to China, so this isn't too surprising. Also, China, like most of the world except for Afrika, has a shrinking population ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_rate ). China needs to start building nuclear power plants and replace all those coal plants.

Post by frockington1 » Mon, Aug 09, 2021, 1:54 PM UTC

kumarvvr wrote: post #504

whiddershins wrote: post #436

The notion that humanity would go extinct from any of this is absolutely unrealistic. What we are talking about is at worst massive economic damage and loss of life, similar to a very serious war. Which is horrible, but really not the threat it is made out to be. Moreover, since these changes happen relatively slowly (compared to bombs and such) much of the loss of life can be mitigated. So we are talking economic da…

>The notion that humanity would go extinct from any of this is absolutely unrealistic Why not? With the current societal focus on materialism and luxury, perpetuation of greed and glorification of power, climate need not do much. Wipe out some fraction of the population is all it needs to do. The rest will be done by us. The last two people will fire bombs at each other and kill each other for sure.

Post by yissp » Mon, Aug 09, 2021, 1:56 PM UTC

keewee7 wrote: post #561

bko wrote: post #447

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Believe it or not, western countries have reduced carbon emissions over the last ~15 years, in both absolute and per capita terms (despite a growing population). The only countries that are growing their carbon emissions are developing countries; mainly China, India and Russia. China is particularly troubling since they make up 28% of all emissions (US is 15%) and they have both a growing population and growing emiss…

Chinese rise in emissions is because of Western manufacturing. Russian rise in emissions is because of Western European need for heating. If we stop outsourcing manufacturing to China and stop buying gas from Russia their emissions will also fall. But India and Africa are significantly poorer than China and Russia. India and Africa should be allowed to emit CO2 for the next two decades or they will remain poor foreve…

Post by franckl » Mon, Aug 09, 2021, 1:58 PM UTC

jcfrei wrote: post #489

headmelted wrote: post #421

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. A 200% value-added tax on fossil fuels that rises by 10% every year would provide the capital. EDIT: To clarify, this is not a suggestion to raise capital from the tax as much as it's to raise capital from the use of fossil fuels. It's a suggestion for an increasingly punitive financial cost to force behavioural changes.

That's not going to work. A lot of people (and industries) rely on cars to do their jobs. It's a lot of low-income households who rely most on cars because they live in remote areas due to housing costs and have to commute to city centers to find work. Such a tax would cause a huge backlash in large parts of the population in any country and the government who enacts it would be quickly disbanded. We need subsidies t…