Why does everyone keep talking about carbon? If I remember correctly, there's plenty of science to validate that water movements have more bearing on accurately gauging climate change (rainfall, sea levels, water temp, cloud formation, etc).
Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
791–800 of 1001 posts
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#792Earlier quoted context omitted.
We already have an ideal carbon capture technology optimized by Nature Inc. through a state of the art evolutionary algorithm running trillions of parallel processes for billions of years. It's called Trees (TM). With Trees (TM) the CO2 emissions problem has a simple two step solution that anyone can accomplish with ease: 1) Stop cutting down Trees 2) Plant more Trees That's it. The end. Problem solved.
To offset our entire current greenhouse gas emissions with trees alone, we would have to increase earth's total plant biomass by 10% each year. Given how slow most types of trees grow that seems completely unfeasible unless we give up most meat (taking space that we now use for growing animal feed). (Yes, we have a lot of space in the desert, but studies show limited effect on global warming from planting anything th…
> taking space that we now use for growing animal feed
There was a recent Youtube video that explained how this isn't quite accurate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGG-A80Tl5g
I'll save you the time (though you should watch it).
1. Much of the animal feed comes from agricultural byproducts. As an example, we eat corn on the cob, but much of the corn stalk is inedible to humans, but can be made into products for animals.
2. Much of the land used for animals is not suitable for growing crops. Some is, but it's not a 1:1 swapability factor.
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#793In Canada our so called environmentalist parties BC/AB NDP and Fed Liberals are still insisting we can meet our climate goals while expanding the oil sands and developing liquified natural gas for export.
It's like they're conducting the train, saying that only they can stop it, while continuing to shovel coal in the furnace.
We need someone that has the strength to pull that emergency brake instead.
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#794Still, it is so sad to see companies who could avoid their employees commuting and polluting, fighting to get their employees back to the office! This shows how overall businesses and people don’t really care for climate change.
I do find it odd that, given the reported reduction in carbon emissions from covid, that governments are not outright mandating work from home for compatible jobs as an easy win to this problem.
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#795Earlier quoted context omitted.
COVID-19 was a program of systemic action. The US had lockdowns, mask mandates and even soft vaccine mandates. None of this was enough to crush the virus. Why? Because systems are made of individuals who will decide whether or not they want to collaborate on solving a problem.
> None of this was enough to crush the virus. Why? Because systems are made of individuals who will decide whether or not they want to collaborate on solving a problem. Many of the individuals currently refusing vaccines in the US didn't just decide, there was an active effort made to convince them not to get one: > Had the US continued to vaccinate in the summer at the same rate as in the spring, the US would be nea…
There was an effort to convince people not to vaccinate, but I think the bigger cause of anti-vaccination sentiment was contrarianism against and distrust of the effort to convince people to vaccinate. Years of government and media lies ranging from the Iraq War to distorted and propagandistic reporting of things that Trump had said resulted in millions of people justifiably feeling that the mainstream media, the government establishment, and the supposed "experts" that the media and government often trot out are all to be distrusted. It is a boy who cried wolf scenario.
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#796While it is important to be good stewards and not pollute etc, and I respect & admire the scientists and others working to help us do better -- I don't think we are competent to solve climate issues as a whole, when we can't trust each other to keep our word (so much of the time), and especially when we have rejected much specific advice of the planet's Creator.
At the same time, things can be OK for us in the long run, if we really try to learn what we should do, and do that. I would include praying, honesty, kindness and humility (willingness to learn) among those things. Really there is good reason for hope for the best; these problems are expected now.
(Edit: thoughtful comments appreciated, with any downvotes; thank you.)
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#797Earlier quoted context omitted.
A handful of corporations are responsible for the vast majority of warming. It's not our fault, it's theirs. They did it, and they knew they were doing it. Any individual action may make you feel good but it does nothing to address the problem.
>A handful of corporations are responsible for the vast majority of warming. It's not our fault, it's theirs. They did it, and they knew they were doing it. Consumers want oil. Drilling for oil is legal. BP drills for oil. Why is BP's fault? Or, to switch around the entities a bit. America likes widgets. Making widgets generates pollution. Prior to the 90s it was mostly made in America, so that's where all the pollut…
> Why is BP's fault?
Where have you been? You missed oil comapnies spending billions to misinform people, the corruption, the carteling, ghe cover-ups, the greenwashing and everything else?
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#798Earlier quoted context omitted.
Something that almost the entire population uses all day is only using 5%? Sounds incredibly efficient. Repacking fonts to be smaller sounds about as useful as plugging a hand crank generator in to the power point.
Solutions to the climate crisis can all be broken down into smaller and smaller parts — small enough to be ignored — or small enough to be easily fixed. For web developers that 5% is our responsibility, and we have the means to change it in ways many people cannot. As for fonts — yes I'm sure it would make a big impact. Font files are a decent chunk of average page weight.
You're pretty much guaranteed to make an immeasurably larger impact by spending your time researching and donating to climate charities, action groups, and politicians than you are doing any of the things you listed. Put your effort and money towards things that actually make a difference, not these tiny drops in a vast ocean.
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#799If there is anything covid has taught me its that collective action isn't something we can rely on and is a lot more wishful thinking about the state of humanity rather than a sober look at the reality. Governments need to tax CO2 emissions on the business side and pour the money into carbon capture technology in the private space through investment and perhaps some sort of bounty program (you get $x for each ton you…
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…
> China is particularly troubling since they make up 28% of all emissions (US is 15%) and they have both a growing population and growing emissions per capita.
You seem to have discovered that the lifestyle of western countries is unsustainable (and the US is particularly bad). It does not make it China's fault.
Re: Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
#800If there is anything covid has taught me its that collective action isn't something we can rely on and is a lot more wishful thinking about the state of humanity rather than a sober look at the reality. Governments need to tax CO2 emissions on the business side and pour the money into carbon capture technology in the private space through investment and perhaps some sort of bounty program (you get $x for each ton you…
> I'm past hoping for people to do the right things en masse. Getting people behind goals with long timelines is pretty much impossible. As you said, the pandemic demonstrated (and continues to demonstrate) how we behave and think. > Governments need to tax CO2 emissions on the business side and pour the money into carbon capture technology No. Sorry. You are buying into propaganda. Put simply: We (humanity) cannot d…
You seem to be drawing no distinction between the following two possible outcomes:
1. Slow carbon emissions now despite the incredible amount we've already added and hope that the damage we've done is not enough to completely ruin the planet.
2. Do nothing and let emissions accelerate even further, create an even bigger problem than we've already created. Gamble to an even greater extent with our future.
Where in your incredibly long essay have you provided any reason to believe option 2 is better than option 1?
As far as I can tell, all you've done is prove we can't get back to pre-industrial levels quickly just by stopping emissions today. So what?
Who ever said the goal was to get back to pre-industrial levels? I think all climate science believers aim to do is reduce the extent of this incredible gamble and unintended experiment humanity has undertaken. Instead of gambling on a 1% odds of survival slot machine, climate scientists want to slow down and gamble on a 10% odds of survival slot machine. No one ever said we could move that probability back to 100% odds of survival slot machine.
To me your post comes across like someone on the Titanic saying 'Hey guys, we've looked at the data and situation, stop thinking these 20 lifeboats will be able to rescue us. Just give up.' when there are some people arguing that the ship isn't sinking at all, and others trying to quickly come up with ways to create more impromptu lifeboats, trying to figure out how to stop the ship from sinking, or trying to urge those that they can to get in the lifeboats, despite the fact some will still die. At the end of the day your post just encourages those who don't think the ship is sinking or those that think there's no point to try getting in a lifeboat or creating a new one out of furniture to just go back down below deck and listen to the violinists for another hour before drowning.