Nobody mention population.
Exactly. Any time overpopulation isn't mentioned as a (or 'the') primary cause, my nictitating membranes close up and I lose interest in reading.
Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
81–90 of 225 posts
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. It really touches on the emotional aspects of it, which I think really need to be discussed. When I picture why certain family members have a hard time accepting the reality of global warming, it certainly comes down to difficulty grappling with emotions, not a hard review of the literature. Recognizing emotions as part of the problem and solution feels like a big step.
>Recognizing emotions as part of the problem and solution feels like a big step. I think this is actually the worst thing we can do. Science is facts, cold hard facts. If you want to get rid of the science and focus on emotions, then the solutions to the _real_ problem will get distorted.
The science of what is happening is fact. The method by which we engage our collective powers to act is a people problem. We can come together in action, but that requires connecting with as many of our personalities and psyches as possible.
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#83I'm of the belief that the only thing that will accomplish the goals set out by those who care at the level of the author is actual, literal, worldwide fascism. And I also believe that climate-agnostic entities (who don't care one way or another) will be waiting in the wings opportunistically as people start to call for that fascism.
Why is that? Also, I detest fascism - but devil's advocate - is fascism worse than literal extinction?
Fascists use the threat of "literal extinction" (or something like it) to "convince" their audience & opponents.
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#84I'm of the belief that the only thing that will accomplish the goals set out by those who care at the level of the author is actual, literal, worldwide fascism. And I also believe that climate-agnostic entities (who don't care one way or another) will be waiting in the wings opportunistically as people start to call for that fascism.
I'm much more worried by that kind of extremism than by climate change itself.
Climate change could well kill us all, but at least we'll die free.
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#85I've gotten a vasectomy exactly because it's clear that some of the worst outcomes of human-created climate change are inevitable, and I recommend anyone who cares about the environment and the well-being of their potential children to do the same. My only question is what to do when the world actually ends in 10 or so years. I'm thinking of quitting my job in SF and moving to a rural area in northern midwest far fro…
Wouldn't diving into the world of doomsday preppers assist you in planning? (I mean, stereotyping aside that they're all crackpots or w/e surely they'd be useful for the literal thing they're trying to do.)
"Doomsday planning for less crazy folks" is pretty good:
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#86Nobody mention population.
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Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#87I wish I could adequately apologize to my Stepdaughter about the climate disaster. She's almost 20 and will have to live the majority of her life dealing with the effects of the collective acts of human stupidity over the past 200+ years. I want to sponsor planting trees, but I worry that we're doing far too little, far too late.
So it's better to just do nothing? We're fucked, but at least have your conscience clean. Anything helps: eat less meat, plant some trees, start recycling, bike to work, refuse single-use plastic, sacrifice a little bit of your personal convenience for the benefit of the planet. Do anything you weren't doing until today. Nobody will save the planet on their own, but a large swath of people doing one single thing is b…
> Nobody will save the planet on their own
Quite. As I did in another thread, I'd like to point to the Extinction Rebellion as a pragmatic way to panic (eh, act):
Worl/UK: https://rebellion.earth/the-truth/demands/
USA: https://extinctionrebellion.us/demands
[ed: also mentioned in tfa.]
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#88I'm of the belief that the only thing that will accomplish the goals set out by those who care at the level of the author is actual, literal, worldwide fascism. And I also believe that climate-agnostic entities (who don't care one way or another) will be waiting in the wings opportunistically as people start to call for that fascism.
Why? The Allies fought and won WW2 without fascism. The UK had a coalition government of the two major parties for most of the war. We need a WW2 scale response, perhaps with similar restrictions like rationing - only this time of carbon or flights etc. Once some nations are active, others will join. Perhaps we need to see carbon and environmental impacts baked into import tariffs to "encourage" reluctant others to j…
We don't need a WW2 scale response, dedicating our entire economy to the effort. We need an Iraq war scale response: a small multiple trillions of dollars. And just like the Iraq war, the main impact to the American consumer will be in a big jump at the gas pumps and a significant chunk of their taxes going towards the effort.
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#89I was in my teens in the 1990s following the Kyoto Accord with great interest. I went through my own crisis of feeling bad, a period of bereavement in the early 2000s, thinking we’re screwed.
People and politicians are all talk and no action — denial or cognitive dissonance — it doesn’t matter as long as nothing gets done. The same result.
I live in a town where people fight any improvement that might make pedestrian life better, with less reliance on a car, even over the smallest inconvenience (e.g. another crosswalk).
I live in a small net-zero house with solar panels and an electric car. Meanwhile the local oil company/refinery gets subsidies so it can afford to operate.
Some of the local schools threaten kids with failing grades if they strike for climate but missing school for sporting events is encouraged.
It’s hard not to be discouraged but I’ve come to the point of just doing what I can and making it a priority in my own life and for my family. Not sure what else to do.
Re: Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
> hold China and India responsible for their wildly outsized levels of pollution once you control for their per capita contribution to humanity China and India contribute 4-10 times less CO2 per capita than the US.
> China and India contribute 4-10 times less CO2 per capita than the US. And rising, fast. Besides that, the planet doesn't care about per capita numbers.
People do though. Why should we stunt the developing world's growth just because we've already fucked things up too much? Seems like colonialism all over; the West gets to keep polluting, but the developing world must stop developing?