Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#1

Post by moberemk » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 4:35 AM UTC

So, lately I find that I can't really sleep when I read news about how the planet will probably be unlivable within 100 years (https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-administration-climate-will-warm-by-7-degrees-by-2100-2018-10) if not even sooner than that because of unknown factors. Frankly this post is more me trying to find some kind of hope that this is a solvable problem, one day... And I'm not finding it around much anymore. Even moonshot projects are worth entertaining, because right now I don't think it's possible to argue that climate change isn't the single biggest threat we face as a species.

So: we've all fucked it up. How do we make sure humanity survives the next hundred years?

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#2

Post by titojankowski » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 5:06 AM UTC

cool! dont bother reading the negative crap, it's pervasive and people get addicted to it. just keep your eyes tuned for solutions and more will appear.

check out http://www.airminers.org/explore for some solutions, mining carbon from the air

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#3

Post by simplecomplex » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 3:14 PM UTC

The biggest obstacle to responding to climate change is The Republican Party. No, I’m not being hyperbolic. They currently control climate policy for one of the largest polluters on earth, the largest economy, and most of international law.

Any help changing or defeating the Republican party’s dangerous anti-science anti-facts agenda would get us closer to being able to collectively deal with this issue.

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#4

Post by bjourne » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 3:31 PM UTC

This summer it was over 30 degrees for a whole month and I could hardly think. Like, it became physically impossible to write non-trivial code or work on math problems. And it will only get worse in the coming years... I don't know what to do about it. I've decided to become a vegetarian, but clearly that is not enough and action must be taken on a global political level.

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#5

Post by ssijak » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 6:53 PM UTC

simplecomplex wrote: post #3

The biggest obstacle to responding to climate change is The Republican Party. No, I’m not being hyperbolic. They currently control climate policy for one of the largest polluters on earth, the largest economy, and most of international law. Any help changing or defeating the Republican party’s dangerous anti-science anti-facts agenda would get us closer to being able to collectively deal with this issue.

Then just put better Democrat candidates forward for the start.

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#6

Post by PerfectElement » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 7:37 PM UTC

bjourne wrote: post #4

This summer it was over 30 degrees for a whole month and I could hardly think. Like, it became physically impossible to write non-trivial code or work on math problems. And it will only get worse in the coming years... I don't know what to do about it. I've decided to become a vegetarian, but clearly that is not enough and action must be taken on a global political level.

At the individual level, decreasing or eliminating your consumption of animal products seems like the most efficient way to help. You can also support or work for companies that are changing things at a larger scale: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/tacklin...

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#7

Post by phakding » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 9:19 PM UTC

simplecomplex wrote: post #3

The biggest obstacle to responding to climate change is The Republican Party. No, I’m not being hyperbolic. They currently control climate policy for one of the largest polluters on earth, the largest economy, and most of international law. Any help changing or defeating the Republican party’s dangerous anti-science anti-facts agenda would get us closer to being able to collectively deal with this issue.

I totally agree with you. The republican party is merely a middle man though. They have been doing the bidding of their corporate overlords. Same in other countries like Australia. "Clean coal" is being promoted, forests have been bulldozed and coral reefs ignored.

How do you deal with such reckless greed of uber-wealthy?

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#8

Post by shoo » Tue, Oct 02, 2018, 10:04 PM UTC

> So, lately I find that I can't really sleep when I read news about how the planet will probably be unlivable within 100 years

> How do we make sure humanity survives the next hundred years?

There are things that are entirely in your control, partly out of your control, and entirely out of your control. I think that guaranteeing the survival of the human species is approximately entirely out of your control. So there is not much point in worrying about it. Easier said than done.

Focus on the aspects of your life that you have a higher degree of control over and where you can make a positive impact.

I doubt that global warming will cause the human species to become extinct in the next few hundred years. But we might see collapse of a few civilisations. It's happened quite often in the past to other human civilisations. Not the end of the world.

There's a philosophical perspective on this that struck a chord with me when I read it years ago - perhaps it may help you find peace:

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/learning-ho...

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#9

Post by GreeniFi » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 12:01 AM UTC

Hi Mobermek,

I run a business that invests in climate change related solutions, particularly in the agricultural space. I deal with these issues on a day-to-day basis and I’ve had to develop some psychological coping mechanisms - because the reality is scary, the climate system is complex, and we don’t have much time to avoid serious equilibrium shifts. I have children, and in many ways I feel more concerned for them than I do myself. Anyway, these are my coping mechanisms: 1. Realise that your climate anxiety may be generalized anxiety fixating on climate. Right now, for most of us, climate shocks are less a threat than many other risks in our daily lives. 2. Our civilization will ultimately fail at some point, and so will humanity. In the greatest expanse is time, the sun will die and life on earth will cease. Beginnings and endings are in the natural order of things. It’s useful to me to see the bigger picture. 3. That said, whilst we are in the race of our lives, there is huge focus on renewable energy technologies and also climate adaptation measures. In the next 10 years we may turn the beast around, and we also might turn up technologies that are revolutionary. Don’t discount this possibility. 4. As an ultimate backstop, buy some fertile land and know that you and your family can retreat there if need be.

I hope the above is useful. If you can see a counselor, then do.

Re: Ask HN: How do we save the planet?

#10

Post by NeedMoreTea » Wed, Oct 03, 2018, 2:06 AM UTC

GreeniFi wrote: post #9

Hi Mobermek, I run a business that invests in climate change related solutions, particularly in the agricultural space. I deal with these issues on a day-to-day basis and I’ve had to develop some psychological coping mechanisms - because the reality is scary, the climate system is complex, and we don’t have much time to avoid serious equilibrium shifts. I have children, and in many ways I feel more concerned for them…

> Right now, for most of us, climate shocks are less a threat than many other risks in our daily lives

Right there, neatly summarised, lies the problem.

When it is a direct threat to our daily lives it's surely way past too late to do anything about it. The time to start is long before it gets to that point.

We managed it with ozone.