Ask HN: What do you do for global warming?

After a lot of discussions with my girlfriend about global warming we are still wondering what we can do to help fight the problem.

Some Background: There's evidence [0] that we will reach a point of no return regarding the climate change soon. Reaching this tipping point implies we create a self-reinforcing feedback loop where the whole 'Earth System' becomes destabilized which in turn leads to an increase in temperature of up to 50° in the next 100 years. See [3].

We think its clear there is reason to act now. There's some 'simple' points one can personally do to help:

* no flights * use public transport * use less energy * buy local groceries * cut back on dairy products

However, the largest impact on climate does not come from e.g. flights [1] but from the energy industry. One can only impact this indirectly.

Lots of the general public (including politics) seems to be oblivious to the problem at hand - ignoring the problem fully or at least partly. With Fridays for future [2] there is (at least in Germany) work done in this regard. At the same time it has just been decided there won't be a tempo limit on german autobahns and no CO2-emission tax.

It looks like the best might be to improve education on the topic - but it has to happen fast. If more people try to reduce their emissions it might force the 'bigger forces' to reduce their emissions, too.

This whole topic has a very negative ring to it - "Life is probably over in 50 years" is not something everyone wants to be confronted with. At the same time everyone has to acknowledge this and has to react accordingly.

So, really, I'd like to spark a discussion what one can do, what has been done and what you are doing. Also, what can give hope :) ?

tldr; We are fucked, what can we do?

[0] https://www.pnas.org/content/115/33/8252 [1] check emissions by sector (link too long) [2] https://fridaysforfuture.de/ [3] https://www.azimuthproject.org/azimuth/show/HomePage

Our only serious options will be international efforts, e.g. United Nations Climate Change conferences, etc. but any significant impactful effort will be painful and climate change inequality will lead to quite a bit of resentment

Very often these personal efforts are simply virtue signalling or a way for people to feel better about themselves. Doesn't mean that you should be wasteful with your resources or actively damage your environment but please, don't pretend to be saving the earth by drinking less milk.

Where a difference can be made:

- politics - if you are in politics yourself, or you can lobby and exercise some pressure to dictate policy, that can go a long way

- industry leaders can actually make a difference but don't have the incentives for it

- research and innovation - if you're an engineer this is probably where you can make the biggest difference even if you're unlikely to be one of the few people who have a breakthrough - renewable energy, alternative materials, new ways of food production and so on - you can put in work to improve the technology behind any of these to the point where they make more economic sense

What about getting serious about app carbon footprint metrics, standards, and requirements? Wouldn't that be a useful project for EEs and other bright people on HN?

I personally have a small carbon footprint, considering I live in Europe. But I know that it’s no more than virtuous wishful thinking if I were to start a vegan diet out of love for the environment. What we need is practical, economic solutions that actually make a difference - and to get there we need an unemotional discussion based on facts.

A tempo limit on the German Autobahn wouldn’t have a big positive impact on the environment. I'd support a general CO2-emission tax (there‘s already a europe-wide emission tax for some industries [0]), but not as big and grand as Fridays for Future demands it - it'd make a lot of things much, much more expensive, and mostly low-income households would be affected, while the green upper middle class would just pay the premium.

However, like Greta Thunberg said: The fast and emotional exit from nuclear power for example in Germany was a wrong move. It could’ve been the best transition to renewable energies. Now, energy in Germany is crazy expensive, but thanks to coal they’re even further away from reaching the paris agreement.

It’s a good thing that Fridays for Future caused lots of discussions and that young people are getting active in politics. But scaremongering does not help. The whole thing smells like climate-populism.

Who says life will be over in 50 years?

[0] https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets_en