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> global warming is a thing So is the heat death of the universe, yet we don't feel existential angst about that. Global warming is a serious problem and it'll
by BjoernKW 10y ago
> global warming is a thing
So is the heat death of the universe, yet we don't feel existential angst about that. Global warming is a serious problem and it'll have a tremendous impact on human life. However, this will happen in a timeframe of several generations.
While the consequences are certainly dire global warming won't mean the extinction of mankind, or most non-human life for that matter. Life will adapt. Mankind will adapt. We can't prevent global warming anymore but we can do something to slow it down and temper its effects.
There's no reason to be defeatist about this. In the 80s sometimes the notion was floated that by now pretty much all of Northern Europe should be below sea-level due to global warming. This shows both that things don't always have to work out as badly as predicted and that a change for the better is possible.
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago>So is the heat death of the universe, yet we don't feel existential angst about that. Global warming is a serious problem and it'll have a tremendous impact on human life. However, this will happen in a timeframe of several generations. Several generations, my foot! The real nasty stuff will be coming to a head just about when I'm starting to hit retirement age. >While the consequences are certainly dire global warming won't mean the extinction of mankind, or most non-human life for that matter. Life will adapt. Mankind will adapt. We can't prevent global warming anymore but we can do something to slow it down and temper its effects. This is a stupid thing to say to people. "Oh, sure, you might die, or your personal prospects might get a lot worse, but humanity as a whole will probably persist!" Oh joy? Look, it's very nice that humanity might survive in some form, but I was hoping to survive in some form, into my natural old age.
- E6300 10y agoWhat are you talking about? The most pessimistic estimates predict a sea level rise of 2 m by 2100. Just when are you expecting to retire?
- AsyncAwait 10y agoGlobal warming is about much more than sea levels. Arguably, that's not even the most important concern. Food/water shortages, war over resources, refugee crisis that makes this one feel tiny in comparison etc.
- eli_gottlieb 10y agoAround 2050, when major climate crises and extinctions will be coming to a peak and affecting economies, food supplies, and other human necessities, I'll be about 60 years old.
- E6300 10y agoSource?