4 ms·

The whole world is probably past the tipping point. People who talk about halting or reversing climate change at this point are pollyannas or liars. The only th

The whole world is probably past the tipping point. People who talk about halting or reversing climate change at this point are pollyannas or liars. The only thing we can realistically do is try to mitigate the most severe consequences. https://www.vox.com/2016/10/4/13118594/2-degrees-no-more-fossil-fuels https://www.vox.com/2016/10/4/13118594/2-degrees-no-more-fos...

germinalphrase 8y ago
And yet, I can get fresh ocean fish in the middle of a Minneapolis winter. What a glorious time to be alive! /s
- saiya-jin 8y ago
  jokes aside, this is mindset of most people - things are good, look my backyard is not burning yet, I can buy so much stuff. I wonder what is the most appropriate course of action - people need to suffer a bit to realize how bad things are and going to be. Comfortable 1st world lives need a bit of a shake up to really change things.
  - justherefortart 8y ago
    There are 7+ billion people on the planet, if climate change kills off 99% we've still got plenty. It's going to suck, but it's of our own making.
- zgramana 8y ago
  Ironically, it’s the daily activities such as flying glorious ocean fish on aircraft which dump huge amounts of CO2 and water vapor into the stratosphere, or trucking them in refrigerated trucks all across the country, that led to this problem. I know you were /s here, but I point this out because there is a huge amount of personal responsibility implied by climate change. Even if one doesn’t believe humans are driving it, climate change is happening and humans have to deal with it. From a mitigation perspective, individual consumer choices have a large bearing in his successful we will ultimately be. People don’t like the implications, though, and either most people don’t connect the dots or are in denial that their choices count. Sadly, this trend is worse among climate change believers.[1] Kidding aside, ordering less fresh ocean fish during winter is a meaningful personal start. [1] https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/7/climate-skeptics-more-eco-friendly-global-warming-/ https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/7/climate-skep...
patrickg_zill 8y ago
Freeman Dyson's views classes him as what, then, in your eyes?
- polotics 8y ago
  An old man with little skin in the game.
  - ForHackernews 8y ago
    Or an old man with motivated reasoning to believe he and his cohort have not made the lives of his grandchildren and their children poorer and more perilous.
retSava 8y ago
`polyanna`, `an excessively cheerful or optimistic person` thanks for vocabulary++, and sorry for OT
sulam 8y ago
I think ambient carbon capture has a genuine chance to improve the situation. This isn't to say that we should stop doing other things to reduce emissions. We are very much in the thick of the struggle -- anyone trying to tell you otherwise is simply trying to maintain the status quo.

germinalphrase 8y ago

And yet, I can get fresh ocean fish in the middle of a Minneapolis winter. What a glorious time to be alive! /s

saiya-jin 8y ago
jokes aside, this is mindset of most people - things are good, look my backyard is not burning yet, I can buy so much stuff. I wonder what is the most appropriate course of action - people need to suffer a bit to realize how bad things are and going to be. Comfortable 1st world lives need a bit of a shake up to really change things.
- justherefortart 8y ago
  There are 7+ billion people on the planet, if climate change kills off 99% we've still got plenty. It's going to suck, but it's of our own making.
zgramana 8y ago
Ironically, it’s the daily activities such as flying glorious ocean fish on aircraft which dump huge amounts of CO2 and water vapor into the stratosphere, or trucking them in refrigerated trucks all across the country, that led to this problem. I know you were /s here, but I point this out because there is a huge amount of personal responsibility implied by climate change. Even if one doesn’t believe humans are driving it, climate change is happening and humans have to deal with it. From a mitigation perspective, individual consumer choices have a large bearing in his successful we will ultimately be. People don’t like the implications, though, and either most people don’t connect the dots or are in denial that their choices count. Sadly, this trend is worse among climate change believers.[1] Kidding aside, ordering less fresh ocean fish during winter is a meaningful personal start. [1] https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/7/climate-skeptics-more-eco-friendly-global-warming-/ https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/7/climate-skep...

patrickg_zill 8y ago

Freeman Dyson's views classes him as what, then, in your eyes?

polotics 8y ago
An old man with little skin in the game.
- ForHackernews 8y ago
  Or an old man with motivated reasoning to believe he and his cohort have not made the lives of his grandchildren and their children poorer and more perilous.

retSava 8y ago

`polyanna`, `an excessively cheerful or optimistic person` thanks for vocabulary++, and sorry for OT

sulam 8y ago

I think ambient carbon capture has a genuine chance to improve the situation. This isn't to say that we should stop doing other things to reduce emissions. We are very much in the thick of the struggle -- anyone trying to tell you otherwise is simply trying to maintain the status quo.