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Ignore the doom-and-gloom headlines. Climate change is still a solvable problem. We have all the tools we need. 1. Learn about the best ways to get carbon out

by skosch 8y ago

Ignore the doom-and-gloom headlines. Climate change is still a solvable problem. We have all the tools we need. 1. Learn about the best ways to get carbon out of the atmosphere [0] 2. Help build the political will for carbon pricing, ideally via Fee & Dividend. The vast majority of economists agree that once GHG pollution costs are internalized, the problem will solve itself quickly. The most effective organization in this regard is Citizens' Climate Lobby [1] – I highly recommend getting in touch with a local chapter. We all tend to be much more cynical about politics than is warranted; I was surprised how rewarding it feels to participate in the political sausage-making. 3. (Optional) Learn about/work on/invest in future carbon removal technologies [2] [0] Rank list of the Top 100 carbon removal strategies: https://www.drawdown.org https://www.drawdown.org [1] Citizens' Climate Lobby: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ [2] http://carbon.ycombinator.com/ http://carbon.ycombinator.com/

jimjansen1 8y ago
This is incredibly misleading. Even if we stopped all CO2 Emissions tomorrow the amount currently in the air would cause significant warming and acidification to the ocean. Without Carbon Sequestration on a massive scale we are in for serious problems worldwide. In fact the link you yourself added lays this out quite clearly: "A report by United Nations' scientific panel on climate change released this month expects the atmosphere-on our current trajectory-to warm up by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040. Even the effects of a 0.5 degrees increase will have far-reaching consequences. This research indicates that we are already past the tipping point; even if we significantly reduced emissions, climate change would continue (Source IPCC summary C3 section)." ""Phase 1" of climate change is reversible by reducing emissions, but we are no longer in "Phase 1." We're now in "Phase 2" and stopping climate change requires both emission reduction and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. "Phase 2" is occurring faster and hotter than we thought. If we don't act soon, we'll end up in "Phase 3" and be too late for both of these strategies to work." http://carbon.ycombinator.com/ http://carbon.ycombinator.com/ Not only that but we clearly don't "have all the tools we need." Carbon Sequestration technology is in it's infancy at best.
Voloskaya 8y ago
I also found this one extremely interesting: What can a technologist do about climate change? By Bret Victor: http://worrydream.com/ClimateChange/ http://worrydream.com/ClimateChange/

by skosch 8y ago

jimjansen1 8y ago

This is incredibly misleading. Even if we stopped all CO2 Emissions tomorrow the amount currently in the air would cause significant warming and acidification to the ocean. Without Carbon Sequestration on a massive scale we are in for serious problems worldwide. In fact the link you yourself added lays this out quite clearly: "A report by United Nations' scientific panel on climate change released this month expects the atmosphere-on our current trajectory-to warm up by 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040. Even the effects of a 0.5 degrees increase will have far-reaching consequences. This research indicates that we are already past the tipping point; even if we significantly reduced emissions, climate change would continue (Source IPCC summary C3 section)." ""Phase 1" of climate change is reversible by reducing emissions, but we are no longer in "Phase 1." We're now in "Phase 2" and stopping climate change requires both emission reduction and removing CO2 from the atmosphere. "Phase 2" is occurring faster and hotter than we thought. If we don't act soon, we'll end up in "Phase 3" and be too late for both of these strategies to work." http://carbon.ycombinator.com/ http://carbon.ycombinator.com/ Not only that but we clearly don't "have all the tools we need." Carbon Sequestration technology is in it's infancy at best.

Voloskaya 8y ago

I also found this one extremely interesting: What can a technologist do about climate change? By Bret Victor: http://worrydream.com/ClimateChange/ http://worrydream.com/ClimateChange/