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But that's the thing about nuclear annihilation. Nothing can protect you from it. All your leaders can promise is that the entire planet will be unlivable, an

But that's the thing about nuclear annihilation. Nothing can protect you from it. All your leaders can promise is that the entire planet will be unlivable, and not just our side of it. Cold comfort for a cold war. Different apocalypse than climate change, but just as bad.

dv_dt 8y ago
Right or wrong, it was very visible that the US blockaded navies, invaded nations, formed alliances - fought in every way against the primary threat of the USSR. I lived through the same time, it was very obvious the government did things frequently and in many levels to fight the Cold war. Doing something, even if it doesn't reduce the core risk, reduces anxiety. (And I'm sure many people would say that many cold war actions actually did reduce the core risk too..) I suppose we're still invading nations, but now it's for little apparent benefit, and certainly not connected to climate change. What has the US done at the national level, especially recently, that's even easily within reach against climate change? People know - they feel it.
- ams6110 8y ago
  > What has the US done at the national level, especially recently, that's even easily within reach against climate change? Nationally? Not sure. I don't pay much attention to national news or politics. But every day? I see wind farms and solar farms going in all over the place. I see more and more people buying EVs. I see all the major automakers devoting significant R&D to EVs (thanks Tesla, even though your cars are too expensive for me, I do appreciate the kickstart). I see local utilities decommissioning coal power plants or converting them to natural gas. I see people seriously talking about nuclear power again. People are acting, and whether it really makes a difference or not it feels like it does. That was not the case in the Cold War times, when you felt it was all out of your control as an individual, and everything that was or might have been happening was top secret and invisible.
rchaud 8y ago
> But that's the thing about nuclear annihilation. Nothing can protect you from it. If it happens. The whole point of the nuclear arms race was for nuclear-capable countries to deter one another from attacking. No such luck with climate change. We can try to slow it down, but the damage has been done.

dv_dt 8y ago

Right or wrong, it was very visible that the US blockaded navies, invaded nations, formed alliances - fought in every way against the primary threat of the USSR. I lived through the same time, it was very obvious the government did things frequently and in many levels to fight the Cold war. Doing something, even if it doesn't reduce the core risk, reduces anxiety. (And I'm sure many people would say that many cold war actions actually did reduce the core risk too..) I suppose we're still invading nations, but now it's for little apparent benefit, and certainly not connected to climate change. What has the US done at the national level, especially recently, that's even easily within reach against climate change? People know - they feel it.

ams6110 8y ago
> What has the US done at the national level, especially recently, that's even easily within reach against climate change? Nationally? Not sure. I don't pay much attention to national news or politics. But every day? I see wind farms and solar farms going in all over the place. I see more and more people buying EVs. I see all the major automakers devoting significant R&D to EVs (thanks Tesla, even though your cars are too expensive for me, I do appreciate the kickstart). I see local utilities decommissioning coal power plants or converting them to natural gas. I see people seriously talking about nuclear power again. People are acting, and whether it really makes a difference or not it feels like it does. That was not the case in the Cold War times, when you felt it was all out of your control as an individual, and everything that was or might have been happening was top secret and invisible.

rchaud 8y ago

> But that's the thing about nuclear annihilation. Nothing can protect you from it. If it happens. The whole point of the nuclear arms race was for nuclear-capable countries to deter one another from attacking. No such luck with climate change. We can try to slow it down, but the damage has been done.