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Eh, I mean the silicate weathering feedback will definitely fix the CO2 issue on Myr timescales, but doesn't mean it mightn't be a bumpy ride. Then there's the

Eh, I mean the silicate weathering feedback will definitely fix the CO2 issue on Myr timescales, but doesn't mean it mightn't be a bumpy ride. Then there's the issue of above-background extinction rates -- not entirely a CO2 / climate change issue, but arguably already irreversible unless we're about to go all Jurassic-Park-style Pleistocene rewilding over here.

DoreenMichele 7y ago
Then there's the issue of above-background extinction rates ... arguably already irreversible unless we're about to go all Jurassic-Park-style Pleistocene rewilding over here. Lions have adapted to hunt seals and seabirds in Namibia, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/28/lions-adapted-hunt-seals-seabirds-namibia-study https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/28/lions-ad... India’s wild tiger population rises 33% in four years https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/29/india-wild-tiger-population-rises-conservation https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/29/india-wild-tig... Science has identified some 2 million species of plants, animals and microbes on Earth, but scientists estimated there are millions more left to discover, and new species are constantly discovered and described. https://www.livescience.com/topics/newfound-species https://www.livescience.com/topics/newfound-species First wild polar-grizzly bear hybrid offspring discovered https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/first-wild-polar-grizzly-bear-hybrid-offspring-discovered https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/first-wild... New wolf coyote hybrid https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-new-wolf-coyote-hybrid-is-infiltrating-our-cities https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-new-wolf-coyote-hybr... I posit that some of our hysteria is rooted in our egomaniacal fantasy that we already know everything. We don't.
- cbkeller 7y ago
  ? Assuming you meant to reply to me, I think this is orthogonal to what I posted ETA since we seem to have reached maximum comment depth: To clarify, the context suggests you mean to disagree with me, but I don't see any incompatibility between your comment and mine. These examples are not bringing back species that are currently extinct. That is not to say that life is not adaptable or that vacated ecological niches will not eventually be re-filled. Judging from the paleontological record, they definitely will -- sometimes rapidly and sometimes not for many Myr. Sometimes, due to convergent evolution, the replacements for a given niche are shockingly close in appearance to the extinct originals, but it's never quite the same as before. I think the only thing I actually disagree with here is the apparent (implied?) suggestion that folks concerned about climate change are in a state of "hysteria." The climate scientists I know would be among the first to agree that we don't know everything!
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- gravelc 7y ago
  None of these examples help us survive. Humans are highly adaptable and live in nearly every climate. We don’t need to evolve. Unfortunately our staple crops are far less adaptable, and we’ve already done a very good job at extracting what we can from the available pool of genetic variation. Plant pathogens are however often good at adapting, and will quite possibly thrive in changing conditions. Yet somehow we’ll have to feed an extra 3-5 billion people in the next 30 years in this rapidly changing climate. As I’ve said in other threads, it’s not obvious how we’re going to do it, and if we struggle, there’ll be serious political instability, which is almost always bad for those going through it.
  - lazyjones 7y ago
    >Unfortunately our staple crops are far less adaptable, and we’ve already done a very good job at extracting what we can from the available pool of genetic variation. That's very far from the truth. Out of hundreds of known natural corn varieties, we're using less than 10 natural and some genetically-engineered in industrial farming. We are so flexible in growing crops, that we can select the most efficient variants for every climate and situation.
    - neom 7y ago
      There are lots of good solutions and ideas for solving these problems, my concern is our ability to implementing them well, quickly, at human scale, is another thing all together.
      - lazyjones 7y ago
        > my concern is our ability to implementing them well, quickly, at human scale, is another thing all together. We don't need to. There is no looming climate apocalypse coming that will require large-scale measures in a few years. FWIW, a single farmer figured out here in Austria, where it's too cold and dry for rice normally, how to grow organic rice in basically 2 years of cheap experiments. He's selling it for a living now. Don't underestimate our ability to adapt.

DoreenMichele 7y ago

Then there's the issue of above-background extinction rates ... arguably already irreversible unless we're about to go all Jurassic-Park-style Pleistocene rewilding over here. Lions have adapted to hunt seals and seabirds in Namibia, study finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/28/lions-adapted-hunt-seals-seabirds-namibia-study https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/28/lions-ad... India’s wild tiger population rises 33% in four years https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/29/india-wild-tiger-population-rises-conservation https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/29/india-wild-tig... Science has identified some 2 million species of plants, animals and microbes on Earth, but scientists estimated there are millions more left to discover, and new species are constantly discovered and described. https://www.livescience.com/topics/newfound-species https://www.livescience.com/topics/newfound-species First wild polar-grizzly bear hybrid offspring discovered https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/first-wild-polar-grizzly-bear-hybrid-offspring-discovered https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/first-wild... New wolf coyote hybrid https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-new-wolf-coyote-hybrid-is-infiltrating-our-cities https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-new-wolf-coyote-hybr... I posit that some of our hysteria is rooted in our egomaniacal fantasy that we already know everything. We don't.

cbkeller 7y ago
? Assuming you meant to reply to me, I think this is orthogonal to what I posted ETA since we seem to have reached maximum comment depth: To clarify, the context suggests you mean to disagree with me, but I don't see any incompatibility between your comment and mine. These examples are not bringing back species that are currently extinct. That is not to say that life is not adaptable or that vacated ecological niches will not eventually be re-filled. Judging from the paleontological record, they definitely will -- sometimes rapidly and sometimes not for many Myr. Sometimes, due to convergent evolution, the replacements for a given niche are shockingly close in appearance to the extinct originals, but it's never quite the same as before. I think the only thing I actually disagree with here is the apparent (implied?) suggestion that folks concerned about climate change are in a state of "hysteria." The climate scientists I know would be among the first to agree that we don't know everything!
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
gravelc 7y ago
None of these examples help us survive. Humans are highly adaptable and live in nearly every climate. We don’t need to evolve. Unfortunately our staple crops are far less adaptable, and we’ve already done a very good job at extracting what we can from the available pool of genetic variation. Plant pathogens are however often good at adapting, and will quite possibly thrive in changing conditions. Yet somehow we’ll have to feed an extra 3-5 billion people in the next 30 years in this rapidly changing climate. As I’ve said in other threads, it’s not obvious how we’re going to do it, and if we struggle, there’ll be serious political instability, which is almost always bad for those going through it.
- lazyjones 7y ago
  >Unfortunately our staple crops are far less adaptable, and we’ve already done a very good job at extracting what we can from the available pool of genetic variation. That's very far from the truth. Out of hundreds of known natural corn varieties, we're using less than 10 natural and some genetically-engineered in industrial farming. We are so flexible in growing crops, that we can select the most efficient variants for every climate and situation.
  - neom 7y ago
    There are lots of good solutions and ideas for solving these problems, my concern is our ability to implementing them well, quickly, at human scale, is another thing all together.
    - lazyjones 7y ago
      > my concern is our ability to implementing them well, quickly, at human scale, is another thing all together. We don't need to. There is no looming climate apocalypse coming that will require large-scale measures in a few years. FWIW, a single farmer figured out here in Austria, where it's too cold and dry for rice normally, how to grow organic rice in basically 2 years of cheap experiments. He's selling it for a living now. Don't underestimate our ability to adapt.