4 ms·

> biggest upcoming global problem after climate change? maybe, but climate change is around number 20 in that list for me.

uoaei 7y ago
You're lucky you get to die soon enough for that to be appropriate.
- new2628 7y ago
  Not sure what you are trying to say here.
  - orthecreedence 7y ago
    He's saying you don't have to worry because by the time it gets really bad, it will be someone else's problem. Which is exactly how we got into this mess in the first place.
    - uoaei 7y ago
      The reticence of politicians to address climate change is strongly correlated with their age. Of course there are outliers but it seems clear that "I'm not going to be alive when the shit hits the fan" does a lot to assuage existential anxieties related to climate change.
      - new2628 7y ago
        Blaming the elderly here seems misguided to me. I suspect the lifestyle of an average 20-year-old today puts much more burden on the environment/climate than the lifestyle of their parents in their twenties. ADD: The amount of time each spends _talking_ about climate change is a different matter of course.
        uoaei 7y ago
        Comparing the behavior of people now to people 20-40 years ago seems dishonest. Many new technologies have prevailed since then, and cultures around consumption have rapidly shifted. We should consider instead the current consumption habits of both cohorts for an appropriate comparison.
        new2628 7y ago
        I don't think the climate cares much about our technologies and cohorts. A ton of CO2 is a ton of CO2. Since you claimed I was arguing dishonestly, I withdraw from the discussion.
        uoaei 7y ago
        Different technologies emit CO2 at different rates. Different technologies are prevalent in society at different times. That's my only point. Didn't mean to make it sound so harsh, "dishonest" wasn't meant to be a reflection of your intention. I chose the wrong word.
        philipkglass 7y ago
        At least with regard to Americans, your suspicion is incorrect. American CO2 emissions per capita reached their highest level in the 1970s and declined later: https://knoema.com/atlas/United-States-of-America/CO2-emissions-per-capita https://knoema.com/atlas/United-States-of-America/CO2-emissi...
NilsIRL 7y ago
What are the 19 first?
- new2628 7y ago
  - what I have for dinner (ok, sorry, it said global problems), so maybe: - collapse of bird, insect, reptile populations over all the developed world due to pesticide use, habitat loss, etc. - decline of natural environment, waters, forests, etc. - loss of linguistic/cultural diversity around the world - decline of institutions and social cohesion in my immediate neighborhood - society-wide addictive tendencies - the commercialization of more and more aspects of human life - ...
  - jaynetics 7y ago
    Among the many effects of climate change, 700 million people live in areas that will become almost uninhabitable due to rising sea level and flooding at current emission rates. Do you seriously think that people adapting by speaking a different language is as bad as that?
    - new2628 7y ago
      Yes, on my list the latter is a more serious problem than the first, it is more certain to be happening, and its effects are more permanent.
      - jaynetics 7y ago
        > more certain Do you doubt that climate change will displace 100s of millions and destroy many large and distinct cultures (e.g. island states) at current emission rates?
        new2628 7y ago
        That could certainly happen (although the island states I have heard mentioned in this context have populations more in the 10s of thousands), but in terms of culture/language loss this would be a small event compared to the loss in the past/current decades/century, already happening without climate change.

uoaei 7y ago

You're lucky you get to die soon enough for that to be appropriate.

new2628 7y ago
Not sure what you are trying to say here.
- orthecreedence 7y ago
  He's saying you don't have to worry because by the time it gets really bad, it will be someone else's problem. Which is exactly how we got into this mess in the first place.
  - uoaei 7y ago
    The reticence of politicians to address climate change is strongly correlated with their age. Of course there are outliers but it seems clear that "I'm not going to be alive when the shit hits the fan" does a lot to assuage existential anxieties related to climate change.
    - new2628 7y ago
      Blaming the elderly here seems misguided to me. I suspect the lifestyle of an average 20-year-old today puts much more burden on the environment/climate than the lifestyle of their parents in their twenties. ADD: The amount of time each spends _talking_ about climate change is a different matter of course.
      - uoaei 7y ago
        Comparing the behavior of people now to people 20-40 years ago seems dishonest. Many new technologies have prevailed since then, and cultures around consumption have rapidly shifted. We should consider instead the current consumption habits of both cohorts for an appropriate comparison.
        new2628 7y ago
        I don't think the climate cares much about our technologies and cohorts. A ton of CO2 is a ton of CO2. Since you claimed I was arguing dishonestly, I withdraw from the discussion.
        uoaei 7y ago
        Different technologies emit CO2 at different rates. Different technologies are prevalent in society at different times. That's my only point. Didn't mean to make it sound so harsh, "dishonest" wasn't meant to be a reflection of your intention. I chose the wrong word.
      - philipkglass 7y ago
        At least with regard to Americans, your suspicion is incorrect. American CO2 emissions per capita reached their highest level in the 1970s and declined later: https://knoema.com/atlas/United-States-of-America/CO2-emissions-per-capita https://knoema.com/atlas/United-States-of-America/CO2-emissi...

NilsIRL 7y ago

What are the 19 first?

new2628 7y ago
- what I have for dinner (ok, sorry, it said global problems), so maybe: - collapse of bird, insect, reptile populations over all the developed world due to pesticide use, habitat loss, etc. - decline of natural environment, waters, forests, etc. - loss of linguistic/cultural diversity around the world - decline of institutions and social cohesion in my immediate neighborhood - society-wide addictive tendencies - the commercialization of more and more aspects of human life - ...
- jaynetics 7y ago
  Among the many effects of climate change, 700 million people live in areas that will become almost uninhabitable due to rising sea level and flooding at current emission rates. Do you seriously think that people adapting by speaking a different language is as bad as that?
  - new2628 7y ago
    Yes, on my list the latter is a more serious problem than the first, it is more certain to be happening, and its effects are more permanent.
    - jaynetics 7y ago
      > more certain Do you doubt that climate change will displace 100s of millions and destroy many large and distinct cultures (e.g. island states) at current emission rates?
      - new2628 7y ago
        That could certainly happen (although the island states I have heard mentioned in this context have populations more in the 10s of thousands), but in terms of culture/language loss this would be a small event compared to the loss in the past/current decades/century, already happening without climate change.