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> Climate change is reversible in a couple hundred years That's optimistic. Climate change is potentially reversible, but it would involve large-scale geoengin

> Climate change is reversible in a couple hundred years That's optimistic. Climate change is potentially reversible, but it would involve large-scale geoengineering or carbon capture that we don't have the technology for yet. Developing and deploying that currently-nonexistent technology requires a stable, organized society. It's plausible that climate change could cause the breakdown of organized society before we're able to develop technology to reverse it.

toohotatopic 7y ago
Don't forget the trees. Maybe it's a couple of thousand years, but let them roam earth and the CO2 is gone, like the last time. Since bacteria is digesting cellulose this time, we can't rely on earth to fold over old wood. Instead, humans will have to manage the storage. But that should be doable, given the speed with which we can harvest forests.
to11mtm 7y ago
I wish I could remember the name of the plant... But there's some tree that grows like a freaking weed and is amazing for carbon sequestration. I feel like even having 'more' trees again would be helpful; where my family grew up, over the years all the big/old trees that were in people's yards were never replaced as they went away.
- Polylactic_acid 7y ago
  You have to make sure the tree never rots or burns. And the only way to do that is to bury it deep underground or freeze it in an iceberg.
  - chrisweekly 7y ago
    Or leave it alone to live and thrive, with the downside you have to be willing to tolerate its side effects, eg producing shade and wildlife habitat and oxygen and medicines and beauty and other things nobody wants.
    - Polylactic_acid 7y ago
      The tree is taking up space so no more trees can grow in that spot. That means there is a limited amount of carbon we can store on the surface of the planet. We started this situation with lots of carbon and greenhouse gasses trapped underground and with a surface full of trees. We can't go back without putting the carbon back.
  - toohotatopic 7y ago
    Build ships and throw them into the ocean. The wood just has to decay slower than new trees grow. Also: carbon nano tubes and carbon fiber. We will build skyscrapers from carbon. There won't be enough carbon available for all the stuff we want to build.

toohotatopic 7y ago

Don't forget the trees. Maybe it's a couple of thousand years, but let them roam earth and the CO2 is gone, like the last time. Since bacteria is digesting cellulose this time, we can't rely on earth to fold over old wood. Instead, humans will have to manage the storage. But that should be doable, given the speed with which we can harvest forests.

to11mtm 7y ago

I wish I could remember the name of the plant... But there's some tree that grows like a freaking weed and is amazing for carbon sequestration. I feel like even having 'more' trees again would be helpful; where my family grew up, over the years all the big/old trees that were in people's yards were never replaced as they went away.

Polylactic_acid 7y ago
You have to make sure the tree never rots or burns. And the only way to do that is to bury it deep underground or freeze it in an iceberg.
- chrisweekly 7y ago
  Or leave it alone to live and thrive, with the downside you have to be willing to tolerate its side effects, eg producing shade and wildlife habitat and oxygen and medicines and beauty and other things nobody wants.
  - Polylactic_acid 7y ago
    The tree is taking up space so no more trees can grow in that spot. That means there is a limited amount of carbon we can store on the surface of the planet. We started this situation with lots of carbon and greenhouse gasses trapped underground and with a surface full of trees. We can't go back without putting the carbon back.
- toohotatopic 7y ago
  Build ships and throw them into the ocean. The wood just has to decay slower than new trees grow. Also: carbon nano tubes and carbon fiber. We will build skyscrapers from carbon. There won't be enough carbon available for all the stuff we want to build.