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It's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the Arctic Circle. Vast amounts of methane are wait in the permafrost. Despots and tyrants are gaining power. The world's m

It's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the Arctic Circle. Vast amounts of methane are wait in the permafrost. Despots and tyrants are gaining power. The world's most powerful nation has a billion people and no concern for ethics. Everyday people - myself included! - live in a system where fighting to improve these things means risking your kids' home, healthcare, and well being. I'm a nervous wreck and when I look at my beautiful daughters, who are the most loving creatures I've ever met, my joy at their existence is filled with horror at the idea they will witness the end of civilization, perhaps the species. Worst, perhaps, is that normally this kind of fear subsides after study. Most of the things we worry about are not, really, that big a deal, in a species-wide sense. Climate breakdown is the one topic I know where the experts are more scared than regular people, not less. I have been trying to find liberal democracies with arable land in cool climates with a credible national defence, and have found none. https://twitter.com/solar_chase/status/1021686779093680128 https://twitter.com/solar_chase/status/1021686779093680128 puts it well. "Honestly, I fear my daughter will have to kill innocent people or be killed in the struggle over the earth's shrinking habitable places."

jmnicolas 6y ago
> I have been trying to find liberal democracies with arable land in cool climates with a credible national defence, and have found none. I think Switzerland checks all your points. IMO you're way over dramatic about the climate. But even if you're right, why worry for something you can't change ?
- CalRobert 6y ago
  Could they repel China? Russia? I think the best hope is NATO becoming meaningful again.
  - jmnicolas 6y ago
    Fwiw even Hitler didn't dare to invade Switzerland. But China and Russia don't have the will nor the capacity to invade Europe anyway. NATO is the one threatening, bombing and invading countries (Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria etc).
Der_Einzige 6y ago
Just find a western nation with nukes and try to move there... Any hot war between a western nation and China goes nuclear, brings in all powers, and leads to the end of civilization. There is no scenario where combat beyond a border skirmish doesn't lead to total nuclear annihilation. Some large conventional war between NATO and China is fantasy and poorly reasoned fantasy at that. That's good though, it means that a hot war with China is extremely unlikely and everyone on all sides will try to prevent it. As far as fear of climate related stuff goes - it's pretty shitty but historically situations like climate change mostly just screw over the poorest in society. Medieval ice ages almost never impacted kings the way they did to peasants. Sounds like you have incentive to acquire as much power and wealth as possible before climate migrants plunge the world into deterioration...

jmnicolas 6y ago

> I have been trying to find liberal democracies with arable land in cool climates with a credible national defence, and have found none. I think Switzerland checks all your points. IMO you're way over dramatic about the climate. But even if you're right, why worry for something you can't change ?

CalRobert 6y ago
Could they repel China? Russia? I think the best hope is NATO becoming meaningful again.
- jmnicolas 6y ago
  Fwiw even Hitler didn't dare to invade Switzerland. But China and Russia don't have the will nor the capacity to invade Europe anyway. NATO is the one threatening, bombing and invading countries (Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria etc).

Der_Einzige 6y ago

Just find a western nation with nukes and try to move there... Any hot war between a western nation and China goes nuclear, brings in all powers, and leads to the end of civilization. There is no scenario where combat beyond a border skirmish doesn't lead to total nuclear annihilation. Some large conventional war between NATO and China is fantasy and poorly reasoned fantasy at that. That's good though, it means that a hot war with China is extremely unlikely and everyone on all sides will try to prevent it. As far as fear of climate related stuff goes - it's pretty shitty but historically situations like climate change mostly just screw over the poorest in society. Medieval ice ages almost never impacted kings the way they did to peasants. Sounds like you have incentive to acquire as much power and wealth as possible before climate migrants plunge the world into deterioration...