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A similar discussion from half a year ago on HN [0]. Everytime I see concerning articles like these on drastic impact of climate change, it is always followed b

A similar discussion from half a year ago on HN [0]. Everytime I see concerning articles like these on drastic impact of climate change, it is always followed by a discussion on how disheartening and worrisome it is. However, what I would really like to see is a discussion on what we, as engineers or skilled professionals or converned citizens of the only liveable planet, do to make an impactful difference. I am sure a lot of us do our part by making little changes in our everyday life such as reducing consumption, choosing public transportation, being aware of the source of the goods we consume, so on and so forth. But there is very little hope that these small changes will get us where we need to be. I found this [1] firm that aims to match you to organizations doing impactful work on a larger scale, in case it is interesting for anyone. Hoping to see more such resources or strategies. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22057576 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22057576 [1] https://www.splashwithdolphin.com/ https://www.splashwithdolphin.com/

perfunctory 6y ago
Unfortunately, I believe there is nothing special we as engineers can do. The best thing we can do is what any other concerned citizen can do. Join climate activists on the streets. Rebel against the status quo. Yes, it's much less comfortable than sitting in front of a screen all day, but it's the most efficient way.
- minerjoe 6y ago
  > Nothing special we as engieers can do? Truly you can bring more imagination to the table? We have almost the entire world connected. Partial solutions to many of todays problems have already been discovered, they just haven't been communicated to the rest. As engineers, we are in a good spot to address this issue. Amost everyone has a supercomputer in their pocket, networked with the rest. There has to be some way to use this to help enable people to get out of destructive extractive system, and to create new, aligned with nature, systems.
  - perfunctory 6y ago
    > There has to be some way to use this to help enable people to ... This is what I used to think too. Over the years though (decades really) my belief in pure technological solutions has waned significantly. As the world interconnectedness increases, so do the global GHG emissions. As the number of supercomputers in our pockets increase so does the e-waist and micro-plastic pollution. It looks like no matter what we do (EVs, solar, smart-grids, you name it), somehow, almost inexplicably, the GHG emissions just keep rising. Year after year. Don't get me wrong. I am not anti technology or something. It's just that it's not a bottleneck anymore. There is no lack of technological solutions, there is a lack of moral courage to implement them.
- kv_hrishikesh 6y ago
  Engineers might organize a hackathon and show off solutions to climate change working day and night, in the next 72 hours. Ha !

perfunctory 6y ago

Unfortunately, I believe there is nothing special we as engineers can do. The best thing we can do is what any other concerned citizen can do. Join climate activists on the streets. Rebel against the status quo. Yes, it's much less comfortable than sitting in front of a screen all day, but it's the most efficient way.

minerjoe 6y ago
> Nothing special we as engieers can do? Truly you can bring more imagination to the table? We have almost the entire world connected. Partial solutions to many of todays problems have already been discovered, they just haven't been communicated to the rest. As engineers, we are in a good spot to address this issue. Amost everyone has a supercomputer in their pocket, networked with the rest. There has to be some way to use this to help enable people to get out of destructive extractive system, and to create new, aligned with nature, systems.
- perfunctory 6y ago
  > There has to be some way to use this to help enable people to ... This is what I used to think too. Over the years though (decades really) my belief in pure technological solutions has waned significantly. As the world interconnectedness increases, so do the global GHG emissions. As the number of supercomputers in our pockets increase so does the e-waist and micro-plastic pollution. It looks like no matter what we do (EVs, solar, smart-grids, you name it), somehow, almost inexplicably, the GHG emissions just keep rising. Year after year. Don't get me wrong. I am not anti technology or something. It's just that it's not a bottleneck anymore. There is no lack of technological solutions, there is a lack of moral courage to implement them.
kv_hrishikesh 6y ago
Engineers might organize a hackathon and show off solutions to climate change working day and night, in the next 72 hours. Ha !