5 ms·

Attenborough gives stark warning on climate change to UN [video]

55 points by karimford 6y ago

mstipetic 6y ago
This comment on reddit has me in a very gloomy mood for the last 24 hours https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/lqqfgv/freshwater_fish_are_in_catastrophic_decline_with/goim0yu/ https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/lqqfgv/freshwate...
- refurb 6y ago
  We were supposed to have an ice-free artic year around by now, but here we are. Not sure I’d put much weight on the worst case scenarios. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/17/arctic-collapse-sea-ice https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/17/arctic-c...
  - Oletros 6y ago
    Are you aware that he is talking about summer?
    - refurb 6y ago
      Yes, and his prediction was still incredibly wrong.
      - Oletros 6y ago
        And it was not an scientific paper
        refurb 6y ago
        It was a climate scientist from Iceland making the prediction. Not my next door neighbor who fixes cars.
  - mstipetic 6y ago
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-tanker-cuts-a-previously-impossible-path-through-the-warming-arctic/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-tanker-cuts-a-previousl... I don't understand what is it about climate science that everyone seems to think they're qualified enough to have strong opinions on. I don't see random people commenting on the intricacies of CPU design, battery design, petrochemical processes or any other high-tech endeavor, but with climate everybody's a f*cking expert.
    - refurb 6y ago
      Your link is about a new route through ice. Not relevant to an ice free arctic.
      - Oletros 6y ago
        And your article is about ice free summers. But I think you didn't even read the article you linked
        refurb 6y ago
        Of course. We haven’t had an ice free summer. That’s my point?
        Oletros 6y ago
        Your point is using mainline media headlines as scientific predictions?
  - solarengineer 6y ago
    "We were supposed to have an ice-free artic year around by now, but here we are. Not sure I’d put much weight on the worst case scenarios." I hadn't heard of an estimate of being ice-free by 2020-21. Per this recent National Geographic source, it is likely to happen as early as 2035. [0] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/arctic-summer-sea-ice-could-be-gone-by-2035 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/arctic-su...
  - helloworld11 6y ago
    This article is indeed amusing. Since his predictions, average sea ice extent in the arctic has been higher than in 2012 (when the artice was written) for every year since. The long term standardized coverage of ice is sloping gently downwards and that's an issue to worry about, yes, but the scientific prediction referenced here by the Guardian shows just how easy it is to be misled by dramatic statements even from scientists about the next X years, who know that in X years few will remember what they had claimed while it helped boost their names initially. Yes, scientists are self-promoting human beings just like anyone. That aside, many of the other comments here, filled with deep existential dread about our future world, are straying into the manic given how terrible humans are at predicting anything at all over the long term. There are far too many unknown unknowns for us to be sure of any aspect of catastrophe for 2100 or even for earlier years. Never mind years beyond 2100. It should serve as very serious food for thought just how much reactions to COVID by public officials, scientists and the media as well were bungled, confused and fraught with false claims (notable examples: masks don't work, the virus has a 1-3% mortality rate) in just a single year because of science and politics mixing heavily in a media charged atmosphere. Yet somehow, the far, far more complex theme of global climate patterns over decades combined with human trends during the next 70 years, is taken as a near given of planetary catastrophe to the point where many of you are firmly convinced that having children now is barely a step below slow murder...
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
CalRobert 6y ago
I think about this every hour, if not several times an hour. The cognitive dissonance between saving for retirement, expecting a stable government, and this are huge. I don't understand how every parent isn't filled with sheer, abject terror at their child's death from starvation, thirst, disease, or violence.
- ThePadawan 6y ago
  > I don't understand how every parent isn't filled with sheer, abject terror at their child's death from starvation, thirst, disease, or violence. I also find it hard to believe that the default stance (even from non-religious people) seems to be that having kids is normal. It is amazing how even as a male, "oh you'll change your mind, everyone wants to have kids some time!" is brought up. It is absolutely baffling.
  - CalRobert 6y ago
    Traits which are unlikely to produce offspring tend to be uncommon because, well, they don't reproduce themselves. We are the ancestors of people who had kids because they wanted to have sex (or at least one of the people involved did), or who actively wanted children.
- ramblerman 6y ago
  Walking around in pure terror is one option, but is probably more media inspired than reality based. You could also be optimistic in the face of the future. We are here because of a long line of good fortune and optimism, despite war, disease, famine. The human race has really faced some incredible odds. And technology while an accelerant for destruction could also be our liberator. Solve energy problems, get us off this planet, etc.. I think instilling that optimism in your kids is most important.
  - CalRobert 6y ago
    I am hoping to train them in permaculture, resourcefulness, and to be strong members their community. We'll see how that goes, they're still very young.
chriskanan 6y ago
I highly recommend David Attenborough's 2020 Netflix documentary "A Life on Our Planet." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough:_A_Life_on_Our_Planet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough:_A_Life_on_... https://www.netflix.com/title/80216393 https://www.netflix.com/title/80216393 It is his "witness statement" on how he has personally observed enormous environmental changes over his ~70 year career documenting wildlife throughout the world.

55 points by karimford 6y ago

This comment on reddit has me in a very gloomy mood for the last 24 hours https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/lqqfgv/freshwater_fish_are_in_catastrophic_decline_with/goim0yu/ https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/lqqfgv/freshwate...

refurb 6y ago
We were supposed to have an ice-free artic year around by now, but here we are. Not sure I’d put much weight on the worst case scenarios. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/17/arctic-collapse-sea-ice https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/17/arctic-c...
- Oletros 6y ago
  Are you aware that he is talking about summer?
  - refurb 6y ago
    Yes, and his prediction was still incredibly wrong.
    - Oletros 6y ago
      And it was not an scientific paper
      - refurb 6y ago
        It was a climate scientist from Iceland making the prediction. Not my next door neighbor who fixes cars.
- mstipetic 6y ago
  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-tanker-cuts-a-previously-impossible-path-through-the-warming-arctic/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russian-tanker-cuts-a-previousl... I don't understand what is it about climate science that everyone seems to think they're qualified enough to have strong opinions on. I don't see random people commenting on the intricacies of CPU design, battery design, petrochemical processes or any other high-tech endeavor, but with climate everybody's a f*cking expert.
  - refurb 6y ago
    Your link is about a new route through ice. Not relevant to an ice free arctic.
    - Oletros 6y ago
      And your article is about ice free summers. But I think you didn't even read the article you linked
      - refurb 6y ago
        Of course. We haven’t had an ice free summer. That’s my point?
        Oletros 6y ago
        Your point is using mainline media headlines as scientific predictions?
- solarengineer 6y ago
  "We were supposed to have an ice-free artic year around by now, but here we are. Not sure I’d put much weight on the worst case scenarios." I hadn't heard of an estimate of being ice-free by 2020-21. Per this recent National Geographic source, it is likely to happen as early as 2035. [0] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/arctic-summer-sea-ice-could-be-gone-by-2035 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/arctic-su...
- helloworld11 6y ago
  This article is indeed amusing. Since his predictions, average sea ice extent in the arctic has been higher than in 2012 (when the artice was written) for every year since. The long term standardized coverage of ice is sloping gently downwards and that's an issue to worry about, yes, but the scientific prediction referenced here by the Guardian shows just how easy it is to be misled by dramatic statements even from scientists about the next X years, who know that in X years few will remember what they had claimed while it helped boost their names initially. Yes, scientists are self-promoting human beings just like anyone. That aside, many of the other comments here, filled with deep existential dread about our future world, are straying into the manic given how terrible humans are at predicting anything at all over the long term. There are far too many unknown unknowns for us to be sure of any aspect of catastrophe for 2100 or even for earlier years. Never mind years beyond 2100. It should serve as very serious food for thought just how much reactions to COVID by public officials, scientists and the media as well were bungled, confused and fraught with false claims (notable examples: masks don't work, the virus has a 1-3% mortality rate) in just a single year because of science and politics mixing heavily in a media charged atmosphere. Yet somehow, the far, far more complex theme of global climate patterns over decades combined with human trends during the next 70 years, is taken as a near given of planetary catastrophe to the point where many of you are firmly convinced that having children now is barely a step below slow murder...
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

CalRobert 6y ago

I think about this every hour, if not several times an hour. The cognitive dissonance between saving for retirement, expecting a stable government, and this are huge. I don't understand how every parent isn't filled with sheer, abject terror at their child's death from starvation, thirst, disease, or violence.

ThePadawan 6y ago
> I don't understand how every parent isn't filled with sheer, abject terror at their child's death from starvation, thirst, disease, or violence. I also find it hard to believe that the default stance (even from non-religious people) seems to be that having kids is normal. It is amazing how even as a male, "oh you'll change your mind, everyone wants to have kids some time!" is brought up. It is absolutely baffling.
- CalRobert 6y ago
  Traits which are unlikely to produce offspring tend to be uncommon because, well, they don't reproduce themselves. We are the ancestors of people who had kids because they wanted to have sex (or at least one of the people involved did), or who actively wanted children.
ramblerman 6y ago
Walking around in pure terror is one option, but is probably more media inspired than reality based. You could also be optimistic in the face of the future. We are here because of a long line of good fortune and optimism, despite war, disease, famine. The human race has really faced some incredible odds. And technology while an accelerant for destruction could also be our liberator. Solve energy problems, get us off this planet, etc.. I think instilling that optimism in your kids is most important.
- CalRobert 6y ago
  I am hoping to train them in permaculture, resourcefulness, and to be strong members their community. We'll see how that goes, they're still very young.

chriskanan 6y ago

I highly recommend David Attenborough's 2020 Netflix documentary "A Life on Our Planet." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough:_A_Life_on_Our_Planet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough:_A_Life_on_... https://www.netflix.com/title/80216393 https://www.netflix.com/title/80216393 It is his "witness statement" on how he has personally observed enormous environmental changes over his ~70 year career documenting wildlife throughout the world.