4 ms·

Total climate meltdown cannot be stopped, says expert

15 points by docmechanic 4y ago

smt88 4y ago
This guy is (maybe?) more pessimistic than most climate experts, and his warnings are more direct, but the headline still doesn't really match his thinking: > "The future is forbidding from this perspective, though McGuire stresses that if carbon emissions can be cut substantially in the near future, and if we start to adapt to a much hotter world today, a truly calamitous and unsustainable future can be avoided. The days ahead will be grimmer, but not disastrous." I suspect his book (and this headline) are an attempt to snap people out of their complacency. It's an admirable goal, but I'm not sure what to do to accomplish it. This headline itself seems to suggest we should all give up, even though the journalist and subject disagree.
- superchroma 4y ago
  Population control probably starts to come into it. I think the notion that we can just continue to pile on people on the planet is increasingly divorced from reality.
  - smt88 4y ago
    > Population control probably starts to come into it. It doesn't. The population we would "control" (mostly poor people in developing countries) contribute tiny amounts to climate change. The vast majority of non-industrial emissions are produced by wealthy people[1]. They produce orders of magnitude more than even the average US citizen, which is astonishing. 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/05/25/slowing-population-growth-environment/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/05/25/...
    - Zenst 4y ago
      Very true - those impacted are mostly those who are not causing the issues and those that cause the issues are more inclinded to complain how they can't water there lovely green grass than care about the destruction happening elsewhere as sadly many people have a selfish mentality.
      - superchroma 4y ago
        The planet can't afford to bring every person on this planet to a 2022 first world style of living. Industrializing America and Europe trashed the planet pretty thoroughly. With that said, poorer countries are no less aspirational than the west was, hence why Brazil burns its rainforest and others consume limited resources like sand, etc. and freely pollute and pillage the ocean. Judged on action, they have no interest in their tomorrows at all. How do you propose we reconcile this gap?
        smt88 4y ago
        > How do you propose we reconcile this gap? Waste management, nuclear and other renewable energy, and technology.
        Zenst 4y ago
        > The planet can't afford to bring every person on this planet to a 2022 first world style of living That is why the "first world style of living" needs to change and meet in the middle. When you have systems that rewards you the more you buy/use instead of penalising you is kinda the crux.
    - superchroma 4y ago
      I didn't nominate a population, you did that all on your own :) Also, note that those poor people in developing countries helped fill our oceans with plastic, so everyone's a bit guilty.
      - smt88 4y ago
        > I didn't nominate a population, you did that all on your own If you have a point, make it. Don't try to smear me with your own ignorance. Wealthy people in developed countries are already reducing their populations. The only category for population control is people who are still having more than 2-3 children on average.
- Zenst 4y ago
  < I suspect his book (and this headline) are an attempt to snap people out of their complacency. It's an admirable goal, but I'm not sure what to do to accomplish it. This headline itself seems to suggest we should all give up, even though the journalist and subject disagree. Whilst that may of been the intention, the types of people needing that shock factor or reality may well fall into two camps: 1) Those who stay in denial and carry on doing nothing 2) Those who finaly get it and conclude that if it's too late then why bother now The net result that such approaches that remove hope will only serve to fuel those who need such education into doing less and akin to telling somebody they will die in a week due to their lifestyle and nothing they can do - such people would hardly give up doing what they enjoy and spend that week changing their lifestyle and more inclinded to party harder.

15 points by docmechanic 4y ago

This guy is (maybe?) more pessimistic than most climate experts, and his warnings are more direct, but the headline still doesn't really match his thinking: > "The future is forbidding from this perspective, though McGuire stresses that if carbon emissions can be cut substantially in the near future, and if we start to adapt to a much hotter world today, a truly calamitous and unsustainable future can be avoided. The days ahead will be grimmer, but not disastrous." I suspect his book (and this headline) are an attempt to snap people out of their complacency. It's an admirable goal, but I'm not sure what to do to accomplish it. This headline itself seems to suggest we should all give up, even though the journalist and subject disagree.

superchroma 4y ago
Population control probably starts to come into it. I think the notion that we can just continue to pile on people on the planet is increasingly divorced from reality.
- smt88 4y ago
  > Population control probably starts to come into it. It doesn't. The population we would "control" (mostly poor people in developing countries) contribute tiny amounts to climate change. The vast majority of non-industrial emissions are produced by wealthy people[1]. They produce orders of magnitude more than even the average US citizen, which is astonishing. 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/05/25/slowing-population-growth-environment/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/05/25/...
  - Zenst 4y ago
    Very true - those impacted are mostly those who are not causing the issues and those that cause the issues are more inclinded to complain how they can't water there lovely green grass than care about the destruction happening elsewhere as sadly many people have a selfish mentality.
    - superchroma 4y ago
      The planet can't afford to bring every person on this planet to a 2022 first world style of living. Industrializing America and Europe trashed the planet pretty thoroughly. With that said, poorer countries are no less aspirational than the west was, hence why Brazil burns its rainforest and others consume limited resources like sand, etc. and freely pollute and pillage the ocean. Judged on action, they have no interest in their tomorrows at all. How do you propose we reconcile this gap?
      - smt88 4y ago
        > How do you propose we reconcile this gap? Waste management, nuclear and other renewable energy, and technology.
      - Zenst 4y ago
        > The planet can't afford to bring every person on this planet to a 2022 first world style of living That is why the "first world style of living" needs to change and meet in the middle. When you have systems that rewards you the more you buy/use instead of penalising you is kinda the crux.
  - superchroma 4y ago
    I didn't nominate a population, you did that all on your own :) Also, note that those poor people in developing countries helped fill our oceans with plastic, so everyone's a bit guilty.
    - smt88 4y ago
      > I didn't nominate a population, you did that all on your own If you have a point, make it. Don't try to smear me with your own ignorance. Wealthy people in developed countries are already reducing their populations. The only category for population control is people who are still having more than 2-3 children on average.
Zenst 4y ago
< I suspect his book (and this headline) are an attempt to snap people out of their complacency. It's an admirable goal, but I'm not sure what to do to accomplish it. This headline itself seems to suggest we should all give up, even though the journalist and subject disagree. Whilst that may of been the intention, the types of people needing that shock factor or reality may well fall into two camps: 1) Those who stay in denial and carry on doing nothing 2) Those who finaly get it and conclude that if it's too late then why bother now The net result that such approaches that remove hope will only serve to fuel those who need such education into doing less and akin to telling somebody they will die in a week due to their lifestyle and nothing they can do - such people would hardly give up doing what they enjoy and spend that week changing their lifestyle and more inclinded to party harder.