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If policies don't drastically change. Just imagine norwegian electric car subsidies but happening everywhere decades straight - for solar, wind, tidal, battery,
by datameta 3y ago
If policies don't drastically change. Just imagine norwegian electric car subsidies but happening everywhere decades straight - for solar, wind, tidal, battery, pumped water stations, sand batteries. Perhaps a Sahara -> Europe solar megaproject (I remember a good discussion on HN about that).
Separately, I wonder if a geoengineering megaproject is more likely to be funded than small incremental changes due to politicians perceiving more immediate ROI, peer clout, and poll ratings.
- badtension 3y ago> If policies don't drastically change. Just imagine norwegian electric car subsidies but happening everywhere decades straight - for solar, wind, tidal, battery, pumped water stations, sand batteries. Perhaps a Sahara -> Europe solar megaproject (I remember a good discussion on HN about that). Do you honestly see them changing in the following years? We had Paris 8 years ago and the only thing that caused a small, one-year dip in our emissions was a deadly pandemic...
- wahnfrieden 3y agoIt wasn’t deadly pandemic that did that; it was biz owners complying with orders to let workers stay at home and not commute in and work their jobs that depend on it. Society didn’t collapse either. It’s a decision.
- lossolo 3y agoAnd how much did it cost? It didn't collapse because we printed trillions of dollars, but now we have a huge debt and inflation, which has made poor people even poorer, especially in poorer countries where food insecurity has resurfaced. If it were a sustainable solution, we would have already implemented it.
- badtension 3y agoYes but deadly pandemic was the threat that did it, otherwise it would be business as usual. In other words: we can't seem to make a change unless given a direct and immediate threat on a global scale.
- datameta 3y agoI do, because there is an entire generation steeped in understanding of climate change already taking up policital roles. Minds may be changing (but not fast enough) so intead the politicians changing will be what saves us.
- rootusrootus 3y ago> Just imagine norwegian electric car subsidies but happening everywhere That's hard to imagine, because Norway exported a huge amount of pollution to the rest of the world in order to finance their current policy of green technology adoption. Not everyone has that nice ratio of oil and tiny population.
- sn9 3y agoIf solar and batteries are cheaper, you won't have to wait for political action. Though obviously subsidizing those technologies would hasten their takeover.
- Aerbil313 3y agoTake a genuine look at the science. Scientists themselves are freaking out. There’s no way out of the famine and heat and just the general Collapse that will kill billions.
- moffkalast 3y ago> If policies don't drastically change. That's actually the whole deal, even if policies change drastically in the right direction we're still completely screwed. Not quite as screwed but still not notably less. If we stopped our civilization covid-style on a dime and didn't emit any greenouse gasses at all from now on, we're still mostly screwed in the near term. Delayed effects are a bitch. And policies will only gradually change at best, only after the effects are plainly seen and when it's laughably beyond too late.