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Krakatoa and Mount Tambora led to measurable famine, so it's probably not a good idea.
by bobthepanda 2y ago
Krakatoa and Mount Tambora led to measurable famine, so it's probably not a good idea.
- criddell 2y agoClimate change also leads to famine. Which is worse?
- bobthepanda 2y agoMount Tambora's eruption resulted in "the year without a summer", where most of the Northern Hemisphere had deep snows into June and all the crops froze with massive, rapid dieoffs of livestock. Climate change is definitely bad, but not quite as dramatic in as short a time. People make fun of the Day After Tomorrow for trivializing climate change, but the Mount Tambora eruption resulted in very fast, rapid changes worldwide. And it seems foolish to think we would be any good at controlling the strength of a volcanic eruption.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoYeah, but global temps have climbed ~1.5 degrees since then, so lowering them by 0.5 degrees wouldn't have the same effect (crops freezing) as it did back then. But if it's just a temporary fix for one year, then it's probably a bad idea.
- bobthepanda 2y agoA sudden drop is pretty bad. Plants have tight tolerances and farmers purchase seeds based on expected conditions, not a hypothetical where some rogue country is triggering a volcanic eruption. It’s entirely possible that people plant the wrong crops, a volcanic eruption is triggered, and we see crop failures due to how optimized modern farming is.
- insane_dreamer 2y agoFair point. If such drastic action was ever contemplated it would have to be planned out in advance so that farming could adapt that year to expected shifts. But there will come a tipping point at which time we'll consider drastic measures that society would not otherwise tolerate. Look at Covid for a recent example.