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> restructure the global economy to drastically reduce CO2 emission agreed except that is almost certainly _not_ going to happen until there is a catastrophe o

> restructure the global economy to drastically reduce CO2 emission agreed except that is almost certainly _not_ going to happen until there is a catastrophe of enormous proportions in _industrialized_ nations (tragically, millions dying in Botswana, Bangladesh or Bolivia won't move the needle) so in the meantime we need the alternatives to put off that catastrophe for as long as we possibly can

DaoVeles 2y ago
Unfortunately in many spaces, we have become reactive, not proactive. I have long suspected that in a few hundred years they will look back on us as idiots in the same way many do about the astrologer blood letting types.
- dylan604 2y ago
  Slightly different take on it, as I think that some of us already look at others as idiots. So some are ahead of the curve. We're still waiting for the "idiots" to have that aha! moment.
yongjik 2y ago
As you just said, if we use geoengineering to delay the catastrophe as much as we can, and if we aren't going to wake up until the catastrophe hits ... ... then it's questionable whether geoengineering helps at all, isn't it? All it does is to postpone the inevitable until disasters hit Texas and California, and potentially prolong the misery for Botswana and Bangladesh.
- dylan604 2y ago
  cans really enjoy being kicked though, so you have to take their feelings into consideration.
- lucb1e 2y ago
  > All it does is to postpone the inevitable I don't want to repeat all of what I wrote below an older comment dismissing it for a similar reason, but a shorter version of <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40887461 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40887461> is: >> Eventually, a new generation [that grew up with climate-saving adaptations like electric cars] replaces the old, but that will not be in time for global warming to remain under the identified likely tipping points. If we can make do with artificial cooling for two or three decades, that may be the crucial amount of time we need to deal with the overshoot. >> I don't know if we will need this [but we should] consider whether that temporary effect is useful
  - insane_dreamer 2y ago
    I tend to agree with this take
adrianN 2y ago
Another alternative is to make carbon neutral alternatives economically advantageous. That is already happening for renewable energy.

DaoVeles 2y ago

Unfortunately in many spaces, we have become reactive, not proactive. I have long suspected that in a few hundred years they will look back on us as idiots in the same way many do about the astrologer blood letting types.

dylan604 2y ago
Slightly different take on it, as I think that some of us already look at others as idiots. So some are ahead of the curve. We're still waiting for the "idiots" to have that aha! moment.

yongjik 2y ago

As you just said, if we use geoengineering to delay the catastrophe as much as we can, and if we aren't going to wake up until the catastrophe hits ... ... then it's questionable whether geoengineering helps at all, isn't it? All it does is to postpone the inevitable until disasters hit Texas and California, and potentially prolong the misery for Botswana and Bangladesh.

dylan604 2y ago
cans really enjoy being kicked though, so you have to take their feelings into consideration.
lucb1e 2y ago
> All it does is to postpone the inevitable I don't want to repeat all of what I wrote below an older comment dismissing it for a similar reason, but a shorter version of <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40887461 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40887461> is: >> Eventually, a new generation [that grew up with climate-saving adaptations like electric cars] replaces the old, but that will not be in time for global warming to remain under the identified likely tipping points. If we can make do with artificial cooling for two or three decades, that may be the crucial amount of time we need to deal with the overshoot. >> I don't know if we will need this [but we should] consider whether that temporary effect is useful
- insane_dreamer 2y ago
  I tend to agree with this take

adrianN 2y ago

Another alternative is to make carbon neutral alternatives economically advantageous. That is already happening for renewable energy.