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Time to Panic

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Feb 19, 2019.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    David Wallace-Wells, writing at The New York Times:


    If we had started global decarbonization in 2000, according to the Global Carbon Project, we would have had to cut emissions by only about 2 percent per year to stay safely under two degrees of warming. Did we fail to act then because we thought it was all over already or because we didn’t yet consider warming an urgent enough problem to take action against? Only 44 percent of those surveyed in a survey last month cited climate change as a top political priority.

    This is the most depressing part of the article for me. I remember 2000 and arguing with people in the AbsolutePunk.net forums about climate change. We did virtually nothing and now we’re in some real bad shit. Awesome.

     
  2. Tim McCall

    Regular

    This editorial is scary stuff.
     
  3. White

    Cum for the Cum God. Prestigious

    Circumstances are growing increasingly dire, granted, but... do we really deserve to survive as a species? I’ve yet to hear a good argument that we do.
     
    Serenity Now likes this.
  4. Zip It Chris

    Be kind; everyone is on their own journey.

    Just finished Deadpool 2 and got the realization that it's going to realistically take a time-travelling super hero to tell us what the future looks like to get us to turn things around...I was then filled with gloom knowing that will 'probably' never happen.
     
  5. zachmacD

    Trusted

    I read somewhere that 8,000 gallons of plastic gets dumped in the ocean daily. We need to get our heads out of our asses and elect someone into office that takes global warming seriously. In the most recent election, I read up on all of the candidates and not one of the republicans addressed it. This is not a political issue
     
  6. somethingwitty

    Trusted

    I kind of think it is a political issue. It should be a humanitarian issue that rises above political lines, but the amount of money that is put into Washington from utility/energy corporations via lobbyists is absolutely disgusting. Politicians see the dollars that these corporations have and they're selling out future generations viability on this planet all for some campaign bucks.
     
    sawhney[rusted]2 and zachmacD like this.
  7. zachmacD

    Trusted

    Oh no, I absolutely agree! Unfortunately it is a political issue but as you said, it shouldn’t be. That was more so a call to action to the world.

    In the grand scheme of things, it just doesn’t make sense to me why we are risking the planet for $. Obviously these big businesses have their reasons but it’s just baffling to me. I have a corporate job and make good money but honestly, how much is enough. I make under 6 figures and I have a great life. The fact that these people who have enough money for 10 generations to live off are letting our planet die for more money. I’m beating a dead horse here but my god
     
  8. Martina Feb 19, 2019
    (Last edited: Feb 19, 2019)
    Martina

    Regular

    What's most certain to happen with global warming is a rise in sea level and an increase in storm intensity which is going to affect mostly people in low-lying coastal areas, like one finds throughout South Florida, around near-sea-level islands like in the South Pacific, or in coastal wetlands globally which have always been more affected by storms and in some areas earthquakes and tsunamis. Income inequity varies some from country to country, but I think in general around the world there are probably proportionally fewer educated middle-class people who live in the most critically affected areas now than in the past, and proportionally more are either very poor and so they'll be forced to move or migrate, or are very wealthy (or who are corporate entities) who will just build higher and raise their roads, maybe building their -- their -- cities on stilts and on seawall and/or lock protected fill like was done after a catastrophic hurricaine in 1900 in Galveston, Texas (1900 Galveston hurricane - Wikipedia )

    That's one thing that articles on these issues rarely emphasize enough, even articles like this one: the political reality that whatever the global warming scenario, the people and political regions that will suffer the most are already the least politically and economically powerful, where greater inequity already exists, and the better-off people and political powers will surely be able to adapt better, in part by continuing to profit off the people and political regions that suffer more.

    Aside from that, it's maybe worth noting that the Fyre Festival, or really any very large festival has a lot better chance of happening if they link it to some cause. Wouldn't it be ironic if the Fyre Festival -- or for that matter any very large, glamorous festival located at a beach or waterfront venue -- chose global warming to be the issue they'd want to raise awareness for?
     
  9. JeanRalphio

    Regular Supporter

    Making a big effort to be a more positive person but things just suck and it feels impossible. Also AP was around in 2000??
     
  10. Heh. Yep. I graduated high school in 2001. First versions were like ‘98-ish. Blink and MxPx. Had a weird shitty forum. Became more bands around 2001-02ish and got the first vbulletin install not long after. That’s what most of AP was then built on for the next decade lol.
     
    mercury likes this.
  11. Martina

    Regular

    JeanRalphio, thought this might be a little reassuring: I said of the people affected most by global warming "proportionally more are either very poor and so they'll be forced to move or migrate". I didn't say they'd likely drown or die. It will though be interesting to see how disasters are handled though like hurricaines, famine, etc. Look to the UN and NGOs for best practices in how to deal with this. That might help you sleep better at night. :)
     
  12. .K.

    Trusted Prestigious

    Some plastic producing companies are actually very active trying to reduce plastic waste, in the oceans and on land. They are also active creating new, better plastic recyclable products.

    I think we as citizens need to take ownership on doing our part personally in reducing waste, and continue to elect leaders who will work with environmentalists and big industry to set even more strict guidelines.
     
  13. slickdtc

    Regular Supporter

    How depressing to think but I’ve got no answer for you. Similar to how AI taking over may just be the next step in evolution. It may take a machine’s directive for humans to get the point, if they want to keep us around. Lol

    The first mistake we make in the argument for climate change’s effects is assuming the opposition actually cares. They may deep down, but if that means a hit to their bottom line, they can’t admit it. It will only change when their business is on the brink due to effects from climate change.

    We can’t even get people to believe climate change no matter how many Pacific trash gyres or natural disasters. Just more T&P. And we want to make sweeping changes to offset it? Fat chance.

    How someone can see the awesome power and beauty of nature and systemically kill it every day is a logic I can’t follow. We deserve whatever nature decides to do with us.
     
  14. Serenity Now

    deliver us from e-mail Supporter

    The "hyperobject" effect is real. I am often baffled by the lack of concern my friends/colleagues show on this topic given that they all have children. I'm over here without any kids, and no plans to ever have any (maybe my most impactful choice for helping the environment?), and yet I'm the one who is most focused on the issue and willing to discuss it.
     
  15. Serenity Now

    deliver us from e-mail Supporter

    99.9% of all species to ever exist on this planet have gone extinct. Who's to say we're supposed to be any different?
     
  16. .K.

    Trusted Prestigious

    I still don’t understand how people can’t accept climate change as a real thing. I’ve found in the over 30 years I’ve been alive that the weather shifts more drastically and quicker than I did as a kid.
     
  17. inagreendase

    Newbie

    Just gonna leave this here.

    This is one of the most *fun* ironies about the culture of climate change recognizance. I'm in the same boat as you.
     
  18. elphshelf

    100% made of farts Supporter

    As someone who is now seriously contemplating having children, this is currently the biggest hurdle I’m trying to get over. Will I just be giving them a life of suffering? I fucking hate that I have to think about it this way.
     
    Serenity Now likes this.
  19. Ska Senanake

    Trusted

    Oh Great Filter, take me now!!! I'm ready!!!
     
  20. Walkabout

    Regular

    Fuck. I live 5 miles from my work. This may have inspired me to get a battery powered scooter so I can stop commuting in my car.
     
    Serenity Now likes this.
  21. Collin Skeen

    Regular

    Growing up watching anime and playing JRPGs instilled in me a deep desire to never give up. Practically every ending involved the main characters facing near-impossible odds and Death incarnate--and they usually succeeded. I believe determination and the will to live can go a long way.
     
  22. indigopigment

    Newbie

    I would suggest reading Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now or The Better Angels of Our Nature for an incredibly thorough take on why things aren't really as bad as they seem. You may not agree with all his takes or his nonchalantness of certain issues, but when you really take everything into consideration, it's hard to debate the fact that we live in the greatest time humanity has ever seen.
     
  23. indigopigment

    Newbie

    No, you won't be.
     
  24. Thataintrealmuch

    Newbie


    Pinker’s book was honestly one of my favorite reads in years. I needed that.

    As far as the future goes, I’m not relying on elected officials to fix anything. We have to put our money where our mouths are and do it ourselves. Go vegan, vote with our dollars, be conscious of our impact and consumption