'We must act! ... We will no longer exist'

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by AsianStew, Sep 19, 2022.

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  1. AsianStew

    AsianStew Moderator Staff Member

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  2. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I don't think climate change will hurt the planet. The planet will be fine. The people, on the other hand, are at risk.

    But not to the point of extinction. But I could see where we do so much temporary damage to the climate that humans can't survive at current (and future) population levels. We might see a winnowing of the population in the centuries after we reach this hypothetical peak.

    In short, the planet will survive and humans will survive. But human society? Perhaps not so much.
     
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  3. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I can see how a conspiratorial mind might believe that experts can't be trusted about climate change (cuz that's how they getcha!!!). What I don't get is why they're not worried about breathing the air that's filled with all that stuff, or to drink the water that's contaminated with all that stuff.

    Here's some realistic optimism- I have a ton of confidence that clean energy is going to be easier and cheaper in the long run, as well as more plentiful. Eventually, even climate change deniers and greedy corporate tycoons will want to make the switch just because it will be less expensive and more self-sufficient. Even conspiracy nut jobs have been gravitating towards solar power as a way to disconnect themselves from a power grid that they don't trust. Frankly, they're not even wrong to be worried about the stability of the power grid (it's just all that new world order FEMA deathcamp pizzagate Illuminati chem trail apocalypse stuff they're wrong about), and we'd all be better off if we weren't fully dependent on it.

    In the meantime, what do we do? I've read/heard some experts suggesting that nuclear power is a viable stop gap. It's not without its problems, but it's a way to trade an increasingly unmanageable problem (climate change) with an increasingly more manageable problem (containment).

    Now, all we have to do is convince a few million people to say "Yes, in my backyard!" in the US and then focus on convincing China to do the same. It's almost too easy, really. :emoji_grin::emoji_confused::emoji_confounded:
     
  4. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    "The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles … hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages … And we think some plastic bags and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet isn’t going anywhere. WE are!" - George Carlin
     
  5. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    It is my understanding that at least some of them feel that way because of religion. They don't need to worry about climate change because climate change is a sign that they're right and that they'll be in heaven soon anyway while The Apocalypse happens and non-believers will stay behind and be punished.
     
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  6. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    And what's so wrong with people spending their winnings/money the way they want (i.e., splurging)?
     
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  7. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    The way I look at it, with inequality the way it is, any action I take in my lifetime is going to be a drop in the bucket compared to the actions of the billionaires and corporate CEOs. It doesn't stop me from taking those small actions like recycling, taking public transit, etc., but I also look at it in perspective. Even if I had $200 million to donate to charity, that is less than 1% of Elon Musk's $264bn net worth. It's 0.01% the combined net worth of the top 10 richest people ($1.217 TN).
     
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  8. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    The planet doesn't care.

    For what it may be worth, the current human over population is reaching its peak. Once there are fewer of us, and that's likely to happen with startling rapidity, things will begin to rebalance.
     
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  9. Greeneyedpea81

    Greeneyedpea81 New Member

    Malthusian Theory. It makes sense and there seems to be a pattern. Plagues, famine, wars, cataclysms, rinse repeat.
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    As George Carlin once said, we're not destroying the planet; we're destroying us. The planet will be fine.
     
  11. Alpine

    Alpine Active Member

  12. datby98

    datby98 Active Member

    Amazing person, respect!
     
  13. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    GP81...only it's not. Depopulation is in Europe and the Far East (and in future globally) driven mostly by women having fewer, many fewer, children. This has never happened before as far as I know.
     
  14. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I'm not a demographer, but apparently smaller families correlates pretty strongly with being well off, both when comparing societies and comparing individuals within societies.
     
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  15. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I suspect it relates to the relative status of women. Their control of their reproduction and health, their education and ability to pursue careers. The wealth they're able to generate.
     

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