Climate Change: hope for the biggest I told you so of all time is what fuels us

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > Climate Change: hope for the biggest I told you so of all time is what fuels us

«‹›1192 »

Microplastics: Jul 6, 2007; It's what's for dinner.

OK second floor then.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 19:38

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 19, 2024 16:55

Microplastics: Jul 6, 2007; It's what's for dinner.

It's a tall building.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 19:38

TehSaurus: Jun 12, 2006

Gods_Butthole posted:

Developing techniques to break downard, paralyzing mental spirals are good.

I think a big problem is a lot of the approaches to dealing with anxiety rest on the assumption that the anxiety is "irrational", that it's a result of oversensitivities to perceived future danger and relief is partially found in realizing that you were making mountains out of mole hills. Unfortunately this governing assumption doesn't apply to climate doomerism lol

It is also about acceptance which is very on brand for this thread. We know the doom is coming. That's just reality. We do get to choose how we engage with it though, and I find a certain amount of peace in acceptance.

Granted I'm enormously privileged which might make it a bit easier but I think this approach is supposed to help regardless.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 19:42

Thump!: Nov 25, 2007; Look, fat, here's the fact, Kulak!

err posted:

I never heard about the clathrate gun, is it a real thing?

*points clathrate gun at the california coastline*

Methanized.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 19:44

Gods_Butthole: Aug 9, 2020; Can't post for 8 years!

err posted:

I never heard about the clathrate gun, is it a real thing?

It turns out the real global warming was the methane we made along the way :unsmigghh:

# ? Apr 30, 2021 19:52

Gods_Butthole: Aug 9, 2020; Can't post for 8 years!

TehSaurus posted:

It is also about acceptance which is very on brand for this thread. We know the doom is coming. That's just reality. We do get to choose how we engage with it though, and I find a certain amount of peace in acceptance.

Granted I'm enormously privileged which might make it a bit easier but I think this approach is supposed to help regardless.

Yeah, my position in the labor aristocracy can easily let me ride things out for some time without major impact. Part of my difficulty in letting go is that I'm worried if I don't constantly remind myself of the ongoing horrors that my material conditions will take over and I'll lose touch with my working class solidarity.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 19:56

taqueso: Mar 8, 2004

Gods_Butthole posted:

Please no, I love my little wriggly friends

They'll make it a long time though

# ? Apr 30, 2021 19:57

ubachung: Jul 30, 2006

Over the last 50 years we've seen ~80% losses of birds, fish, insects and small mammals. 'Most of the natural world is still alive' really isn't true.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:19

Gods_Butthole: Aug 9, 2020; Can't post for 8 years!

taqueso posted:

They'll make it a long time though

I'm thinking of building a worm farm in my backyard. Worms are really neat.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:21

Koirhor: Jan 14, 2008; by Fluffdaddy

Gods_Butthole posted:

Yeah, my position in the labor aristocracy can easily let me ride things out for some time without major impact. Part of my difficulty in letting go is that I'm worried if I don't constantly remind myself of the ongoing horrors that my material conditions will take over and I'll lose touch with my working class solidarity.

not if the temp shits out an extra 2c in a year

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:26

T-Paine: Dec 12, 2007; Sitting in the Costco food court unmasked, Bible in hand, reading my favorite Psalms to my five children: Abel, Bethany, Carlos, Carlos, and Carlos.

ubachung posted:

Over the last 50 years we've seen ~80% losses of birds, fish, insects and small mammals. 'Most of the natural world is still alive' really isn't true.

Um, we really didn't "lose" those animals, we replaced them with chicken and cattle who lead miserable short lives

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:26

Trabisnikof: Dec 24, 2005

ubachung posted:

Over the last 50 years we've seen ~80% losses of birds, fish, insects and small mammals. 'Most of the natural world is still alive' really isn't true.

while it is bad, that statistics is inaccurate, we've seen losses that high in specific areas but not overall. for example we've "only" seen loss of 29% of the birds in North America https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/120

your overall point is correct, nothing is "natural" anymore, everything is human disturbed

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:28

take_it_slow: Jul 7, 2011

Live a little, guys! There are still representative samples of most biomes and species! We still have a toehold in the 'before' times!

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:31

Microplastics: Jul 6, 2007; It's what's for dinner.

ubachung posted:

Over the last 50 years we've seen ~80% losses of birds, fish, insects and small mammals. 'Most of the natural world is still alive' really isn't true.

In biomass you may well be right. I'd say most of the wonder of the natural world, expressed in biodiversity if not numbers, is still around to be enjoyed.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:33

Hubbert: Mar 25, 2007; At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

personally i cope by making memes on r/collapse lol

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:33

Mameluke: Aug 2, 2013; by Fluffdaddy

thank god all that biodiversity is concentrated in urban areas where we can enjoy it without hastening its demise

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:34

Gods_Butthole: Aug 9, 2020; Can't post for 8 years!

Koirhor posted:

not if the temp shits out an extra 2c in a year

Really the climate going tits up as fast as possible will just aid my ideological purity. Thanks clathrate gun!

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:48

stellers bae: Feb 10, 2021; by Hand Knit

Mameluke posted:

yes they "exist" but not even our parents were alive to see what nature used to be, the era of a school of salmon so thick they make the river look walkable is practically primordial to our reckoning

i would trade the rest of my life for a year in that world

# ? Apr 30, 2021 20:55

T-Paine: Dec 12, 2007; Sitting in the Costco food court unmasked, Bible in hand, reading my favorite Psalms to my five children: Abel, Bethany, Carlos, Carlos, and Carlos.

I'm going to book a private jet to fly out and enjoy myself some of this natural wonder you all keep talking about. Are there any cool trees anywhere that are almost extinct?

# ? Apr 30, 2021 21:08

Mameluke: Aug 2, 2013; by Fluffdaddy

T-Paine posted:

I'm going to book a private jet to fly out and enjoy myself some of this natural wonder you all keep talking about. Are there any cool trees anywhere that are almost extinct?

personally i would like to see a dragon blood tree but i'm not rich enough to rent a private jet. think you could be a real buddy and have an international airport built on socotra? would be a greener option than scads and scads of private jets surely

# ? Apr 30, 2021 21:36

Irony.or.Death: Apr 1, 2009

nah, he's gonna need to cut the tree down and turn it into a coffee table so he can bring it home and enjoy it for the rest of his life

sorry about your poverty

# ? Apr 30, 2021 22:03

Gods_Butthole: Aug 9, 2020; Can't post for 8 years!

T-Paine posted:

I'm going to book a private jet to fly out and enjoy myself some of this natural wonder you all keep talking about. Are there any cool trees anywhere that are almost extinct?

The California Redwood and Sequoia forests are pretty cool. I don't think they've been impacted too badly yet.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 22:04

Mayor Dave: Feb 20, 2009; Bernie the Snow Clown

Mameluke posted:

yes they "exist" but not even our parents were alive to see what nature used to be, the era of a school of salmon so thick they make the river look walkable is practically primordial to our reckoning

That world's been gone for hundreds of years. Obviously we live in a greatly diminished natural world but the remnants still exist! But they will no longer exist within our lifetimes

# ? Apr 30, 2021 22:26

taqueso: Mar 8, 2004

Gods_Butthole posted:

I'm thinking of building a worm farm in my backyard. Worms are really neat.

Vermicomposting is rad

# ? Apr 30, 2021 22:29

Hubbert: Mar 25, 2007; At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

Climate crisis: our children face wars over food and water, EU deputy warns posted:

Dry earth caused by extreme drought at a reservoir in Spain. Photograph: agefotostock/Alamy

Older people will have to make sacrifices in the fight against climate change or today�s children will face a future of fighting wars for water and food, the EU�s deputy chief has warned.

Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the EU commission, said that if social policy and climate policy are not combined, to share fairly the costs and benefits of creating a low-carbon economy, the world will face a backlash from people who fear losing jobs or income, stoked by populist politicians and fossil fuel interests.

He said: �It�s not just an urgent matter � it�s a difficult matter. We have to transform our economy. There are huge benefits, but it�s a huge challenge. The biggest threat is the social one. If we don�t fix this, our children will be waging wars over water and food. There is no doubt in my mind.�

Frans Timmermans: �Those of us who understand we need to move fast should make the social issue the pivotal issue in all of this� Photograph: Reuters

Tackling climate change will be many times cheaper than the disruption that global heating will cause, as well as bringing benefits to health, and the costs have fallen dramatically in recent years. However, the shift away from fossil fuels will mean the end of some traditional jobs such as coalmining, and the costs of change will fall unequally on different sectors of society unless politicians step in.

�Where I see a huge risk is that you get an alliance between those who don�t want change because they see their interest affected, whether it�s in fossil fuels or in traditional economic circles,� Timmermans told the Guardian in an interview. �Those interests combine with the fear of negative social consequences. Then you could get a counter-momentum where people say, �Hang on, not too fast, people cannot stomach this.��

He added: �Those of us who understand we need to move fast should make the social issue the pivotal issue in all of this. I really call upon all of those in the climate movement to join me in focusing on the social issue more than they�ve done in the past. Because this could become the biggest stumbling block.�

He warned that sacrifices would be needed from the older generation to ensure that young people can live in a safe climate. Today�s older people were the beneficiaries of a previous generation�s sacrifice, and were now being called on to make changes themselves, he said.

�Sometimes I wonder whether we are aware of the transformation we�re heading to, and how profound it is. It�s an effort comparable to restructuring after a violent conflict. I used to talk to my grandparents and my parents about how they saw this, after the war. They said, �Well, we sacrificed a lot because we knew our children would be better off.� And this feeling is not there yet in our society.�

Changing people�s lives today would be difficult, but the benefits would be felt by today�s children, he added. �This for politics is a huge, huge challenge. We need to recapture that feeling of a purpose � doing something not for yourself, but for others, which I think has always led to society being at its best.�

A climate protest by Greenpeace in Brussels in December. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Any sacrifice would be mild for most, such as the inconvenience of having a house renovated to low-carbon standards, or switching to electric transport, and eating less meat. But for some it could involve a change of job or living patterns.

�We�re not asking people to go back to 1930s situations, we�re not asking people to live in caves and munch grass. It�s taking perhaps one or two steps back to be able to jump much further in to the future.�

Timmermans� warnings reflect a growing concern among climate experts that politicians have failed to show people the benefits of a low-carbon society, which include cleaner air and water, more livable cities, and higher levels of health and wellbeing, as well as defusing the climate crisis. Politicians, including Donald Trump and Republicans in the US, have presented tackling climate breakdown as a cost, and many people are fearful for their jobs.

Timmermans acknowledged that some people in traditional industries would have to change, and said the main role for politicians was to make this easier. Reskilling people in industries such as fossil fuel and power generation would be key.

He pointed to Poland, which is highly dependent on coal. �They have a very high level of engineering, of education � there�s a huge potential there [in a low-carbon economy] for a country like Poland. And there simply isn�t any future in coal. The longer you protract [the change], the more painful and the more costly it will be.�

Timmermans has a pivotal role this year, within the EU and globally, as he leads the bloc�s green deal, intended to transform the European economy to a low-carbon footing, and leads the bloc�s climate efforts at Cop26, vital UN climate talks to be hosted by the UK in Glasgow this November.

On Thursday, he travelled to London for his first official visit outside Brussels since the pandemic lockdowns began, with a four-hour meeting in Downing Street with Alok Sharma, the UK�s Cop26 president and host of the talks. He is in weekly contact with John Kerry, climate envoy to US president Joe Biden, and with China�s top climate official, Xie Zhenhua.

The EU has put in law its own climate target, of cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. This is one of the most stretching climate targets yet put forward, alongside those of the UK and the US, though campaigners have said the bloc could do better and have called for a 60% target.

Timmermans said no further improvement of the emissions target was possible, but said he was asking EU member states to come forward with more money for climate finance: assistance from rich to poor countries to help them cut emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown.

�Our approach is ambitious; I think we�ve set the stage. I hope others will follow that example. I see what the UK is doing � that�s even slightly more ambitious than what we�re doing. But then all the others still have a lot of catching up to do. I think the onus here is not on the EU, nor on the UK.�

# ? Apr 30, 2021 22:34

Xaris: Jul 25, 2006; Lucky there's a family guy
Lucky there's a man who positively can do
All the things that make us
Laugh and cry

T-Paine posted:

I'm going to book a private jet to fly out and enjoy myself some of this natural wonder you all keep talking about. Are there any cool trees anywhere that are almost extinct?

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/05/socotra-island-of-strange-plants.html

its probably not long for hte world either lol

# ? Apr 30, 2021 22:51

Notorious R.I.M.: Jan 27, 2004; up to my ass in alligators

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/30/famine-looms-in-southern-madagascar-uns-food-agency-says

quote:

Speaking by videolink from Madagascar�s capital, Antananarivo, Daoudi told a UN briefing in Geneva he had visited villages where �people have had to resort to desperate survival measures, such as eating locusts, raw red cactus fruits or wild leaves�.

�Famine looms in southern Madagascar as communities witness an almost total disappearance of food sources which has created a full-blown nutrition emergency,� Daoudi said.

...

�The world is absolutely suffering from COVID, but I think the domino effect in Madagascar, where sandstorms have completely blanketed harvest, they have not had a decent rainfall in years and this will have a massive effect in 2021 on children, on mothers and on families.�

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:06

silicone thrills: Jan 9, 2008; I paint things

Notorious R.I.M. posted:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/30/famine-looms-in-southern-madagascar-uns-food-agency-says

I wonder how people will play this off.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:08

err: Apr 11, 2005; I carry my own weight no matter how heavy this shit gets...

https://twitter.com/Weather_West/status/1388164253702492163

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:12

Complications: Jun 19, 2014

silicone thrills posted:

I wonder how people will play this off.

"What do you expect? It's Africa."

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:17

Real hurthling!: Sep 11, 2001

when we all move into the dome you guys better bring a laptop and a lan cable cause we are playing some loving Quake

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:20

Deep Dish Fuckfest: Sep 6, 2006; Advanced
Computer Touching; Toilet Rascal

unreal tournament or nothing you piece of poo poo

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:21

Shima Honnou: Dec 1, 2010; The Once And Future King Of Dicetroit; College Slice

m-m-m-monster kill
-me, about the world

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:21

FUCK COREY PERRY: Apr 19, 2008

silicone thrills posted:

I wonder how people will play this off.

shithole country, duh bad things happen there

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:31

kecske: Feb 28, 2011; it's round, like always

T-Paine posted:

I'm going to book a private jet to fly out and enjoy myself some of this natural wonder you all keep talking about. Are there any cool trees anywhere that are almost extinct?

go visit Pando imo

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:43

T-Paine: Dec 12, 2007; Sitting in the Costco food court unmasked, Bible in hand, reading my favorite Psalms to my five children: Abel, Bethany, Carlos, Carlos, and Carlos.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I've decided to plan a nature appreciation trip for me, my wife, and our nine children. We're going to sort of jet around the globe, renting a nice humvee at each locale to get around, and document and take samples of some of nature's marvels before they're lost to us forever.

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:52

Deep Dish Fuckfest: Sep 6, 2006; Advanced
Computer Touching; Toilet Rascal

thank u 4 ur service

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:53

Pooky: Aug 29, 2004; I post fox news so u don't have to 💋

err posted:

https://twitter.com/Weather_West/status/1388164253702492163

I hope those forests are raked in time

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:56

Real hurthling!: Sep 11, 2001

T-Paine posted:

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I've decided to plan a nature appreciation trip for me, my wife, and our nine children. We're going to sort of jet around the globe, renting a nice humvee at each locale to get around, and document and take samples of some of nature's marvels before they're lost to us forever.

wear cleats and walk off trail

# ? Apr 30, 2021 23:58

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 19, 2024 16:55

T-Paine: Dec 12, 2007; Sitting in the Costco food court unmasked, Bible in hand, reading my favorite Psalms to my five children: Abel, Bethany, Carlos, Carlos, and Carlos.

Real hurthling! posted:

wear cleats and walk off trail

Oh we will be protected. I've ordered a case of insecticide already

# ? May 1, 2021 00:00

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > Climate Change: hope for the biggest I told you so of all time is what fuels us

«‹›1192 »