this post was submitted on 29 Dec 2024
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Climate - truthful information about climate, related activism and politics.

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Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.

As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades: Graph of temperature as observed with significant warming, and simulated without added greenhouse gases and other anthropogentic changes, which shows no significant warming

How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world: IPCC AR6 Figure 2 - Thee bar charts: first chart: how much each gas has warmed the world.  About 1C of total warming.  Second chart:  about 1.5C of total warming from well-mixed greenhouse gases, offset by 0.4C of cooling from aerosols and negligible influence from changes to solar output, volcanoes, and internal variability.  Third chart: about 1.25C of warming from CO2, 0.5C from methane, and a bunch more in small quantities from other gases.  About 0.5C of cooling with large error bars from SO2.

Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:

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[โ€“] Allonzee -2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

I value knowledge and wisdom as its own end, knowing it comes at the expense of contentment/comfort.

We all get to choose what we value most, and usually it comes at something else's expense. I would rather stare into the void so long as the void is something true then be deluded, blissfully ignorant and happy when that happiness requires willful ignorance, another way of saying choosing not to know what is available to know.

I think a lot of the "don't think about it" willful ignorance is a big reason us sapient beings inflict such cruelty on one another and sentient creatures that feel real pain so easily. Empathy, knowing everyone else has an inner world and feels as deeply as you do, is something you have to allow yourself to know and feel that most don't care about so long as they "get theirs."

What you're describing is exactly why we will go extinct, legions of people choosing to take what they can without the detriment of really internalizing who will be hurt and how deeply by it. Those best at that skill, sociopaths, run this world and are the primary reason our species' time is ending so they can "win," feel accomplished, and ultimately scurry into their little luxury bunker tombs to sip expensive bourbon and reminisce about how high their ego scores got and how awesome it was while luxuriating several feet of concrete under the fruits of their own fine work until their heart gives out or one of their very expensive air/water/waste/hydroponic systems fail.

Humanity should have been humanity's business, not finding "rational self-interest" bliss. But we made our choice and our bed. ๐Ÿคท

[โ€“] ameancow 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

If you can't understand that there is a very, very wide difference between choosing to live in and appreciate the life you have, and self-centered apathy, then maybe you should revisit your own thoughts on wisdom.

In fact I would argue it's the people without nuance who will doom our species, the idea that if you're not one thing, you must be the other, black-and-white thinking rapidly becomes reactionary thinking which rapidly becomes superstition, fear and hate and an embrace of authoritarian reactionary leadership.

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 6 days ago

I value knowledge and wisdom as its own end, knowing it comes at the expense of contentment/comfort.

Wisdom is knowing how to use knowledge to make the world a better place. It seems like you value knowledge and look down on wisdom.