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Scientists deliver ‘final warning’ on climate crisis: act now or it’s too late
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
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I agree with you that it's best to stay positive and remain optimistic that we, as a collective, will make things better. However, we can't let that optimism downplay the urgency of the situation.
The world will not end but we're well on our way to making it a much, much worse place to live for billions of people.
We are not making huge changes, at all. We've hardly scratched the surface of the climate change issue. It doesn't matter that a few developed countries are taking steps in the right direction: it's nowhere near enough. Even if all of the Western world went 80% carbon neutral next week, it wouldn't amount to much as you still have countries like China, who singlehandedly pollute more than most other developed countries combined; or developing countries with huge populations and industrial output and scarce renewable infrastructure like India, Pakistan or Brazil.
Of course it doesn't help either when you've got countries like the UK watering down their climate targets with regards to petrol cars, building new oil fields in the North sea, or Saudi Arabia lobbying for climate warnings to be suppressed for the sake of making a few bucks. They're not the only ones to do this, I'm sure.
Reality is the wheels are beginning to turn in the right direction for some countries (albeit nowhere near fast enough) but net progress towards addressing climate change remains zero, if not negative because the message that climate change is here and we need to do something about it NOW is still falling on deaf ears in most of the top polluters.
Let's remain positive, sure, but we can't fool ourselves and think at this rate we'll fix the problem.
We're in the middle of a mass extinction event, with rapidly worsening weather patterns, on the verge of ecological collapse, and you're worried about the messages framing because it's fear mongering? We have a very good reason to be afraid, we should be directing it into drastic action. Get mad, don't stay positive, there's no reason to look on the bright side. Heads need to roll, we don't need to hug it out and hope for the best.
The world won't end, but humanity will if things don't change
Isn't mass deaths sort of a prerequisite for being in a mass extinction event? How the hell can you say we are in the middle of one when nothing has happened yet. You just sound stupid and needlessly exaggeratory
The Holocene/Anthropogenic Extinction
"The contemporary rate of extinction of species is estimated at 100 to 1,000 times higher than the background extinction rate, the historically typical rate of extinction (in terms of the natural evolution of the planet); also, the current rate of extinction is 10 to 100 times higher than in any of the previous mass extinctions in the history of Earth. One scientist estimates the current extinction rate may be 10,000 times the background extinction rate, although most scientists predict a much lower extinction rate than this outlying estimate.Theoretical ecologist Stuart Pimm stated that the extinction rate for plants is 100 times higher than normal."
"In The Future of Life (2002), Edward Osborne Wilson of Harvard calculated that, if the current rate of human disruption of the biosphere continues, one-half of Earth's higher lifeforms will be extinct by 2100. A 1998 poll conducted by the American Museum of Natural History found that 70% of biologists acknowledge an ongoing anthropogenic extinction event."
60 Percent of Global Wildlife Species Wiped Out
You sound willfully ignorant and in denial
We are not making huge changes. Definitely too little, hopefuly not yet too late. But you can, by stop eating animal products. It's the most powerful thing you can do.
It really depends on where you live and your lifestyle.
Agriculture is 26% of global CO2 because everyone needs to eat, but not everyone lives in American-style suburban sprawl. The most powerful thing someone can do ultimately depends on what the worst thing they're doing is. Taylor Swift would be better off getting rid of her private jet than going vegan. And not all foods are created equal - chicken is much better for the environment than beef.
US emissions are rather different from average global emissions. In the US, agriculture is only 10% of emissions, electricity is 25% and transportation is 28%. Light- duty vehicles like cars, vans and pickups are 58% of those transportation emissions; heavy duty tractor trailers are 23%.
So driving, in the US, is responsible for 16% of total emissions - more than the entire agricultural sector. Doing things to lower those emissions like supporting walkable, mixed-use transit-oriented development is big. Switching to using an electric cargo bike for grocery shopping is big. Switching to an electric car is at least better.
Installing solar is probably better for most Americans than going vegetarian, as well. If you're French, Dutch, etc, then your milage will vary.
You sound like one of those naive christians haha
Humanity* is rightfully fucked though