Does climate change worry anyone else?

[Guest HoosierDD]

Climate change worries me. I want to have food security as I get older. I personally feel like the petrochemical companies are using the same tactics as the cigarette companies used. Except we can't reverse climate change. I am excited about all of this new nuclear tech though. What do people think?

[MasterPhotog]

Climate change, depending on its severity, should definitely be a matter of concern based on everyone's circumstances and comfort level. Considering that you're in the northern US, cold weather, snow and possibly ice can be challenging at times. 
You mentioned 'food security', it's always good to have reasonable supply of non-perishables or of items that can be frozen, however vegetables and fruit etc. should be purchased fresh or few-days supply. Alternatively, if the weather is challenging, you may want to wait until the weather clears up. 
Similarly, it's wise to have warm clothing and winter shoes or boots and care must be taken while going out or driving on snow-covered or icy roads. 
In Canada, among other things, we also have to worry about changing our tires to winter tires and making sure of safety-kit while driving long-distance. 
 

[Guest Naturalselectionissexy]

No it's more fear mongering for profit.

[Guest HoosierDD]

I guess I should specify my concern at MasterPhotog. My concern is that if it gets severe enough severe storms will destroy some years. The world only has ten years or so to dramatically reduce our green house gas emissions. My question is do you think humanity will be able to do it. The affects if we (meaning humanity) fail will be utterly catastrophic. Food and water security will be a thing of the past in many areas that currently enjoy it. It will deplete global fisheries as acidified water kills off fish and corral. Additionally, the stress of mass migration will be hard. The current migration out of the middle east will be nothing compared to global mass migration. My question is more do you think we can de-carbonize our economy in ten or twelve years? If not, to the best of my understanding, we will all suffer. Some years, due to extreme weather or disease, the globe will not have enough water or food to support the global population.  

 

Closer I would invite you to check out this link from NASA. They show how extreme heat will affect the United States in really vicious ways. https://climate.nasa.gov/ 

[Tinka]

i think i`d like to swallow all the food of your profile pic. 

 

and i m sorry but i kinda think that humanity is so stupid and heartless that we all deserve to perish. 

The amount of damage we cause in animals, forests, air, ground, sea is so unimaginable, that even if a few people will come up with a solution, the vast majority of us is so....brainless like medieval orks, that we wont follow rules, and we ll go straight to destruction. 

So in a way, we deserve it. So i kinda dont mind. I m sorry if my opinion offends you people. I wish it wouldnt , but in a world where people cant agree about anything,

and are unleashing their fury upon anyone who has a different opinion, and are so divided, and mean, you cant expect miracles to happen.

Edited November 25, 2018 by Tinka

[baby_k]

Place I call home has already been ruined because of global warming. I'm actually too young to even have seen it in "normal" condition and I'm over 30. And I'm not even living in place that is literally sinking into the sea or has other really drastic changes.

 

But what I see is that we don't have the winters we used to have. We used to have snow. A lot of snow but not anymore. Last year we had green grass in January. Even we should start to be having snow already now....

For me it is really sad as weather is part of the landscape I live in. I have always love that here we have 4 really different seasons which bring interest to life and show how time passes.

I love the spring as suddenly you start to see the sun again, things are starting to grow and flourish. I love the warm summers when you can go swimming in lakes or read book with sea breeze cooling a bit the unbearable heat, nights where you smell the plants around you, feel the moisture in air and hear all the birds singing. I love autums and the colourfull leaves, rain and brisk air. I love the winters, the coldness that surrounds you, peacefulness of the white landscape, skating in sea ice and snowfights. But those winters hardly excists anymore.

 

So, I feel like something I really love has been taken from me. It's sad and I every now and then get melancholic feelign about it as it is bit like thinking of home I will never see again.

 

Then you could go with the more rational way: as we don't have super low temperatures anymore, there has starting to be bugs and other nasty creatures coming to here from south as now they don't die in winter. It changes the ecosystem a lot and suddenly the environment that used to be super safe has all sort of diseases you have never even heard off before.

 

But anyhow, I find it sad but I think people will find ways to cope with it. Selfishly I hope that in my life time there is not yet any mass moves, shortage of food and water, and so forward.

It is good if people find climate change as shocking, or sad, or horrible or something as then they might want to create a change and try to impact things. However, if this causes you too many sleepless nights, maybe try to think that what happens, happens, worrying won't change anything, only actions do.

People are pretty persistent creatures, so they will always find some way ( unofrtunately maybe ). Use your worry and emotions for good and making change but try not to be affected too much in negative ways and don't get depressed.

Things are changing even it always will take time but you can help to create the change. In many ways it is too late already but we can try to save what is still savable as that is more than nothing. And even those small parts are well worth the fight imo.

 

Edit: worst typos....

Edited November 25, 2018 by baby_k

[Guest Avi]

No it's more fear mongering for profit.

 

are you saying climate change aint real

[Guest Naturalselectionissexy]

The world is always changing. Once the earth warms then it will turn into global cooling and eventually the ice ages will return. It's a natural lifecycle of the planet. You must realize how insignificant humans are in relationship to to the timeline of this planet. Humans will be removed and the earth will go through another cycle of cleansing. The heating cycle is expedential due to the green house gasses that are trapped in the permafrost layer that is melting.if you looked at core samples or even go to Utah and see the different layers that are millions of years old you would understand.

 

Climate change is a big business, as are taxes, death, and just about anything else you can think of.

[Guest Aetherr]

im more interested in the strides made in stable fusion, i hear china had achieved fusion in their own way and the uk has a working tokamak reactor..... nuclear fission generates waste which needs to be buried and if not stored properly can poisson and do far more damage than greenhouse gasses ever could and much faster than rising sea levels

[Guest HoosierDD]

So I guess my question is if most of us recognize the problem why don't we take action to solve it or mitigate it. I can tell you from an economic perspective mitigation or stopping it is the best strategy. I guess maybe my question is what price are we willing to pay ( I mean in money). Like are we fine with gas prices being 20 dollars a gallon for several years and an increase in unemployment. It wouldn't be unreasonable to think a 20% unemployment rate would happen in the United States for five or ten years if we got serious about it. What about abolishing social security or eliminating the possibility of retirement. And if we are prepared for that we should can our representatives and let them know. I'm going to tomorrow.

[MysticSand]

A little late to this.....

 

Here's a fun read put out by the UN in Oct: https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/

 

TL;DR - We're dead and it's our own faults.

 

How familiar are you with overall government structure, international diplomacy, and agreements? ^^;; There are a lot of reasons. It's not that no one cares, it's that no one has the money it takes to lobby appropriately against the companies that care more about money than tomorrow.

 

I can totally nerd out about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) on here but I'm already late to the thread. >< I'm no climate change expert but am always open to talking sustainability!

[Guest KawaiiQueen]

Climate change is berry worrying we need to protect the planet for future generations

[SamL]

You know, there's a lot of talk about 'Saving the Planet' which always leads to a chuckle on my part.  The planet is going to be fine, it's people that are screwed.

[Guest LeftyGuitar]

You know, there's a lot of talk about 'Saving the Planet' which always leads to a chuckle on my part.  The planet is going to be fine, it's people that are screwed.

 

I kinda agree with this. While I think humans are sorta responsible for global warming, the Earth also goes through cycles. I believe scientists also believe we are going through an extinction event, I forget the actual terms, but that's the basic gist. For all we know, humans could very well be part of this current extinction event. There is a documentary series called Life After Humans, I think, it talks about how the Earth would restore itself if humans were suddenly to go extinct. I mean yes humans are capable of destroying the Earth, but we'll most likely go before she does.

[MysticSand]

Climate change is berry worrying we need to protect the planet for future generations 

So I know this is a blanket statement and you mean good by it and this was a very true statement with past precedence. However, now... it's a rather dangerous sentiment. It has been, actually. Because it is not the "future" generations we need to be worrying about. It is the generations now. Yeah, we're at that point.

 

There is a documentary series called Life After Humans, I think, it talks about how the Earth would restore itself if humans were suddenly to go extinct. I mean yes humans are capable of destroying the Earth, but we'll most likely go before she does.

The only issue with this is that humans aren't about to go extinct until the Earth makes us. (Or we make ourselves extinct...)

So.... valid thought, but, that's a big "if." And yes the Earth goes through natural phases of extreme temperatures and climates but that's not what the whole issue of global climate change is about. It's about how humans have affected the natural ebb and flow of those temperature cycles to a very scary degree (pun). Science!

[Guest KawaiiQueen]

So I know this is a blanket statement and you mean good by it and this was a very true statement with past precedence. However, now... it's a rather dangerous sentiment. It has been, actually. Because it is not the "future" generations we need to be worrying about. It is the generations now. Yeah, we're at that point.

 

 

The only issue with this is that humans aren't about to go extinct until the Earth makes us. (Or we make ourselves extinct...)

So.... valid thought, but, that's a big "if." And yes the Earth goes through natural phases of extreme temperatures and climates but that's not what the whole issue of global climate change is about. It's about how humans have affected the natural ebb and flow of those temperature cycles to a very scary degree (pun). Science!

That's very true - but what I mean is we need to change what we've been doing by protecting the planet for the future are we not protecting it for the now?

[MysticSand]

That's very true - but what I mean is we need to change what we've been doing by protecting the planet for the future are we not protecting it for the now?

That is indeed true! But the issue with mentality of protecting for the future, is that no one gives a damn. Not really. XD

While a good sentiment, realistically, if it doesn't affect us now... there's not much of an incentive, unfortunately. =/

[Guest KawaiiQueen]

That is indeed true! But the issue with mentality of protecting for the future, is that no one gives a damn. Not really. XD

While a good sentiment, realistically, if it doesn't affect us now... there's not much of an incentive, unfortunately. =/

Nods i agree with that big change comes from politicical actions and most don't seem fussed

[MysticSand]

Nods i agree with that big change comes from politicical actions and most don't seem fussed

Ain't that the truth. T___________T

[Guest flowinghairdd]

I remembered this topic from a while back. Something useful people can do individually is transition there diets, and to reach out to companies to ask them to reduce emissions. If 1 % of the population of the US pestered companies about this stuff, that would be 3.27 million people. Imagine what would happen if just 1 % of the population reached out to a different corporation or their representative every week. I feel like that would be super annoying for people in power, and they would respond. 

[LittleTeacup]

Climate change worries me. I want to have food security as I get older. I personally feel like the petrochemical companies are using the same tactics as the cigarette companies used. Except we can't reverse climate change. I am excited about all of this new nuclear tech though. What do people think?

 

 

I'm not sure I would use the word "worried". Seriously concerned is more like it. I read a lot about this topic and have some solid opinions.

 

Climate change is just one result of violence done to the earth and its inhabitants, including ourselves. Colonialism, racism, sexism, etc. It's not just driving cars or heating our homes with coal. It's disrespect towards other cultures, extreme consumerism, endless war, a drive towards death.

 

I have little hope our governments will take actual action. A few small reforms will not be enough. True change must come from within each of us.

 

(To the OP, nuclear tech is not a good idea. Uranium mining is extremely polluting and nonrenewable. We still have not figured out how to neutralize the radioactive waste and hedging our bets on "future inventions" is not a recipe for success in my opinion. And there's always the risk of a meltdown, whether by accident or terrorist attack or some other unforeseen occurrence. Also, I am not a fan of centralized energy. I prefer decentralization.)

 

i could go on a very long time writing an entire essay, but I will be short and say clear your mind of all distractions and take time to focus on what you really truly want out of life, take pleasure in simple things, stay out of the rat race, and be kind to all beings. Walk lightly.

 

 

So I guess my question is if most of us recognize the problem why don't we take action to solve it or mitigate it. I can tell you from an economic perspective mitigation or stopping it is the best strategy. I guess maybe my question is what price are we willing to pay ( I mean in money). Like are we fine with gas prices being 20 dollars a gallon for several years and an increase in unemployment. It wouldn't be unreasonable to think a 20% unemployment rate would happen in the United States for five or ten years if we got serious about it. What about abolishing social security or eliminating the possibility of retirement. And if we are prepared for that we should can our representatives and let them know. I'm going to tomorrow.

 

Why does there have to be an increase in unemployment? You know how many jobs there could be restoring the environment? Retrofitting buildings? Figuring out what to do with all our current waste? Working on regenerative agriculture? How about we pay people who care for aging or sick relatives (currently unpaid work)? Why don't we cut the work day to four hours, employ twice as many people, and everyone has more leisure time? For such a rich country as the US, we could easily implement a "universal basic income" for all adults so people are free to get involved with meaningful work rather than a soul killing job that gets them barely enough money to pay the rent. There is no need to abolish social security or eliminate retirement. And don't get me started on the current military budget where most of our taxes currently go.