Time to Panic

This editorial is scary stuff.

 

Circumstances are growing increasingly dire, granted, but... do we really deserve to survive as a species? I’ve yet to hear a good argument that we do.

 

Just finished Deadpool 2 and got the realization that it's going to realistically take a time-travelling super hero to tell us what the future looks like to get us to turn things around...I was then filled with gloom knowing that will 'probably' never happen.

 

I read somewhere that 8,000 gallons of plastic gets dumped in the ocean daily. We need to get our heads out of our asses and elect someone into office that takes global warming seriously. In the most recent election, I read up on all of the candidates and not one of the republicans addressed it. This is not a political issue

 

I kind of think it is a political issue. It should be a humanitarian issue that rises above political lines, but the amount of money that is put into Washington from utility/energy corporations via lobbyists is absolutely disgusting. Politicians see the dollars that these corporations have and they're selling out future generations viability on this planet all for some campaign bucks.

 

Oh no, I absolutely agree! Unfortunately it is a political issue but as you said, it shouldn’t be. That was more so a call to action to the world.

In the grand scheme of things, it just doesn’t make sense to me why we are risking the planet for $. Obviously these big businesses have their reasons but it’s just baffling to me. I have a corporate job and make good money but honestly, how much is enough. I make under 6 figures and I have a great life. The fact that these people who have enough money for 10 generations to live off are letting our planet die for more money. I’m beating a dead horse here but my god

 

What's most certain to happen with global warming is a rise in sea level and an increase in storm intensity which is going to affect mostly people in low-lying coastal areas, like one finds throughout South Florida, around near-sea-level islands like in the South Pacific, or in coastal wetlands globally which have always been more affected by storms and in some areas earthquakes and tsunamis. Income inequity varies some from country to country, but I think in general around the world there are probably proportionally fewer educated middle-class people who live in the most critically affected areas now than in the past, and proportionally more are either very poor and so they'll be forced to move or migrate, or are very wealthy (or who are corporate entities) who will just build higher and raise their roads, maybe building their -- their -- cities on stilts and on seawall and/or lock protected fill like was done after a catastrophic hurricaine in 1900 in Galveston, Texas (1900 Galveston hurricane - Wikipedia )

That's one thing that articles on these issues rarely emphasize enough, even articles like this one: the political reality that whatever the global warming scenario, the people and political regions that will suffer the most are already the least politically and economically powerful, where greater inequity already exists, and the better-off people and political powers will surely be able to adapt better, in part by continuing to profit off the people and political regions that suffer more.

Aside from that, it's maybe worth noting that the Fyre Festival, or really any very large festival has a lot better chance of happening if they link it to some cause. Wouldn't it be ironic if the Fyre Festival -- or for that matter any very large, glamorous festival located at a beach or waterfront venue -- chose global warming to be the issue they'd want to raise awareness for?

 

Making a big effort to be a more positive person but things just suck and it feels impossible. Also AP was around in 2000??

 

Heh. Yep. I graduated high school in 2001. First versions were like ‘98-ish. Blink and MxPx. Had a weird shitty forum. Became more bands around 2001-02ish and got the first vbulletin install not long after. That’s what most of AP was then built on for the next decade lol.

 

JeanRalphio, thought this might be a little reassuring: I said of the people affected most by global warming "proportionally more are either very poor and so they'll be forced to move or migrate". I didn't say they'd likely drown or die. It will though be interesting to see how disasters are handled though like hurricaines, famine, etc. Look to the UN and NGOs for best practices in how to deal with this. That might help you sleep better at night. :)

 

Some plastic producing companies are actually very active trying to reduce plastic waste, in the oceans and on land. They are also active creating new, better plastic recyclable products.

I think we as citizens need to take ownership on doing our part personally in reducing waste, and continue to elect leaders who will work with environmentalists and big industry to set even more strict guidelines.

 

How depressing to think but I’ve got no answer for you. Similar to how AI taking over may just be the next step in evolution. It may take a machine’s directive for humans to get the point, if they want to keep us around. Lol

The first mistake we make in the argument for climate change’s effects is assuming the opposition actually cares. They may deep down, but if that means a hit to their bottom line, they can’t admit it. It will only change when their business is on the brink due to effects from climate change.

We can’t even get people to believe climate change no matter how many Pacific trash gyres or natural disasters. Just more T&P. And we want to make sweeping changes to offset it? Fat chance.

How someone can see the awesome power and beauty of nature and systemically kill it every day is a logic I can’t follow. We deserve whatever nature decides to do with us.

 

The "hyperobject" effect is real. I am often baffled by the lack of concern my friends/colleagues show on this topic given that they all have children. I'm over here without any kids, and no plans to ever have any (maybe my most impactful choice for helping the environment?), and yet I'm the one who is most focused on the issue and willing to discuss it.

 

99.9% of all species to ever exist on this planet have gone extinct. Who's to say we're supposed to be any different?

 

I still don’t understand how people can’t accept climate change as a real thing. I’ve found in the over 30 years I’ve been alive that the weather shifts more drastically and quicker than I did as a kid.

 

Just gonna leave this here.

This is one of the most *fun* ironies about the culture of climate change recognizance. I'm in the same boat as you.

 

As someone who is now seriously contemplating having children, this is currently the biggest hurdle I’m trying to get over. Will I just be giving them a life of suffering? I fucking hate that I have to think about it this way.

 

Oh Great Filter, take me now!!! I'm ready!!!

 

Fuck. I live 5 miles from my work. This may have inspired me to get a battery powered scooter so I can stop commuting in my car.

 

Growing up watching anime and playing JRPGs instilled in me a deep desire to never give up. Practically every ending involved the main characters facing near-impossible odds and Death incarnate--and they usually succeeded. I believe determination and the will to live can go a long way.

 

I would suggest reading Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now or The Better Angels of Our Nature for an incredibly thorough take on why things aren't really as bad as they seem. You may not agree with all his takes or his nonchalantness of certain issues, but when you really take everything into consideration, it's hard to debate the fact that we live in the greatest time humanity has ever seen.

 

No, you won't be.

 

Pinker’s book was honestly one of my favorite reads in years. I needed that.

As far as the future goes, I’m not relying on elected officials to fix anything. We have to put our money where our mouths are and do it ourselves. Go vegan, vote with our dollars, be conscious of our impact and consumption