I don’t understand why you want to win this argument. Do you want me to give up all hope? You haven’t convinced me of your position, so I won’t. Yes, it’s possible you’re right, but there will be advances in the field we can’t predict at this time plus we’re adding more and more low carbon energy to our capacity every day. It’s just a matter of outrunning our demand. It’s totally possible to get a grip on this problem and get ahead of it.
No worries. Its fine for people to have differing viewpoints and we don’t have to convice each other. I wish I could have yours honestly but for me the math just does not add up. There are some technologies that are possible to mitigate it but none might even materialize. AI (to get us to scifi level stuff), mind uploading, maybe genetic engineering. There are even a few that have come to mind at times that I can’t recall now (actually just recalled one which is channeling heat right into space). but wind, solar, nuclear, tidal, etc combined with population combined with consumption. It won’t work and that is not even taking into account carbon capture to bring it back to normal which as the one guy said requires virtually limitless energy. I mean it will take more energy than what we got from fossil fuels to bring it back to neutral and that is a lot of energy.
I’m starting to think you don’t want it to work. All of the mentioned factors can be altered and your numbers are constantly in flux, constantly improving. Now don’t assume I’m naive, it’ll get worse before it gets better, but it’ll get better. This is a multigenerational undertaking and progress will look excruciatingly slow to us poor mortals living in the endeavor’s first generation.
Want has nothing to do with it. We have had massive increase in technology in the last 50 years yet we have not even slowed down our damage. You have to understand we are just talking global warming as well and that is more of an easily measurable bad consequence of pollution in general. Overfishing, air, water, soil contamination, over farming, overpopulation. Those still all exist. I have not gotten through life by wants. If I did then the world would be like star trek because that is what I would want. That is fantasy though. Look we want to do everything we can but to be realistic that is to minimize suffering at this point, because suffering is happening now from pollution and global warming. We need to reduce, reuse, recycle, and research ways to mitigate and if by some chance we get that sci fi level stuff we need to actually get out of this mess then great.
I think we live in two different worlds. In mine renewables usage is going up for economic reasons and so is coal usage. There is a lot of talk around bad fishing and farming practices but little put into practice. Recycling is often not happening especially with plastics which are increasing in usage. We have been tracking closer to the worst case scenario in past global warming predictions than in best case. I do not see things being addressed much. Don’t get me wrong there are many many people trying their hardest to do the best they can but globally, governmentally. I don’t see things being addressed adequately. I see a lot of talk. That being said I don’t work off of wants or fears. Things just are and I just try to do the best I individually can and practice mindfulness and acceptance. The old have serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I still don’t think you’re accurately assessing the situation, it’s really not possible to make an accurate assessment anyway since we’re in the beginning. So are you saying that you’re old and don’t have a real stake any of this? Why are you trying to convince me that you’re right and there’s nothing that can be done? I don’t really understand why you’re digging your heels into hopelessness or at least why are you trying to drag me into your hole of despair? That’s not very kind, especially if you are in fact old.
Well old is a relative term and its possible you are older than I. I think you misundersand me as I have state quite a few times that we should do everything we can. We should just not be under the delusion that magical future technology will reverse it all and get us back to where we used to be. Is it impossible. No. Is it unlikely. Yes. Its highly unlikely. Everything you base your view on would apply equally to us just finding another perfect planet and the technology to get to it and live happily ever after. But in terms of todays technology and even technology that we can conceivably develop in the next few decades. We can’t fix the issue. I really don’t understand how you think despair is the only choice if we can’t fix everything hunky dory because again I have made it clear I do everything I can to make the best of things and do the best I can for the earth and everyone should as well.
Okay that’s great. Your earlier comments made me think you were a doomer. Well you do sound like a doomer, but anyway, I can understand how it’s hard to see today how in 200 years we’ll have this under control. Every little attempt at sequestration, every insignificant advance, every time an old politician dies in office, will snowball into something amazing. 200 years is a very long time.
I don’t understand why you want to win this argument. Do you want me to give up all hope? You haven’t convinced me of your position, so I won’t. Yes, it’s possible you’re right, but there will be advances in the field we can’t predict at this time plus we’re adding more and more low carbon energy to our capacity every day. It’s just a matter of outrunning our demand. It’s totally possible to get a grip on this problem and get ahead of it.
No worries. Its fine for people to have differing viewpoints and we don’t have to convice each other. I wish I could have yours honestly but for me the math just does not add up. There are some technologies that are possible to mitigate it but none might even materialize. AI (to get us to scifi level stuff), mind uploading, maybe genetic engineering. There are even a few that have come to mind at times that I can’t recall now (actually just recalled one which is channeling heat right into space). but wind, solar, nuclear, tidal, etc combined with population combined with consumption. It won’t work and that is not even taking into account carbon capture to bring it back to normal which as the one guy said requires virtually limitless energy. I mean it will take more energy than what we got from fossil fuels to bring it back to neutral and that is a lot of energy.
I’m starting to think you don’t want it to work. All of the mentioned factors can be altered and your numbers are constantly in flux, constantly improving. Now don’t assume I’m naive, it’ll get worse before it gets better, but it’ll get better. This is a multigenerational undertaking and progress will look excruciatingly slow to us poor mortals living in the endeavor’s first generation.
Want has nothing to do with it. We have had massive increase in technology in the last 50 years yet we have not even slowed down our damage. You have to understand we are just talking global warming as well and that is more of an easily measurable bad consequence of pollution in general. Overfishing, air, water, soil contamination, over farming, overpopulation. Those still all exist. I have not gotten through life by wants. If I did then the world would be like star trek because that is what I would want. That is fantasy though. Look we want to do everything we can but to be realistic that is to minimize suffering at this point, because suffering is happening now from pollution and global warming. We need to reduce, reuse, recycle, and research ways to mitigate and if by some chance we get that sci fi level stuff we need to actually get out of this mess then great.
You’re clearly overwhelmed. Everything you mentioned is being addressed and things will be okay.
I think we live in two different worlds. In mine renewables usage is going up for economic reasons and so is coal usage. There is a lot of talk around bad fishing and farming practices but little put into practice. Recycling is often not happening especially with plastics which are increasing in usage. We have been tracking closer to the worst case scenario in past global warming predictions than in best case. I do not see things being addressed much. Don’t get me wrong there are many many people trying their hardest to do the best they can but globally, governmentally. I don’t see things being addressed adequately. I see a lot of talk. That being said I don’t work off of wants or fears. Things just are and I just try to do the best I individually can and practice mindfulness and acceptance. The old have serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I still don’t think you’re accurately assessing the situation, it’s really not possible to make an accurate assessment anyway since we’re in the beginning. So are you saying that you’re old and don’t have a real stake any of this? Why are you trying to convince me that you’re right and there’s nothing that can be done? I don’t really understand why you’re digging your heels into hopelessness or at least why are you trying to drag me into your hole of despair? That’s not very kind, especially if you are in fact old.
Well old is a relative term and its possible you are older than I. I think you misundersand me as I have state quite a few times that we should do everything we can. We should just not be under the delusion that magical future technology will reverse it all and get us back to where we used to be. Is it impossible. No. Is it unlikely. Yes. Its highly unlikely. Everything you base your view on would apply equally to us just finding another perfect planet and the technology to get to it and live happily ever after. But in terms of todays technology and even technology that we can conceivably develop in the next few decades. We can’t fix the issue. I really don’t understand how you think despair is the only choice if we can’t fix everything hunky dory because again I have made it clear I do everything I can to make the best of things and do the best I can for the earth and everyone should as well.
Okay that’s great. Your earlier comments made me think you were a doomer. Well you do sound like a doomer, but anyway, I can understand how it’s hard to see today how in 200 years we’ll have this under control. Every little attempt at sequestration, every insignificant advance, every time an old politician dies in office, will snowball into something amazing. 200 years is a very long time.