“I expect a semi-dystopian future with substantial pain and suffering for the people of the Global South,” one expert said.

  • DarkThoughts
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    06 months ago

    Because no one is willing to change those things. No politician who would be willing to go this far would be voted in because of the intermediate issues this would cause for people. And doing a super slow transition would be too late at this point, especially since we’re way past schedule already in regards to our emission models. It even starts with the simple fact that people are simply not willing to get rid of their cars, even if public transport was good and completely free. So you’d be left with enforcing people not to drive, which is obviously also not going to happen for the same reasons.

    The #1 priority for reducing climate change (and fixing almost all our problems, from housing affordability to obesity) is zoning reform.

    Only in countries like the US, who have a disproportional large portion of transport emissions. But a lot of our emissions in the West simply come from the production of our goods that we buy and give us our comfy lives.

    • @grue
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      16 months ago

      deleted by creator

    • Dojan
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      16 months ago

      It even starts with the simple fact that people are simply not willing to get rid of their cars, even if public transport was good and completely free. So you’d be left with enforcing people not to drive, which is obviously also not going to happen for the same reasons.

      Induced demand can work in reverse. Stop expanding roads. Redesignate some lanes to public transport only. Why take the car and sit in a queue for 2 hours when a bus can get you to work in 30 minutes without any queues?

      • DarkThoughts
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        16 months ago

        That’s a decades long process. We need proper action done within this decade.

        Why take the car and sit in a queue for 2 hours when a bus can get you to work in 30 minutes without any queues?

        You’d be surprised how many people would take that over a ride with other people.

        • Dojan
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          16 months ago

          That’s a decades long process. We need proper action done within this decade.

          We don’t know that. If it turns out that the actual ECS value is higher than predicted we’re already fucked because whatever faction we might take today should’ve already been taken decades ago. If a global humanitarian crisis is mere decades away, no changes we’ll feasibly make today or in the near future will stave it off.

          You’d be surprised how many people would take that over a ride with other people.

          An alternative is also that those who can, do their job remotely. Covid proved the feasibility of that. You couldn’t pay me enough to start commuting or doing my own grocery runs again. I only go outside for enjoyment and none of it involves vehicles. Unless said vehicle is a bicycle, because my dog really enjoys cycling.

          • DarkThoughts
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            16 months ago

            We don’t know that.

            We do, because the opposite effect took that long. It’s likely even worse for the reasons mentioned.

            we’re already fucked because whatever faction we might take today should’ve already been taken decades ago.

            That’s true either way with where we’re at. That’s why we call for drastic actions to be taken, especially since governments can’t even agree to implement what’s asked for by scientific advisors, who are already very conservative in their predictions in order to not push those politicians too extremely.

            If a global humanitarian crisis is mere decades away, no changes we’ll feasibly make today or in the near future will stave it off.

            That’s not correct, because it can always get even worse. The more and sooner we get rid of our emissions, the better are our chances. That’s also why, on a fixed time scale, it is important to do the bulk of the work as early as possible, instead of doing it towards the end. The longer those greenhouse gasses are in the air, the more damage it will cause for us in the long run. But right now literally all of our measurements taken are still causing us to shoot far beyond our set targets (which turns out, were already too conservatively set too).

            • Dojan
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              16 months ago

              That’s true either way with where we’re at. That’s why we call for drastic actions to be taken

              So what exactly is the end goal for these drastic actions?