‘No one wants to be right about this’: climate scientists’ horror and exasperation as global predictions play out
‘No one wants to be right about this’: climate scientists’ horror and exasperation as global predictions play out
As the northern hemisphere burns, experts feel deep sadness – and resentment – while dreading what lies ahead this Australian summer
I am really dreading the devastation I know this El Niño will bring. As the situation deteriorates, it makes me wonder how I can be most helpful at a time like this. Do I keep trying to pursue my research career or devote even more of my time to warning the public?
“It’s as if the human race has received a terminal medical diagnosis and knows there is a cure, but has consciously decided not to save itself.“
—Prof Lesley HughesWhen a patient receives a likely terminal diagnoses with one obtainable cure, they typically do everything in their power to get to it unless that means leaving themselves or others permanently destitute. Their coming death is very close. So is the only way out.
The cause in both these statements is that global warming will NEVER be an immediate threat. Humans are wired for immediacy, and if the threat is not a right now thing, they switch to ignoring and adapting. Our psychology is wired to try to address the tiger and to adapt to what is unfortunately continual environmental collapse.
Those who understand we literally cannot do that and that a great many of us will die are not equipped to handle that information without simply sinking into increasingly immobile despair, because...what the fuck can I do about it?
I already eat little, don't even own a car, my worst offense is having internet but it's necessary for work. My other options are to become homeless again or Amish.
People in many countries are suffering greatly already from natural events that have been kicked up to 20. All I can do is watch. And I do. But more and more as someone who has a large stomach for suffering, even I'm beginning to evaluate what good it's doing me, as a civilian, to watch.
I can't help, or I would have. Whatever's going to happen to me in the future is unavoidable. My choices then are between Despair and Not Despair. This is why the masses won't pay attention. They don't have the bandwidth for the entire planet.
The politicians, however, have no excuse for this, and had we less tendency to shut our eyes and stomp our feet and more biological ability to plan in long term, they would be on pikes in the 00's.
Do I keep trying to pursue my research career or devote even more of my time to warning the public?
Unfortunately, at the risk of sounding defeatist, warning the public is pretty much a lost cause at this point. The ones that are receptive already know (and are seeing it first hand this summer), and the ones who aren't have their heads so far up their own asses that they're receiving AM radio. And realistically, there's not much for the average person to do; it's the industrial -scale operators that are the largest problem, and they'll resort to murdering their opposition (both figuratively and literally) before giving up a cent of profit. We as a populace need to full on revolt and take back our health and planet, but we are so effectively convinced our enemies are our neighbors that I really am not sure what to do here.
there’s not much for the average person to do
Not individually, no. Collectively, even if we don't have everyone, we can go pretty far and we did not too long ago, many times. This is what we should be advocating for, I don't think there are any other alternatives at this point.
You gotta get the Rs in on it. For a while right and left was more of a friendly rivalry, albeit intense at times. Barring nazis and zealots they're not all bad. You can see them peaking out every now and then. Tradesmen unionizing, adoption of solar panels, the simple acknowledgment of systemic corruption, the libertarians trying really hard to figure out how to run a country without a government(lol). They're not all bad extremists. Though they do seem easily controlled by state.
The true dispair is knowing that the ones primarily responsible for the issues we are facing (private jets, mega yachts, hundred million dollar properties, etc.) are completely untouchable by us.
We just get to watch in horror as our world decays and the rich get richer.
I don't know where you take that from but the super rich are a tiny tiny fraction of the problem. They don't buy containerships full of stuff, they don't eat millions of animals per day, they don't constitute the vast majority of travel.
Yes, on a per person basis they have an extremely large footprint, but it's still a drop in the bucket compared to the industries that feed the consumption of the average citizens.
I mean, they're quite literally not, though. All it takes is luck, firepower, and someone willing take out Taylor Swift.
I'm sure it will have to get one fuck of a lot worse before people in that tax bracket catch it from their own security, but if enough people are self-sacrificing for long enough, they may even have to outlaw guns or something. Which would at least give my wretched corpse a chuckle.
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Don't forget kids once we hit 130 were gonna start dropping like flies, going outside will be dangerous, your AC bill will be astronomical and the rich people will all be fine in their bunkers!
We hit 125s pretty regularly out here near PHX. Death Valley hit 130 already. So I guess get ready to start dropping.
And water will be boiling
130 F bro. They mean 130 F.
Water hit 101 F off the coast of Florida, so getting there.
If only someone had warned us! Like, send a
tweetX or something....or maybe made a documentary about it 20 years ago....
Over the last few weeks I’ve found myself wondering is this finally going to be the year when any doubts about the climate change crisis are blown away by a spate of costly climate extremes. That could be one benefit of 2023 being off the charts like this.
Narrator: it wasn't
That's the problem. Everyone knows it's legit at this point. But there are a lot of people who have a vested interest in pretending it's not. Then as COVID taught us 30 percent of people just don't want to be told what to do so will say fuck you and do the opposite just to piss you off.
Yeah, I don't understand why they can so peacefully ignore this like water wars are near to happen. When I say we need to find a solution on how to save water and keep it for emergency, their respond like "hell nah, still don't happen today so I don't care. Better buy fuckin Iphone 15 Pro Max just to piss you off because I have more money to buy it rather than invest save water solution for my family like you said".
Better find people with "off-grid passionate" commune to prepare early before it start happening rather than discussing, debating, or doing nothing bout that.
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Everyone knows it's legit at this point
A Republican my team has been lobbying for like 6 years now has moved from "doubtful of climate change" to "climate change is occurring, but we don't know for sure our impact" - so yes, things are slowly moving toward sanity.
Worth noting he drives an EV and has solar panels personally, and his public stance is 100% a reflection of his constituency and not his own views.
Don't look up
beat me to it
Did everyone see this? https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/28/far-right-climate-plans-00107498
I can't wait! I hope they kill us all faster. How exciting.
I don't think I wanted to see this today
The super-shitification** by sold-out governments and the H U G E fossil fuel industry against 50+ years of scientific climate change warnings hasn't forced any changes, it's unlikely watching it play out will do anything. In fact all we're seeing now is even more drilling operations beginning and even less care about the human cost.
At this point we can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst because we ain't seen nothing yet.
** with apologies to Cory Doctorow
We all know what we really need to do.
Echo six going dark.
Man that's environmental scientists catch phrase lately, "No one wants to be right about this." I really wish people(cough governments) would take them seriously.
I got a feeling governments do. It's just an unpopular opinion to do it and the government cares more about that. It's the public that are the issue.
Yeah, that is a major problem with how Western democracies are put together. It is going to cost a lot of money to do anything effectively, so governments would rather postpone any action until the next government takes over, then it will be their problem. And of course this line of thought continues with the next government.
Long term plans with any meaningful changes are just not suitable for our kind of political systems.
You forgot about 'faster than expected'.
@btaf45 We. Are. PHUCKED.
Hey when Doomers feel this way, do you guys also like, not invest in 401(k)s and shit?
Cuz I'd love my kids to have an easier transition up the economic ladder when the world does not, in fact, end.
Edit: this is a serious question. Do you contribute to your 401(k)? Have an IRA?
I really hope Tony Seba is right on his forecasts. It's the only thing that brings more hope. Electric cars, solar, batteries and precision fermentation. He's been right a lot so I have faith.
Having said that we need a huge carbon tax (including on trade) like today.
Sorry to burst the Tony Seba bubble, but he was wrong about self-driving electric cars and he is also wrong about batteries.
(Solar he is probably right on).
We only have two really big, proven guns in the fight against climate change: carbon tax (or, the power of the market) and atomic energy (or, the power of E=MC^2).