Hello from 2050. We Avoided Worst of Climate Change – But Everything's Different

https://time.com/5669022/climate-change-2050/

by pweezy • 7 years ago

12 10 7 years ago

time.com

moonbug• 7 years ago

seems naively optimistic

platistocrates3• 7 years ago

Better than being cynically apathetic.

throwtheclimate• 7 years ago

I think this article is underestimating the future CO2 impact of Africa and India.

platistocrates3• 7 years ago

Sure, but hope never really cares about statistics.

darepublic2• 7 years ago

Are wind and solar going to work? I always hear conflicting stories on this -- some like this article emphasizing that renewable energy costs are going down and others that insist the tech isn't ready and we need something else (usually nuclear)

NeedMoreTea2• 7 years ago

They already are quietly working, in places that haven't politically made coal a necessity.

Europe is mostly progressing well, though most could go markedly faster, and start hastening the decline of gas. There's a few going far too slow dumping coal - Germany and Poland to name an obvious two.

UK and Ireland are particularly well placed for wind, much less so for solar. UK has closed 99% of the mines and there's now fewer than 50 people working coal. Pre-war peak was over a million, and about 250k miners in the seventies. There'll be no coal generation by 2025. The little we still have is barely used. Even gas generation looks like it may have started the decline.

Australia and USA have loads of coast, and masses of land well suited for wind or solar. The thing neither lack is space and suitable sites, relevant to where power is needed. China and Russia seem to have a fair bit too. They apparently lack the will.

darepublic2• 7 years ago

You say it is quietly working, but can you name me a country where it IS working. Where wind and solar are providing sufficient energy for our current standards of living. Why are the critics of wind and solar (as outlined here for instance: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2018/05/08...) wrong?

platistocrates3• 7 years ago

Yes.

agsilvio• 7 years ago

Did we figure out the cause?

Hello from 2050. We Avoided Worst of Climate Change – But Everything's Different

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