There is no ‘getting back to normal’ with climate breakdown – Mark Blyth

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/11/no-getting-back-to-normal-climate-breakdown-ipcc-report

by lisper • 5 years ago

41 12 5 years ago

JacobJans• 5 years ago

The only hope is massive political pressure on our leaders. If enough people force our leaders to force change on all of us, then we stand a half a chance. I wish this was a hopeful situation. It is not. If this were a war, we would be badly losing. We are effectively sending our children into the deadly hands of our enemies.

zygotic• 5 years ago

There is massive political pressure on our leaders. Unfortunately It's not from the electorate, its from the people who live in the lobby (of 6 star hotels).

Mountain_Skies• 5 years ago

If you're losing a war badly, one of the first things to look at is changing tactics. Climate change activists don't seem capable of this. If they want to win this war, come up with a different strategy and new tactics. This one isn't working.

DangitBobby• 5 years ago

This response is infuriating. Pretend it's not that bad? No one feels the need to do anything. Be realistic about how bad it is? The people who believe you get too depressed to do anything while the others call you alarmist. What "strategy" would you propose?

kaesar14• 5 years ago

What do you suggest? Bombing the lobby of Exxon Mobil HQ?

breakyerself• 5 years ago

We need more valve turners and action along those lines. Fortunately or unfortunately too many of us have too much to lose.

imtringued• 5 years ago

Well, I often post about the macroeconomic benefits of fiscal stimulus and CO2 taxes.

The idea that fighting climate change is bad for the economy must die.

Overly simplified: The working economy runs out of money as money concentrates in corporations and the wealthy. Salaries can't be paid at the small business end. Unemployment is pretty much guaranteed. The government pours more money into the economy to alleviate the shortage of money.

What should you pour it on? Schools? Roads? Bridges? Research? Out of ideas? Put the rest into fighting climate change.

The funny part is that it doesn't even require you to believe in climate change. Renewables are cheaper. Electric cars will last longer. Although grid storage is not essential, it would be amazing to have energy storage in the electric grid to prevent blackouts. It would also encourage goal directed research which is much easier than blindly guessing the next big thing.

Now, if it turns out all that climate change noise is true and you end up saving the planet, then think about the profits you would make compared to the business as usual scenario which would obviously have the risk of massive loss of GDP.

NumberWangMan• 5 years ago

In the past three weeks, US citizens sent over 40,000 messages to their senators to ask them to support a carbon price. Citizens Climate Lobby is now doing the same thing with the House of Representatives: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/house/

This is one of the best chances we've had in a long time to pass some serious climate legislation. A majority of Americans of both major parties are in favor.

It's too late tonight, but I'm personally setting an alarm to call and email tomorrow!

renewiltord• 5 years ago

Sweet. So I’ll move to New Zealand. All the strategies everyone has come up with so far are all in the “If we could all get together and agree to do” class, which I don’t have much hope for.

Thanks for the fish.

There is no ‘getting back to normal’ with climate breakdown – Mark Blyth

Related Stories