
Here's what I've learned about climate change and it's terrifying - penzke
https://penzke.github.io/
======
alexandercrohde
"Doomed" is not a scientific term. It's my understanding less than 1% of
scientists think it's likely mankind will go extinct from global warming.

It's a very real problem, but hysterics doesn't help, stick to the science.

~~~
monieseee
The press has done a good job of scaring the shit out of people:

> _54 percent of adults agreed that climate-change threatens our extinction as
> a species, a poll by Comres found, compared to just a quarter who
> disagreed._

[https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-britain-protests-
climate-c...](https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-britain-protests-climate-
change-poll/majority-of-britons-believe-climate-change-could-end-human-race-
poll-idUKKCN1S73Y8)

~~~
Brakenshire
People really lack imagination, to comprehend how poor life can become without
going anywhere near a threat of extinction.

~~~
vixen99
It might be that they are given pause for thought by the comment of the
Secretary-General of the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) who has said
that the alarmist narrative on climate change has gone off the rails and has
criticised the news media for provoking unjustified anxiety.

They might even read this and start asking some questions:

[https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.0022...](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00223/full#supplementary-
material)

------
underwater
Why has this article been flagged? I can't see any arguments that indicate
that it's inaccurate. Most anti-climate change comments have been down voted
too.

Is there some kind of brigading happening, or is climate change denialism
and/or apathy now a majority position on Hacker News?

~~~
thinkingemote
Too many downvotes on certain comments lead to it being auto flagged. Flame
war detection. Also users can manually flag a submission.

But a conspiracy sounds juicer

~~~
underwater
That makes sense. Shame that a few people can kill a story like that.

~~~
thinkingemote
Agreed, in a sense of a site agenda, if one of the moderators see it happening
and think it's worth protecting from the auto/manual flagging they can do so.
In practice this is mainly really important news rather than a (albeit
important) discussion.

------
telaelit
Thank you for this

------
blemp
There are plenty of actions that can be taken to shape our climate and the
politics around it. The need is for people to take action that multiplies each
action taken. Enable others to drive economic incentives.

1) Build, identify and share websites and apps that identify companies and
products to use / avoid based on the climate change background of the company.
These apps / sites need to be data driven and transparent with the data
sources linked and accessible. Make these as easy as possible to use (ie. an
AR app for phones to use in physical stores, browser plugins to use with
online shopping, etc). Someone here on HN can probably crank these out in a
few days to weeks (Make sure there are api's so different apps and sites can
work together).

2) Using the above, focus on buying products from companies that work to
improve the environment and encourage your family and friends to do the same.
Everything from food to cloths to transportation, etc. Make it undesirable to
BE a company that is not working to help the planet. Make it undesirable to
WORK for a company that is not working to help the planet.

\- ex. Brazil is letting the rainforest get cut down / burn down for corporate
greed? Tag products and companies from Brazil that are part of the problem,
and that are not fighting the problem.

\- ex. Ethiopia plants 350 million trees in a day, invest in the companies and
charities that are supporting that effort.

3) Centralize information about environmental efforts into a visually easy to
navigate thing (again, app or site) so that people around the world can figure
out how to invest and help. Leverage data analytics against corporate
ownership and activities to score companies, countries, counties, charities
and politicians on how they are helping to save the planet.

4) Call out the biggest things that drive climate change and help find
solutions to change and replace them (XPRIZE anyone?). Everyone loves to talk
about car pollution, no one talks about container ship and cruise ship
pollution. ([https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-15-biggest-
ships-i...](https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-15-biggest-ships-in-the-
world-produce-more-pollution-than-all-the-cars)). If containerships really are
the worst polluters, perhaps there can be an XPrize to figure out how to
replace them with something less polluting (clearly asking shoppers to stop
buying and shipping things isn't working).
Electric/Solar/Wind/Nuclear/Hydrogen powered boats? Electric or clean hybrid
trains? It's the R&D cost to make these competitive options that prevent or
reduce these from happening.

5) Are there other industrial solutions? Carbon capture and conversion to
fuel? Atmospheric reflection? Maybe these are crazy science fiction, maybe
not. The iPad was a prop on StarTrek The Next Generation in the 90s, now it's
real and relatively cheap. Not everything will work, if we look for solutions,
something will work, we can refine it and make it better. \-
[https://www.google.com/search?q=reflect+atmostpheric+heat+in...](https://www.google.com/search?q=reflect+atmostpheric+heat+into+space)
\-
[https://www.google.com/search?q=co2+to+fuel](https://www.google.com/search?q=co2+to+fuel)

Ultimately many people want to help, but don't know where to start or how they
can help. The big place is not individual change... its corporate change.
Saving the earth must be the economically best choice for companies and
others.

~~~
AstralStorm
It's way too little. Even if you removed consumption and personal transport
completely were looking at maximum of 30% reduction.

We'd have to reengineer manufacturing goods and food distribution massively to
cut it deeper, replace more transport with renewable or nuclear fueled
electric. Local is best most of the time, so buy local food and locally made
things. Skip unnecessary gadgets.

And the most problematic part is reducing airplane miles and agricultural
emissions.

Nuclear tankers have already been shown, but I don't remember a link.

~~~
blemp
Let us take your opening statement as valid. The complexity of the problem
requires solutions that allow non experts to make an impact. If manufactured
goods need to be engineered, the needed investment requires group interest, a
market and research and development. Reducing investment costs could
accelerate this through an avenue similar to open source software. There are
probably other avenues.

Re-engineer manufactured goods, make transport more renewable, reduce food
miles and agriculture emissions, most consumers are supportive and simply need
a simple way that they can help drive and make the change.

------
evolve2k
20 September global climate strikes are expected to be huge. In my city they
are expecting a doubling from 4,000 to 8,000 people. Facebook event responses
to the global strike are going through the roof.

------
ForHackernews
It's really bad, and getting worse. Worse than mainstream sources have the
guts to report:
[https://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=8433](https://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=8433)

Honestly, I don't have much hope, but we have to at least try. Future
generations will curse us for our indolence.

