For my 5000th post I would like to discuss the most important issue of our time: climate change

[StevieM]

Actually, climate change is the most important issue of any time. The potential damage is mind-numbing.

We need to break through the ideological barriers. So much of what needs to be done is both economically and scientifically feasible. We just need to let go of our conservative mentality. This is an area that requires a lot of federal intervention.

We have to make the American people understand that a new energy economy can produce good new jobs and cheaper prices.

And we have to accept that geo-engineering will have to be a part of the ultimate solution. That means federal funding to investigate new techniques for reclaiming carbon from the atmosphere.

We are running out of time. If warming hits 2 degrees celsius (3.6 degrees fahrenheit) then feedback loops will start to kick in. The Amazon will be destroyed causing more carbon to be released causing more warming. Then the permafrost will thaw releasing even more carbon. Finally, trapped methane will be released from the sea bed.

Here is an article that discusses the damage that will unfold.

http://globalwarming.berrens.nl/globalwarming.htm

We need new leadership that will help us avoid this catastrophe. Barack Obama gave us a good start. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley would have followed up on his effort. But Donald Trump is a global warming denier. He won't work to save our planet. Instead he will work to destroy it. And he will have the full support of the entire Republican Party.

It is up to us Democrats to fight for our planet. We need to join together and get our message across to the people. We are, simply put, the good guys. Whether we supported Clinton, Sanders or O'Malley we are all Democrats. And we all want to save our world while we still can. If we don't do it soon it may be too late.

Let us remember the words of John F. Kennedy: "Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."

[IcyPeas]

1. K and R

Wow, I have been watching this thread sink. Too much trump distraction?

[StevieM]

8. Thanks. I was surprised that I didn't get more replies for my 5000th post, even if only

to say congratulations.

It seems that climate change just doesn't excite people as much as other issues do. Maybe that is part of the problem.

Here is what I wrote for my 4000th post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027803980

[hatrack]

16. Don't be surprised - I've got more than 40,000 posts, most environmental . . .

And if I get 100 reads on any given post, that's a fairly good response.

[Raine]

2. Yes it's the very most important issue of any. nt

[riderinthestorm]

3. Agreed 100%. K&R nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. K & R

[dumbcat]

5. Jesus, people ....

Someone wants to discuss arguably the most important issue of our time here in GD, and this is the response he gets? Sadly, it would probably have gotten the same response over in E&E.

Where is the passion, the information, the suggestions on what to do to proceed? We have multi-hundred post threads about tabloids covers in grocery check out lines, restaurants, conspiracy theories and everything else. But a real, important issue gets less than a handful of replies in GD?

SMH.

[GliderGuider]

6. It's hard to draw attention to really important problems on a political board.

[StevieM]

15. I guess this is kind of what you are talking about on E&E.

People have a hard time recognizing the enormity of the problem.

I thought the link I provided might help.

As I have mentioned before, I think 200 years from now is when we will be at a point comparable to the apex of the Great Dying. Unless we reverse course the sixth mass extinction will be mostly complete by then.

I continue to hold out hope that the major countries of the world will increase their anti-warming efforts. I continue to believe that the United States may recognize the danger and start to assume a greater leadership role in the crisis. And, of course, I continue to wait for the geo-engineering fairy to come save us, at least in part.

I realize there are a ton of problems, and maybe we cannot avert a catastrophe. But perhaps we can avoid a game-over scenario in which humanity goes extinct.

[StevieM]

14. It is hard to get people excited to talk about this. Of course, it is even harder to get independent

swing-voters to recognize the seriousness of the problem.

I thought about putting up a different post, something like saying that I am proud of Hillary Clinton and I am also proud of the emerging Democratic leadership team. I did something like that for my 4000th post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027803980

I wanted this one to delve a little deeper into an actual policy matter, and I felt that climate change should be recognized as the ultimate policy matter, given the stakes.

I think that putting it up on E&E would have gotten a bigger response per capita, but it has a much smaller readership.

[immoderate]

7. Oh, the irony!

--imm

[voteearlyvoteoften]

9. Congrats and Knr

Should have 100 recs

[eniwetok]

10. Climate Change... an issue or symptom?

I agree that climate change is a top issue... but I'd suggest it's a symptom of our dysfunctional political and economic systems. Our antidemocratic political system created a Frankenstein in the amoral corporate form... and the political system simply lacked the safeguards from being hijacked by that Frankenstein.

[HeartachesNhangovers]

11. I agree about the importance of this issue -

and about reducing human impacts on the ecosystem generally. However, I think it's a mistake to think that only the government can do something. Yes, the government can impose sweeping requirements to increase fuel efficiency in vehicles or ban plastic bags - which are both good things. But government doesn't CAUSE most of the pollution - people do. You and I do. We wouldn't need the government to do anything about climate change if people just decided to make a priority of trying to minimize their impact on the environment:

• Buying less stuff
• Wasting less food and water
• Traveling less (airports, airplanes, hotels are huge trash-generating centers)
• Sharing things - cars, books, clothes, etc, etc

[GliderGuider]

18. The single biggest personal change you can make to mitigate future climate change...

Don't have children.

https://newint.org/sections/argument/2015/03/01/climate-change-children/

[HeartachesNhangovers]

19. I believe you are correct, and I don't have children,

but I can't bring myself to tell people they should make the same choice. For a lot of people it is part and parcel of being human.

[StevieM]

20. I don't have children either.

I do have 4 nephews/nieces who I cherish, and will probably get one more in the next couple of years.

Five kids between my brother, sister and me is not unreasonable.

I understand why so many people want to have kids. I used to want them myself.

What we really need is a comprehensive birth control policy, both in this country and around the world.

There are emerging birth control methods, like vasal gel, which is long-lasting birth control for men. Hopefully there will eventually be a female counterpart, something like "tubal gel." If we could get affordable, long-lasting contraception into the third world it would make a big difference.

[IcyPeas]

12. Did anyone watch BBC/Discovery "Frozen Planet"?

It was a visually beautifully done series. One of the episodes (On Thin Ice) did touch on climate change. They did not go into who or what is causing it, just that it is changing. Here are some clips from it, but entire episodes are available online for free.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/frozen-planet/videos/on-thin-ice/

[airplaneman]

13. Congratulations on your 5000 post!

I live by a few rules to try and help:
-Think about your carbon footprint in everything you buy and do.
-Realize we need to cut back on energy usage by 90% - figure out how you are going to contribute.
-Flying is the dirtiest way to travel.
-Buy for life and buy used - Don't buy things you don't need.
-Shoot for zero waste -food and anything you buy.
-Airplane

[Calculating]

17. Most people are either in denial, ignorant, depressed or apathetic when it comes to this issue

That's my experience at least.
-Some people just don't know about the issue, or they buy into the RW propaganda about ACC being some kind of wealth redistribution hoax.
-Some people are still in the denial phase regarding how big the problem actually is. They might believe in the science, but they'll say "Oh come on, it cannot really be that bad". The enormity of the problem, and the complexity of the solutions can overwhelm some people.
-A lot of people are just apathetic about this issue, and prioritize other things such as our daily struggles and paying the rent. When your main issue in life is getting enough money to pay the bills, buy food, and pay for medical care, the last thing you wanna hear about is how you need to make big personal sacrifices to combat an obscure issue like climate change.
-Some people are just depressed and think it's too late, or the issue is hopeless. They'll think that our only hope at this point is geoengineering solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere. I personally fall into this group. The reductions in CO2 that we need are simply not viable or possible. We needed to get serious about alternative energy and solutions to this problem DECADES ago, and now with Trump as our leader we won't see any progress at all for at least 4 years. Might as well start planning out mitigation strategies and how to deal with our warmer climate in the future.