On climate change, it's time to start panicking

[workinclasszero]

The crisis over global warming warrants an unparalleled response
MATTHEW ROZSA AUGUST 5, 2018 11:30PM (UTC)

It is time for us to panic about global warming. Indeed, a proper state of panic is long overdue.

Global warming has made the news for a number of reasons this week: The Supreme Court rejected a request by President Donald Trump to halt a lawsuit by children and teenagers to force the federal government to address man-made climate change; Trump's Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation took new steps to reverse President Barack Obama's rules requiring car manufacturers to steadily reduce greenhouse gas pollution from their vehicles; former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denounced those same Trump policies as "stupid"; and The New York Times ran a brilliant piece documenting how, between 1979 and 1989, the world had the opportunity to effectively address man-made climate change... and squandered it.

Yet this is one of those issues in which — because there are so many twists and turns and overwhelming details — it is easy to lose sight of a crucial fact: If we do not resolve the problem of man-made climate change, it could quite literally spell the end of human civilization.

https://www.salon.com/2018/08/05/on-climate-change-its-time-to-start-panicking/

[2naSalit]

1. K&R

[Bluepinky]

2. Scary. I fear we're heading toward disaster, both politically and environmentally.

[The_jackalope]

3. The time to panic was a decade ago.

The time to act was 40 years ago. The time to panic was when COP15 failed in Copenhagen. Now it's time to pour a stiff drink and kiss your children goodbye.

[Iwasthere]

4. Exactly! Moving the goal posts over and over has created a no win...

... there is now no possible recovery for the planet. Remember when Gore put out his challenge for ideas? What year was that? Our children will face horrific weather and catastrophes, that cannot be now avoided

[defacto7]

5. The hard fact.

The earth will purge itself of us like some rogue bacteria then it will heal itself as it always has. We are insignificant.

[Boomer]

6. Nailed it

I've let go of panic and even anger. Our species -- as a whole -- simply doesn't have the psychological and societal mechanisms to respond meaningfully to a threat of this magnitude and on a long (as in more than a few weeks) timescale. This will not end well.

[StevieM]

7. I think the point where the whole world needed to get together and come up with a big plan

was 30 years ago, in 1988, when James Hansen delivered his famous testimony to Congress. That was the point where any doubt that climate change existed, or was extremely dangerous, should have come to an end, even among the skeptical.

The issue did come up in the debate between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen. And in every series of debates through 2008. But in the last two elections there was not one question about it. Hillary did call Trump out on calling climate change a Chinese Hoax, which of course he lied about. But that was it.

[NickB79]

8. I've started to lean towards the prepper mentality myself

At this point I don't see any harm in investing time and money into knowing how to grow and preserve food, fix your own stuff, raise livestock, forage and shoot a gun anymore. What kind of retirement do I have to look forward to 40 yr from now to use that savings on? And God knows my daughter will probably need those skills even more when she grows up.

[NeoGreen]

9. I am with the stiff drink crowd...

...too...fucking...late..by a mile.

I weep for my children, I will beg forgiveness from my grandchildren, I doubt the viability or even possible existence of my great grand children.

The Road wasn't a warning or even worst case scenario, it is a Disney version of the best case future.