Update on Climate Change - Video Compilation. Commentary

It may seem to you that everyday, there is news or updates or a new breathlessly reported fact about Climate Change and what you can do to stop or even reverse Climate Change.

David Wallace-Wells, author of "The Uninhabitable Earth" was interviewed and asked if he intended his book to spur people to action, to slow, stop or even reverse climate change.



Well, his point was that the scientists studying climate change are more concerned and alarmed, but this tone has not been reflected in the media stories about climate change.

If you were to ask any superficially informed person or someone who is up-to-date on the current news what is the worst that Climate Change will wrought, and he might say that the temperature would go up by about 2 degrees.

Except that 2 degrees is not the worst case scenario. Two degrees increase is actually the "floor", the minimum that temperature will rise due to climate change.

Wallace-Wells in another video, argues that 2% is the best case scenario. And scientists consider that the threshold of catastrophe.

More likely, temperatures will rise by 4 degrees or more. Or at least 4 degrees.

Because of feedback loop or cascade effect. Or domino effect.



And if 2 degrees is "genocide" (to island nations), 4 degrees would make many parts of the world uninhabitable. (Yes, this most likely will include Singapore.)

So the video above is already of the opinion (in 2016) that climate change is already irreversible.

The best we can do is to mitigate the effects by reducing carbon emissions.

Then there is this video:



At about 3:25, the news is that carbon emissions will persist for quite a while. About 1000 years.

So not only is it too late. It would also last a very long (by human lifespan) time.

In another video that contemplates if the Earth could be like the early Paleogene, the last time the Earth was 10 - 15 degrees hotter, it took 200,000 years for temperatures to drop.



But note the language, and the words we use, and the assumptions behind the words we use.

As Joe Scott says at the end of his video (at about 10:54 above):

"I kinda hate it when I hear environmentalist talk about 'save the world' or saying that 'we are destroying the world', because it's just not true. We are not going to destroy the world. The world is gonna destroy us... When we are talking about Climate Change we are not talking about saving the Earth. We are talking about saving ourselves. The fact that the Earth has been in this relatively stable climate for the last 10,000 years has been a ridiculous stroke of luck for Humanity... and we just assume that... it's going to continue going that way... It is written nowhere that this is gonna continue. It is up to us to fight for it."

So what's the solution?

Is there even one?

Maybe, first we should stop lying to ourselves. Or stop having unrealistic expectations or hopes. Or hoping against hope.

The climate is changing. We can't stop it. At best, we can mitigate the extent of climate change.

Maybe.

Second, have realistic expectations as to what can be done. Solar and wind is not the solution. Not in its current form and technology, and perhaps not even with improvements in technology.

Finally, be prepared to adapt to Climate Change.

So what is realistic hope?

Or should we just give up and prepare to die? Be wiped out? Become extinct?

Well, humans are adaptable. And intelligent. We are going to struggle to survive. It is only natural.

The short-term solution is Nuclear Power. Nuclear will be the bridge to the next energy revolution, but for now it is available and produces no carbon emissions that would aggravate climate change.

Then in a few decades (30 years? 50?) we will have Fusion energy, and energy would be abundant and non-polluting.

So in the worst case scenario, temperatures will go up - 4 degrees, or even 15 degrees. Vast areas in what is now the tropics will become too hot to be habitable.

Unless you have power and can create a climate controlled environment for humans and human activities.

With Nuclear power.

This will keep us going, protecting us from some of the effects of climate change (but probably not all), buying time for the development of fusion energy. Which is 30 years away (inside joke).

And if you think that suggesting Nuclear power is crazy, you have been brainwashed. There's another post coming up on Nuclear Power. Watch out for it.