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Humans have caused 1.5 °C of long-term global warming according to new estimates

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399 points gmays | 1 comments | 17 Nov 24 18:49 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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shdh ◴[17 Nov 24 21:09 UTC] No.42167277[source]▶
The Earth is a complex system.

Warming is one aspect of climate change, but we'll likely see cascading effects in the system.

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For example, as global temperatures rise we are seeing that AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation), and as a result the Gulf Stream, are "slowing down". [1]

This could result in EU cooling down.

The clathrate gun hypothesis suggests that large releases of methane could cause abrupt climate shifts due to methane’s strong greenhouse effect. [2]

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Its likely developing nations and their citizens will increase CO2 usage as they move towards a more western lifestyle.

That means there will be an increasing amount of energy production and usage.

Ideally we generate more with solar and nuclear.

Decreasing energy production and consumption is not a real solution.

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[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39810-w

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clathrate_gun_hypothesis

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CalRobert ◴[17 Nov 24 21:12 UTC] No.42167311[source]▶
"Decreasing energy production and consumption is not a real solution."

Why not?

A 5 passenger vehicle can be 1200kg or 3000kg but both offer almost the same utility. A diet of mostly-plants can be just as delicious as one with a lot of beef. Building a house closer to work can be just as useful as building one a long ways away (more, actually).

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1. graeme ◴[17 Nov 24 21:18 UTC] No.42167369[source]▶
>Decreasing energy production and consumption is not a real solution.

To actually solve the problem we need to:

* Decrease carbon emissions to zero

* Get the excess carbon out of the atmosphere

* Do so while maintaining people alive and not in a state of revolt or starvation

With no energy we collapse. Merely decreasing carbon use by diminishing energy doesn't solve the problem. It just makes it get worse less quickly. It's like not having a job and budgeting more carefully while drawing down your savings. Sensible to be sure but the real solution is enabling us to have abundant energy from non carbon sources and putting atmospheric carbon back into the ground.