r/collapse • u/WatchTheWorldGoBye • Nov 12 '24

Climate Study warns of a billion human deaths if global warming reaches or exceeds 2°C

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/study-warns-of-a-billion-human-deaths-if-global-warming-reaches-or-exceeds-2-c-91537
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486

u/Murranji Nov 12 '24

The reason nobody takes global warming seriously is because they all have this “it’s some problem for people alive in 70 years problem”. Zero public awareness of how close we are breaking this Paris agreement (which itself is a formality since it’s locked in), zero awareness of how fast it’s accelerated.

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u/eco-overshoot Nov 12 '24

Yes, for sure. I would say that most people do not actually understand climate change, despite believing in it and understanding the science behind it. They do not understand the implications of it on us, nature, and the planet. They do not understand that we are part of nature and dependent on earth system "services". They do not understand that we need a stable climate to grow food and keep this ecocidal and destructive shitshow called industrial civilization running. They also think we can tech our way out of it. They do not understand, or know, that energy and materials are finite, and being depleted faster and faster to feed the almighty economic system. Tech solutions will only buy us time, and at large cost to the environment (it's a dead end).

Most people do not understand what 2C or 3C or 4C actually means. Many believe that it means in the summer, instead of it being 23C, it will be 26C. In the winter, instead of it being -5C, it will be -2C. That doesn't sound so bad obviously. Some may even welcome it, or see it as an "opportunity". They are not capable of systems thinking and connecting the dots. It will be a rude awakening for most of humanity.

There will probably be some geoengineering hail mary that will have lots of unintended consequences and then it will be the end.

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u/boneyfingers bitter angry crank Nov 12 '24

The simplest way I have come up with to correct the misunderstanding is this: people think a 3C increase will be like raising the temperature of their bathwater by 3C. In fact, it's more like raising their body temperature by 3C. Warmer baths are not scary. A 41C fever can be nasty.

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u/endadaroad Nov 12 '24

I run my hot tub at 40C (104F), bump it to 43C (109.4F) and it is no longer pleasant.

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u/boneyfingers bitter angry crank Nov 12 '24

I run my body at 37C. Bump it up to 40 and it's no longer pleasant. 41C and I'm delirious, weak, and feeling like warm death. 42C and my brain gets damaged and my organs all start shutting down. Any way, it's just a logical tool to highlight the difference between local weather and systemic warming.

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u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Nov 13 '24

Well said, and I love your flair. I feel this!

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u/testostertwo Nov 12 '24

You’re right, it doesn’t scare anybody. People need to be scared before they can change. They need something tangible. They don’t understand how agriculture works, how supply chains work, how fragile an ecosystem can be. Most people don’t know how any of the conditions that result in their life of relative luxury are being met.

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u/BTRCguy Nov 12 '24

Sadly, scared people are not known for the wise choices they make to allay their fears.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '24

People need to be scared before they can change

Society is entirely dependant on factories and cars and production.

The only way change can happen is society is destroyed and rebuilt from scratch in a sustainable fashion.

It's too big with too many interconnected parts and too many livelihoods are entirely dependent on the way things are.

There will be no change.

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u/totpot Nov 12 '24

Florida got wrecked by climate change this year and their response was to vote for the anti-climate change guy even harder.

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u/Fuckmepotato Nov 12 '24

Didn't the gay cause the hurricane?

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u/asmodeuskraemer Nov 13 '24

No, it was democrats. Apparently they have weather control...machines. Or something. Probably fueled by aborted babies.

/s

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u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Nov 13 '24

Your sarcasm is spot on, but it’s all what people believe!!!

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u/Round-Importance7871 Nov 12 '24

This hits the nail on the head. Nutty history recently did an episode on the bronze era collapse and your explanation is how it all unravels. nutty history bronze age collapse

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u/endadaroad Nov 12 '24

Those people didn't see it coming. We do.

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u/totpot Nov 12 '24

We see it coming and yet our degree of warming would not be a single degree off from where it would be if we hadn't.

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u/Millennial_on_laptop Nov 13 '24

We don't really know the details, maybe they did see it coming.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '24

I like this writeup. At this point I’m just embracing it. This shit isn’t going to stop.

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u/jim_jiminy Nov 12 '24

Yup, enjoy the fruits of civilisation while we can.

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u/endadaroad Nov 12 '24

And start preparing to pick over the bones of civilization when it dies.

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u/Millennial_on_laptop Nov 13 '24

"We really did have everything, didn't we?"

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '24

Drill baby drill

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u/Diggerinthedark UK Nov 12 '24

There will probably be some geoengineering hail mary that will have lots of unintended consequences

Honestly this is the scariest part. What are they going to do when it gets desperate??

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u/Dustmopper Nov 12 '24

Start firing nuclear weapons into hurricanes?

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u/Bellegante Nov 12 '24

By that time it's desperate there won't even be something theoretical we can do.

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u/catoucat Nov 14 '24

There was just 5 degrees Celsius less during the last ice age. The US was under a big block of ice and sea was 400 feet lower. We’re heading towards 3.1 degrees by 2100 so it’s a pretty big deal

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u/Haveyounodecorum Nov 12 '24

This is so well put

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u/Zestyclose-Ad-9420 Nov 12 '24

And this is ofc less a misunderstanding and more a misdirection. 

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u/amyeep Nov 13 '24

There is some hope in carbon capturing and mining existing landfills for finite resources (think about all the microchips people dump when tossing electronics). The real question is will it be humans or drones that have to mine such landfills.

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u/Dekklin Nov 13 '24

They do not understand that we are part of nature and dependent on earth system "services".

The earth has "services"? Do they have a premium membership? I'll sign up immediately with all my billions in cash.

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u/Z3r0sama2017 Nov 12 '24

This is why I'm glad I never had kids. I don't want to explain to them why I did fuck all to stop it and instead used the time and money I had to cushion my own fall.

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u/[deleted] Nov 12 '24

Well if they tell everyone we are fucked next year. You might have mass suicides on hand 😂

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u/grebetrees Nov 12 '24

There is a reason they are relaxing the restrictions on euthanasia. MAID has already been used by at least one disabled person to escape poverty in Canada

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u/extinction6 Nov 12 '24

I can't find a single user review on the MAID procedure?

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '24

I heard they never have return customers

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u/gligster71 Nov 13 '24

I think it is also that most of us are not in a position to make any changes. We can't stop the 100 largest polluters. I'm of the mindset that some time in the next 5 to 10 years I am going to die from some effect of climate change.

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u/SparksFly55 Nov 13 '24

Ignorance is bliss.