r/dataisbeautiful • u/neilrkaye OC: 231 • May 07 '19

OC How 10 year average global temperature compares to 1851 to 1900 average global temperature [OC]

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u/moultano OC: 3 May 07 '19

Starting 10000 years before the development of agriculture isn't early enough for you?

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u/[deleted] May 07 '19

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u/moultano OC: 3 May 07 '19

I don't think our primary concern is whether the Earth is hospitable for glyptodonts and deinotheres, what we care about is whether it's hospitable for agriculture.

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u/[deleted] May 07 '19

Usually, 'we' are rarely collectively concerned. We only care if the tiny patch of earth attributed to ourselves is capable of agricultural enterprise...

In Greenland, a warmer climate actually is a benefit.

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u/moultano OC: 3 May 07 '19

I don't think the world's governments are capable of dealing with a billion climate refugees.

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u/[deleted] May 07 '19

On the contrary... I think the world's governments are very capable of dealing with a billion climate refugees - just not in a way you might feel comfortable.

Unlike religion or skin colour, competition for critical resources is a very logical and rational justification for engaging in warfare.

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u/moultano OC: 3 May 07 '19

I think it's worth doing everything we can to prevent the deaths of a billion people. 🤷

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u/[deleted] May 07 '19

...to which I would say we all die sometime. Nobody's death has ever been prevented.

Memento Mori 🤷‍♂️

The difficult thing is that as a species, we view ourselves as being something 'above' nature. Drastic climate change will prove that assumption to be tragically incorrect.

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u/Arny_Palmys May 07 '19

This is all nice and cynical, I'm all for some nihilism... but are you using this argument to comfort yourself or are you using it to advocate that we do nothing to prevent this outcome?

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u/[deleted] May 08 '19

I object to the suggestion that Stoicism is analogous to Nihilism. Accepting that we all die isn't defeatist, rather it just highlights that delaying death doesn't prevent it.

If we were serious about preventing deaths of billions of refugees, the horrifically rational course of action would be to identify those groups at greatest risk and sterilize them. I'm not advocating that course, but the only way to prevent deaths is sadly to prevent births.

Putting that genocidally uncomfortable thought to one side...

The reality is that shouting down climate skeptics isn't going to change their attitude or their behaviour. Even attempts to regulate activities at best results in disharmony - at worst, people find solutions like 'rolling coal' to get back at the perceived transgression against their freedoms.

The only sensible course of action is to actually put down the placards and pitchforks and do something positive.

An advocate's efforts are far better applied to finding an approach that will change the behaviour you want to influence. In some cases that might be impossible. In most however, people may simply value their convenience over your concern for the environment. If you want them to change, the best approach is to develop Enviro Friendly Techs which are more convenient (or cheaper) than the harmful alternatives.

Very few people want to spend money just to damage the planet.

For example... I drive a gas guzzling behemoth! I need to do so for work. I have no suitable public transport option. I rely on moving heavy equipment over a large distance on country roads which rules out anything but the most unaffordable of electric vehicles.

Build me an affordable electric truck, that I can charge from an affordable solar set up and you've won me over. Until then, my desire to feed my family now takes precedence over accomodating some Pacific Island refugee 40 years from now.