I've long been a believer in the very long term march toward human betterment.

[LAS14]

Last edited Sat Oct 26, 2019, 01:21 PM - Edit history (1)

There are studies which support this notion, even in the age of Trump. Today in the NYT there was a story about the requirement that all new buildings be topped either with solar panels or green spaces. I found that very heartening. It will become easier and easier for other entities, from individuals to municipalities to require the same things.

BUT! Is it too little too late? Climate change isn't going to wait for the building turnover in NYC to make a difference. We do need radical change. And FAST!

[pecosbob]

1. Twenty-five years is about when things will start to go south if the ship is not righted

I had been of this mind for some time when I read a report earlier today from the Army War College predicting this more or less. The Western U.S.'s non-stop wildfires and Puerto Rico's storm-damaged power grid are just a teaser of things to come. Disruption of civil society. Katrina writ larger.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127133096

[milestogo]

2. Things are already going south in other parts of the world, and that affects everyone.

There have been severe droughts in Africa which make it impossible to farm the land. Africans migrate to Europe, and Europe resists, causing political turmoil. Water is becoming a scarce resource in many places, as is food, and there will be wars over it.

There will be mass migrations from uninhabitable parts of the earth to more habitable parts. Its not going to go smoothly.

[pecosbob]

4. Agreed...and many here will continue to ignore it until it comes home to roost.

And they think we have an immigration problem now? Wait until all of Bangladesh has to move.

[CrispyQ]

3. It angers me that we are fighting global fascism when we should be fighting climate change.

There is so much heat already baked in the system it would take drastic measures to halt, much less reverse what's coming down the pike in terms of climate change. The republican party is the most dangerous organization on the planet because they actually have had, & still have, the power to completely change course on the lack of climate related action. They are still operating on, "He who dies with the most toys, wins" when the reality is, "He who dies with the most toys, still dies."

The rich are going to find out that living in a million dollar bunker is not the same as spending the weekend in one.

[Nitram]

5. Very good questions LAS. I don't think anyone can answer them with authority at this point.

I'm an optimist, so I believe we have a good chance. I also believe that if global climate change disrupts civilization to the point that nations break up and governments fail, that humans will nevertheless survive. Maybe they will build a better society wherever life on Earth can still flourish. We've had mass extinctions before, so we know life will survive even if humans don't. In 100,000 years we will have entirely new ecosystems that are perfectly adapted to conditions on Earth. In 500 million years the continents will have moved into new configurations, existing oceans will have closed and new ones formed, and the the surface of the Earth will be unrecognizable to us.