Climate Change | UN Report: Code Red for humanity

Wumminator

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My mate says he works for a massive company based in America . He says since there is a fee to recycle plastic his company just ships it off to be burned. The world is fecked.
 

Buster15

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Happy to see posts like this, I think people don’t care enough about the future. It’s a selfish way of living.
Good to hear.
These protesters are in the main just ordinary people who are doing us all a service by bringing THE most important problem facing mankind into the media and people's attention.

The big difference between this problem and things like Brexit is that climate change is not going away.
Absolutely everything we do in our day to day lives is making things worse and that has to be reversed and revised quickly.
 

Buster15

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My mate says he works for a massive company based in America . He says since there is a fee to recycle plastic his company just ships it off to be burned. The world is fecked.
Almost as stupid as Donald Trump himself.
Why should he care. He won't be around when the impending problems really start to bite.
However, he should care being the leader of one of the worst countries for CO2 emissions.
What an absolute dickhead.
 

berbatrick

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I’m really happy that the people advocating climate change are those with dyed hair seen in photos with multitudes of plastic bottles and packaging, t shirts and flags that have printed messages/slogans on them and are blocking bridges meaning vehicles will have to take longer routes.

Feck yeah climate change!
1. What does their hair colour have to do with anything?
2. Plastic is a problem, though not on the scale of climate change. Neither plastic pollution nor climate change can be reversed by personally-driven consumption changes in an economy that is geared to more plastic and carbon-based growth.
3. I'm always late for things and I'd be mad if I was held up, but there is literally no other peacefu way to get attention other than causing disruption.
 

dbs235

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Would be interested to know what exactly the protesters do personally to combat climate change. I'm assuming none of them eat meat, use plastic, use gas, electricity, don't drive. Otherwise it just seems like an excuse to protest, as it were.
 

SilentWitness

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1. What does their hair colour have to do with anything?
2. Plastic is a problem, though not on the scale of climate change. Neither plastic pollution nor climate change can be reversed by personally-driven consumption changes in an economy that is geared to more plastic and carbon-based growth.
3. I'm always late for things and I'd be mad if I was held up, but there is literally no other peacefu way to get attention other than causing disruption.
Because the people protesting climate change are doing a handful of things which aren’t particularly helping climate change.
 

berbatrick

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Because the people protesting climate change are doing a handful of things which aren’t particularly helping climate change.
If you stop all carbon-emitting activity it won't stop climate change. If all ~1000 protesters did the same, it won't stop climate change.
 

Tarrou

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people need to use fuel to attend protests so feck it lets just continue destroying the planet
 

hobbers

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If it's about actually making a difference to climate change they're protesting in the wrong country.

Britain becoming carbon neutral is like 0.5% of the battle.
 

SilentWitness

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If you stop all carbon-emitting activity it won't stop climate change. If all ~1000 protesters did the same, it won't stop climate change.
People got flights to come and protest this. I don’t understand the process in being a climate change activist yet continue to contribute to all that you’re protesting against when there are alternative methods that have less footprint.

People want immediate change. That won’t happen. I’d like it to but it won’t. Being a vegetarian, using less plastic etc as yourself can have a big effect on those around you in day to day life and little things like the protest the schoolgirl did where she refused to go to class for an hour without this type of stuff is a much better way of protesting imo but if the white middle class want to do this then go for it.
 

Ekkie Thump

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Just remember that if you buy your lettuce from Walmart you must remain silent on the excesses of international capitalism lest some imbecile somewhere accuses you of hypocrisy.
 

berbatrick

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How've you worked that one out?
People got flights to come and protest this. I don’t understand the process in being a climate change activist yet continue to contribute to all that you’re protesting against when there are alternative methods that have less footprint.

People want immediate change. That won’t happen. I’d like it to but it won’t. Being a vegetarian, using less plastic etc as yourself can have a big effect on those around you in day to day life and little things like the protest the schoolgirl did where she refused to go to class for an hour without this type of stuff is a much better way of protesting imo but if the white middle class want to do this then go for it.
The bolded person - I have no idea who she is, and why her protest will work. Why do you think it will make any difference, any more than this march? Because she is nice, governments will take action? No. Because she is nice, conservatives will vote green? No. Oil companies will move to wind production? Ha!
How do you think climate change can be addressed? Some 1000 people become ascetics and stop going on planes? Well, 10000 other people need planes to get to work or go home or because they don't care that others will die.

The problem has been more political than technical for a while. Oil companies have known about the science for about 30-40 years, and have suppressed it, then lobbied against action, then started major PR campaigns, and basically obfuscated, blocked, bribed their way to continuing profits. If you uncritically accept that aspect of our world, the only way to not contribute is to become a hermit an basically leave modern life, because you can't confront the companies.
@hobbers mentioned that UK emission are only 0.5% (actually 1%), but does that count the tons of consumer goods and carbon-intensive food imported by the UK? The massive emissions of China probably go into manufacturing goods consumed all over the world, especially US and Europe. My point is that modern life is based on carbon-derived energy, and individual action against climate change means leaving modern life, with the added bonus that a single individual literally doesn't make a difference.

The only way to combat climate change, given the short time scales left, is the kind of mobilisation seen for WW2, where significant parts of the economy are quickly oriented towards the important task at hand - in this case manufacturing and installing wind turbines and solar panels, and R&D especially for things like fuel cells. There is a small chance that this kind of civil disobedience married with a change in government can do that. There is no hope in most other avenues.

Edit - for the record, I don't eat meat and don't have a car. I don't think I'm doing anything special to combat climate change, compared to the protesters.
 
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Snow

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I'm kind of numb to the whole speech as this point, pessimistic. I still do my part but it's been more than 15 years since everyone that knew the impact and cared lectured the governments that they needed to change things drastically now in order to see some progress by 2050. Nothing was done for years then some governments started to do little things but in those 15 years we just made it all worse so the goal of having the Earth back in somewhat of an OK state of progress by 2050 is gone. Instead over that time there's been mass extinctions of animal species, even more coral reef damage, even more damage to the rainforests along with Brazil voting a man dedicated to chop it even more down. China's consumerism is just getting bigger per person and so is their population. Watch Miami go partially underwater in our lifetime before these "God fearing" nut cases that get so much power in the US start to come around.

The EU is now forcing us to import more meat because of some regulations. We've not been importing meat because Icelandic meat is unique in the way that it has so little disease because of quarantine that we don't use many antibiotics so the threat of antibiotic immunity isn't the same serious problem here as in the rest of the world. We have plenty of meat but the EU wants to force us to import it via ships which means more crude oil burning for no reason besides bureaucracy.

Nah mate, not much to be happy or optimistic about regarding climate change.
 

Mogget

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about the same rate tbh
Seems about right. People these days like to think of themselves as progressive but you see their true colours when protests/civil movements inconvenience them in the slightest way.

As if the best way to protest is to do it quietly somewhere out of the way :houllier:
 

Oldham

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Heartbreaking to read some of the comments here.
As if people can't protest and be worried if they don't live as cavemen...
 

Dan_F

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Would be interested to know what exactly the protesters do personally to combat climate change. I'm assuming none of them eat meat, use plastic, use gas, electricity, don't drive. Otherwise it just seems like an excuse to protest, as it were.
Honestly, what is this point of view. Can I assume you’re happy with the destruction of the planet then? People are mainly unhappy with the lack of action by big companies/governments, which has been going on for decades. The whole point is that people don’t have any option but to use fossils fuels, they aren’t trying to claim that you can’t turn on a fecking light.
 

Fingeredmouse

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It's about time people took to the streets over this matter. Governments are not acting. People do not take this matter seriously. Taking direct action is the only way in which this topic can be thrust into the public consciousness and if the cost of that is inconvenience to some and being sneared at, then it is a small price to pay.

The actions of these individuals on their day to day life are irrelevant. We are so far down the line here that macro change, driven by the governments of the World is the only chance we have.

We are fecked and these people, and I don't care if they are white middle class craft beer knitters, are at least doing something to force the debate.

Many in here would, I fear, have condemned the suffragettes for largely being of privileged backgrounds.
 

17 Van der Gouw

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We need to be doing as much as we can, and I fully support putting as much pressure as possible on the government to act decisively.

...that said, Britain is just one country, and in fairness, one that is signed up to international carbon treaties.

Really, the political pressure needs to be on the U.S. India and China. It's utterly fecking pointless us doing our part otherwise.

 

Cheesy

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We need to be doing as much as we can, and I fully support putting as much pressure as possible on the government to act decisively.

...that said, Britain is just one country, and in fairness, one that is signed up to international carbon treaties.

Really, the political pressure needs to be on the U.S. India and China. It's utterly fecking pointless us doing our part otherwise.

When you consider the sheer number of people in India that percentage is actually (comparatively speaking) quite respectable.
 

dbs235

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Heartbreaking to read some of the comments here.
As if people can't protest and be worried if they don't live as cavemen...
Honestly, what is this point of view. Can I assume you’re happy with the destruction of the planet then? People are mainly unhappy with the lack of action by big companies/governments, which has been going on for decades. The whole point is that people don’t have any option but to use fossils fuels, they aren’t trying to claim that you can’t turn on a fecking light.
Half of them will just be doing it for the craic. The reason climate change is occurring is because of the technological and societal advances that they are all more than willing to benefit from every single day. But that's the governments fault?
 

Dan_F

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Half of them will just be doing it for the craic. The reason climate change is occurring is because of the technological and societal advances that they are all more than willing to benefit from every single day. But that's the governments fault?
How do you know what people’s intentions are? You’re just going to assume you know what they do with their lives? Also, how are you even supposed to function without using those technological advances any more? What job can you do where you don’t need a phone, car, use energy etc.

It’s quite common knowledge how negligent governments were in dealing with this for years, until it got to a stage where it’s basically irreversible now. They allowed big oil companies to carry on making billions, even though the scientific proof was saying it would lead to global warming. Even now our government is so concerned with Brexit, when the real issue is millions of people dying in 50 years time. But it’s okay because they won’t be British.

I know the point you’re trying to make, but you’re just wrong in this case.
 

Don't Kill Bill

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1. What does their hair colour have to do with anything?
2. Plastic is a problem, though not on the scale of climate change. Neither plastic pollution nor climate change can be reversed by personally-driven consumption changes in an economy that is geared to more plastic and carbon-based growth.
3. I'm always late for things and I'd be mad if I was held up, but there is literally no other peacefu way to get attention other than causing disruption.

Is that really the case though?

If you live in a democracy there is a way to affect change through the political process if enough people support your thinking. The truth here is that in the UK we have The Green Party and it gets 5-10 % of the electorate to vote for it. When it gets 20-30% the political parties will change, government will change and life, lifestyle change would happen. It doesn't get that level of support(yet) and that is telling you something you don't want to hear.

The problem I have with people causing disruption acting unlawfully in furtherance of their beliefs is that once you go down that route where do you stop?

So is it OK for UKIP to stop all the trains until we leave the EU?

Is it OK to block all the motorways until immigration is brought to net zero?

Just because you feel very strongly about something doesn't give you the right to impose your will on me unilaterally. Just because you think you are correct doesn't make that any less of a fascist thing to do and do we really want our lives run by which ever ideology holds the streets.
 

Silva

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Brexiteers have used and continue to use extreme actions and it's worked a fecking lot better than the milquetoast platitudes from remainers. Half a million people marching through London and between them they managed to capture the public imagination less than a permadrunk arsehole with a stupid flatcap.
 

Don't Kill Bill

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Brexiteers have used and continue to use extreme actions and it's worked a fecking lot better than the milquetoast platitudes from remainers. Half a million people marching through London and between them they managed to capture the public imagination less than a permadrunk arsehole with a stupid flatcap.
Won them feck all. Then they won the European elections and bingo.
 

Robbo's Shoulder

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I fear we've already gone over the edge and there's very little we can do to stop it
When the most influential country in the world is in complete denial about the problems we face and developing countries are just going to add more and more to co2 levels across the globe, we haven't a chance.
People acoss the world weren't willing to forego their luxeries and not enough was done in finding non fossil/renewable energies to aid 3rd world countries in their development as well as sustaining their own energy needs when the issue 1st raised itself. Even now, governments across the world are only making token efforts instead of really addressing the problem.
We are fecked.
 

Ducklegs

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Whether they do or don't wil mot make a bit of a difference to climate change.

So me doing all those things wont matter either then?

So i wont bother stopping, thanks for clearing that up.

Slacktavist bullshit at its finest from all concerned.