Jonathon Porritt on different approaches to climate change - R. Sandbrook lecture 25/06/09

[squamish4244]

Lovelock is 90 years old and can adopt an apocalyptic approach because he won't be around to see it. Those of us who are much younger than him don't have that luxury.

[Viracocha711]

@squamish4244 I agree, but there are young scientist who think the world would be much better off if the population was cut in half. The reason is obvious...Right now there are so many people it is not only straining the Earth but any small disruption & many will die. I hate to say this but we are going to watch this play out in our life time! YES, I want to be optimistic we can reduce CO2 fast enough to avoid catastrophic Climate Change but UTTER STUPIDITY seems to be winning!

[squamish4244]

@Viracocha711 Yes, even Lovelock has said that if there were only 500 million of us everything we are doing now as a consequence of industrialization wouldn't make a bit of difference to the planet. There are just so many of us. If we're lucky the more northern and wealthier regions will get by alright, but the poorer places will suffer horribly. If we're unlucky the change will be so great that civilization may not survive.

[squamish4244]

@Viracocha711 We could get very lucky though. Certain studies show the Sahara is slowly greening again like during the period before the time of the pharaohs, plants around the world are growing faster, and melting in the Antarctic is causing large blooms of phytoplankton, all carbon sinks. The Greenland Ice Cap has also been shown to be much more stable than previously thought. Or someone could find an efficient way to remove CO2 from the air, I know people are working on it.

[squamish4244]

@Viracocha711 P.S. I hope utter stupidity does not win. I am amazed nothing was done when we first knew about this in 1988, if we had this right now would be the worst global warming would get and I would not have to worry about it. Sucks balls.

[Viracocha711]

@squamish4244 I gree with what you said except, I am not trying to be a pessimist, but any so-called "good" that might come from climate change will be far outweighed by the bad! I say this because many DENIALIST try to say there is nothing to worry about because plants will grow better & cold regions will be warm. Forget stronger storms, rising seas, food shortages, mass migrations of people, famine, etc., Like you said the folks in the poorer regions will be hurt 1st & the worst!

[squamish4244]

@Viracocha711 I know I was just trying to make things look a little better because the picture right now looks so bad.

[Viracocha711]

@squamish4244 I know you were & I try to do the same...But most of the time I think about what has to happen & it just seems OVERWHELMING! LOL! Have good day & I will talk to you later.

[zuj1984]

this is sick bitch