<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for A really depressing paper about climate change.]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by amazingdrx http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/ Tue, 26 Jul 2005 23:36:42 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/1 Yep.

"The agricultural, political, economic, demographic, social and other consequences of future climate change are likely to be considerable - indeed, they could be almost inconceivable."

In the range of hundreds of trillions of dollars and 100s of millions of deaths?  

Or renewable energy and conservation, shifting to quality of life instead of quantity of possesions and consumption as the measure of human success.

]]> Yep.

"The agricultural, political, economic, demographic, social and other consequences of future climate change are likely to be considerable - indeed, they could be almost inconceivable."

In the range of hundreds of trillions of dollars and 100s of millions of deaths?  

Or renewable energy and conservation, shifting to quality of life instead of quantity of possesions and consumption as the measure of human success.

]]> Comment #2 by Saucerman http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/ Wed, 27 Jul 2005 09:11:04 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/2 Events set to run their course

Sobering indeed, and it ends with this retort:

"For a little counterbalancing optimism, read Mark Bahner's comments under Pielke's post"

Desperate for optimism I read it. Huh. He posits the notion that we'll all be multimillionares soon, so it won't matter - evidently we can buy our way oout of trouble, just like we've always done. Yeah, that really cheered me up, sure...

sustain - it's harder than you think.

]]> Events set to run their course

Sobering indeed, and it ends with this retort:

"For a little counterbalancing optimism, read Mark Bahner's comments under Pielke's post"

Desperate for optimism I read it. Huh. He posits the notion that we'll all be multimillionares soon, so it won't matter - evidently we can buy our way oout of trouble, just like we've always done. Yeah, that really cheered me up, sure...

sustain - it's harder than you think.

]]> Comment #3 by David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/ Wed, 27 Jul 2005 09:59:14 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/3 Yeah, Saucerman,

Bahner's a bit unhinged. You can get a full dose of wackiness if you visit his blog.

But hey, we take our optimism where we can get it, right?

www.grist.org

]]> Yeah, Saucerman,

Bahner's a bit unhinged. You can get a full dose of wackiness if you visit his blog.

But hey, we take our optimism where we can get it, right?

www.grist.org

]]> Comment #4 by Biodiversivist http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/ Wed, 27 Jul 2005 10:41:34 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/4 No option but to continue seeking solutions

I don't know. I didn't see anything new here.

The speed of climate change will be greater than what humanity has seen before, but so will our technological growth and reactions. Witness the explosion in the number of fuel-efficient cars and the surge in eco-oriented ad campaigns by many of our major corporations.

In the industrialized west, we spend most of our time and energy seeking status (nice cars, homes, clothes, shoes) and entertainment (computers, cell phones, exotic vacations, televisions, VCRs, DVD's, hiking, climbing, and camping gear) instead of food simply because we can. That gives us a large margin of error. We may one day spend most of our time and energy obtaining food instead of status. Farmers may eventually have more status than car dealers. Pissing away thousands of gallons of kerosene flying to Hawaii to get married may no longer be an option for the common person. Parts of the world that are presently locked into material poverty by their organic lifestyles (lack of access to fossil fuels) may feel less impact from peak oil than the west.

Ice ages desiccate the planet while warming periods humidify it. It is bad news that we have lost equilibrium, but at least it is in the direction of warming instead of cooling. We know what ice ages were like, but we know much less about the warm periods between them. Billions of minds are waking up to our collective delima, solutions will be forth coming. Let's hope those solutions include protecting what remains of our biodiverstiy while we scramble to save our own asses.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

]]> No option but to continue seeking solutions

I don't know. I didn't see anything new here.

The speed of climate change will be greater than what humanity has seen before, but so will our technological growth and reactions. Witness the explosion in the number of fuel-efficient cars and the surge in eco-oriented ad campaigns by many of our major corporations.

In the industrialized west, we spend most of our time and energy seeking status (nice cars, homes, clothes, shoes) and entertainment (computers, cell phones, exotic vacations, televisions, VCRs, DVD's, hiking, climbing, and camping gear) instead of food simply because we can. That gives us a large margin of error. We may one day spend most of our time and energy obtaining food instead of status. Farmers may eventually have more status than car dealers. Pissing away thousands of gallons of kerosene flying to Hawaii to get married may no longer be an option for the common person. Parts of the world that are presently locked into material poverty by their organic lifestyles (lack of access to fossil fuels) may feel less impact from peak oil than the west.

Ice ages desiccate the planet while warming periods humidify it. It is bad news that we have lost equilibrium, but at least it is in the direction of warming instead of cooling. We know what ice ages were like, but we know much less about the warm periods between them. Billions of minds are waking up to our collective delima, solutions will be forth coming. Let's hope those solutions include protecting what remains of our biodiverstiy while we scramble to save our own asses.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

]]> Comment #5 by markbahner http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/ Tue, 08 Nov 2005 07:15:39 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/in-all-likelihood-events-are-now-set-to-run-their-course/5 Per-capita GDP growth in the 21st century

"Bahner's a bit unhinged. You can get a full dose of wackiness if you visit his blog."

Heh, heh, heh!  Seriously, the main difference between you and me, Dave, is that I actually know what I'm talking about.

If you think I'm wrong about per-capita GDP growth in the 21st century, I suggest you go to my prediction at Long Bets #194, and vote against it:

Per-capita GDP growth prediction

Mark Bahner

]]> Per-capita GDP growth in the 21st century

"Bahner's a bit unhinged. You can get a full dose of wackiness if you visit his blog."

Heh, heh, heh!  Seriously, the main difference between you and me, Dave, is that I actually know what I'm talking about.

If you think I'm wrong about per-capita GDP growth in the 21st century, I suggest you go to my prediction at Long Bets #194, and vote against it:

Per-capita GDP growth prediction

Mark Bahner

]]>