this post was submitted on 09 May 2024
235 points (98.4% liked)

News

23275 readers
3792 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/9388627

Record-breaking increase in CO2 levels in world’s atmosphere | Experts issue warning after finding global average concentration in March was 4.7ppm higher than same period last year

top 40 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 33 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Maybe it wasn’t clear that the goal was to produce less CO2. How about if we make a big banner or something, y’know, to really spell it out.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 5 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

The increase has been spurred, scientists say, by the periodic El Niño climate event, which has now waned

One can maybe alter emissions, but not much that one can do about El Niño.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 21 points 6 months ago (1 children)

El Niño is a certainty. Obviously the emissions are the controllable. Blaming this on El Niño is like shoving someone in front of a moving train and saying nothing can be done about the 5:05 express.

[–] Ooops@kbin.social 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Obviously the emissions are the controllable. Blaming this on El Niño [...]

Nobody is actually blaming anything on El Niño. El Niño simply covered up how bad it was already for some time.
Which also means those emissions are indeed not controllable. Because they have happened years ago and we still can't do time travel. That's the whole actual point of talking about El Niño here.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

We’ve been in La Niña since 2019. I think you mean to say the lack of El Niño has covered it up. That’s not true for climate scientists that track CO2 and methane emissions. The most recent large contributors were wildfires. That is also a controllable and preventable contributor. The primary problem remains, no VC is eager to fund the projects that will mitigate climate change without a return. It’s simply never going to be a priority in capitalism, and requires governmental financing.

[–] Ooops@kbin.social 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Nope, it needs governmental regulations.

Financing-wise renewable energy has long surpassed fossil fuels. It's not capitalists in general blocking the change as they would make a lot of money. This is very specifically about a small amount of individuals making their money in fossil fuels and spending a lot on lobbying to slow the transition down as they try to squeeze as much out of their business model as possible before it runs against a wall they can already see (but try to hide from the consumer).

The same is true in other sectors, for example in traffic where totally insane bullshit gets pushed (hyper-loops, air taxis etc.) as magical alternatives to actually working public transport. That's also not some business that will ever make money. It's a diversion by people who want to keep making money in a very specific field (CE cars) before that whole sector also dies off. Also the scaling effect in EV production as well as improvements and development still have a massive potential with much money to be made by the people investing into a still developing and growing market. Unlike the dying market of combustion engines that competes on miniscule optimisations of the status quo still possible. Yet the very same companies knowing that combustion engines are dead and not even working on developing a next line but instead focusing on electric drives, still do marketing like the opposite would be true so they can sell that trash with no future perspective as long as possible.

There is quiet a lot to say against capitalism, but at the moment we don't have a capitalism problem (at least not where climate action is involved) but one of corruption that helps a few people to keep failing businesses alive a bit longer at the expense of everyone including capitalists in the future businesses that will replace them.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

I agree, but I think we’re both right. Relocating subsidies from carbon positive industries to carbon neutral would absolutely help, and would also address my point about the lack of VC investment on climate change technology due to little or no return on investment.

[–] Naja_Kaouthia@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago

Well I mean, America’s comedy president thought it might be a feasible option to drop nuclear weapons onto hurricanes (allegedly) so I’m sure someone would give stopping El Niño the ol’ college try.

[–] Coach@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago

bUt whAt AbOUt trAns pEOpLE? /s

[–] slurpinderpin@lemmy.world 14 points 6 months ago (4 children)

Vast majority of people just don’t give a shit. Honestly, my life and mental health improved so much once I just resigned to the idea that we’re fucked.

[–] HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world 23 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You got downvoted, and I don't like the idea of giving up. But this shit is exhausting and depressing, so absolutely make sure you look after yourself.

[–] slurpinderpin@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

It was like drinking poison and expecting everyone else to die. I’m so much happier now that I just said fuck it. Highly recommend

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 18 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Actually, not only are the vast majority of people aware of man made climate change, they also consider it personally important and a government priorty: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/international-public-opinion-climate-change-2023-appendix.pdf

[–] slurpinderpin@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago (2 children)

That’s all good. People, at least where I live, still prioritize their personal comfort over making any changes. Buying that new car, taking that next vacation, etc

It’s great that people are aware. People are simply not taking any action to do anything about it.

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 months ago (3 children)

That must be frustrating, but try not to let personal experience cloud the bigger picture. More people are willing to take action than you might think: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/09/14/in-response-to-climate-change-citizens-in-advanced-economies-are-willing-to-alter-how-they-live-and-work/pg_2021-09-14_climate_0-01-png/

And people are taking action, here's some recent examples: https://curious.earth/blog/climate-success-stories/

Things look bleak, and it's hard to remain optimistic, so it's more important than ever to take the time to remind yourself of what is going right in the world:

[–] Mrwyrd@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Thank you for sharing some good news! It is indeed so very hard to have even a little bit of hope.

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

No problem! It's not easy, as you say. Here's some links to more positive places on Lemmy that you might find also help improve your mood:

Try and stay happy Friend!

[–] HaiZhung@feddit.de 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Good man. I agree 100% - the more warming we get, the bigger of a difference each .1 degree makes. So we should only get more aggressive about climate change the worse it gets instead of giving up.

[–] slurpinderpin@lemmy.world -3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Until it’s taken seriously, by governments and corporations, I see no benefit in risking my personal mental health thinking about it. Just live life like a hedonist

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I absolutely agree that prioritising your own mental health is something everyone should do, but don't you think that governments and corporations are even less likely to do anything if people like yourself just throw up their hands in frustration and give up?

There are ways of maintaining good mental health, but I'm not sure doing a full 180 is one of them.

[–] slurpinderpin@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

It’s certainly helped me! I focus on earning as much money as possible and spending it on things I enjoy. That makes me happy. Wringing my hands and worrying about the impending collapse of the environment makes me very unhappy and angry. Especially when I have zero control over it.

I’m very glad there are stronger people like you however, it gives me hope that maybe we dig ourselves out of this hole. Thank you

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Every person i know is prioritizing its comfort. They either dont "believe" in climate change or just dont care about the consequences.

[–] ngwoo@lemmy.world 0 points 6 months ago (1 children)

People should vote in elections like they vote in these polls then.

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 months ago

And they do.

[–] ClanOfTheOcho@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I noticed my mental health was having serious issues due to climate issues and had to step away. I keep tabs somewhat, try to do what little I can, and hope somehow things will turn around. Years ago, I didn't see any way we would see our way safely through the Cold War, and then out of nowhere it was over. I see no way out of climate disaster, but hope somehow out of nowhere a solution will present itself for this one, too. That's the hope I hang on to, and it helps me.

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 months ago

It's important to take time to appreciate the things that are going well in the world.

As you correctly identified constantly doomscrolling is bad for your health.

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-psychology-social-media-fomo/

[–] blandfordforever@lemm.ee 10 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

I still try to limit my impact but a few years back I realized that going out of my way to do "green" things was mostly pointless. Its like trying to bail water out a boat that people are actively kicking holes in.

Recycling - It almost all ends up in the trash anyway. Fuel Efficiency and green transportation - Why? 90% of people seem to want to drive a giant SUV.

People care about stupid, ineffective, virtue signaling bullshit like plastic straws and not wasting a piece of paper.

If people really cared, they'd ride their bikes or at the very least, reduce their meat consumption. However, a wide majority simply do not care.

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 months ago

It's easy to lose track of the difference an individual can make to climate change, but you must view it from an appropriate perspective:

https://crowdsourcingsustainability.org/climate-change-can-one-person-really-make-a-difference/

https://theconversation.com/climate-change-yes-your-individual-action-does-make-a-difference-115169

It's hard to remain positive these days, so please take some time to remind yourself about all the things that are going well in the world:

https://fixthenews.com/planet/

[–] Ooops@kbin.social 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Congratulations. You are part of the problem.

Actual statistics and basically every poll show that the vast majority of people agrees and wants to do much more to address climate change on a personal and government level. And just like you most of them are suffering from propaganda-induced brain rot and believe that they are totally alone with that opinion so it unfortunately has no sense to even try. So they don't.

[–] blandfordforever@lemm.ee -2 points 6 months ago (1 children)

You can talk about what people say they want to do or you can look at what they actually do. They glorify overconsumption as a way of showing personal success, value, luxury, self worth, etc. They reproduce far too often.

Congratulations! You, by virtue of being another member of our overly abundant, highly resource consuming species, are also part of the problem.

[–] YungOnions@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 months ago

That sounds like an opinion born of understandable frustration. However evidence suggests that people are more willing to make changes than you might think: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/09/14/in-response-to-climate-change-citizens-in-advanced-economies-are-willing-to-alter-how-they-live-and-work/pg_2021-09-14_climate_0-01-png/

[–] SomeGuy69@lemmy.world 11 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Has anyone investigated if Russia has maybe a few too many open gas pipes? Wouldn't this county massively profit from reduced permafrost and increased climate refugees causing chaos in Europe and other non dictator countries? Is this too much conspiracy? I don't state this as absolute fact, just some out of the box thinking that could be wrong.

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 6 months ago

I recall reading years ago that Siberia has enough methane under its ice to cause a feedback loop that would kill everyone if it escaped. So there's that I guess.

[–] jaemo@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 months ago

Mmm time to re-read "The Ministry For the Future" I guess...

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago (1 children)

We need a space blanket to deflect a percentage of UV rays from the sun, and we need it asap

[–] brrt@sh.itjust.works 4 points 6 months ago (2 children)

And then what? Carry on until we need an even bigger/thicker blanket?

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Just rope a comet and drop it in the ocean. Problem solved.

[–] Brickhead92@lemmy.world 1 points 6 months ago

ONCE AND FOR ALL!

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

It would just buy us some time to actually address climate change. Currently, we have done nothing except make it exponentially worse. If we don't have a blanket, we will definitely all die. If we have one, we might get a few years and make it. It's better than nothing. Literally. It's the only option.

And our governments agree:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/02/climate/global-warming-clouds-solar-geoengineering.html

“Every year that we have new records of climate change, and record temperatures, heat waves, it’s driving the field to look at more alternatives,” said Robert Wood, the lead scientist for the team from the University of Washington that is running the marine cloud brightening project. “Even ones that may have once been relatively extreme.”

Brightening clouds is one of several ideas to push solar energy back into space — sometimes called solar radiation modification, solar geoengineering, or climate intervention. Compared with other options, such as injecting aerosols into the stratosphere, marine cloud brightening would be localized and use relatively benign sea salt aerosols as opposed to other chemicals.

They also have floated the idea of releasing sulfur into the atmosphere, getting the idea from increased warming after shipping emissions (which include sulfur) were reduced.