The global co-operation necessary to deal effectively with climate change is actively prevented by [fossil-fuel-powered-]capitalism’s inherent competition.
We are going to evolve through crisis, not pro-active change. Let’s be polite and call climate change a crisis multiplier.
These are the good old days so try and find a way to enjoy them.
No, our best hope is that our best scientists learn magic and then rapidly enable wide scale adoption of fusion reactors that are efficient enough to generate free energy that we can use for a bunch of, yet to be invented, sci-fi technologies that deal with the huge pile of shitty challenges that are amassing at our doorstep.
The odds of short to mid term survival of civilization is statistically insignificant.
Well neither is “free” energy, but as opposed to solar and existing technologies, cold fusion is claimed to offer energy so abundant that it’s basically free. Solar don’t work on the scale required to solve the problems that climate change bring (carbon capture, water desalination, replacing every critical earth system we’re breaking) AND maintaining the rising power requirements of modernity.
Solar and wind technologies would have been an excellent basis for building a different type of society, where we also vastly reduce our energy consumtion and rethink modern economy. That would be nice, but those discussions are simply off the table at the moment. People want cheeseburgers, Amazon Prime and pickup trucks. No such things in Solar Punk Utopia.
If our scientists learn magic why are they going through all that instead of just casting some spells to alter the atmosphere to optimal parameters for human life? They could even replenish oil wells so we can keep drilling perpetually. Maybe they should cast some spells for agricultural and fresh drinkable water production and such also. If scientists used their magic more efficiently we probably wouldn’t even have this issue to begin with.
the standards wouldn’t have come into fruition that allowed the auto industry to decouple vehicle size and weight from energy efficiency;
the trams systems wouldn’t have been bought up, shut down, and rails ripped from the ground to make room for more lanes;
the energy sector wouldn’t have septupled down on an invisible gas that’s 20x worse than burning coal;
the healthcare companies would be run by medical experts finding the best treatment instead of by money men denying care by default;
the technology we developed wouldn’t be tracking every time we blink to create advertising opportunities;
the houses we build wouldn’t sit vacant waiting for a tenant to pay half their income for the privilege of having no equity…
Greed is the problem.
It’s understandable within capitalism why corporations would push boundaries to make money, but our politicians are supposed to be the force of opposition. Instead they look the other way while pocketing another cheque or airline ticket or deed to a brownstone.
I’m as pro active transportation as anyone I have ever met, but it’s delusional to blame people for buying a large, expensive vehicle when the manufacturers keep discontinuing small, cheap cars because the return on investment isn’t as high. The politicians could require them to make two compact cars for every pickup or SUV, but they don’t because they’re greedy just like the corporations.
There are no checks and balances anymore, and the politicians are to blame. Some blame in certain places should also land on the electorate, to be sure. But with every city, neighbourhood, and street gerrymandered to look like a hand drawn map by Michael J. Fox, it’s mostly the politicians on the hook for all this.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we weren’t ruled by psychopathic idiots, and this might have actually made a difference?
I still contemplate if we had gore instead of bush. Its just insane how different the world could be.
The global co-operation necessary to deal effectively with climate change is actively prevented by [fossil-fuel-powered-]capitalism’s inherent competition.
We are going to evolve through crisis, not pro-active change. Let’s be polite and call climate change a crisis multiplier.
These are the good old days so try and find a way to enjoy them.
HumanHistory_IRL
Best hope rn is the solar panels from China that every country from African to Pakistan are able to install and use less fuel
No, our best hope is that our best scientists learn magic and then rapidly enable wide scale adoption of fusion reactors that are efficient enough to generate free energy that we can use for a bunch of, yet to be invented, sci-fi technologies that deal with the huge pile of shitty challenges that are amassing at our doorstep.
The odds of short to mid term survival of civilization is statistically insignificant.
No, our best hope is aliens to come and fix it
Yeah, sure, about equal likelihood, to be fair
We already have solar panels to make free energy, but nah.
Well neither is “free” energy, but as opposed to solar and existing technologies, cold fusion is claimed to offer energy so abundant that it’s basically free. Solar don’t work on the scale required to solve the problems that climate change bring (carbon capture, water desalination, replacing every critical earth system we’re breaking) AND maintaining the rising power requirements of modernity.
Solar and wind technologies would have been an excellent basis for building a different type of society, where we also vastly reduce our energy consumtion and rethink modern economy. That would be nice, but those discussions are simply off the table at the moment. People want cheeseburgers, Amazon Prime and pickup trucks. No such things in Solar Punk Utopia.
Exactly. I wager we’re headed toward more of a steampunk dystopia, where the last remnants of civilization choke on our own detritus.
If our scientists learn magic why are they going through all that instead of just casting some spells to alter the atmosphere to optimal parameters for human life? They could even replenish oil wells so we can keep drilling perpetually. Maybe they should cast some spells for agricultural and fresh drinkable water production and such also. If scientists used their magic more efficiently we probably wouldn’t even have this issue to begin with.
I agree, inefficient magic use in the scientific community is to blame for this predicament.
It could only effectively work with a world government.
Sure blame politicians for the fact that people are going into deeper and deeper debt to buy bigger and bigger trucks.
If the politicians would have refused bribes,
the standards wouldn’t have come into fruition that allowed the auto industry to decouple vehicle size and weight from energy efficiency;
the trams systems wouldn’t have been bought up, shut down, and rails ripped from the ground to make room for more lanes;
the energy sector wouldn’t have septupled down on an invisible gas that’s 20x worse than burning coal;
the healthcare companies would be run by medical experts finding the best treatment instead of by money men denying care by default;
the technology we developed wouldn’t be tracking every time we blink to create advertising opportunities;
the houses we build wouldn’t sit vacant waiting for a tenant to pay half their income for the privilege of having no equity…
Greed is the problem.
It’s understandable within capitalism why corporations would push boundaries to make money, but our politicians are supposed to be the force of opposition. Instead they look the other way while pocketing another cheque or airline ticket or deed to a brownstone.
I’m as pro active transportation as anyone I have ever met, but it’s delusional to blame people for buying a large, expensive vehicle when the manufacturers keep discontinuing small, cheap cars because the return on investment isn’t as high. The politicians could require them to make two compact cars for every pickup or SUV, but they don’t because they’re greedy just like the corporations.
There are no checks and balances anymore, and the politicians are to blame. Some blame in certain places should also land on the electorate, to be sure. But with every city, neighbourhood, and street gerrymandered to look like a hand drawn map by Michael J. Fox, it’s mostly the politicians on the hook for all this.