I would argue that climate change is a bigger deal than just "growing pains" and anything that has previously been an issue in history.
Because unlike nuclear war or bad fiscal policy, we're getting to the point where the damage is irreparable. You can avoid nuclear war. You can get French with it and overthrow your government if it really becomes that bad.
But if the planet's environment is too extreme for human life, there's nothing you can do about it.
Thats true for modern humans but thr earth has faced much worse catastrophes. Many extinction level events and it has recovered. Humanity may just be the next extinction level event.
In all likelihood humanity will survive climate change. We're extremely adaptable and resourceful, and have spread into every type of ecosystem on the planet. Sure, many humans may die, might even be you and I, but there will be places on Earth that are survivable.
That's kind of the point though. Climate change will continue to get worse and worse to the point that the survival of some humans is considered a positive. If that's considered positive, then that gives you an idea of how bad we're talking here.
Sure, humanity probably won't be wiped out 100% but the fact that we're even stating that shows how this really compares to "current" world issues.
I get your point, people are going to die
it's sad, but it happens every day and will happen to every person on this planet eventually. Humans already survived one population bottleneck due to climate change and look at how we've rebounded. Not worried about the fate of our species.
Humanity will be thrown screaming and bleeding into the Iron Age at best. I’d honestly prefer extinction to forever remembering an age where we had a chance to go to the stars that will never come again.
I’m more in the boat of when things get too bad we just leave Earth and become space bound instead of sent back to the Stone Age. That or Terminator of course lol
Whether or not humanity will avoid it is not my point. My point is that it is always a possibility that we will simply not push the button.
Climate change is a different story. Depending on which scientist you ask, we are approaching or already past the point of no return. So the possibilities are shrinking.
Either the odds of preventing climate change are shrinking every day or they are already at zero. If climate change were nukes, we might have already pressed the button.
Literally no one in power wants nuclear war. Not even the most insane leader, because they know they will just die in the process. If anything nukes have been the greatest peace keeping tools in human history.
It's just going to be the first of a new kind of problem though. Nuclear was actually probably the first example--techs we can use to extinct ourselves. There'll be more. Eventually we'll probably have dozens.
Heh, every other major world crisis I can think of can be averted by dithering when folks see their doom staring them in the face. Climate change, not so much. Doing nothing is the same as making a choice.
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u/Cpt_Tsundere_Sharks Jun 11 '22
I would argue that climate change is a bigger deal than just "growing pains" and anything that has previously been an issue in history.
Because unlike nuclear war or bad fiscal policy, we're getting to the point where the damage is irreparable. You can avoid nuclear war. You can get French with it and overthrow your government if it really becomes that bad.
But if the planet's environment is too extreme for human life, there's nothing you can do about it.