Forget ‘doomers:’ Warming can be stopped, top climate scientist sayslocked

tardigrada@beehaw.org to World News@beehaw.org – 155 points –
Warming can be stopped, top climate scientist says — Harvard Gazette
news.harvard.edu

Cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/12956314

"I push back on doomism because I don’t think it’s justified by the science, and I think it potentially leads us down a path of inaction,” said Mann during a talk last Thursday at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

“And there are bad actors today who are fanning the flames of climate doomism because they understand that it takes those who are most likely to be on the front lines, advocating for change, and pushes them to the sidelines, which is where polluters and petrostates want them.”

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“Doomers” don’t think there is literally no way to stop it. They generally think that the people who can pull the lever will continue not to do so because they’ve resisted it for decades. It’s lack of faith in our collective will and dedication to action, not that there is no course of action that can stop it.

I can’t blame them. I still advocate for change and work towards it, but they’re not the problem. It’s climate change deniers and politicians who refuse to do anything about it.

Blame is being misdirected here as usual. Which contributes to why people are “doomers.”

You can pulll the lever. That's my point. There are more people who want to stop the climate catastrophe than not.

We are many. They are few. Rise.

LOL I can't even get people to eat LESS meat and ride bikes. You're utterly delusional.

But people do that more now than they ever have, many individuals do take steps to help the environment. We don't need all the masses to rise, just enough dedicated action from a portion can have massive impact.

Individual decisions are necessary but nearly negligible. Focus your work on the infrastructure of corporations.

Definitely, maybe the general cultural shift towards more sustainable practices will help eventually, but when I say 'dedicated action' I don't mean taking shorter showers.

One individual action is. Ten thousand are not.

Ten thousand can also be completely negligible. Protests and marches with far more than 10,000 people happen pretty regularly, and don't change much.

Now, 10,000 people actively removing the biggest polluters is a different story, but so far at least I can't even think of one instance of that happening.

ok I got a bike lane put in in my city and bike ridership is up 15%.

I gave my mum a Palak Paneer recipe and now she eats it once a week

My district saw a 10% swing in the last election and surprise elected a green candidate.

I think your the delusional one if you think change isn't possible. just a few years ago conservatives were hoarding incandescent bulbs.

There is a world of difference between getting a bike lane installed and getting the world superpowers to collectively stop polluting.

More bike lanes -> more bikers -> more people voting for bike lanes. And then suddenly gm is marketing their fancy overpriced bike to you instead of their car.

Congratulations, these are wonderful achievements. A lot of us are doing what we can. Just because we haven’t done everything you have done doesn’t mean we aren’t trying.

And if your trying then you aren't a doomer.

If y'all truly think that most “doomers” are literally sitting around waiting to die and that this article is required to “call them out” then you’re just tilting at windmills and not casting blame at the people who are the actual problem.

Congratulations; the dent you've made is a rounding error. There are 100 companies which cause 71% of carbon emissions, and you aren't changing how those companies operate without Molotov cocktails

Can't hold a pitchfork while your stuck inside your hummer.

I mean, you could joust, and mowing through the line of horseback cops who are getting ready to attack a protest is probably the most ethical use of a Hummer. It'd need to be an H1 though, with the Humvee frame, the newer ones are just regular truck frames with ugly panelling

Where do those 100 companies get their money from? That 15% increase in local bike riders is a 15% reduction of petroleum industry income - if we can get similar results elsewhere.

From little things big things grow.

just popping in because this was reported - I would suggest being supportive of others who are trying to accomplish the same kind of things you are rather than calling them "utterly delusional"

As opposed to them calling the people who wants to do the same thing as them but feeling hopeless about our chances "nihilistic assholes". I'm sure that's a very supportive and productive thing to do.

This was already addressed by another admin. However, I want it to be perfectly clear that users are expected to be(e) nice when using Beehaw. Thus, you can have a week vacation to think about that.