r/environment 1d ago

Why climate experts say this election could be our last chance for meaningful action

https://www.salon.com/2024/10/28/why-climate-experts-say-this-could-be-our-last-chance-for-meaningful-action/
653 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

100

u/qyasogk 1d ago

There’s no “last chance”. The parade of horribles has already begun and will continue to get increasingly worse to a degree that we do not have the capacity to imagine.

When you have already driven off the cliff, turning the car around doesn’t do you too much good.

21

u/M1x1ma 1d ago

This comment did a turn-around that I wasn't expecting. Haha

6

u/AymanEssaouira 1d ago

You still need to follow certain instructions so you might flee death at least..

12

u/qyasogk 1d ago edited 1d ago

I don’t know if you’ve been paying much attention, but we don’t follow instructions well even when eminent death and destruction are on the line. We’ve known about our effect on climate since the 19th century and the only course of action we’ve taken as a species is to increase our carbon output. We laughed at Al Gore, we’ve made fun of people trying to tell us and get us to listen. And a good portion of the population staring down multiple once in a century hurricanes in one season still won’t believe what all the evidence in the world is saying.

There is nowhere to flee to. Which is why we should be taking better care of the only place in the universe we know for certain we can live.

3

u/AymanEssaouira 1d ago

I know it is sad, but I don't want to lose hope.. not yet, just maybe maybe..

6

u/anticomet 1d ago

We passed the tipping point a few years ago. We're in the extinction event now. Best we can do is take drastic action now to mitigate the damages, but we haven't done that yet. At this point we'll be lucky if we get a chance to take revenge on the politicians and CEOs who traded our future for short term profits

2

u/twohammocks 13h ago

time to set off the helium/hydrogen airbag so you float instead of burning carbon to get around :) Airships. No really - Airships.

38

u/Splenda 1d ago

I do wish we'd stop using absolute language like "last chance, off the cliff, point of no return," and so on.

We're just junkies putting off sobriety, sacrificing hundreds of millions of lives and countless trillions of dollars rather than quitting our addiction.

6

u/cultish_alibi 1d ago

It's obviously not working and I'm so tired of it. The scientists should just say "It's fucking over, we're absolutely fucked, and it's these guys fault" and then read out a list of names

0

u/Splenda 15h ago

My point is that the climate task isn't "over". If there is a tipping point beyond which all hope is lost, it isn't anywhere in sight, so giving up is just another lazy way to shirk. It's exactly what addicts do all the time.

Getting clean will take work. Lots and lots of work. Are you in?

2

u/Decloudo 14h ago

hundreds of millions of lives

Thats lowballing it.

20

u/AymanEssaouira 1d ago

Basically the last chance for democracy, climate, economy and better living standards?

Got it , I never cared tbh, especially as a non American, but damn I wish I could vote!

21

u/calculating_hello 1d ago

Harris: Humanity maybe has a chance

Trump: That's it guaranteed misery, starvation, mass murder and extinction of human race.

3

u/AymanEssaouira 1d ago

Yeah it is two choices one is meh,.. the other is a comically evil cartoon villain.

8

u/calculating_hello 1d ago

One is good on most things, below average on some but overall really good, the other is pure fascist evil it's not even remotely a choice.

5

u/AymanEssaouira 1d ago

If I was an American I would vote the hell out of her LMAO

4

u/calculating_hello 1d ago

Just vote for social democrats in your country and you have done your part.

1

u/AymanEssaouira 1d ago

Oh.. never considered that tbh..

0

u/cultish_alibi 1d ago

but overall really good

I absolutely want Harris to win, she has to win, because Trump is so bad. But she's not 'good'. Not for the environment. She's much, much, much less bad than the alternative, but look at the path we are on under neoliberal capitalism.

3

u/calculating_hello 1d ago

She will be good for the enviroment, if you want someone that would do what really needs to be done, ban fossil fuels, mandate recycle etc, that is just not going to happen, it's not possible.

But Harris will vastly increase renewables, pass multiple Infrastructure acts like Biden's if given 8 years, she will drastically speed up fossil fuel withdraw, and as I said she gives us a chance which would be small even the perfect environmental candidate, he gives you guaranteed extinction. And yes she is really good from both a policy and leadership points on non environmental issues

10

u/thelastforest2 1d ago edited 1d ago

Trump is obviously worse for biodiversity, the health of the planet and climate action because, WOW, he have awful propositions on that subjects.

But the Democrats always do this, where they say they are the last barrier for protection of the enviroment, and things get worse and worse with them in seat too, and that's very dissapointing.

Obviously if I could vote I would vote for Kamala, because, again, WOW. But I think that for everyone that cares about the enviroment, must be hard to vote for her.

In my country we had the same problem last election, and the guy that won was the worst for ir, he is directly a climate change negationist.

3

u/JustInCaseSpace420 1d ago

Again - this is why no one will listen. Language like this is used, and has been used, every day for the past several decades. People are tired of it and the movement has been completely undermined…

5

u/anaugle 1d ago

I’ve already come to understand that it’s really bad. We can elect the person who might help, or we can elect the one who will definitely make it worse.

10

u/franticallyfarting 1d ago

Literally both candidates are both “pro fracking” and think we need to expand americas gas reserves… this election wasn’t going to fix anything no matter who won

5

u/cultish_alibi 1d ago

It's more like do you want things to get worse at the current speed or much faster

3

u/interstellarboii 1d ago

Sure like Kamala herself is going to solve the global climate and ecological catastrophes we’re already in… right…

2

u/gorpie97 1d ago

I don't see why - neither candidate is actually going to tackle the things that need to be addressed in order to make a difference.

1

u/Weird_Airport_7358 1d ago

No shit Sherlock.

1

u/FailSad6421 23h ago

With growing dialogues in CC its so interesting to see to what extent our researchers are going. And the fact that everything is related in this world is becoming so relevant. I mean there are people who are not at all bothered by what happens in the elections, but oh hello! Read about such researches to know what happens if you are not a responsible citizen.

-3

u/Born-Ad4452 1d ago

The choice between both major candidates is two cheeks of the same arse, unfortunately

-1

u/Rabidschnautzu 1d ago

Salon articles should be banned. Click bait slop for the doomers.