Is David Wallace-Wells's book still on track to come true?

[Anonymous]

A couple years ago I read "The Uninhabitable Earth" by David Wallace-Wells. It's pretty good and shocking (you can find detailed summaries online if you don't want to buy the book). Does anyone know if current science still supports his hypothesis?

His article here summarizes all of it: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html

[Anonymous]

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/16/opinion/cop28-climate-change-renewable-energy.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/16/opinion/cop28-climate-change-renewable-energy.html

Too late bro. We are already there. More like prepare for 2°.

[Anonymous]

There's been paid-for "journalism" in recent years "debunking" what David Wallace-Wells wrote.

The reality is more terrifying than anyone clinging to Denial wants to know.

[Anonymous]

At some point, every billionaire on earth needs to be put in jail for pushing and enabling this fossil fuel economy to reach this level of atrocity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At some point, every billionaire on earth needs to be put in jail for pushing and enabling this fossil fuel economy to reach this level of atrocity.

+1

And I haven't read that book, OP. Might not; the link is depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At some point, every billionaire on earth needs to be put in jail for pushing and enabling this fossil fuel economy to reach this level of atrocity.

Mark Zuckerberg just announced he is raising his own Wagyu and Angus beef on his Hawaiian mega estate, and feeding them macadamia nut meal and beer, so they will be the tastiest beef ever produced.

I honestly think when people become rich at any level but especially that level, something breaks in their brains.

But yes the planet seems certainly on a path towards limited habitability for humans and many more species will die - even if we stopped fossil fuel use tomorrow (and we won’t, it will be decades) we have already baked in a rise of 2 degrees with the emissions we have already spewed and scientists are becoming more alarmed every day by the speed at which things are happening in the environment that they had not predicted - we are not as smart as we think we are.

I’ve never been more at peace with my childlessness and I have decided I cannot worry about it anymore. I read threads here at DCUM with people crowing about how they keep their McMansions at 78/80 all winter and wear shorts and tshirt for the WFH gig - these are people who DO have children whose futures are being more and more blighted by each day we fail to act at the macro and micro scales. Zuckerberg has daughters and he is teaching them to grow macadamia trees (insanely water intensive crop) to feed cattle. Uber billionaires seem to think there will be somewhere for them to go, but at best their children and grandchildren will live in underground bunkers to avoid the heat and hellscape above.

Nevermind let’s load up the giant SUV and go to Costco to consume consume consume!

[Anonymous]

I've always wondered why we seek to change the inevitable v preparing for reality. There's no way us humans will ever collectively agree to stop our luxurious convenient lifestyles. Professionally and personally, won't happen. We should instead focus on creating solutions and preparations for what's about to become real. Like - find ways to hide from the heat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered why we seek to change the inevitable v preparing for reality. There's no way us humans will ever collectively agree to stop our luxurious convenient lifestyles. Professionally and personally, won't happen. We should instead focus on creating solutions and preparations for what's about to become real. Like - find ways to hide from the heat!

Because there is no way to prepare for ecosystem collapse. Like it or not humans are animals that depend on nature and when we destroy the natural balance there is no escape. Chaos will sink in and there is no way to tell ahead of time what any given individual should do to prepare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A couple years ago I read "The Uninhabitable Earth" by David Wallace-Wells. It's pretty good and shocking (you can find detailed summaries online if you don't want to buy the book). Does anyone know if current science still supports his hypothesis?

His article here summarizes all of it: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-too-hot-for-humans.html

There just is not such crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered why we seek to change the inevitable v preparing for reality. There's no way us humans will ever collectively agree to stop our luxurious convenient lifestyles. Professionally and personally, won't happen. We should instead focus on creating solutions and preparations for what's about to become real. Like - find ways to hide from the heat!

I agree. You have to admit it’s impossible to collectively change human behavior in such a large scale. Humans are too greedy, too fractured, too apathetic.

[Anonymous]

Idk. I am old enough to remember being told in the 1990s that there would be no remaining icebergs in 2024. It is now 2024. There are icebergs.

I don’t deny global warning but some of what I was told was exaggerated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Idk. I am old enough to remember being told in the 1990s that there would be no remaining icebergs in 2024. It is now 2024. There are icebergs.

I don’t deny global warning but some of what I was told was exaggerated.

Yeah, sure Grams. Take your pills and go back to napping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered why we seek to change the inevitable v preparing for reality. There's no way us humans will ever collectively agree to stop our luxurious convenient lifestyles. Professionally and personally, won't happen. We should instead focus on creating solutions and preparations for what's about to become real. Like - find ways to hide from the heat!

I agree. You have to admit it’s impossible to collectively change human behavior in such a large scale. Humans are too greedy, too fractured, too apathetic.

And 90% of them will be dead from the effects of climate change within the next 5-10 years anyway, so it’s a wash. I’ll be dead. You’ll be dead. Probably everyone reading this thread will be dead, by 2034. So nothing matters now anyway.

[Anonymous]

Our bodies are full of plastics, even newborns. I read his book and have been making lifestyle and professional changes while most people still don't get it. But I still have to live my life. I have kids. Not sure. I just keep doing the best I can.