Is the government not telling us how bad the environment is?

[Anonymous]

I feel like we’ve gone over the tipping point and are heading toward environmental catastrophe. Like in the next 10 years, the heat and extreme weather patterns will make life as we know it gone. I think the government is not talking about it because it’s too late. Just like they may not tell us if an asteroid were about to hit within the year. Does anyone else feel this way?

[Anonymous]

I think propagandists aren't telling you that ice started melting thousands or millions of years ago - without any cars or factories in the world - it receded from much of the U.S., then receded from Canada, and now obviously receding back further up in the Arctic. We go through these periods called ice ages, etc, independent of pollution.

I think the folks who should wonder if the government is withholding information are the Europeans. Because without the Arctic, I'm no scientist, but I heard decades ago when this wasn't such a sexy topic that when the Arctic ice melts, and the Atlantic Jet Stream stops, Europe will be very, very cold. Maybe some covered in ice, I don't know. I have assumed that would all happen eventually.

[Anonymous]

I think the science is there that we are likely reaching or at the tipping point. Even if CO2 emissions declined, we know that temps will continue to climb for several years.

But, where we are right now is that predictive science is more difficult and less certain than observational science. So wee know temps will climb, and there are various scenarios out there, but what specifically will happen is difficult to say with strong certainty or specificity.

So, likely more hurricanes that are stronger. Where and when? Don't know. Large scale earth processes are difficult to model and predict. Will hurricanes spin into the gulf or hit which cost? We can't even predict that, so predicting what might happen with more hurricanes is impossible.

Will more arctic ice melt? Certainly yees, but what will be th impacts? sea level rise, sure. How will hurricanes change because of sea level rise (or what impacts will happen during a hurricane because sea level is higher?)?

What types of mitigation are we prepared to pay for? Will we pay for Miami to exist? Will we give up parts of lower Manhattan or build elaborate sea walls and systems to push back water?

Will global circulation systems remain as they are now, or will they change? What impacts might that have? What is the Gulf Stream changes course? etc etc etc.

There are people talking about this stuff. It's VERY easy for the other side to say alarmist! Or exaggerating! Or we don't know, or it's too expensive to fix, or whatever. Heck, tobacco companies knew for DECADES the dangers and stonewalled restrictions/limitations.

[Anonymous]

Wow I didn’t expect this board to be full of climate change deniers given how liberal DC is. Yea of course the govt is lying to us. We live in a capitalist society which is becoming an oligarchy run by a few obscenely rich people. The time for Hope has passed but we must still act in dramatic ways now.

[Anonymous]

Let’s say you are right and life as we know it will be gone in 10 years. What will you do differently?

[Anonymous]

You'll feel better of you do something about it
Sign up to call your representative monthly here:
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/monthly-calling-campaign/
Or pick another organization to join. The key thing is to do something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like we’ve gone over the tipping point and are heading toward environmental catastrophe. Like in the next 10 years, the heat and extreme weather patterns will make life as we know it gone. I think the government is not talking about it because it’s too late. Just like they may not tell us if an asteroid were about to hit within the year. Does anyone else feel this way?

Yes they are not telling us because it is too late. The reports are there and have been there for 50 years. The thing you have to remember is it is an exponential change. So it will speed up dramatically over time. We are already over the tipping point and we are still pumping of the CO2.

[Anonymous]

When I was in grade school we learned all about the coming Ice Age because of global cooling. We also transitioned from paper bags to plastic bags in the name of saving the trees.

[Anonymous]

You can tell people that we will run out of oil in 50 years and coal in 100 years but they either won’t believe it or won’t care.

[Anonymous]

Why would "the government" have to be the one to tell you about this? Do you really think no one else would know and talk about it if that were the case?

[Anonymous]

Scientists have already told us this OP. The federal government already knows, we just have to elect politicians who will pay attention. The Defense Department is already planning for sea rise, it was in the news this week.

The federal government is just trying to restore democracy at this point, and try not to let it's more ignorant citizens accidentally kill themselves by believing in antivax propaganda and destabilize the country.

It's up to the rest of us to help the environment.

https://eos.org/features/a-50-year-old-global-warming-forecast-that-still-holds-up

https://interestingengineering.com/mit-predicted-the-collapse-of-todays-society-in-1972-and-were-still-on-track
"A new study by a director of one of the world's largest accounting firms, KPMG, reveals that a 1972 model by MIT researchers predicting the collapse of society in the 21st century looks to be worryingly on track, a report by Vice explains.

The 1972 model, called World3, was created in the '70s using empirical data, and it was published in a book called 'Limits to Growth'.

Essentially, the model aimed to answer the question of what would happen if humanity keeps pursuing economic growth, no matter the societal and environmental cost? It concluded that, without drastic change, industrial society was headed for collapse." We are right on track, according to the 1972 study.

[Anonymous]

I'm posting from Germany, where we have just had catastrophic flooding, which was a shock: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/16/western-germany-floods-angela-merkel-horror-catastrophe-deaths-missing-search-flooding-belgium

The floods are almost certainly a result of climate change.

I do think it is too late to reverse climate change. The horrible truth is that it is big countries with many poor that are causing most of the damage at the moment: India, Russia, China, etc. These places just can't take the precautions we are starting to take in the EU and in the US and what we are doing isn't enough to avert what is to come.

[Anonymous]

There are already predicting it will be too hot for humans to live in some places. Middle East being one of them.

[Anonymous]

People have been saying this for years now. You are finally waking up to the catastrophe we face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm posting from Germany, where we have just had catastrophic flooding, which was a shock: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/16/western-germany-floods-angela-merkel-horror-catastrophe-deaths-missing-search-flooding-belgium

The floods are almost certainly a result of climate change.

I do think it is too late to reverse climate change. The horrible truth is that it is big countries with many poor that are causing most of the damage at the moment: India, Russia, China, etc. These places just can't take the precautions we are starting to take in the EU and in the US and what we are doing isn't enough to avert what is to come.

It is possible that governments may be hiding things, but there is plenty of data to show that we need to take action now. We need to demand it of our elected officials but also of the many corporations that are damaging the planet for profit.

Blaming Russia, China, and India is a stupid game that certain politicians want you to play. Of course those countries are doing damage but their citizens are capable of putting pressure on their own governments. Focus on demanding accountability from corporations, do not buy anything from Amazon or products produced in China (this is huge) or other superpolluter countries, including food. Buy local, reduce reuse recycle etc, but do it mindfully. And call out our politicians that are shifting blame to other countries instead of demonstrating leadership.