Climate change and human responsibility

[Ozy_Flame]

Will be interesting to see the turnouts for these (weather isn't so great). I suspect larger crowds in Eastern Canada (the Twitter videos make it seem like the weather is quite nice for a protest in Toronto, Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, etc.).

[Azure]

They should protest to build the pipelines and avoid the mass extinction that is supposedly coming.

Climate Strike is like Earth Day. Makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy inside when they yell and scream, but 90% of the people there have no clue what is needed to actually make a difference, or how it would work, nor do they seem to understand proven outcomes.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Azure

They should protest to build the pipelines and avoid the mass extinction that is supposedly coming.

Climate Strike is like Earth Day. Makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy inside when they yell and scream, but 90% of the people there have no clue what is needed to actually make a difference, or how it would work, nor do they seem to understand proven outcomes.

It's slacktivism.

[Ozy_Flame]

I take it you won't be attending?

[nik-]

I don't have to leave my chair to pat myself on the back.

[Ozy_Flame]

That was actually intended for Azure.

[nik-]

I'm his attorney.

[Ozy_Flame]

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by nik-

It's slacktivism.

Slacktivism is going on facebook and changing your profile picture to support a cause. Going out on a street and holding a sign in a march says a lot more and shows a tangible effort.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Slacktivism is going on facebook and changing your profile picture to support a cause. Going out on a street and holding a sign in a march says a lot more and shows a tangible effort.

Not really. It's low effort and implies no commitment.

A bunch of people will feel good about themselves because they're walking down the street and then 99% of them will go home and continue a consumer lifestyle. It's meaningless.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by nik-

Not really. It's low effort and implies no commitment.

A bunch of people will feel good about themselves because they're walking down the street and then 99% of them will go home and continue a consumer lifestyle. It's meaningless.

You don't actually know this for a fact and indeed I suspect that the vast majority of protesters make significant efforts in their personal lives to reduce waste and consumption of energy/emission of carbon, etc.

[Ozy_Flame]

Maybe relevant to the conversation, but a letter in Science magazine from April 2019 that supports the youth protests (not this specific one today, but ones in past occurrences) has since been signed by over 3000 scientists:

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6436/139.2

The world's youth have begun to persistently demonstrate for the protection of the climate and other foundations of human well-being. (1, 2). As scientists and scholars who have recently initiated similar letters of support in our countries, we call for our colleagues across all disciplines and from the entire world to support these young climate protesters (3). We declare: Their concerns are justified and supported by the best available science. The current measures for protecting the climate and biosphere are deeply inadequate.

Last paragraph (for quick reading):

The enormous grassroots mobilization (2) of the youth climate movement—including Fridays for Future, School (or Youth) Strike 4 Climate, Youth for (or 4) Climate, and Youth Climate Strike (7)—shows that young people understand the situation. We approve and support their demand for rapid and forceful action. We see it as our social, ethical, and scholarly responsibility to state in no uncertain terms: Only if humanity acts quickly and resolutely can we limit global warming, halt the ongoing mass extinction of animal and plant species, and preserve the natural basis for the food supply and well-being of present and future generations. This is what the young people want to achieve. They deserve our respect and full support.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by nik-

Not really. It's low effort and implies no commitment.

A bunch of people will feel good about themselves because they're walking down the street and then 99% of them will go home and continue a consumer lifestyle. It's meaningless.

I think that you're missing the point. This isn't about virtue signalling ( although many on the internet would like to make it about that), it is about enacting change. Change over time is a process, and if you're made up number were true one might hope that 1% would change over a year, and perhaps 1% the year after that, and so on so forth. People behave as if history stops now, and it simply does not. People use to ridicule the idea that DDT killed birds, and caused cancer and birth defects, yet here we are. Just because you don't like change, or people who advocate for it does not mean that it will not happen.

[stampsx2]

Yes let’s stop pipelines in Canada because then the world will stop buying oil from other sources like Saudi Arabia.

[GirlySports]

It's SNOWING!

[you&me]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It's SNOWING!

Bring on global warming!

[TheIronMaiden]

Climate =/= Weather

Weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, climate describes what the weather is like over a long period of time in a specific area.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Climate =/= Weather

Weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, climate describes what the weather is like over a long period of time in a specific area.

100% correct. Just wish people would also say this when we have a bad storm, drought, heat wave, etc.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Climate =/= Weather

Weather refers to short-term changes in the atmosphere, climate describes what the weather is like over a long period of time in a specific area.

Might want to inform Elizabeth May of this.

[dobbles]

Originally Posted by Ark2

100% correct. Just wish people would also say this when we have a bad storm, drought, heat wave, etc.

I think thats a generally fair statement. However, one of the things predicted is an increase in severity and recurrence of these events. For instance, around half of the Atlantic hurricanes to have the lowest recorded pressure (linked to strength of hurricane) have occurred in the last 10-15 years. Something like that can be tied to warming waters in the Carribean and Gulf of Mexico which could be tied to global warming.

So when these events occur, I think its very important for experts to be precise in what they say. Severe weather has always been a problem. But many times it is a bigger problem because of climate issues.