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Apple Pie's avatar

I'm a physicist with a background in nonlinear systems and climatology. Although I can endorse most of the content of this post - scientific consensus, light wavelengths, carbon sinks, etc. - the conclusion is simply not true.

Taken in the weakest sense, yes, the conclusion is correct that humans will be affected by climate change. Indeed, humans are already being affected, and have been affected in the past (for instance, by the Little Ice Age). But the implication that humanity is in trouble because of climate change is incorrect. Even presuming enormous heating, the oceanic, tundra, and particularly highland climates will remain protected. For example, even 5 degrees C warming would still leave Edinburgh comfortable for human habitation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh

Humanity will respond to climate change through migration, shifts in agricultural production, technology, and cultural adaptation. Yes, the global climate may soon lie outside of our experience, but humans never lived in the global climate; we lived in specific climates, particularly in the subtropical range, and these will not disappear. Moreover we have always been exposed to sudden stressors from droughts, floods, storms, warfare, and the loss of food sources such as game animals. We are descended from the survivors of climate change.

So yes, global warming is an issue. And yes, given our responsibility for climate change we should take it seriously. However, it does not present nearly the same threat to humanity as other problems such as bioterrorism or the rapid development of AI. If we are concerned about the future of the human species as a whole, it is areas such as those which deserve our focus.

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Steve Conatser's avatar

There is one obvious consideration here that almost everyone misses. It is not sufficient to consider only the impact that climate change has on humans. We must also consider the improvement in our ability to master our environment. Deaths from climate disasters have plummeted since we began using fossil fuels in earnest. Is it because dangerous climate events have almost disappeared? No, it’s because fossil fuels have caused unprecedented innovation by freeing up time for humans to focus on mental, rather than physical, work. Humans have never been more protected from the climate than they are today, and there is every reason to expect continued improvement.

Perhaps the premium article includes this consideration (I will consider subscribing!). Thank you for your work.

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