If Climate Change Is Occurring, What Should We Do About It?

[Sailsia]

I believe in the trend of increased global average temperatures, and am receptive to the idea that the result of this will be a spike in extreme weather events. However, something that I am unclear on is how we (the United States) can actually change this. Okay, sure, CO2 is causing global warming, but whatever we do to reduce our carbon emissions will be made up for in Sino-Indian emissions.

I believe that reducing our carbon emissions will not bring Earth back from the direction it's headed. Instead, we should focus our efforts on developing engineering projects to save what we can, especially on the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.

[Benuty]

It is not a question of when, but how is it occurring?

[MERIZoC]

What should we do about it?
http://350.org

[Viritica]

Obviously the best solution is to nuke India and Russia. *nod*

[Neoconstantius]

It's really too late. Even if anthropogenic CO2 emissions ceased entirely.

We should focus on infrastructure development and advancing sustainable energy sources once fossil fuels are depleted.

[Neoconstantius]

What should we do about it?
http://350.org

Idealistic fantasy. It will never have a meaningful impact.

Contrary to modern belief, "movements" can't just be synthesized and exported like a commodity.

[Tule]

My suggestions:

A worldwide moratorium on new coal power plants would be a good start.

New emission standards for cars and make rooftop PV solar panels mandatory in building codes (obviously not where they are impractical).

Offer loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants and start a massive renewable power plant construction project akin to the Interstate Highway System and the Apollo missions.

Raise tariffs on foods that are imported from distant regions.

[The Re-Frisivisiaing]

Have the Dutch build an intricate array of dikes.

[Threlizdun]

Preventing major climate change is impossible even if we put an immediate end to excess carbon emissions. We've already seen the effects of climate change. People already have died because of it. We must treat it like what it is, the greatest threat the human race has ever faced. Rapid transition to renewable and nuclear energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels must begin now. Carbon taxes should be implemented, alternative and nuclear energy facilities need to be constructed by the state, new oil and coal plant production should be halted, public transport networks improved, logging severely limited, reforestation efforts implemented, biodiversity protected, monoculture and industrial agriculture abandoned in favor of polyculture and permaculture, consumption of animal products discouraged, severe weather protections constructed, and water greatly conserved to name a few things. First and foremost, we have to stop doubting the reality of climate change and the need to act immediately.

[Distruzio]

I plan on avoiding organic foods, recycling, and electric cars.

Seriously.

I plan on doing this because I care about the environment.

[Ceannairceach]

Have the Dutch build an intricate array of dikes.

That'll go over well with American conservatives. Lesbians, foreigners and socialism? It is the trifecta of "things crusty old white guys hate."

[Quilavaland]

I believe in the trend of increased global average temperatures, and am receptive to the idea that the result of this will be a spike in extreme weather events. However, something that I am unclear on is how we (the United States) can actually change this. Okay, sure, CO2 is causing global warming, but whatever we do to reduce our carbon emissions will be made up for in Sino-Indian emissions.

I believe that reducing our carbon emissions will not bring Earth back from the direction it's headed. Instead, we should focus our efforts on developing engineering projects to save what we can, especially on the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Instead of going all-out on one strategy, we should use a little bit of every solution. That way people won't go on with their end-of-the-economy complaints for anything we come up with.

As for China and India, especially China, they're already doing a lot. The average Chinese person uses only a fifth the resources the average American does.

Just in case though, we need to preserve the DNA of all the species we can and take that information with us to small permanent self-sustaining space colonies, like a "backup" if our world is nearly completely wiped out.

[Occupied Deutschland]

Nuclear power is really the only option there is to seriously combat carbon emissions. Continuing research into fusion (more output than input energy as of a few weeks/months ago last I heard) is an important avenue to keep open.

Solar, wind and bio fuels may serve as 'stopgap' measures, but by their nature cannot currently serve as a consistent base-load. The Sierra Club and other "environmentalist" groups need to get over their bias against nuclear energy in order to promote a more beneficial environment for all of us.

[Sun Wukong]

I'd start working on ways to remove massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. Stop the bleeding. This is not as impossible as it sounds.

Renuables are an inevitable necessity anyway, so they may as well be developed now, but they're not going to undo the damage.

[Brickistan]

There is no "if". It's only a matter of "how bad?".

It's really too late. Even if anthropogenic CO2 emissions ceased entirely.

We should focus on infrastructure development and advancing sustainable energy sources once fossil fuels are depleted.

Preventing major climate change is impossible even if we put an immediate end to excess carbon emissions. We've already seen the effects of climate change. People already have died because of it. We must treat it like what it is, the greatest threat the human race has ever faced. Rapid transition to renewable and nuclear energy and the phasing out of fossil fuels must begin now. Carbon taxes should be implemented, alternative and nuclear energy facilities need to be constructed by the state, new oil and coal plant production should be halted, public transport networks improved, logging severely limited, reforestation efforts implemented, biodiversity protected, monoculture and industrial agriculture abandoned in favor of polyculture and permaculture, consumption of animal products discouraged, severe weather protections constructed, and water greatly conserved to name a few things. First and foremost, we have to stop doubting the reality of climate change and the need to act immediately.

^ These...

Sadly, it's way too late. Something should have been done back in the nineties - now we're so far ahead that the whole processes has become self-reinforcing. We can't stop it, even if we wanted to.

We obviously need to look at our infrastructure. We'll run out of coal and oil sooner or later (probably sooner) and we might as well start planing for it. For now, renewable energy, coupled with nuclear power plants seems to be the best bet, but we need to drastically increase the efficiency of renewable energy and we also need to get those fusion reactors online.

We also need, for better or worse, to prepare for the effects that global warming will have. Failing crops, flooded coastal areas, severe weather, droughts and floods... We'll need to figure what we're going to do about the relocation/immigration that we''ll see. But most crucial of all, we need to look at our supply of food and water. Depending on just how bad this is going to get, food and water might become scares commodities. And we need to figure out just how many mouths we can feed and how we're going to do it.

Finally, we need to start looking at cleaning up our own mess. It won't be easy, especially since most of our attention will be focused on the more immediate problems like food and shelter, but we need to get the ecosystem up and running again in a sustainable fashion. We need to maximize our sustainable food-output, something which is difficult given the current state of the ecosystem.


But most importantly, as Threlizdun pointed out, we need to get into our thick skulls that this is a major issue and that something must be done here and now. The longer it takes before people wake up, the worse it's going to get in the end.

[0507011209200118090114]

If businesses make more money, we'll survive the ecological crisis.

If you disagree, you're a freedom-hating terrorist.

[European Socialist Republic]

Nothing. It'll solve itself.

[Brickistan]

Nothing. It'll solve itself.

Sure it will.

Whether or not humanity will be round to see it? Now, that's the question...

[Hyfling]

Just a few suggestions off the top of my head:

-Widespread use of nuclear and hydroelectric power to replace those coal power plants as quickly as possible
-Start seriously pushing renewable fuels for the coming decline in fossil fuels, cushion the blow to the economy
-Increase the use of GM drought proof, high yield food to combat the expansion of agricultural land

BONUS: Take the relevance away from fringe green groups, which want to harm the environment more than help it

[CTALNH]

Obviously the best solution is to nuke India and Russia. *nod*

Nothings better than droping temeratures than a nuclear winter.

[Lemanrussland]

1) Impose a cap and trade regime on carbon, like we do with other pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
2) Fund/subsidize scientific research to reduce the cost of alternative sources of energy.

[Stagnant Axon Terminal]

"If"
No
IS.

[Patistan]

Almost all of the technology we use at this time is causing pollution,so i advise that we dont rely that much on that kind of technology. Instead make other eco-friendly technology to do those jobs.

[Benshir]

Salvage. It's all about damage control at this point. We'll have to adjust with whatever way the planet wants to sway now.

[Bezombia]

Nuclear winter. Because winter means cold which will combat warming of the globe.