(12w) Extreme scenario of climate change needs some hysteria in order to take actions

In the Intelligencer, a NY magazine, an article describes how climate change may be much worse than until now anticipated although I remember scientists discussing many of these topics before. But yes, troubles may happen much earlier than anticipated, even during the lifespan of those responsible.

A few months ago on the Flemish radio, a book about the consequences of climate change and what will happen if we don't act was discussed. Part of the discussion was that the book is too extreme and thus people will not act when they think climate change can't be stopped. But the counter-argument was that talk about it in moderate wording and people will think we don't need to act while actions are needed to prevent the worse case scenario becomes reality. Whatever, too little is done at present to prevent the predicted climate change. The book discusses what can happen if the temperature increases at a maximum of 8°C. One person thinks the authors exaggerate. Indeed, it's the worse case but, while in the past scientists discussed an increase of maximum 2°C, now they believe it is more likely closer to 3 or even 4°C. Still, many people think no urgency is needed and actions are too costly.

For instance, they were discussing the additional amount of ice that melts at the poles in addition of what normally melts each year; this is so much we can't imagine what this weight is. More in human language: Of course, satellite images show us that the ice sheet is much smaller than in the past but we ignore this as we're not (yet) under water.

Still, places are already disappearing and not only unknown places as Indonesia decided to leave its current capital Jakarta to move to a new one as sea levels rose sufficiently so the ocean becomes a real threat. Further, as sea and oceans warm, ice also melts from below that we don't see and thus ice sheets are thinning and bending downwards until they collapse. Also the ice sheet on Greenland melts, forming small lakes under the ice so it may become a roller for the ice above it ones sufficient amounts of ice is melted. Thus, both the bending downwards as the lifting of the ice by its melt water may one day result in ice falling in the ocean and, maybe or not, the creation of tsunamis. But, allow the melted water below Greenland's ice to flow away so the ice continues to rest on the land and water levels will still increase as this is land and not sea ice that is melting. Thus, realise the consequences of not acting and more people may be prepared to act, even when this costs money.

They also discussed there is no bad guy who allows this to happen. Unfortunately but, at high levels such as the top of fossil fuel companies and maybe during secret Bilderberg meetings where powerful people meet, including financiers of all kinds of industries, people know but minimises the threats we face. They could have done more but used and still use excuses to limit actions such as the need to remain competitive with other countries. Therefore, international organisations such as the EU can act as a counter balance by supporting more investments in clean energy. Countries also blame high energy costs because subsidies are given to help people install renewables so people oppose these subsidies. Further, people should be able to use the electricity they create and allow them to sell to neighbours or the general grid so energy companies need to invest less to create energy, preferable via renewables. In addition, sometimes so much renewable energy is produced from wind energy that energy companies pay other companies to use the energy, a cost everyone must pay via their energy bill or energy companies may go bankrupt when they pay to use their energy instead of receiving money. Indeed, try to diverse towards renewable energy such as solar panels and wind energy as ordinary citizen or small company and a lobby becomes active to reverse actions that hurt the old industries while these industries could have invested much more themselves in climate change actions.

Carbon storing schemes

Some people write about carbon storing actions to counter the climate change but inform these are not yet available. I disagree because we can plant trees and allow nature to recover so the excess of CO2 is taken out the air. However, I also acknowledge that the continuous destruction of our planet (such as the fires in the Amazon and arctic region) and this with accelerating loops from nature as a reaction to the climate change that is happening, one day we may need these technologies when nature will be insufficient to reverse a warning world. And while today certain scientists focus on carbon capture because they really want to reverse what is happening, other scientists want to use much more "wow" methods, developed by humans and not nature as certain humans want to play God because that earns them much more than allowing nature to act.

Climate change deniers

Concerning climate change deniers, indeed, they exist but many pretend they deny but know it's real and happening:

• Some "deniers" work in the fossil fuel industry who know what's happening since decades but hide this information for the general public while they try to convince people that climate change scientists are cheaters and extremist lefties. In the meantime, they hope they will be able to exploit the Arctic ones the ice sheet will be gone;

• Some "deniers" are religious extremists who know what is happening as they read Holy Books and even produce videos and books that describe what may come and whereby they try to convince people to believe their own agenda that is one of hate and exclusion. Of course, not all religious people are the same and thus some religious leaders and people link climate change to human activities and inform us we should change the exploitation of the world and fellow humans, others however link it to their own economic, xenophobic and homophobic and women unfriendly agenda and away from humans taking responsibility as they hope for a divine intervention that will strengthen their powers when they manage to convince people from their righteousness that may be possible when certain prophesies become reality, similar with extremist religious leaders from other religions and what can explain partly the rise in religious violence throughout the world. Indeed, God predicted He would open the gates of hell so extremists would gain power. Still, religious people should know that God didn't set a fixed date so, in case humans behave, no divine interference is needed.

• Then there are the followers who don't think but believe what the powerful tell them to believe while they distrust scientists as most of them earn less because they do work they like to do, even when it doesn't earn them as much respect as doing other jobs.