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Comment by brightball | Hacker News Reader

Agreed. I don’t understand the mindset of not having kids because of climate change. You’re just removing people who will grow up to better protect the planet while others who won’t continue on.

When I hear things like that, it sounds to me like giving up and preparing for the end.

And at the same time I take that with what seems like numerous different acts of messaging directed towards guilting people into not having families...and I can’t help but wonder if that message is benign or malicious.

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If statically speaking, preparing for the end is the sanest course of action because it does appear to be the most likely scenario within the next 50 years, why wouldn't it be the right mindset?

Because if it doesn’t happen then what have you gained? If it does happen than what have you lost?

It just rings like all of the people claiming “end times” for hundreds of years.

But more specifically, is everybody on earth getting the same message? If not...why?

> Because if it doesn’t happen then what have you gained? If it does happen than what have you lost?

For those of us who don't have a particularly strong desire to have children this is very much a dealbreaker.

> It just rings like all of the people claiming “end times” for hundreds of years.

The only way that would be the case is if you ignore the evidence that makes the current situation untentable in a way that no other prior instance of history has been.

The current situation? We’ve previously had the threat of nuclear war situation and 2 world wars in the last 100 years.

With a single scientific advance that would allow rapid carbon capture from the atmosphere, we could be having a totally different conversation.

> With a single scientific advance that would allow rapid carbon capture from the atmosphere

... and reverse the laws of thermodynamics, too!

Recapturing atmospheric CO2 means working to transform from a high-entropy state to a lower-entropy state. That's not going to happen for free.

So you need to have:

1) A fast efficient carbon-capture mechanism.

2) A way to generate lots and lots of power that doesn't itself produce CO2.

You're not describing a "single scientific advance" as much as you're describing dozens or hundreds of major feats of engineering. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but I would not bet the planet on it.

Nuclear already accomplishes the power requirements though.

As far as I can tell it’s more about having a working option and then paying for it.

But even if we aren’t betting the planet on it...this is akin to a poker game where all of your money is already in the middle. Folding the hand just means you lose.

There is literally nothing to gain by giving up. Nothing.

How is preparing for the end logical "statistically speaking"?

The world has ended 0 times so far. The world has a 100% record of not ending.

This is the anthropic fallacy[0]: if and when society does collapse, you won't be here arguing about it.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle

So it seems pretty pointless for me to prepare for the end of the world, since if it happens there won't be anything I need to do.

Makes more sense to prepare for the continuation of the world, since then I'd have to actually do something.

Because taking the most extreme course of preparation (genetic suicide) does not have as much effect on the end result as staying in the game, accepting one's own imperfection but continuing to try to be a net positive.

I don't have a strong opinion either way, but do we really have to call the decision to not have kids "genetic suicide?" I'm not the sole custodian of my genetics, it's not like I have some freak mutation that's going to save the species. We are largely genetically similar.

The mindset is not bringing more humans into the world to suffer on a planet with too little arable land and potable water left.

> You’re just removing people who will grow up to better protect the planet

It's too late for that. This is a crisis for people who are adults today to address, or it will be too late. The IPCC says we have to cut global emissions by 50% by 2030. We can't wait for your little Jr to grow up and maybe turn out to be an environmentalist.

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