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Comment by remotecool | Hacker News Reader

The US is only 15% of total emissions. Even if we had 0 emissions, countries like China and India would still be ruining the planet.

The problem is that many ideas for curbing climate change will destroy the economy and other countries will just use that to their advantage, not caring about it at all, only to seize power.

This is why the Paris Accords need to have punishments involved for countries that pollute the planet with excess CO2 emissions.

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That's not what the article says. In the article, US is second biggest co2 producer. if US had 0 emissions, that would make a big difference! Obviously, if China had 0 emissions, it would make a bigger difference, but India is 4th in this list, so shifting blame to China and India seems wrong and seeing their emissions and say "US having zero emissions wouldn't make a difference" seems defeatist.

Also, don't think this is a "they do, so I can also do" but rather what can we/you do to improve whatever would help.

> The problem is that many ideas for curbing climate change will destroy the economy

Seems if your economy is depending on screwing the planet, probably it would be best for everyone if it did get destroyed. On one hand: working economy / broken planet and on the other hand: broken economy / working planet. I sure know what I would prefer.

Like I said, we need to have everyone working together. The planet doesn't care about fairness and China, India, and many other countries will continue to pollute unless they suffer some sort of consequence.

You would rather have poverty, death, and destruction now instead of coming up with a solution later? This is what would happen if we wiped out fossil fuels now.

...And countries like China wouldn't follow the same rules and their economy would be just fine.

I don't think I would want to live in your world.

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