EDIT 2: On top because it belongs here. I always find it really disconcerting when something like this is down-voted on HN rather than discussed at the appropriate intellectual level. To me this is an indication of the deep-rooted brainwashing that has permeated this issue. People simply refuse to think. I have had this discussion with PhD level researchers in the field. Not one of them over the last, say, ten years, was able to refute the super-simple science and logic of this argument. In fact, what most will admit to me in private is that this conclusion would make grants evaporate, and so nobody is talking about it. It's far easier to make money and secure grants if you stick with the bullshit that's floating out there. <end edit>

What frustrates me the most about the climate change mess is that it is now a religion, on both sides of the argument. The truth isn’t being covered by anyone because they are all making money or gaining votes with the nonsense.

First truth: We can’t do a thing about climate change. Nothing will “fix” it.

This is very easy to understand.

Go dig-up the last 800,000 years in atmospheric CO2 data from ice core samples.

Curve fit lines to the large up and down cycles of approximately 100 ppm.

Measure the down slopes in years per 100 ppm.

The numbers you’ll get are in the range of 25,000 to 75,000 years for a 100 ppm drop. Let’s call it 50,000 average.

Now add a graph of total human population to this 800,000 year chart.

Identify the period when humanity represented less than 1% of current world population, say, 70 million or less.

Calculate the down slope during that period. Still about 50,000 years for a 100 ppm drop.

Conclusion: If 99% of humanity and all of our technology evaporated from this planet next Monday, it would take in the range of 50,000 years for a 100 ppm drop in atmospheric CO2 concentration. In other words, the rate of change is in the tens of thousands of years per 100 ppm.

We cannot “fix” this even if we all left earth.

Anyone proposing a solution has to explain how this would be better than leaving the planet.

Example claim: No more planes, trains, autos or motorcycles to fix climate change in 50 years.

Ridiculous.

This claims a ONE THOUSAND FOLD improvement on the rate of change corresponding to all of humanity leaving the planet. That’s preposterous. In fact, this will do nothing and might even make things worse.

If you claim a “fix” you have to explain how it will perform a thousand times better than if seven billion people committed mass suicide next Monday.

We desperately need to start talking about reality and leave fantasy behind.

Climate change is real, and we are not going to fix it.

EDIT: Here's a link to the ice core sample atmospheric CO2 data. I urge you to go through the steps I listed above and engage in some critical thinking before commenting or down-voting this comment. If you disagree, explain why and how we can do a thousand times better than if humanity left the planet.

https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/images/air_bubbles_historical...