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Comment by gruez | Hacker News Reader

>key 1.5C warming mark

The title suggests if the 1.5C mark is broken something bad will happen, but is that really the case? Or is it purely symbolic?

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They say it's going to trigger point of no return with permafrost unfreezing relasing methane (80x more potent than CO2), melted icesheets that won't radiate out heat etc. all together entering self sustaining cycle that we won't be able to physically stop.

This is the real danger.

We can control human emissions but not these feedbacks.

> We can control human emissions

I'd say we can't even do that because human stupidity is fifth elemental force.

Which shall be eradicated in 100-200 years. The stupid think they are clever than they are…destroying the very elements that enable us to exist.

Even if we get eradicated in 200 years, some effects of our stupidity (global warming included) will outlast us by millenia.

Yup, but everything will reset. If a tree falls on earth and no humans exist, does it matter? Of course but entities that don’t have a sense of human importance and time aren’t attached like the virus we are.

>I'd say we can't even do that because human stupidity is fifth elemental force.

I am definitely copying that. Very nice way of putting it.

Last one out turn off the lights.

1.5C is actually a pretty conservative estimate, and there are suggestions that we have breached well beyond that point already.

Many climate scientists sounding the alarm get attacked and silenced (and activists get killed!), so there's reason to believe that things are actually much worse than the media lets on.

I don't think they're quiet because of attacks and silencing, but from their data they pick the conservative numbers, to have some defense against people saying they're being alarmists. So the reality could be a lot worse...

no, really ? are you perhaps making up this killing of scientists ?

You refer to the killing of scientists, while the parent comment refers to the killing of activists. Please do try to avoid the bending of words, intentional or otherwise.

Backing the parent comment, please see https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/report-says-200-environme...

I made an error in my original comment. Please check out the reply.

I vaguely recall a climate scientist disappearing under odd circumstances but I can't recall where. Maybe this was a scientist and activist in Latin America.

>Please do try to avoid the bending of words, intentional or otherwise.

Ironic considering that the original claim was:

>Many climate scientists sounding the alarm get attacked and silenced (and activists get killed!)

But the source you provide only mentions "environmental and land defense activists".

My apologies, I must have gotten things confused with the climate scientist who self-immolated in protest. Comment has been edited to reflect this.

Still, climate activists are routinely targeted: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63064471

I'm still vaguely recalling an article about a climate scientist disappearing under suspicious circumstances, but I cannot find it now.

Meanwhile on YouTube you can find conspiracy theory videos how everyone, including scientists, activists organized by some shadowy cabal, is conspiring against you oh and the government is in on it too. Meanwhile oil companies, etc have provably lead to the deaths of 1700 people and the only motivation they need is profit.

thank you, no harm done

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