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Comment by hammock | Hacker News Reader

I’m confused. We are beyond the point of no return when it comes to global warming. Hasnt he already seen how the story ends?

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There is no single "point of no return". We have obviously passed the point where bad consequences can be avoided, but every extra ton of CO2 and methane makes things a bit worse.

I worry that the sentiment of "we have passed the point of no return" induces an impotent apathy in people, when the truth is that every step in the right direction makes our future a little bit less dire.

Folks are worried about phase change, the flip from one set of patterns to a different set of patters. That is much different than a linear "every ton makes things a bit worse".

There is going to be big fundamental change, but people need to stop thinking about it like "the sky is falling" and instead ask "how are we going to adapt?"

People are going to have to move to where water is available, to where heat is less of a problem, and large scale infrastructure is going to change. A lot of struggle is going to go along with that change but starting to plan now and predict where is going to be habitable and how to prepare for that is what people should be doing instead of the shame and doom.

To be clear, I'm worried about phase changes too, and I probably made it sound more gradual than it actually is. But there will be more than just one phase major change, and for any particular phase change, less CO2 makes it less likely.

Thanks for the clarification.

The narrative climax to the human story around climate change has yet to happen. Assuming we continue on the current trajectory, expect riots and wars over food and clean water, possibly more.

What do you think he means when he says “how the story ends”?

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