this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2023
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Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.

As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades: Graph of temperature as observed with significant warming, and simulated without added greenhouse gases and other anthropogentic changes, which shows no significant warming

How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world: IPCC AR6 Figure 2 - Thee bar charts: first chart: how much each gas has warmed the world.  About 1C of total warming.  Second chart:  about 1.5C of total warming from well-mixed greenhouse gases, offset by 0.4C of cooling from aerosols and negligible influence from changes to solar output, volcanoes, and internal variability.  Third chart: about 1.25C of warming from CO2, 0.5C from methane, and a bunch more in small quantities from other gases.  About 0.5C of cooling with large error bars from SO2.

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I encountered this blog post on mastodon and I'm wondering what would people's thoughts be on this. It has some strong arguments in favor of SAI.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

maybe because every time we try and fix something instead of make changes to ourselves to fix the thing, it turns out to be a bucket of shit

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

What? We can't build our way into degrowth? I will have none of it 🧐

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The main problems I have with it is::

Once you begin (without actually reducing co2 emissions), you can never stop.

You will have to increase the rate of SAI every decade, in perpetuity.

If, for any reason (war, political instability, economic burden etc), the SAI stops the rapid change in temperatures will be devastating to ecosystems on a level that would make our current rate of change look like paradise.

From what I remember of the effect the Mt Pinatubo eruption in 1991 had of global warming the effects disappear within 5 years. If humans want to reverse warming we will have to push well past the "safe max co2" of 350ppm.

My little End of SAI Nightmare Senario.

Its 2100 After 50 years of SAI pegged as if there is only 200ppm of co2 in the atmosphere. The actual level is some where between 800 - 1000 ppm.

The SAI stops. In effect the earth goes from 200ppm to 800 - 1000 ppm in five years.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Climate engineering solutions have the problem of being inherently international. One country can't just start injecting aerosols into the stratosphere without every other country on Earth freaking out. It'd require a level of international cooperation that just doesn't exist.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

One country can’t just start injecting aerosols into the stratosphere without every other country on Earth freaking out.

Are you sure about that?

That is what climate change is. Nations pumping what ever amount of co2 into the atmosphere while the rest of the world does nothing.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

I'm sure that it would cause international tensions and lots of saber rattling. Maybe it'd amount to nothing, but if China started doing this in the next few years you know the US would freak the fuck out.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson deals with this scenario, an good read if you're interested

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

We're reactionary so nothing is going to change until bottom line of the big players gets hit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

What a poorly written article. They didn't even explain what SAI was.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

tomorrow in the news: A billionaire starts building a train destined to become humanity’s ark.