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What harm could one coal mine do? Plenty – 1.7 million Hiroshima bombs of heat for starters
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this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023
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The problem with doomerism is that idea that it's inevitable, and you can't do anything about it, even though the decision to burn is very much a human one.
It's becoming more and more obvious that certain decisions have already been made which we can't walk back from. Those with decision making power continue to make decisions that lead us further down the climate change path. The problem with anti doomer rhetoric is that it fails to recognize that things are already very bad. Climate, ecosystems, societies are all complex systems, and complex systems have feedbacks and lag times. Things are out of our control. Those who don't recognize this are doing harm by working for things which in the end will be fruitless. Doomers aren't saying they have the answers, they're saying that everyone else definitely doesn't either.
That's the thing: we have the answers we need. It's largely a matter of getting into a position of power to implement them. That means kicking off a virtuous cycle of people working in decarbonization, empowering politicians who will do more, etc.
If our only problem was climate change I might have some sympathy for your argument. As you learn more about the total human predicament, you'll come to see that there is no escape from the predicament of overshoot of permanent carrying capacity. This moment in time is uniquely anomalous in the human experience, and no amount of technology will get us out of it.
If you haven't, I encourage you to read William Catton and really digest what he's saying. Then read the limits to growth, some Jared Diamond, and learn about all the other times civilizations have risen and then fell back into dust. Take your time, this is a lot to take in, but don't plug your ears and eyes to the reality we live in. You've got a lot of drive, if only it was focused on what might actually make a meaningful difference.
Been there. Read those. Don't expect to solve every problem in the world, but I can make a difference on a piece of it. That's life.