There is no scientific basis for predicting millions of deaths from climate change
But Coronavirus could kill 10 million or more IN NEXT ~12 MONTHS
People are deeply confused about the science here
People are confused
There has always been strong evidence that a virus could kill millions
There has never been strong evidence that temp increase of 2-4 degrees could
Natural gas reduced emissions 11 times more than solar energy and 50 percent more than wind energy in the U.S.
There's no comparison.
Experts have near-unanimously over the decades have ranked disease epidemics as far, far more dangerous and catastrophic than climate change is likely to be
At first, I was skeptical, too, & only cancelled a Europe trip at the last minute.
Viruses kill people outright
Climate change magnifies other risks
It is an indirect background factor
There will never be death attribution to climate change like there is when lungs stop working from covid-19
People should know that
Maybe.
There are certainly stories one could tell about it doing so
But you don't need climate change to get disease epidemic risks like covid-19
We certainly didn't need it for Spanish Flu, which killed 20-50M, more than WWI
Human development in the form of roads and housing, and fire suppression allowing for the build-up of wood fuel, are sufficient factors for hotter fires & more acres burned
It's like comparing climate change and weather events like hurricanes, cyclones, and forest fires
Climate is a background factor not a direct factor
Competency matters
Death rates and economic damage from extreme weather events dropped 80-90% during the last 40 years, due to more competent preparedness
We need same for disease
It's a country I have spent a lot of time in over last few years, and admire greatly, for its work making nuclear plants safer and more efficient
Same with Korean trains. Clean, reliable, cheap
That does not mean they are cold and secular. They are not. They are some of the warmest and most Christian people I have ever met.
They care about each other deeply, too.
Diseases are a far greater threat to humankind than climate or other environmental problems
The greatest threat to emissions rising are people like @BernieSanders who oppose nat gas & nukes which were 56% of US electricity in 2019 (37% & 19%)
decider.com/2020/03/12/pan…
He is a brilliant man, but he was also just repeating the expert consensus
vox.com/2015/5/27/8660…
- Joshua Lederberg, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1958
H/t @specterm
newyorker.com/news/daily-com…