Do climate and energy experts often ignore the fact we're in a mass extinction that's now accelerating during 21st century capitalism because it disrupts their visions of 'solutions'?
THREAD. 🧵
THREAD. 🧵
1. We're in a mass extinction due to habitat destruction, pollution, and many other factors including abrupt climate change: 20% (30-50%?) of species face extinction by 2050, and 75% of mammals as early as 2300.
We don't know which species can survive 1.75°C-2.75°C by the 2040s.
We don't know which species can survive 1.75°C-2.75°C by the 2040s.
2. It seems many climate and energy experts say climate change won't lead to human extinction within decades or centuries, without acknowledging that extinction threats to species come from a range of activities likely to be maintained in a 'green' growth, 'clean' energy economy.
3. Climate & energy experts should discuss climate change in terms of mass extinction & ecosystems collapse, not just emissions & technology, and acknowledge that a key question is whether, or in what ways, billions of people are, or will soon be, in danger.
#ExtinctionEconomy
#ExtinctionEconomy
4. The near-term obliteration of 20%-50% of the species humans rely on for survival due to the activities of this growth economy would obviously be utterly horrific.
"Will humans become extinct due to climate change?" is a red herring.
References below:
"Will humans become extinct due to climate change?" is a red herring.
References below:
7a. 'In around 300 years time, 75% of all mammal species will have disappeared from this planet... if the current rates of extinction continue and the animals already threatened or endangered are wiped out this century.' bbc.com/future/article…
7b. 'Once-common species will be extinct, or exist only in human-made environments like zoos or private breeding colonies far from their natural habitat, such as the lemur sanctuary in the Caribbean that Virgin boss Richard Branson proposed'.
Grotesque.
bbc.com/future/article…
Grotesque.
bbc.com/future/article…
8.
1.75°C-2.75°C by the 2030s or 2040s will be horrendous.
(Maintaining the current economic system would in theory make 1.6°C by 2050 possible, but would mean wrecked ecosystems and unbearable pollution, etc)
System change required immediately.
1.75°C-2.75°C by the 2030s or 2040s will be horrendous.
(Maintaining the current economic system would in theory make 1.6°C by 2050 possible, but would mean wrecked ecosystems and unbearable pollution, etc)
System change required immediately.
9. “Drastically increased rates of species extinctions and declining abundances of many animal and plant populations are well documented, yet some deny that these phenomena amount to mass extinction”scitechdaily.com/sixth-mass-ext…
11.
2.5- 4.5 billion people look likely to face intolerable risk by mid-century as major ecosystems are wrecked and species are wiped out.
How many scientists will scream for system change?
How many journalists?
2.5- 4.5 billion people look likely to face intolerable risk by mid-century as major ecosystems are wrecked and species are wiped out.
How many scientists will scream for system change?
How many journalists?
https://twitter.com/ClimateBen/status/1482841438501101576?s=20&t=5LGVCbm2kAjPQfrlzuSpSw
12. "temperature-driven fertility losses may be a major threat.. We already had reports of fertility losses at high temperature in everything from pigs to ostriches.. even humans..perhaps half of all species will be vulnerable to thermal infertility." phys.org/news/2021-05-i…
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