Don't overstate 1.5 degrees C threat, new IPCC head says – DW – 07/30/2023
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Jim Skea, the new head of the UN's IPCC climate panel, said it was not helpful to imply that temperature increases of 1.5 degrees Celsius posed an existential threat to humanity.

In short, we aren’t on track to an apocalyptic extinction, and the new head is concerned that rhetoric that we are is making people apathetic and paralyzes them from making beneficial actions.

He makes it clear too that this doesn’t mean things are perfectly fine. The world is becoming and will be more dangerous with respect to climate. We’re going to still have serious problems to deal with. The problems just aren’t insurmountable and extinction level.

  • jemorganEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    You seem determined to miss the point here, so I suspect that I’m wasting my time replying, but I’d like to try to assume good faith for a little bit longer.

    It’s been observed (by scientists, no less) that people are less likely to work towards addressing climate change if they believe that it’s already too late to prevent catastrophe.

    The corollary is that they are more likely to work to address climate change if they believe that there is still time to prevent total ecological collapse.

    This is beneficial, since the facts show that there is still time to prevent total ecological collapse, even if we are already past the point of no return for preventing all consequences of climate change.

    The person on the OP is urging people to be factually accurate with what they communicate to the public about climate change. Instead of misrepresenting the current situation as one where we are on the verge of total ecological collapse, we should take care to be factually accurate.

    In light of these facts, what exactly is it that you’re arguing about? Do you think that we should misrepresent the situation as worse than it is?