Why ecosystem collapses may occur much sooner than expected

an ecosystem predicted to collapse in the 2090s owing to the creeping rise of a single source of stress, such as global temperatures, could, in a worst-case scenario, collapse in the 2030s once we factor in other issues like extreme rainfall, pollution, or a sudden spike in natural resource use.

There is no way to restore collapsed ecosystems within any reasonable timeframe. There are no ecological bailouts. In the financial vernacular, we will just have to take the hit.

Paper

ShesDayDreaming,
ShesDayDreaming avatar

I study environmental science and I can believe it, every model I've used all the sources I've used that predict have been conservative in numbers compared to what's going on.

The problem is we are never going to do what needs to be done because capitalism is the literal cause and the world is addicted to capitalism because none of the companies are going to do what they need to do unless it's profitable.

bedrooms,

It's greed or commercialism. Capitalism is synonymous to them in popular discussions, but even if you picked a non-capitalist stance like communism, they'd produce greenhouse gas anyway.

LostCause, (edited )

Since we’re all here looking at yet another terrifying headline. I have a huge grudge for companies who force people into the office. It‘s unnecessary!! There should be a legislation in all countries ASAP to give workers a right to WFH they can enforce on the company!

We have seen with the pandemic it‘s possible and would free a lot of people from this pathologic need for a car and yet the companies owners and paid for politicians are dragging their feet to save their fucking "office real estate investments" or other bullshit reasons that all amount to control. Elon fucking Musk personally pisses me off the most, cause he pretended to care about the climate to sell cars and then is the absolute worst about this calling WFH "not real work", also to sell cars.

Don‘t even get me started on their private jets and pleasure yachts, all this unnecessary bullshit, there is already a first class the rich assholes can sit down in with extra space, they don‘t need their own plane!!

Assholes like that should be shamed everywhere they go for daring to do something so damaging while also forcing people to rely on cars cause of the hostile infrastructure and hostile work environments they created!

Governments are so good at making up crimes out of nowhere, see how effective they are at fucking over trans people for something as innocent as changing their own gender, maybe use that power for good for ONCE and criminalise environmental damage??

Sodis,

The amount of anti-WFH propaganda in recent times is completely ridiculous. All just to protect their books from falling office real estate prices.

discodoubloon,
discodoubloon avatar

I’m starting to see car abusers as a serious fucking problem. Burning dinosaur juice just for going somewhere for your own aims? I have never seen so many selfish people that don’t give a fuck. You’re going to kill us all.

It’s not full ecosystem collapse that’s going to kill us. I bet about 20% of the way there life will become untenable. There is no way that it’s not exponential progress. It will hit us like lightning.

lootgoblin42,

Oil doesn’t come from dinosaurs. Just sayin..

Rhaedas,
Rhaedas avatar

The more accurate description perhaps paints the problem better - millions of years of fossilized sunlight. How do you begin to reverse that, and quickly? You don't.

argv_minus_one,

Everybody focuses on cars and completely ignores everything else fossil fuels are used for and everything that's being done to stop alternatives from replacing them. Those in charge are trying to shift the blame onto powerless non-rich people like you, and you're letting them get away with it.

TisBe,

Yup. Most plastics are made from the waste product of fuel production. It is the combination of burning and plastic trash that is causing the acceleration. It is fuel to make and transport goods, and the plastics to protect those goods in transit, that are collapsing our environment.

argv_minus_one,

And there, too, alternatives are being blocked. When's the last time you heard of a solar-powered cargo ship or freight train?

Lells,
Lells avatar

...or for that matter, when is the first time? Cuz... I haven't.

Charlielx,
Charlielx avatar

pretty sure both of those are energy density issues that need to be solved rather than suppression specifically

wave_walnut,
wave_walnut avatar

Since climate change figures are a collection of waveforms with short cycles and high amplitude, it is possible that the conditions for a comfortable living environment for humankind could be exceeded temporarily at any moment. And even a temporary exceedance of the allowable value will surely result in loss of human life.

Igloojoe,

We already seen the crab ecosystem by alaska collapse. Overfishing and warmer waters killed most of them off.

FarFarAway,

While your probably right, technically, i dont think they ever found the bodies, as you would expect with a large die off.

My optimistic side wants to believe they relocated...but I suppose either way, it still means thier environment collapsed.

Lells,
Lells avatar

My parents don't believe in climate change because of their religion, which means they will NEVER change their minds.

"Well, the earth is only about 6000 years old, so all those numbers are meaningless because they're based on false assumptions...."

I tried telling them, "You believe in God, well, he gave you a brain, don't you think he wanted you to use it and maybe not take a couple thousand year old story so literally?" They weren't happy.

Nix,

Thus, our human brain are incapable of grasping or begin to comprehend the scale and severity of the climate crisis with just soundbites, anecdotes, news-rants and tiktok videos.

Understanding complex systems is hard and requires continuous concentration over months and years. Even more so for the Hyperobject that is ephemerally understood as Climate Change.

We can barely begin to collectively acknowledge that perhaps something is indeed wrong with :

  • all the burning forests just because of the smoke/smog "inconveniently" smothers our cities (occasionally burning them for being too close)
  • atmospheric rivers drowning towns and cities in flash floods
  • high altitude glaciers irreversibly melting and disappearing
  • Greenland and Antarctic have only accelerated their ice loss from sustained glacier retreat
  • the thermohaline circulation slowing down due to all that melted water (less dense due to higher temperature and less salt) staying on the surface of the water column
  • the migration of millions of humans mostly from regions with latitude between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn due to drought, crops loss, famine, extreme storms, natural disasters and violence or wars
  • the increase in frequency and length of heatwaves

Unfortunately, we will probably sooner or later go to war over made-up fantasies or leftovers of a ruined planet before finally collectively understanding and tackling the complex thing that is currently (for now) known as Climate Change.

gonzo0815,

A couple of years ago i saw a world map with predictions about water scarcity and was kind of relieved Germany was classified as "low risk" (or something like that).

Currently farmers are complaining about too little precipitation and predict lower grain yields for this year. It's fucking scary.

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