Humanity has survived millions of years of constantly changing climate. We’ve gone through hot, we’ve gone through ice ages. Humanity has spread from the wilds of Africa to the tips of the world. We live in warm, cool, cold, hot, wet, arid. We live in mountains, we live on plains, we’re on islands, we’re in the middle of continents. Obviously, now, a tiny increase in global temps is Doom
Will climate change cause humans to go extinct?
I see a lot of resources talking about near-term human extinction, or the fact that thanks to climate change my generation will see the end of humanity. How likely is an outcome like this? Is there any hope for our futures?
Anonymous, aged 18. London, UK.
This article is part of I Need To Know, a Q&A service for teenagers by The Conversation. Find out how to submit your questions at the end of this article.
The claim that humanity only has just over a decade left due to climate change is based on a misunderstanding. In 2018, a fairly difficult-to-read report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that humanity needs to cut its carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in half by 2030, to avoid global warming of 1.5°C above the levels seen before the industrial revolution.
What this actually means is roughly, “We have about 12 years before fixing climate change becomes really expensive and tough.â€
Humanity can still live in a world with climate change – it’s just going to be more work, and many lives and livelihoods are likely to be threatened. But it’s complicated, because this century we are facing many problems at the same time, and we are more dependent on each other than ever.
So, obviously, the Doomsday Cult of Climastrology has done their job in scaring the mule fritters out of the youths, so, it’s no wonder they are so mentally disturbed about extinction and doom. Heck, we didn’t have this many mental issues when there was a real concern about nuclear war.
Anyhow, if you read the article, you’ll see that they kind of attempt to soft-pedal the doom from ‘climate change’ while also showing doom, but then say the doom isn’t as likely as other doom. So, a total whiplash.
