this post was submitted on 24 May 2026
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Climate

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Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.

As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades: Graph of temperature as observed with significant warming, and simulated without added greenhouse gases and other anthropogentic changes, which shows no significant warming

How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world: IPCC AR6 Figure 2 - Thee bar charts: first chart: how much each gas has warmed the world.  About 1C of total warming.  Second chart:  about 1.5C of total warming from well-mixed greenhouse gases, offset by 0.4C of cooling from aerosols and negligible influence from changes to solar output, volcanoes, and internal variability.  Third chart: about 1.25C of warming from CO2, 0.5C from methane, and a bunch more in small quantities from other gases.  About 0.5C of cooling with large error bars from SO2.

Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:

Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.

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[–] BurgerBaron@quokk.au 1 points 3 hours ago

Modi was elected.

[–] StillAlive@piefed.world 8 points 7 hours ago

Fuck my countrymen. They voted for this (or stayed home and didn't bother to vote at all).

I've never voted for BJP ever in my life so my conscience is clear on that front at least.

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 hours ago

Nothing counts unless it sells, I guess.

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 6 points 10 hours ago

Nature really isn't too bothered about all our can kicking. It'll find balance quicker than we will be able to adapt

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 17 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (4 children)

fast fact: For westerners who still think of India as a faraway little spot, slightly under a fifth of the world's population lives there. More than 4x as many people as the USA. So this is kind of a major deal, humanity-wise.

[–] Kind_to_Everyone@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 hour ago

Yes, it is a major deal humanity-wise, but India has been sovereign since 1947 and in the last 12 years made decisions to have the hottest and most polluted cities on the planet. Hellish urban heat island (UHI) construction predominates. Coal power and ICE vehicles ownership were rapidly expanded.

Global climate change, for which the West bears primary fault, is responsible for 1.5c of warming. UHI effects, through decisions India made, are responsible for 6-8c in the NCR alone and 3-5c in most other major cities.

I beg Indians to step up and start making the smart decisions to mitigate the wave of heat deaths drawing closer that will rival the British-created Bengal famine.

[–] Allero@lemmy.today 14 points 13 hours ago

Nah, having about 1,5 billion people living there is one of the first things people on the West associate with India (and also China)

[–] guy@piefed.social 1 points 7 hours ago

For Americans* who still think

[–] quips@slrpnk.net 13 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Every westerner knows this

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 5 points 11 hours ago

You'd be surprised. Some of us still want to give them maps and such as.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 23 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (5 children)

To me, the case of India and Saudi Arabia are the strangest examples of climate denial, because they are going to be the most uninhabitable and keep buying/selling. Like they think they can outrun global warming through fossil accelerated development. Australia too, because they are drowning in solar power, but still hold onto coal. russia at least makes sense, they just want to become warmer and unlock new land, even if the whole place will turn into a giant swamp.

[–] ultrafastsloth@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago (1 children)
[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)
[–] M1nds3nd@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 hours ago

I've heard that one before.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 10 hours ago

and MODI wants datacenters in the country apparently. which is why rubio went there.

[–] silence7@slrpnk.net 9 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Saudi Arabia makes sense if you think the royal family intends to move overseas and let the populace die

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

All rich people think like that.

[–] shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 30 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

This is a fairly one sided opinion piece which does not accurately reflect India's policy towards fossil fuels.

I follow Indian politics fairly closely and I was suprised to see the assertion that Modi has denied climate change for years especially since India has been fairly aggressive at expanding renewable usage since it is a matter of energy independence for them. Unlike Saudi Arabia, India imports essentially all of its oil and has very little to none domestically.

The often referred to quote from the speech he gave was "Climate has not changed. We have changed. Our habits have changed." In the rest of the speech he goes on to explain further that the environment isn't changing on its own; human behavior, lifestyle shifts, and a lack of harmony with nature are driving environmental destruction. The argument he was making recognized anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change; it wasn't a denial of it.

From 2025 to 2026 India added 55+ GW of non-fossil fuel capacity and is currently the world's third largest market for installed renewable energy.

Modi was vocal about combatting climate change at COP26, committing India to a "Net Zero" emissions target by 2070 and pledged that India would source 50% of its energy capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.

India also recently had its fast breeder Thorium reactor reach criticality and is planning to expand capacity to meet 15% of domestic energy demand by 2047.

There's a lot of reasons not to like Modi but this is a misrepresentation of his and India's current stance on climate change.

Yes, India still burns coal. No country in history has developed without coal. It is cheap, abundant and accessible domestically. Renewables are still too inefficient and pricey to meet the needs of a rapidly developing nation robustly. Oil is a foreign import for India, which comes with its own unique costs and geopolitical complexity. Energy has been crucial to India pulling 30 million people out of poverty domestically per year and abandoning coal at this stage would likely mean decreasing that number.

Its a complicated situation, but what is clear is India recognizes climate change and has expressed a clear intention to expand renewable utilization over the next several decades. For India it's not only a matter of domestic climate impact but decreasing reliance on global oil markets.

[–] AusatKeyboardPremi@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

This should be a top-level comment so that others have a chance to educate themselves and form their opinions better.

There is lot to criticise about Modi like rising unemployment, systemic dismembering of journalism, whataboutism, and so much more!

But twisting the words of his speech (that is more than a decade old now) is just pathetic and immediately makes anyone pedalling that narrative foolish. It is even worse when a journalist does it, since fact checking is paramount.

[–] Grainne@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 16 hours ago (3 children)

Australia is mostly ruined in the top 3/4. The bottom section where most of the people live will be relatively okay.

[–] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 1 points 9 hours ago

The >50⁰C heat waves in Melbourne when the wind is northwesterly in summer aren't going to be fun. By the end of the century there could be occasional fatal wet bulb temperatures.

(the current record is 46⁰C in 2009, but extremes get more extreme)

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 10 hours ago

the outback is expanding i heard.

[–] BloodMuffin@lemmy.ca 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

When sea levels rise enough all the coastal cities will be gone

[–] Grainne@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 12 hours ago

Elevation levels are not the same across the world.

At an extreme 10 metre rise, nearly all of Bangladesh will be under water while Melbourne and Sydney will only lose a small bit of land.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 11 points 17 hours ago

Just carry on polluting the earth and global warming will get you. The Cyclones are becoming more powerful and get rid of the Caste System too.

[–] budget_biochemist@slrpnk.net 27 points 1 day ago (2 children)

One government minister has suggested carrying an onion in your pocket as an alternative to air conditioning:

As India swelters, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia suggested skipping air conditioning and carrying an onion to combat extreme heat, citing his 'Chambal skin' and traditional remedies. While temperatures soar between 40-46°C across many states, with heatwave warnings issued, Scindia's advice blends personal habit with age-old practices, highlighting a contrast between traditional relief and the escalating reality of intense heatwaves.

[–] Schmoo@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 hours ago

blends personal habit with age-old practices, highlighting a contrast between traditional relief and the escalating reality of intense heatwaves.

This sounds AI generated.

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 7 points 20 hours ago

Garlic against vampires, onions against the heat. Makes sense

[–] Rossphorus@lemmy.world 13 points 21 hours ago

Just us and these terrible men – for it is mostly men – who fell trees and spend other people’s lives as pocket change.

Tripped right at the finish line. What a great way to turn a clear call to action against the leaders in charge into meaningless gender-based infighting instead.

[–] Mihies@programming.dev 38 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If I deny global warming, there can't be one. Simple.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 10 hours ago

is that why datacenters are being peddled so hard there.

[–] artifex@piefed.social 19 points 1 day ago

As predicted in Kim Stanley Robinson’s Ministry for the Future.