this post was submitted on 19 Aug 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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[–] NotEasyBeingGreen@slrpnk.net 9 points 3 days ago

I really dislike the reaction to research where people say, "of course".

Firstly, unexpected results happen all the time. We don't know until we check!

Secondly, a study like this in particular is important because we didn't know that children's lungs would get better necessarily, or how quickly. It wouldn't have surprised me to find that there was lifelong damage.

Thirdly, research that confirms what we know or expect is very important. Reproduction is at the heart of science! One study means little.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 24 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It's amazing how much it can help when you stop poisoning people.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 4 points 4 days ago

Whoda thunk??

[–] Lodespawn@aussie.zone 51 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Anecdotal evidence: I grew up in Australia and I had reasonably severe asthma when I was a kid, when I got older I only got wheezy when I got a cold. Moved to the UK for 8 years and immediately started getting regular asthma attacks after moving over and had to go on a preventer. Lived in London for the three quarters and Guildford for the last quarter. Moved home post COVID and a couple months after arriving home my asthma went back to only being an issue when sick. I'm confident it was pollution related.

[–] DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 26 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Most asthma is environmental. Leaded gasoline was covered up. Oil and gas deserves to be burned.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 8 points 4 days ago (2 children)

It's more about particulate emissions: especially diesel soot.

[–] budget_biochemist@slrpnk.net 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

House dust too. I had terrible asthma as a teenager from living in a dusty home that wasn't cleaned. Once I moved out it was much better and I didn't need to use a daily preventative.

Since 2020 I've been wearing a mask when out and noticed my asthma is better than its ever been. For the first time in my life I'm having to get new puffers when they go out of date, not when they run out of doses.

[–] Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk 3 points 2 days ago

Same story as me. We had carpets and a dog growing up and my asthma was terrible. Now I'm living in a carpet and animal free house is amazing.

Also same with 2020. I had to go to the office for the first time during lockdown down so decided to walk. Hardly any cars and wearing a mask, the best I've ever breathed in my life.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 days ago

nitrogen compounds, ozone...

[–] mlatu@moist.catsweat.com 14 points 5 days ago

not so quick friendo...

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 days ago

I live in southwest England. When I visit London, I can taste the air. I've noticed the improvement since the ULEZ went in.

[–] Folstar@lemmus.org 18 points 4 days ago (2 children)

One day humans will look back on living next to roads with ICE vehicles similar to how we look back on people throwing shit buckets out their front window.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Oh yeah, if we survive into the future, at some point, the people of today will be looked at with similar contempt to how we look at the Romans sharing communal sponges on sticks to wipe their asses, how we see human/animal sacrifices, Roman use of lead, the very recent use of lead that put large amounts of it in the atmosphere for everyone to breathe, recent use of asbestos, doctors prescribing cigarettes or leeches going back a bit farther.

Except we're also leaving lasting effects that will also make some of them hate us like the hate some of us feel for the people who killed the dodo to extiction, or the catholic church for destroying so much of ancient American cultural records because none of it featured their religious BS (or creating a system that protected the priests that fucked kids), or the attrocities happening today. All the plastics, micro and macro, that will be everywhere, the long term and runaway climate effects, the lost biodiversity that will take millions of years to return (assuming we don't cross any major turning points that might slow it even more or outright stop it).

[–] Folstar@lemmus.org 3 points 2 days ago

Good stuff, except for dissing leeches. They have a valid place in modern medicine, even if it was a rocky road getting here. Same with maggots.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 days ago

Just don't look up.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 12 points 4 days ago

my headache is much better after you stopped hitting me with that hammer.

[–] antianarchist@sopuli.xyz 9 points 4 days ago

“Human recovers when not exposed to dangerous chemicals and gases”

pikatchu-face.jpg

[–] Octavio@piefed.social 2 points 4 days ago

yah, who'd a thunk?